MIDI - Note Assign - MPC500 / MicroKorg

Hello!
This is my first post; hopefully I am not asking a repeat question.

I just got an MPC500 the other day (sweet deal in a trade at a pawn shop [5 guitar stomp boxes + $125]); anyhow, I am currently deep into the manual, but mostly using the eBook on the MPC500 from MPC-Tutor. So far my journey has been very nice.

My question is in regards to note assignment. I am currently using the sequencer on the MPC to record my MicroKorg via the MK's keyboard. The problem is that I cannot hear the metronome through the headphone out of the MK; this is annoying to me. So, my idea was to use Note Assign in the MPC to just simply assign the notes from the MK to singular pads. For example: I have a really nice bass-y patch set on the MK with the Arpeggiator active at 124bpm; I wanted to press A1 to trigger the F# on the MPC and record the sequence.

That is all easy; done and done. The dilemma I have is that I need to drop the F# a full octave below what it's registering on the MPC. On the MK I have the Octave Shift down two octaves, so when I trigger the note on the MK it plays properly. When I assign the F#1 to the pad, it plays an octave higher than what I need it to play at.

If this is something outlined in another post, please refer me; in the manual/eBook, I won't take offense to a RTFM response.

EDIT:
Also, I highly doubt it, but another solve would be for me to be able to hear the metronome via the MK. I don't believe this to be possible, but it couldn't hurt to ask.

The MPC metronome click comes out of the audio/headphone out, so couldn't you route that into the audio-in of the MK?

Machine Life wrote:The MPC metronome click comes out of the audio/headphone out, so couldn't you route that into the audio-in of the MK?

That is a really clever solution; unfortunately the MK seems to only take Audio input to use through the vocoder or otherwise.

Thank you regardless!

I wouldn't be running into this problem if I had both of the units running through a mixer and then through monitors; I have to use headphones though.

What part of the metronome do you need to hear, the count-in or the timing clicks afterwards?

Machine Life wrote:What part of the metronome do you need to hear, the count-in or the timing clicks afterwards?

Only the count-in is necessary; although it wouldn't hurt to be able to hear the entire click throughout.

You'll probably need a mixer then; there are some stereo line mixers that are small and require no power (Rolls MX42, MX41B, ART makes one too).

Getting back to your other question, I'm not sure I understand what you want to do. So you have something like F#2 mapped to A1 on the MPC and you want to trigger F#1 as well? I would just map F#1 directly to A2 and record an identical sequence on that track. You won't be able to transpose the note triggers from the MPC with the transpose buttons on the MK; those buttons only affect what the MK puts out, not incoming signals.

Machine Life wrote:Getting back to your other question, I'm not sure I understand what you want to do. So you have something like F#2 mapped to A1 on the MPC and you want to trigger F#1 as well? I would just map F#1 directly to A2 and record an identical sequence on that track. You won't be able to transpose the note triggers from the MPC with the transpose buttons on the MK; those buttons only affect what the MK puts out, not incoming signals.

I had the F#1 mapped to A1 - yet it still played an octave higher than the MicroKorg played it (if I instead played the note from the keyboard). That's probably because I was using the Octave Transpose buttons on the MK. I want to transpose the note triggers on the MPC. I haven't tried to use the Transpose function on the track yet; that's my next step.

donny wrote: I want to transpose the note triggers on the MPC. I haven't tried to use the Transpose function on the track yet; that's my next step.

I recommend making a copy of the existing track (under track mode --> parameters --> copy track to), then transpose the new track with mode + seq edit.

Machine Life wrote:I recommend making a copy of the existing track (under track mode --> parameters --> copy track to), then transpose the new track with mode + seq edit.

Thanks! Will give this a go! I've only had this lil guy for about three days now; still working on the ins and outs.