can you sample during playback?

hi

Looking at getting mpc4k or roland mv8k, currently favouring the mpc because of true pattern based sequencing, the mv8k has the quickedit thing but you are still working within a single linear workspace which to my mind kinda defeats the purpose. My gripe with linear sequencing is that it forces you into horizontal or compositional decisions too soon.

Have to say I was bashing away on both at the weekend in a shop and as far as construction, pad feel and display readability the mpc4k won hands down. The mv8k felt typically plasticky (even tho it isn't) although the control buttons felt very solid, the pads didn't give back as much as the mpc4ks and the display was that horrible green/black rather than the crystal clear offwhite/black of the mpc4k.

The new mv8k os also adds track mute with the pads but am i right in thinking that mpcs take this a little further and also let you change sequences using the pads?

I've never owned an mpc so maybe i'm just buying into the myth on hearsay and actually it wont work out between us So maybe I get a second hand mpc2kxl see how that feels, if it feels good sell it on, shouldn't loose too much, and get the mcp4k. Is this a good idea, is the mpc2kxl sufficiently like the mpc4k too give me a flavour of it?

To my main quesiton, can you sample during playback? Which is another way of saying can it approximate some kind of multi-tracking? If I can loop what's down already sample or record guitar/instruments over it then that's close enough to 'multi-tracking' for me. After all by my calculations a max'ed out mpc4k has about 48mins at 16bit/44.1khz/stereo! The mv8k can do an approximation of multi-tracking (to ram at least) which was a clever move by rolly, so akai come on pick up that gauntlet!

thanks
jim

yes you can.

Lord Toranaga wrote:yes you can.

sorry, i just gotta double check coz this makes a big big difference to me

so, i can build up a groove in the 'normal' way, a loop sampled from vinyl, some drum sounds that were hanging around the hdd, beat out a pattern, some midi data triggering a soft synth maybe ... and then i can hit play and 'sample', spank away on my gibson sg and record it as a sample in it's own right?

if it's still yes then ... that's very very cool .........

jim

in the record screen, just set sample option to main outs.

Yep, you can. Best thing to do is add a measure at the beginning of your sequence that you're tracking over that's just a count-in, because the MPC doesn't do a count-in at the tempo of the track unless you're recording with the sequencer. When you've got a take you're happy with, just get rid of the count in measure. You can even punch in (kinda) by editing your new "sample" up to the point you screwed up at, and setting the recorder to start recording when you hit your first note (threshold). You can plug mics straight into this beast, or plug your fav mixer into it. Phat.

thanks for your help guys, yes the count-in is a good idea depending on what i'm doing, to clarify ...

so the sequence i'm playing against can loop? yet the sample will continue 'overtime' so to speak, so i let a 6sec sequence repeat 4 times all of which i sample my playing over and i end up with a 24sec sample? or does it 'overdub' or just stop even?

cool either way but the former even cooler, that'd be pretty much the same as the new 'takes' feature in cubase sx (record audio over a looping section and it cuts all your audio into 'takes') and presumably i could then chop the performance into equal measures easily enough? and take my pick.

jim

yes and yes, you can be in record as long as you have sampling time and the pattern will loop untill you stop, you are not limeted to pattern loops eather, you can resample while in song mode, but if you want to resample your exsternal synth the mpc and your guitar all at the same time the lot will need to run through your mixer obviusly and then have the master or bus sent to the mpc inns .. agian while the mpc is playing, also worthy of mentioning is the sound quality, they both sound great but at 24/96k there's a huge difference, take the time to compare it if you can..

>but if you want to resample your exsternal synth the mpc and your guitar all at the same time

in the scenario i'm imagining i *don't* want to resample/sample/record the looping sequence against which i'm playing *and* the guitar, i want to sample/record *only* the guitar (while listening to the sequence etc etc) ...

... so at the risk of being really annoying can i confirm this is possible, the possibility of this is really swinging me towards the mpc4k, it's just 1400 notes so i need to be really sure

wrt to 24/96, yes i've heard some 24/96 stuff (acoustic guitar) and felt there was a difference, it seems to me the mpc4k is more 'professionaly specified' than the mv8k in general

jim

Afaik, the MV8000 doesn't even support the 24-bit sample format. Please check, I'm not sure.

no it doesn't ur right, i didn't mean to imply it did if i did! i think perhaps however it processes internally at 24bit?

jim

how many times are you going to ask the same damn question? Take your arse to the store with that.

lol! yes i will cease, feeling a bit thick today ... it's monday after all

jellyjim wrote:no it doesn't ur right, i didn't mean to imply it did if i did! i think perhaps however it processes internally at 24bit?
jim

The internal mix bus will probably be even wider than 24 bit, but if the samples are stored in 16 bit format, you miss out on a lot of dynamics and improved signal/noise ratio. Afaik all current Roland products with sampling feature built in use the (outdated) 44.1/16 format.