List of Multitimbral MPCs and OS's

Nym wrote:so confirm: these mpcs are also multitimbral:

60
3000
2000
2000xl

?

and for anyone confused about what multitimbrality is, Sovereign just put it quite nicely
being able to record/trigger multiple channels of midi on different tracks at the same time.

The 5k is also Multi.
It allows you to set the active receive channel for;
-ALL
-1-16 (selects a single channel)
-MULTI

There's a lot the 5k can do that people don't realize.

Gentlemen, it seems there is some confusion what multi-timbral means.

Multi-timbral typically means a synth can generate more than one different sound at once. Which all MPCs can do. Multi-timbral programs are a different story (the playing of multiple programs at once). The earlier MPC's could not play multiple programs at once such as the MPC 60, 2000, and 3000. The MPC 2000XL could play up to 4 programs at once. The latest few MPCs could play as many programs as you have tracks..meaning that you can assign a different program to each track like a synth workstation.

this is a good SOS article to read on multitimbrality, includes some explanation of the confusion on the term.
in printer friendly form cuz my browser wasn't liking the regular version...

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/1994_ar ... ?print=yes

Manufacturers eventually realised that it was not enough to simply make multitimbral operation possible via MIDI, it also had to be quick and simple to use. The first sampler to achieve this was the Akai S1000, which allowed previously created programs to be simultaneously active and quickly set to respond to different MIDI channels. This was a major leap forward as setting up the machine to respond to multiple incoming MIDI channels took seconds, not minutes or even hours as previously. Again, as in the case of the S900, the implementation took a non-standard form, in that the machine was not switched between Poly Mode (where only one channel is responded to) and Mono Mode (where each voice responds to its own MIDI channel).

a particularly important quote:

MULTITIMBRAL SHOPPING TIPS

• Find out how many part multitimbral it is, ie. how many MIDI channels it can be set to respond to simultaneously.

The MPC 2000XL could play up to 4 programs at once

could those programs be triggered simultaneously by different incoming midi channels?

Nym wrote:

The MPC 2000XL could play up to 4 programs at once

could those programs be triggered simultaneously by different incoming midi channels?

It's been a long time since I touched one of these. I just remember being able to assign 4 different programs to tracks. I do remember that the XL can receive and transmit MIDI program changes and you can assign a program change number to each program. I am not sure whether the incoming MIDI from an external controller will trigger only the program assigned to the active track or trigger any of the other program assigned to other tracks. But since the XL can record on all MIDI tracks at once, it seems logical that you can trigger all programs from an external source at once. I re-read the manual, but it is not clear to me.

Not sure if any of this helps....

The more people write the more off topic this is going to become.

Unless the MPC SEQUENCER can record to multiple tracks at once it doesn't matter, that's the difference we were talking about.
It's not about being able to see info on all channels at once.
All MPCs have the ability to see MIDI on any or all channel but they will have to put it on 1 track.
The function of this thread was being able to take multiple MIDI channels at once and put them on multiple tracks.

Call it it multi-channel, multitimbral what ever you want but that's what we are talking about and only certain MPCs allow you to do it.

thanks, askia - maybe i'll make a thread on the 2000xl forum
sovereign, don't worry about it getting off topic. i'm editing the 1st post to have a concise list of which MPCs can record/be triggered by multiple incoming midi channels, so it's not a big deal if the rest of the thread wanders.

Nym wrote:thanks, askia - maybe i'll make a thread on the 2000xl forum
sovereign, don't worry about it getting off topic. i'm editing the 1st post to have a concise list of which MPCs can record/be triggered by multiple incoming midi channels, so it's not a big deal if the rest of the thread wanders.

Your current list is incorrect.
The 60 v3 and 3k both will recieve multiple MIDI channels at once and record them to multiple tracks.
They can record 16 channel at once.
So you need to edit the list.

^^^^

but thats when you engage a specific mode though isnt it? its for transferring/recording sequence data to the mpc, both those mpcs can only have one active program at a time, so they cant be used as a multi timbral sound module.


page 67 from the 3000 manual (applicable to 3.10 60's too)

In its normal operating mode the MPC3000 can only record one
track at a time. There is, however, a special mode of recording that
allows you to record on all 16 MIDI channels at once. This is very
useful when transferring sequences to the MPC300 from other
sequencers. This feature works by recording the 16 incoming MIDI
channels into the first 16 tracks of a newly-created empty sequence,
with each track assigned to the like-numbered MIDI channel. For
example, track 1 records MIDI channel 1, track 2 records MIDI
channel 2, and so on up to track 16, which records MIDI channel 16.
Track assignments are done automatically

Again we are talking about the sequencer being able to record multiple midi channels to multiple sequencer tracks at the same time.

We are not talking about playing multiple pgms within the MP.

ok.. sounds like nym is talking about that though. and thats how i would define multtimbral . the only time ive heard the word used is when describing sound modules ..(and for instance the term isnt used in the 3000 manual)

Nym wrote:could those programs be triggered simultaneously by different incoming midi channels?

as is see it theres a few situations here :

1. full multimbral : multiple midi channels to multiple tracks with multple pgms (e.g. 1000,2500 jjos2xl)
2. multi channel record with just one active pgm (3000, 60)
3. multiple pgms - internal only ( external midi input can trigger active track only ) (akai 1000,2500)
4. single pgm - external midi input can trigger active track only (2000 classic?)

mikolo wrote:ok.. sounds like nym is talking about that though. and thats how i would define multtimbral . the only time ive heard the word used is when describing sound modules ..(and for instance the term isnt used in the 3000 manual)

Nym wrote:could those programs be triggered simultaneously by different incoming midi channels?

as is see it theres a few situations here :

1. full multimbral : multiple midi channels to multiple tracks with multple pgms (e.g. 1000,2500 jjos2xl)
2. multi channel record with just one active pgm (3000, 60)
3. multiple pgms - internal only ( external midi input can trigger active track only ) (akai 1000,2500)
4. single pgm - external midi input can trigger active track only (2000 classic?)

Well the 5k covers all those and more

The confusion comes from using the term multitimbral when we are in fact talking about a sequencer function, but quoting Nym to help understand what he was talking about:

Nym wrote:nosir, not out of the factory. neither is the 500 or 2500.
multitimbral means that it can receive multiple midi channels to different tracks simultaneously (AND send multiple midi channels simultaneously, which yes all MPCs can do).

and

Nym wrote:so confirm: these mpcs are also multitimbral:

60
3000
2000
2000xl

?

and for anyone confused about what multitimbrality is, Sovereign just put it quite nicely
being able to record/trigger multiple channels of midi on different tracks at the same time.

aha, now we're really getting down to the details. i like it. i'll be editing the OP to take note of these things in the original posts, because it's all important info that is glossed over before people make a purchase.

i remember at least four really distraught posts in the 1000 forum regarding the lack of assumed multitimbrality
classic case of RTFMBP but still, sucked for them.

Remember that this comes from SMF formats.
You can save everything to one channel/track or spread it out across multiples when you save them.
This was the original reason why MPs were getting this feature, to make saving and loading SMFs easier.
People later realized that it started to have many other uses and could be desirable.
Whgen we got MIDI controllers that could do Zones with different MIDI assignments it meant you could let the left hand and right hand record to different tracks at the same time.
If your controller has enough Zones you could create a drum kit with a sample assigned to each Zone and then program your drums in realtime to multiple tracks to make mixing easier.
Also if you didn't have enough Zones you could still change the MIDI out channel of your controller per pass in overdub mode and still track your drums to multiple tracks in the MP.

It's pretty much like being able to send multiple tracks to your DAW for recording but it's your MIDI tracks in the sequencer.

mikolo wrote:^^^^

but thats when you engage a specific mode though isnt it?

As for it being a special mode, it's no more a special mode than on the other MPs that do it.
You are just changing the way the MP processes the Active Track feature.