mpc 500 sample volume

So im new but i feel i have checked the necessary spots and read the threads that pertain to my issue.

I guess before i get into my concern, i should ask this

Is the volume of a sample when you are in (mode - load) and preview with (play button) always louder then after its loaded to a pad?

I have checked master level and its at 0db.

Thanks guys.

The amplitude in your program is probably defaulted to 70%. Previewing in the load mode plays at 100%

That is exactly what I expected. I use a compiler application to create my .PGMs it says underneath the file name, LEVEL: 70. I thought I tried to change each to 100, but still same sound volume. I changed them to 50 as well to see if I would notice a decrease, and I didn't.

Where would I change the amplitude within the MPC itself and not through a 3rd party application which probably is a bad idea to begin with.

MPC187 is the application

edgecom wrote:
Where would I change the amplitude within the MPC itself and not through a 3rd party application which probably is a bad idea to begin with.

nothing wrong with using a 3rd party app i guess. tho i prefer mpcmaid.
when you hit mode and program on your mpc and scroll around you'll find the volume setting for each assigned sample/pad.

by the way, i'd set my master level to -6db.
as soon as you start to layer sounds or make songs your overall volume level will go up and with the master set at 0db you're likely to get clipping issues.

Mode -> Program...

Scroll until you find the amplitude parameter...

Instead of creating a new thread I figured just to add onto this one, I am needing some advice and reasons between sampling through ableton -> wav -> mpc VS. directly into the MPC.

What are the pros and cons of each side?

MPC Only -> Less hardware necessary
Ableton to MPC -> More FX/Processing options

Is setting the output volume to 100(in a third party application like mpc maid / mpc 187) the same as normalizing a sample?

To normalize a sample I, MODE -> TRIM (select sample) Edit -> Normalize right? Then do I have to reload the sample. Does that save to the .PGM, the boost in volume?

I thought I understood this an hour ago, but now Im condused. Why is it when I am in TRIM mode that all my samples are even louder then before (though I know they are at 100)


** re-reading i sound like such a noob haha whatever**

setting the volume to 100 is not the same as normalizing.
setting the volume is like saying how many percents of the actual volume the sample
has do you want to play back, with 100 being the max.
but normalizing is editing the .wav file itself, making it as loud as possible without distorting it (it looks at the peak of the sample and then upping the volume just before the peak would clip.)
so if your sample is rather low in volume to begin with, normalizing it first and then setting the volume to 100 will result in a lot of additional gain.

afaik saving the .pgm will not save that you normalized the sample.
the pgm only saves info about sample assignment, and settings on those samples but not edited wav files. to do that, just save the sample.

thank you for the clarification on the difference between sample level and normalizing.

can you please still take a look at this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjF6LTcKt4k


(again im new to this all. so im sorry to continuously go over the same points, i just want to just 100% get it.)

edgecom wrote:thank you for the clarification on the difference between sample level and normalizing.

can you please still take a look at this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjF6LTcKt4k


(again im new to this all. so im sorry to continuously go over the same points, i just want to just 100% get it.)

yo homie, i left you a youtube comment, i hope it helps you understand it a lil better

Thanks for the quick response.

Now what if I were to say that the mode/program/sample level (which is where i change the volume from 70-100, and what I think you meant) is already @ 100, and when I hit trim still its a few notches louder.

My first thought was maybe it was because I created the program in a third party editor, and changed the volume for each pad in the application. So my first way to troubleshoot that was, I copied and loaded a fresh, individual sample, to the mpc for the first time. Same scenario

Sample Level - 100
Normalized, but still its not at where it should be.

Your Master out may be something other than 0db... it is entirely possible that Trim mode always outputs at 0db. I am not positive about this though.

Does auto-norm only effect recorded samples? or does it work for a loaded program of samples or something?

auto-norm only applies when you record something with your mpc.