Popping/clicking problem during palyback

I'm not sure if this is an OS related issue or not but here's the problem. I have had my mpc 1k for about a month now and I installed the free jj OS 3.08 when I first got it, about a week ago I noticed a slight popping/clicking noise when I'm playing back samples. This is a tough one to trouble shoot since it only clicks, on average, once every 15 minutes but it can be sooner or alot longer before the next pop, its pretty random but still not to frequent. I've tried everything from swapping 1/4" cables and power cables with other keyboards/racks that i have, i've used different samples, I've tried wiggling the 1/4" outputs to see if the contact we're loose; everything seems to be ok. The popping is dead center too and not just on a certain side. I even unhooked it from all my other gear and just listened with headphones (through it's headphone plug) and eventually the popping still occured. I contacted Akai and their closest repair facility will charge me $35 just to look at it and $65 per hour while they see what's wrong and fix it, then I still have to pay for the part that's damaged and shipping I just want to see if there is an easy fix like an OS update or something because with as long as it takes for the popping to happen it can get expensive quickly. Or is this normal, has anyone experienced or is experiencing this, am I just tripping and too picky Like I said the click is fairly quiet and doesn't happen all of the time so it's not a huge deal but I know it's there and it will bug me when ever I notice it. Let me know what's up with this.

Thanks in advance,

B.A.

B.A. wrote:I'm not sure if this is an OS related issue or not but here's the problem. I have had my mpc 1k for about a month now and I installed the free jj OS 3.08 when I first got it, about a week ago I noticed a slight popping/clicking noise when I'm playing back samples. This is a tough one to trouble shoot since it only clicks, on average, once every 15 minutes but it can be sooner or alot longer before the next pop, its pretty random but still not to frequent. I've tried everything from swapping 1/4" cables and power cables with other keyboards/racks that i have, i've used different samples, I've tried wiggling the 1/4" outputs to see if the contact we're loose; everything seems to be ok. The popping is dead center too and not just on a certain side. I even unhooked it from all my other gear and just listened with headphones (through it's headphone plug) and eventually the popping still occured. I contacted Akai and their closest repair facility will charge me $35 just to look at it and $65 per hour while they see what's wrong and fix it, then I still have to pay for the part that's damaged and shipping I just want to see if there is an easy fix like an OS update or something because with as long as it takes for the popping to happen it can get expensive quickly. Or is this normal, has anyone experienced or is experiencing this, am I just tripping and too picky Like I said the click is fairly quiet and doesn't happen all of the time so it's not a huge deal but I know it's there and it will bug me when ever I notice it. Let me know what's up with this.

Thanks in advance,

B.A.

hey this might be a bug, hold tight, there'll be someone here can help i reckon.

Install the Akai Os again and see if it still happens, then you´ll know if its the hardware.

Never heard of this problem btw.

the only popping i get often is if i have the master eq set up in the master fx, and it only happens if im using 'fx set events' in my sequences, where the fx sets are loaded according to the event entered.....but its when the seq loops, and the same fx is being re-loaded. it only happens if the eq is on, or any values in the eq are other than 00dB as sounds pass through.

so mbe try to take off any master eq, and fx.... i doubt its the same problem, but all i can offer help-wise....so mbe worth a try, dunno.

good luck.

possibilities are: overdriven output level, overdriven filters, dodgy wav's....?

Thanks for the tips guys, I'll try these out later on today and let you know what happens.

could be your cables -- have you checked that they are securely plugged in and not damaged or anything?

not saying that's the problem for sure but it is a possibility.

Yeah, I use all monster cables and I've switched cables with my other keyboards/racks but I still eventually hear the popping again. The rest of my gear is dead quiet.

Oh, and I checked the master EQ setting a little while ago and it's off and so are the other FX.

ive noticed this to...
i thougth it was the usb-cable that got some sort of interruption..
Never looked into it though..

try turning down all the levels a bit including the master level. Maybe your clipping somewhere??? Bugged out.

could it be to do with loading samples originally chopped in the akai os? I remember reading somewhere that the akai os "smooths" the attack portion of the sound by a few milliseconds to get rid of sounds that haven't been chopped close enough to 0db. This can then produce clicking in other os's.

blippo wrote:ive noticed this to...
i thougth it was the usb-cable that got some sort of interruption..
Never looked into it though..

Damn Blippo, I was beginning to think I was the only one, I wish I was cuz now that means you got it too. I'ma try swapping usb cables or maybe removing it all together, at this point I'm down to try whatever. I'ma try adjusting my levels too, thanks poundaproblem.

Mikolo, I actually chopped my samples a long time ago on my DAW or with my Motif ES which was my sequencer/sampler up until a few weeks ago when I got my MPC, now i use my Mo' just for sounds and the keys. The dude I got my MPC from included a 2GB CF memory card which already had a gang of samples on it, some of which I kept (all drum samples) and actually ALL of the beats I've made since I got the MPC have used at least 1 or more of the samples that were included on the CF card. The MPC came with the old Akai OS installed (dude never used the jj, I asked about it), as soon as I got it I installed the free jj OS. So maybe what you're suggesting could be it. I'm gonna try making a beat with nothing but my old samples which were not chopped on an MPC and see what happens. I've also noticed that when mute the tracks that have samples on them and my MPC is JUST transmitting midi to my other racks/keyboards, there is no clicking or popping. Hmmm... back to the lab I go. It's crazy, the pops are so few and far apart that it doesn't really mess me up too bad, I just hate not being able to figure something out and want everything to work perfectly. Thanks for ya'lls input

I had a similar issue on my studio pc several years ago and found the fault in the RAM. I tried another one and it never happened again... you could try to remove the ram expansion and see if it still occurs when you run the mpc from just the fixed standard ram. good luck fishing that bug out!

SirStony wrote:I had a similar issue on my studio pc several years ago and found the fault in the RAM. I tried another one and it never happened again... you could try to remove the ram expansion and see if it still occurs when you run the mpc from just the fixed standard ram. good luck fishing that bug out!

Funny you mention that, when I called Akai the tech asked me what the display on the screen read when I first turned it on and I told him 64MB. He was surprised that it said 64MB, he told me it shoud be 128MB if the memory has been totally expanded. He told me to check the RAM to see if it was an official RAM by Akai or just some RAM someone installed. He said that having RAM that isn't all the way compatible can work but give you problems such as popping when playing samples and also make it so that you cant access all 128MB (in my case only giving me 64MB). Sure enough when I checked the RAM it didn't say Akai on it and it said it was 128MB. I took the RAM out and loaded up some samples (samples that were created by the previous owner using the old Akai OS) using the stock 16MB and unfortunately, in my case, the popping continued. I'm still using the RAM that came installed even though it's not giving me the full 128MB because it wasn't the problem, 99% of the time I'm just using drum and short hit samples so it's more than enough for me. Thanks for your help man.

On a side note if your not using the official akai ram you need to get a 256mb stick rather than 128mb, the mpc still only detects 128mb though. Check the thread in the mpc 1000 forum.
My ram is 3rd party and the only thing thats poppin is crazy ill beats.