Post your views and questions about the Akai MPC2500
By mattlightbourn Wed Apr 17, 2013 8:32 am
Hi,
I was having all sorts of problems with Mode/Seq_Edit on my MPC2500 which has 128MB RAM and XL screen. I'll go into the problems in a bit but thought the answer to my problems was upgrading to the latest version.
It upgraded by erasing ROM and then telling me it was completed and that I needed to switch off and back on to continue.
I did so and, now the startup screen shows and it says

MPC2500 (128MB Installed) and every 6 seconds shows a double border around the text and loops around forever without ever loading. Obviously, can't try to upgrade or downgrade again because I need to get into it in the first place to load a/the file again.

Hopefully someone may have some secret combination of keys to hold down to fix the problem. I was previously on version mpc2500_128xl110 which was a terrible version.

Problems I had.

1. Mode/Seq_Edit would neither allow me to copy BARS nor TRACKS since it threw up an error saying "Sequence does not exist!"
2. When I thought I was being clever, I made a song using a 4 bar sequence where I repeated it 16 times and thought I would click convert to basically create a new sequence that contained 64 BARS in there but, instead of working, it populated the SONG screen with 299 lines of an unnamed sequence, looked pixelated and then would tell me "System Error" when I tried to get back to the original sequence - meaning the only thing I could do was switch it off.

If I choose not to copy TRACKS, BARS or CONVERT song to sequence, it all works beautifully with exception to the following lacking features.

1. It has INST mode which I've been dying for for ages. Now that I have it, I assign sounds to different spans to cover all six octaves. I set the original key for each to ensure that C3 is actually C3. Now, some of my sounds are not completely in tune - since I have an app on my phone which shows me the tone it is playing and yet, there does not to be any way of altering the tuning of the sound other than PITCHING as a sound edit feature which ruins the nicest of pure sine waves. I want to adjust the tuning not the note that it is aligned to, how do you do this?

2. Appegiator - great idea but it is either UP, DOWN OR CONSTANT. No RANDOM or UP & DOWN, seems like a bit of a waste of time to me putting this in as a feature half baked.

I've used MPC's since 1993 when I got my MPC60MK1, then MK2, then 3000, now 2500, then the memory upgrade, then screen, then thick pads and orange skin but, without it able to work, I am without a creative outlet. Please help!

Thanks
Matt
User avatar
By m:t:c Wed Apr 17, 2013 8:48 am
"Boot loop" is usually a sign of you only getting part of the OS from the server when you downloaded it. Others who use the large screen can chime in on this, but the normal procedure is:

* Get the Akai OS place it in the root of the CF card and on boot hold [WINDOW] key to access the boot loader.
* Reinstall Akai OS
* Download JJOS again (check manual for your version and the installation procedure) and make sure the file size matches the one on JJ's site

done.

When you switch from OS to another make sure to hold [ERASE] the first time you start the machine (ie. when you move from Akai OS -> JJOS).
User avatar
By MPC-Tutor Wed Apr 17, 2013 8:51 am
First try booting up while holding down ERASE.

If that doesn't work, you could try loading the free JJOS using the old skool method of loading an MPC1000/2500 OS - place the OS file in the root of your CF card and power up your MPC while holding down the WINDOW button - then follow the instructions on screen

This works with the Akai OS, I assume it will work with the free JJOS. But you must only have one OS file in the root of your CF card.

Once JJ free is installed try loading 128.

Otherwise, send JJ an email to see if he knows what the problem may be
By mattlightbourn Wed Apr 17, 2013 9:00 am
Thanks both :)

I sorted out my card and left only one OSL file, the 110 version which I know works.

When I turn on using WINDOW key, it tells me

====== MPC2550 OS UPDATE =======
OS file not found !!

Damn, is an OSL file the OS or am I looking for a different type, is that a BIN file I need?

Help, thanks
Matt
By mattlightbourn Wed Apr 17, 2013 9:16 am
Ok so, booting 310 seems ok so far, I'm in.

I've now gone to version 110, which worked
then tried 119 which didn't
re-loaded up with 3.10

The files that I downloaded said they came in at 1.42MB but are actually 0.98MB

How do I get the full 1.42MB version? What am I doing wrong here?

I am downloading via Firefox, do I change browser? Is there a different link I can use? Have you got the newest version you can send me zipped? Thanks

Matt
By mattlightbourn Wed Apr 17, 2013 9:33 am
ah, downloaded the 'right' file at 1.3MB instead of 0.98MB

realised that the only BIN file updates could be done so went to next update and then did 1.19 and it has worked!!!

Woohoo!! first issue fixed, I can now copy bars and tracks!

How do you tune a sound that has an original key set to the correct key assignment? can't believe that isn't in here!!

Also, when I plug in USB lead to copy sounds across to hard drive, it is unrecognised, why is this?

thanks for your help