Exchange tips and tricks for the Akai MPC4000
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By FluxSage Fri Feb 08, 2013 9:56 am
Howdy folks.

Tonight was working a a new tune and was sampling sound off a video game soundtrack, slicing, and making programs when I had a strange event happen.

I took 4 samples. First 3 were chopped into 8 slice programs. Last one was going to be used for the tail end of the track so I kept it's original length (long note sustained at the end was throwing off slice timing). I then saved and went to load it onto an unused pad from the 3rd sample's program. When I hit the pad the sample played with crackles and static.

So I went to trim and playback sounded fine there. Went to load and audition would not play the sample...

At that point, I rerecorded the sample to see if the problem was with the sample itself and only gained the same result. Content sounds fine playing through in record, sounds fine in trim, won't audition, and static when loaded to a pad.

Since I have a newly installed SSD, I tried again this time saving to my USB drive. Same issue.....

Suggestions?
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By AleksKlax Fri Feb 08, 2013 1:23 pm
Maybe some setting was inadvertently changed for the multi or program? Create a new multi and program and reassign sample.
By rogue scrunt Fri Feb 08, 2013 3:57 pm
how much ram in your machine?

sounds like a bad ram chip
By Clint Fri Feb 08, 2013 8:41 pm
rogue scrunt wrote:
sounds like a bad ram chip


Thats what I was thinking, I've had that before.
By jimfowler Sat Feb 09, 2013 12:19 am
either clipping or bad ram/dirty ram socket. you can try cleaning/reseating your ram sticks. worked for me and i had the same complaint as you - crackly static in random samples.
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By FluxSage Sun Feb 10, 2013 2:56 am
Thanks for the responses.

The RAM is new (2 months) and I just now pulled them out and dusted the slots out, but they felt solid and the sluts were pretty clean (just did a lot of work to install SSD and cleaned up while under the hood).

According to all my levels, no clipping was taking place and it was a little quieter (if even different) than the previous 3 samples from the same source and those sound perfect.

Firing up the machine now. Gonna have to sample some stuff to see if I can repeat the same issue. Back in an hour or so....
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By FluxSage Sun Feb 10, 2013 2:58 am
rogue scrunt wrote:how much ram in your machine?

sounds like a bad ram chip


Sorry, missed your question at first, Rogue.

512mb

Thanks again, Rogue and Jim, for the assist on the SSD issue.
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By FluxSage Sun Feb 10, 2013 5:08 am
Still happening.

Oddly enough, it's the same part of the clip I'm sampling. Play's fine Ultranova->Mixer->Monitors and MPC->Mixer->Monitors and headphones, but playback on trimmed sample has static.

Something weird on the portion of the material Im sampling??

I sampled another portion and it's fine. I'm guessing it has something to do with the source material that I'm not hearing on playback but is somehow recorded when sampled?

Everything else I just sampled is fine, so I'm gonna leave a question mark on this one (unless someone has heard of this same situation) and move on.... I'll post back here if it happens again over the weekend.

Thanks, brothers.
By rogue scrunt Sun Feb 10, 2013 5:08 am
are there many samples residing in RAM when the problem comes up?
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By FluxSage Sun Feb 10, 2013 5:46 am
rogue scrunt wrote:are there many samples residing in RAM when the problem comes up?


Yes and no.

Tried from a fresh start recording the same portion of the material I was sampling. Same thing.

Loaded project I was working on, and tried another recording of the same portion of the material I was sampling. Same thing.

And my previous statement is incorrect.... thought about it and I realized that the sample plays fine in trim mode, but wont play in audition and has static once loaded into a program.

It's weird.

Swapped out upgraded ram for orginal only (pulled two 256mb and replaced with older 256mb). Same issue. Static on only 8 bars of the source material once loaded. It's like the sample gets corrupted when saving after trimming it.
By rogue scrunt Sun Feb 10, 2013 5:49 am
i had a similar problem
mine was a faulty motherboard
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By Coz Sun Feb 10, 2013 5:53 am
rogue scrunt wrote:mine was a faulty motherboard



The worst statement that any 4K owner can ever hear. :(
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By MPCWeapon1 Sun Feb 10, 2013 10:22 am
Do you had your mute groups set? If you don't assign the program to a mute group you can have an uneven chop crackle when you hit a pad.
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By FluxSage Mon Feb 11, 2013 9:04 am
MPCWeapon1 wrote:Do you had your mute groups set? If you don't assign the program to a mute group you can have an uneven chop crackle when you hit a pad.


I do not, however, (and correct me if Im wrong) but wouldn't that only effect the overlap instead of each slice having static?