working around the limited sample time with mpc 3000

Hi, first post. just picked up an MPC 3000le... Love the way it grooves and sounds... only thing is the extreemely limited sample time. right now i was only able to sample 11 drum hits and im already out of memory. Not sure if this one has had the ram maxed out or not, not sure how to check... i like using gear with limitations, i think it helps to keep things focused and can inspire creativity in using whatcha got... however, this just doesnt seem like its enough for me. was using a 2000xl, and i could at least fill all the pad banks... Any solutions for working around the limited sample space would be appreciated.

Sorry if this is a question with an obvious answer, but im a newb in mpc territory...

Ianbryn11 wrote:Hi, first post. just picked up an MPC 3000le... Love the way it grooves and sounds... only thing is the extreemely limited sample time. right now i was only able to sample 11 drum hits and im already out of memory. Not sure if this one has had the ram maxed out or not, not sure how to check... i like using gear with limitations, i think it helps to keep things focused and can inspire creativity in using whatcha got... however, this just doesnt seem like its enough for me. was using a 2000xl, and i could at least fill all the pad banks... Any solutions for working around the limited sample space would be appreciated.

Sorry if this is a question with an obvious answer, but im a newb in mpc territory...

Sample in mono. Resample bass in high pitch and then pitch the new sample down (also gives some nice aliasing). Cut your samples tight will also save you some space. If you want long bass tones you could loop the tail of the hit... And so on

^ yeah, also... get the ram expansion. 11 drum sounds unless they were a minute long each should not fill a potential 32 megs of ram.

wait...they're not like, 11 really long timpani rolls are they?

lol.. please just max the ram out. So simple, and so cheap. It is the ONE upgrade every owner should do... it makes no sense keeping the standard ram in any machine. Especially the older ones as they are so restrictive.

Thanks for the replies.... i thought the max ram on this machine is 18megs? anyone have a good link to where i can get a good ram upgrade? i saw an 18 meg upgrade at mpc-stuff.com.... havent sen anything that'll bring her up to 32 megs thopugh....

b.read wrote:wait...they're not like, 11 really long timpani rolls are they?

nope, standard kick snare and hihat... none of em lasting for more than a second or 2....

check the owners manual and if needed... check the service manual (two manuals that are must haves on your computer.. they both can be found using google)

you should see documentation showing the exact specs of the ram.. furthermore, check around the 60/3000 section or use the search function for more info on the 3000 ram.

the mpc 3000 has a max of 32 megs of ram.. I believe with no expansion you are running on the stock built in 2 megs.. so when you see one single 16 meg expansion it may be listed as 18 megs. I am under the assumption though, that when you install the full 32 megs it then ignores the built in 2 megs... this is actually the case on the 2000/2000xl models.

thanks! i just ordered a 32 meg upgrade... cheeep! gotta love that.... How bout file saving saving options? i just saved my 11 sample program on 2 3.5 inch floppies... those obviously arent gonna cut it for long... anyone attach an external hd? or a cdr drive through scsi? do they do internal cf card readers for this mpc?

you can get a scsi internal or external cf reader.. scsi hard drives, scsi zips (highly suggest you avoid those) etc..

oh, also, you dont need to be sampling drum sounds in stereo... I highly suggest you take the advice the other gave and record those types of samples in mono. You can go and pan them later in the internal mixer. That right there doubles the amount of sample time you have.

totally.. that was great advice... changing the way i attack this mpc... good stuff!

Like the guy above stated, there are saving options other than floppy drive for the 3000, however some of it is diy and a bit of tampering involved (that's assuming you can source the parts in the first place).. Mr SEED has just succesfully installed a cf reader I believe, so he's the one to speak to. I think there are a few recent threads talking about it, best to look in there.

Most people will tell you stay away from zip drives, but if you insist on using one, make sure you back your files up as zip drives aren't known for their reliability.

eimer wrote:Sample in mono. Resample bass in high pitch and then pitch the new sample down (also gives some nice aliasing). Cut your samples tight will also save you some space. If you want long bass tones you could loop the tail of the hit... And so on

How to resample in MPC 3000

I own an cf reader from mr seed,, I recommend it, works like an charm and the speed it comes with it still amazes me.

I have a question that kinda goes with this... A buddy of mine were chatting about saving to floppy and he told me he can save an entire song to one floppy n his 3k , on my 3k ,even with all the samples mono and trimmed to shortest possible length I still need 2-3 floppy a to save entire song...keep in mind all drums and tracks are pretty damn close in length and were both using same floppy(mb is equal) .. What could be the reason for this?... I'm sure it's something small and trivial just kinda wierd