Exchange tips and tricks for the Akai MPC4000
By murw Mon Aug 02, 2004 6:47 pm
Right! I've used my mpc4000 for a couple of months now, and so far so good, everything works great. I love this machine.
Now however, I want to do something which is (for me, at least) quite complicated. Maybe someone can help me out, because I have a hard time understanding the routing of this machine (actually, I don't understand the routing At All).
This is the situation:
There is a drummer, and there is me doing all kind of electronic stuff. The drummer has amongst his drumkit a Roland-spd20 trigger pad with which we want to trigger samples from the mpc. He also has a selfmade drumtrigger-to-midi machine with which we also want to trigger samples from the mpc but ALSO my synth and the midi-to-dimmer apparatus for controlling the lights on stage.
SO,
There are two midi signals going into the mpc (the roland-spd and the selfmade trigger), both need to trigger samples, that's the easy part.
Now, one of those two midi-inputs (the selfmade drumtrigger) need to be routed to two midi outputs, but ALSO to the sampler of the mpc. How to do that, I don't know, I hope someone in here can shed some light on this...
But That's Not All!
As I mentioned above, one of the two midi outputs which we will use is for the midi-to-dimmer-machine for the lights. This machine (well, the dimmer actually) reacts to program changes, not to notes (as with normal musical instruments). So I also need to configure the mpc so, that every note from the selfmade drumtrigger sends out a different program, resulting in program changes (?!).

I've been trying to get my head around these problems, but the mpc is not the most user friendly machine in the world. *sigh* maybe I just want to much, I don't know...
I hope anyone will understand this actually, I might not be totally clear. hm...



help?!



anyone?

By murw Tue Aug 03, 2004 9:17 am
bump........?







help............?????

By Altopiano Tue Aug 03, 2004 4:32 pm
dunno murw ... it really seems a bit much what you wanna do - i already stukked with easier things .... midi routing sukks imo ...

question: do you wanna use your pads on the 4k simultaneously when your drummer plays? and you just wanna play the pads or you also wanna be able to record those notes in the sequencer?

By murw Tue Aug 03, 2004 6:56 pm
well, actually, i won't be using the pads on the mpc at all on this occasion. the mpc is being primarily used here as a sampler and midi-router. The latter is giving me hell (and rightly so, because I got the feeling that the mpc wasn't build for that).

I worked all day today on it (aaargh!), and eventually came up with a solution for the routing problem. I split the midi from the selfmade drumtrigger before it enters the mpc with a mt4 midi interface (you know, the little blue machine... funny enough, this mt4 is powered by the mpc's usb port meant for keyboards :) ... but I digress). the mt4 sends the data to the synth and the mpc AND the midi-to-dimmer apparatus. However, now the midi-to-dimmer receives notenumbers/velocities and such, but NOT any program changes, so I didn't stick to the original plan, giving my problem to the lighttechnician guy (he won't be happy, since he already thinks I'm crazy for wanting to do this).

However, maybe someone out there has a solution (I'm still hoping....).

I'll rephrase the problem, to make it more.. ehm... understandable...

I have a midi spitting machine which spits out eight notes. The machine reacts to different velocities, so what it spits out is: eight notes, each with changing velocities, all in midi channel 2 (I bet you weren't expecting that! ha!). Now I stick this midi-data into the mpc, because it has to trigger samples. Great! Piece of cake. Let's move on...
I want the midi spitting machine also to control the midi-to-dimmer-machine for the lights. But! That midi-to-dimmer machine reacts to program changes, not to notes or different velocities. So, I hope that there is a way to let the mpc convert different notes & velocities to different program changes.
I could also bring a laptop on stage to do the 'conversion', but I'd rather not. I have enough machines around me on stage... :? [/b]

By Altopiano Wed Aug 04, 2004 9:11 am
yo murw ... i just see 2 ways

1. trading that program change midi to dimmer for a much cooler velocity midi to dimmer

2. bring that laptop ... but than hide it somewhere in the bakk please! i mean how does it look like!? people gonna think you use your 4k as a midi router whilst playing with fruity loops ...

By murw Wed Aug 04, 2004 9:34 am
yep, well it seems I have to go for the first option...

thanks for the replies!