How to check remaining RAM/sample time once AUTOLOADed?

Hi everyone--

I have a show tomorrow night and I'm cramming big time!!

Please help me out:

2 questions:
(1) once I've got the MPC autoloaded, how do I check the remaining memory, to get an idea of how many more samples I can load in? Currently, my CF card (half a gig) is smaller than my RAM (128) ... so fitting what's in the machine onto the card is not a big problem. But I want to add more samples for this show and I don't know how close to full the unit is... simple enough, I guess ... but I couldn't find it in the book ...

(2) my second question is in regards to how I might be able to audition the samples on the pads (I don't need to actually hear the samples - only read their names upon touching the corresponding pad...) without the MPC playing through the PA -- basically so I can "see" where they are without the audience hearing them. The first thought would be to turn down the main volume, but I CANNOT do this because I am running outside signal THROUGH the MPC's audio input, which has to remain audible at all times.

So: Is there a "mute samples" setting or something - some way to mute out the sampler section while still maintaing the audio signal passing through the MPC?

Your help would really be appreciated, gang. I apologize if this stuff has come up before; it's just that I'm in a jam and it's crunch time and I need the answers quick!

Thanks a lot,
christopher (TrocaR)

JimBo - that link doesn't seem to work.

1) To check remaining sample time--> go to record screen. In the middle of screen it displays record time. scroll record time with data wheel until the counter stops (displayed in mins/sec). thats how much time you have left. with 128mb you should have around 11-12 minutes ( I forget exactly) of sample time with a blank mpc.

2) why dont you just a build a program beforehand instead of dealing with the stress of auditioning samples on the fly. I don't believe there is a mute option for auditioning samples,and I don't think the mpc will even load samples while it's playing. but you can silently scroll thru the card in the load menu. if yer performing live and trying to load samples while the mpc is playing my guess is yer going to run into tech problems that ruin yer set or make you look hack-ish. you don't want the beats skipping and samples loading throwing out random feedback and sample combinations(if loading while mpc is playing is even a possibility). I would just build programs beforehand save them to my card, fill my mpc with what I kno I'm going to use, then load the already made programs as needed. you could do this song for song. but evryones got there process. good luck