External sampler to 2000xl

hello - first post here. have been peeping these fine pages the past month. got my 2000xl last week and havent slept much since.

? is this: how do I set up my external sampler - the Boss SP-505 (big bro of SP-303 Dr. Sample) to allow my MPC 2000xl to trigger samples from the unit. My midi knowledge is slim to none now. Should I be taking the midi out from the SP-505 into the midi in on the MPC? Are there steps to be taken when configuring midi?

peace, exp. wit

Hey hey. I used to rock an SP-505 but sold it a while back.

I don't remember what channels things are set on and never really used it aside from syncing by MIDI, but here's the basic idea:

Run one of the MIDI Outs from the MPC into your MIDI In on the external box. Run the Out from the SP to one of the Ins on the MPC. Set the current track of the sequence to be a MIDI track instead of Drum. Change the channel number (ie 1A) to match the channel in use on your external box and the A/B letter to match the set of I/O ports you're using on the MPC. If you're programming multitimbrally, you can have different channels programmed on different MPC tracks, such as a drum track and a piano track, a sampled vocals track and a synth pad from a keyboard.

Check the SP's manual on how to select the MIDI channel it receives on.

MIDI is an indispensible tool if you've got a lot of disparate gear and need to coordinate it all. And the MPC is your core piece if you're sequencing on it. Take good care of it!!

-tank.