Exchange tips and tricks for the Akai MPC4000
By Altopiano Fri Jan 23, 2004 3:35 pm
fellers!
today i m despeate! :oops: I have two wonderful toys here in front of mine: the mpc 4k and access virus b! and man, they're like sister and brother, rock'n roll, dnb or simon & garfunkel, ... the shyt whatever, but they just don't seem to like each other!

so please anyone who is synching anything (and anyone who has an mpc 2kXL and an mpc 4k together) please hang on a few min., listen and please help! i'm tryin this for weeks now if not for month! have read both manuals! re-read the chapters bout synching! ... and again, and again!

my setup:

master keyboard (midi out) > mpc 4k (midi in I) (ignore that, that iis workin fine! ... well if that ain't workin!!!)
mpc 4k (Out A) > access virus b (midi in)
virus (midi out) > mpc 4k (midi in II)

My midi settings at the virus:
Midi dump tx > arrangement
Midi dump rx > enabled
Midi Global Channel > 1
Midi Panel > Internal + Midi
Midi ArpeggSend > Off
Midi Clock Rx > Auto
Midivolume > enabled
Midi ProgChange > enabled
Midi MultiPrgChange > enabled
Midi Deviced > 1
Midi Control: Lo Page > SysEx
Midi Control: Hi Page > SysEx
Thats it! ... for the virus!

Midi settings for the mpc 4k! none!
from a colleaugue using mpc2kXL and same virus i ve been told i should set the midi through function to AS TRACK! well, what and where is that? and where is a midi through setting in the 4k?

What i wanna do?
record control changes made on the virus on an mpc track (where i sent the notes to the virus)

syndrome:
It records! but not what it should! for example! in a two bar seq i sent lots of 1/16 notes to the virus, a massive tech bass sound for example! the whole way up the seq till the end! there i turn the cutoff from 0 at the beginning until 127 at the end!

now how the virus plays it back! (in my opinion it could be a virus or a mpc 4k problem! ... or my own!)
i hit play on the mpc, start the seq which is looped and the cutoff goes from 0 up till 127 at the end! (1st loop, hold on now comes the shyt part) ... and on the 2nd loop just stays there for the next seq over there instead of doin the same thing again! ... and than (inexplainable to me) maybe 2, 3 loops later the virus plays the loop with the recorded cutoff changes! ... completely unpredictable!

the weird thing is that
1) the mpc records some control changes and
2) plays them when he wants it (or the virus) amd
3) the mpc doesn't even show me the recorded control changes in the screen (i expected to find them in seq edit > control change > 40 Balance (thats supposed to be the cut off nr. for the virus)

so please anyone, who has any idea (and that doesn't mean to solve the whole problem, just an idea is already a help for me) about this please, please, please, be so kind and help me!

for all the others! thanx for reading
peace
altopiano

By Madness Fri Jan 23, 2004 11:37 pm
Dude,

Like you say you need to find the MIDI settings on your 4k!!!! It must be in the MANUAL I don't believe its not!!!

I would also unplug the MIDI out from the VIRUS to the MPC this isn't needed in playback and will illiminate any potential MIDI DATA LOOP possiblilites. Then you might be able to narrow down your problem! You may be getting midi data feedback and overload.... Try recording your external control data on a seperate midi track but the same midi channel. if worst comes to worst, export the midi file into a computer sequencer and take a look at the midi data....!!!

Try posting a question on the Studio Techniques Forum re: controlling external modules and programing filter sweeps..... or try other forums too... say Future Producers.

PS: You are not SYNC'ing your 4K in this scenario... many people get this confussued!

Peace,

By Altopiano Sat Jan 24, 2004 5:40 pm
Madness

thanx a lot for your response! it'smuch appreciated!

well, synching, i just forgot in my first post to mention that! i transmit midi clock to the virus (midi Out A)! the mpc is the master!

but still: i don't get how to set my midi settings on the mpc! in midi monitor > filter > midi in II (the one where mpc gets virus messages back) the (overall) Filter i set to OFF! so i suppose that means that the mpc gets all the data the virus sends to the mpc! is this correct?

with unplugging midi in II i know i can avoid midi crashes but than i cah't record anything from the virus! and midi thru, well should be the same, shouldn't it?

BTW: can anyone tell me please how to set midi thru on the mpc? i would need that for something else anyway!

to record midi data on a different track with the same channel should be a good idea! hopefully!

well any further help and some answers to the above launched quests is much appreciated!

and thanx to anyone who bothers bout my own sh*t here anyway! but still: it could be worse so anyhow, keep :lol:

altopiano

By Altopiano Mon Jan 26, 2004 11:31 am
sorry fellers bothering you with my probs here! it has now been solved! :lol:
me, idiot haven"t upgradet the OS for my access virus! (to avoid misunderstandings i m not talkin about 4k OS)! vs. 4.90 there solves all my problems!
cheers
alto