SMTPE chip on 2000xl

Is the SMTPE chip a necessary upgrade for the 2000xl?
Only interested in making pro quality audio.

not really... it isn't for audio, it's to lock the sequencer to an external piece of gear such as some tape machines, video machines etc...

it's just to keep sections of music on the mpc in time with external recording devices generally speaking... you won't need it most likely in 2015.

I haven;t used the smpte in years.
It was useful for syncing to the multitrack tape recorder but most digital equipment will sync much easier to midi these days.

I understand SMTPE was for synching, which is important.
From what you are telling me it's obselete as most people use midi now?

spoook wrote:I understand SMTPE was for synching, which is important.
From what you are telling me it's obselete as most people use midi now?

its actually unrelated to midi - it has to do more with multitrack tape than anything.

spoook wrote:I understand SMTPE was for synching, which is important.
From what you are telling me it's obselete as most people use midi now?

Midi time code is actually smpte code fed through the midi system.
When you use smpte it usually needs to be converted to mtc at some point.
Also, it involves sacrificing one of your tracks on the multitrack tape to write the smpte code to
So unless you are syncing to multitrack tape, smpte is obsolete. Midi time code is a better option.

Thanks for the advice. I will not be getting the SMPTE chip.