MPC500 MIDI issue

Hi,

I'm finding the MPC500 MIDI note to sample mapping doesn't do what it says on the tin for me. I've tried using both a MIDI keyboard and SPD-20 to trigger specific MPC samples using note numbers and I find that some work and some don't. e.g. pressing C1 on the keyboard isn;t firing off the MPC program pad sample assigned to the MIDI note C1. There doesn;t seem to be any pattern in it not working.

I have a reasonable amount of MPC/MIDI knowledge - so please assume that I have been reading the manual, not just chewing it, though I've only had the 500 for a few weeks and want to use it for a gig soon, so if anyone has any ideas I'd really appreciate hearing them!

Thanks

Hmmm, MIDI channel assignments? Check them out first. Then, it can be also a faulty MIDI cable (I had this issue before). If everything including the channel settings seems to be perfect, then try checking MIDI cables (try using another one or swap ends).

Thanks for the response. I'm going out to buy a new cable now and try your suggestion as the channels are set up fine. I take it you don't know of any OS bug fixes in the later releases that could address this issue? I'm currently on 1.0.

Cheers!

Bought a new MIDI cable today and it's still not working . I connected the two other devices I have to trigger each other and they work fine - but neither can trigger the MPC successfully.

Any advice on how best to contact Akai about this? Of course the dealer I bought this from a couple of months ago has since gone into administration - but it should still be under warranty.

Thanks

thenakeddrummer wrote: I'm currently on 1.0

Sounds like that's your problem right there. Current software version is 1.31. Update that puppy!

http://www.akaipro.com/contentmgr/showd ... /1113/tt/5

Sounds like that's your problem right there. Current software version is 1.31. Update that puppy!

Great advice! I flashed to 1.31 and after a stuttering start it seems to be behaving itself now. It shipped with v1.13 (not 1.0 as I said earlier), and I can't believe in this day and age it still has problems as fundamental as MIDI note assignment...

Thanks again!

Man, MPC OS version has nothing to do with MIDI issues. There's definitely something wrong with settings.

brazeca wrote:Man, MPC OS version has nothing to do with MIDI issues. There's definitely something wrong with settings.

Don't know where you got that idea. Especially since the software release notes include fixes for both midi input and note assignment bugs.

Regardless it would appear the update has solved the problem. That could be because the machine was returned to default (actually, a POWER ON/ERASE system reset is always the first thing to try in these cases) but the thing needed an update anyway. There are no user settings that would cause the machine to behave that way.

I got this idea from the simple fact that I have been using MPC 500 before latest OS updates. And back then I had no problem with connecting it to external midi devices like keyboards and triggering samples from MPC using these midi devices.

So, this "midi input" bug has nothing to do with the problem.

The reception of midi signal by mpc can be switched on/off in Midi/Sync mode (mode + pad 7). The transmission of midi signal is configured in the track params: Midi channel screen.

You can check if it works by downgrading back to OS 1.13

brazeca wrote:I got this idea from the simple fact that I have been using MPC 500 before latest OS updates. And back then I had no problem with connecting it to external midi devices like keyboards and triggering samples from MPC using these midi devices.

So, this "midi input" bug has nothing to do with the problem.

That's a bit presumptuous as bugs are often intermittent and not all users experience the same problems. It also depends on the specific software revision. The OS version definitely has something to do with midi issues, unless you think the Akai revision notes are lying to us.

brazeca wrote:The reception of midi signal by mpc can be switched on/off in Midi/Sync mode (mode + pad 7). The transmission of midi signal is configured in the track params: Midi channel screen.

O.K.. where amongst these settings do you find an option that will produce the problem described of assigned notes triggering on some keys/pads but not others?

Well, I can't answer the last question, as I had never had ANY problems with triggering samples from MPC via external midi devices.

One thing that I know for sure is that if there's a program with samples assigned to pads in it and MPC have just been started up, it won't be possible to trigger samples unless the program is selected in program mode. That means, even if it is the only program in MPC's RAM, the first thing that should be done before you are able to trigger samples, is going to Program mode (mode + pad 6, if I am not mistaken) and selecting the program.

Also, let's say you have several programs in RAM, assigned to various tracks in a sequence. To trigger samples from one program, you have to select a track that this program is assigned to. To trigger samples from another program, you have to select a respective track. That is when MPC is set to receive MIDI data on ANY channel. If you set it, say, As On Track, then you have to set a particular MIDI channel for each track in order to be able to trigger samples from a program assigned to it. It goes without saying that this way you have to change MIDI channels on the MIDI keyboard or other device that you use for triggering samples from MPC.

Is it clearer this way?

brazeca wrote:Also, let's say you have several programs in RAM, assigned to various tracks in a sequence. To trigger samples from one program, you have to select a track that this program is assigned to. To trigger samples from another program, you have to select a respective track. That is when MPC is set to receive MIDI data on ANY channel. If you set it, say, As On Track, then you have to set a particular MIDI channel for each track in order to be able to trigger samples from a program assigned to it. It goes without saying that this way you have to change MIDI channels on the MIDI keyboard or other device that you use for triggering samples from MPC.

I think you might want to read or reread pg60 of the PDF 500 manual and try using those functions because that's not how those settings work. The 500 and most MPCs (excluding say, the 4000) are not multitimbrial and note input will only affect the active, selected track. The soft thru function is for routing midi input to the midi output -- "ON" sends it out on the same channel as it comes in, "AS TRACK" remaps the midi input channel to the track's output channel as selected in the main screen. "Active track receive channel" just filters the channel you want the active track to respond to. There is no way to route midi to an inactive track.

I have already reread it. Sorry, I was not correct in describing these settings because when I was writing previous post I was away from home and far from my MPC. Thanks for pointing it out!