Chopping on the 500

does anyone chop their samples on the 500? i think i saw in a video on youtube, one guy had this whole long sample and he uploaded it straight into his mpc500 from his record player and then im pretty sure he chopped it using the trim mode. but this seems entirely unnecessary, as you can just do it on the computer...

If I sample it off of vinyl 9 times out of 10 I'm chopping on the 500.

If it's something from a CD or of the Internet, usually in Recycle and then to the MPC.

10/10 times I have my record player/iPod/computer running through my 500 while I listen for samples and when I hear one, rewind, hit record and then chop that shit up on the 500.

Super quick once you know how to do it.

Even quicker once you learn shortcuts like MONO playback, Mute Groups (Most of my samples I never bother cutting off the ends, I stop playback with the triggering of other sounds or a "blank" pad that works as an off button), and using NOTE ON playback can achieve the same.

I can trim a 16 beat measure sample into 16 pieces, assign them to pads, put them all on MONO, and all on the same mute group in about 3-6 minutes. And pretty accurately - chop wise. Then I sequence and whichever chops sound off, I go back and fix.


And why is it "unnecessary" if "you can do it on a computer" when the 500 is battery powered? to me, relying on a computer negates the positive value gained from portability.

I watched your youtube video. Keep doing your thing, you're better than a lot of people twice your age. (How old are you?). But I don't think you'll be disapointed with learning how to chop on the 500. Learn all of the pad shortcuts like "Play from' and "Play to' and things like that.

It can make your work flow faster if you're in the habit of listening to record for possible samples. I listen for samples, and if I hear one I think could work, I'll chop it, make a program and play with it. If not, restart the 500 and go back to records. No computer involved keeps the workflow moving.

thanks ill try all that.

ssnedden wrote:(How old are you?)

15

drunkmonkey5556 wrote:does anyone chop their samples on the 500? i think i saw in a video on youtube, one guy had this whole long sample and he uploaded it straight into his mpc500 from his record player and then im pretty sure he chopped it using the trim mode. but this seems entirely unnecessary, as you can just do it on the computer...

Think about it this way, I do not even have a computer in my studio space

15? Keep doing your thing. I consider myself a young one and I'm 5 years older than you so you've got a fat head start on most people. Keep learning and you'll get where you want.


And yeah, take a vacation or some small trip and bring just your 500 and a portable sample source with stuff you haven't listened to yet (iPod with new-to-you music/cd player/etc...) and you'll end up teaching yourself a lot of stuff.

I went to the Rocky Mountains and made beats on my 500 on top of a mountain and I was able to be just as effective as I was when I'm in my studio with all of my toys. Learned some new tricks due to necessity, too.

thats crazy. i don't really understand how to record straight into my mpc. ive never even done it, i just upload the samples, because i like to do a lot of editing on audacity. but i guess ill just look that up in the manual. can you do a lot of editing on the mpc?

drunkmonkey5556 wrote:thats crazy. i don't really understand how to record straight into my mpc. ive never even done it, i just upload the samples, because i like to do a lot of editing on audacity. but i guess ill just look that up in the manual. can you do a lot of editing on the mpc?

Just fiddle around with it for a few days, bet you wont go back that easily to your computer

Sorry to mess around with this topic... anyway, I'm still reading as much as I can in order to buy my first MPC. My choices are between the 500 and the 1000, but that doesn't matter. The thing is, regarding to editing/chopping on the MPC and on a PC, I believe that the key factor in having a MPC is that you don't really need a computer to make your stuff.

It's almost like an all-in-one piece of equipment. And that is the cool stuff about the MPC, and the reason I am looking at them. Yet, I believe that on a 500 editing and chopping can be a bit more difficult than in other MPCs. That screen!!!

modular wrote:Sorry to mess around with this topic... anyway, I'm still reading as much as I can in order to buy my first MPC. My choices are between the 500 and the 1000, but that doesn't matter. The thing is, regarding to editing/chopping on the MPC and on a PC, I believe that the key factor in having a MPC is that you don't really need a computer to make your stuff.

It's almost like an all-in-one piece of equipment. And that is the cool stuff about the MPC, and the reason I am looking at them. Yet, I believe that on a 500 editing and chopping can be a bit more difficult than in other MPCs. That screen!!!

Nah its actually quite easy, easier then on my MPC60 I find thanks to the digits. Also if I copy a long sample twice on my 60 I run out of memory , while on the 500 I can keep copying and trimming the same sample different. But thats a point that goes up for most modern samplers of course.

When you've sampled a long sample, Trim the part you want then Extract, and name the new chopped sample. Then Trim a new piece, Extract then repeat. It can be done because I don't work on the computer. Maybe to clean my record collection with Magix but I wouldn't make a beat on it.

...can be tedious, but once you get it down, it's cake, like driving a manual transmission car... i do both, or whatever i feel like on that day, if i want to mangle isht up or add fx's, i'll likely chop on computer... but there's no wrong way, just have fun with it...peace

You have a turntable?


Whatever you're using just get the proper cables (whatever you need to a 1/4in pair). Then simply listen to music that is running from your sample source, to your 500, to your speakers and when you hear something you want, press record.

Chopping on the 500 is hard at first but, seriously worth it, easy and quick once you've done it enough times.

I only had trouble understanding the numbers at first... but thats mainly cuz I refused to use the manual.....