Post your views and questions about the Akai MPC2500
By sirtea Sat Feb 10, 2018 9:21 pm
Hey, sorry if this is a pretty basic question, but i was trying to find a way to have different tracks with different time signatures, but when i try to do this it changes the pre recorded tracks to the new tempo,

thanks
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By Sharris Tue Feb 13, 2018 6:27 pm
As far as I know it doesn't do polyrhythms (different time signatures on different tracks). Whatever time signature you have for the sequence is the same for all tracks under that sequence. I could be wrong tho, I know JJOS adds features, I have JJOSXL & I'm pretty sure time signatures are sequenced based (not track based). If it's possible that would be cool........but there should be work arounds......maybe experiment with resampling the track(s) that would have a different time signature. You would probably have to make the sequence the length of the entire song/beat in order for it to work properly, but it should do the trick.
By 6/8 Stanley Thu Feb 15, 2018 3:30 am
I also want to know all about this. My method is too primitive to call it a work around but it works on any drum machine. Say I'm playing a song on guitar that's got a 12 beat. You could call it 2 bars of 6/8 but the chord changes after 12 beats so I call it 12/8. I set the MPC on anything with 6 beats, like 6/4, and lay down some beats. Then suppose I want to lay some 4/4 over it, I just tap out a 4/4 metronome in the track with a clave or rimshot for example, and make some 4/4 beats to it. The track need to be the right number of beats so the 4/4 and 12/8 end up at the same place. Then I can go back and erase the 4/4 "metronome" if I want.

Having tracks with different time signatures would be better since it would be easier to keep it all organized with a djembe for example playing one beat, and a barrel drum playing a different beat at the same speed, like it's done in a real djembe band.
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By peeping tom Thu Feb 15, 2018 6:28 am
jjos introduced multiple sequence playback (say you can set SEQ 1 to play along with SEQ 2).
If using diff time sigs then you just make sure the combination of tempo / bar length works so they loop ok, which can sometimes mean weird / long beat loops
By SONS 360 Sun Jan 31, 2021 3:04 pm
PEACE GUYS. For years i have been developing my skills on the classic XL. Should have joined forum back in the day as most of you have done. Am glad i found this particular topic. My experience dealing with classic XL is that the max version does allow you to switch time signatures. WITHIN same sequence, which is pretty POWERFUL. Otherwise if a drum machine can't do that what's the purpose. As an up & coming artist am learning this is one of the main ways you get real RHYTHM CHANGE. This is why it's important to know what the item is capable of doing that said, i find it better to run DUAL XL's tied via midi in sync. One LEFT one RIGHT one A one B. This setup helps eliminate and work around that 32mb limit. Am learning how to program 4/4 on one and 3/4 on the other POLY RHYTHM. One guy is on point when he said he saved himself a ton of money when he learnt the machine couldn't do this simple task. ONE REASON WHY LONG LIVE THE XL can't see myself budging from it. Especially after learning how to run it as DUAL EXAHAUST.
By 6/8 Stanley Tue Feb 02, 2021 2:50 am
6/8 Stanley wrote:Having tracks with different time signatures would be better since it would be easier to keep it all organized


I'm not sure about this anymore. As long as the polymeters are simple like a 3 or 4 beat over a 12/8 main rhythm it's easy. Using second sequence just makes it more complicated. I'm talking polymeters where the notes are the same length but bars are different length for the different beats. For polyrhythms the bars are same length and note lengths are different. Polyrhythm and polymeter are different aspects of the same beats. I'm not the big expert on this so look it up on youtube if interested.

I see how being able to switch meters within a sequence might be good for genres that get crazy with meters.

A good drummer or finger drummer can lay down 2 rhythms, even complicated rhythms, at one time. I'm not there yet so need to use MPC to play my 3 beat over 12/8 that starts on the 2.
By 6/8 Stanley Thu Feb 04, 2021 8:11 pm
Simple polymeters/polyrhythms like 3:2 (3 over 2) and 4:3 are everywhere. If you make beats I guarantee you're making polymeters even if you never heard of it. About the only way to avoid polyrhythms/polymeters (two ways of looking at the same thing) is do like a 4/4 with every note on the one or on 1,2,3,4. Too boring so you don't hear that very much. Maybe disco. It's the complicated ones like 7:5 that take some study. MPC is great for learning that especially since it lets you use any T.S. up to 15/16.

For polyrhythms each bar is the same length and the length/spacing of notes change to make polyrhythm happen. So you need to understand notation or use DAW that does it for you. For polymeter note lengths are the same so the bar lengths are different and you need to watch how they loop. Except if you work in 12/8 or even numbers of 6/8 bars for example, you can do a 3 beat or 4 beat over 12 on same or different tracks without messing with the T.S. or counting how they loop.