features questions: Can it ...? Does it have ...?

Before I buy one I'd like to know if it will do the things I want it to do, for example:
(I assume it can play a predefined pattern with various samples which will constantly loop without me doing anything)

- during live looped playback can I modify some parameters of some of the sounds or tracks, for example filter cutoff or volume (while other sounds play unchanged)? Can I do that with an external midi controller?

- can I record and immediately play a looped midi track during live playback that will control an external synth or drummachine?

- can I sample external audio during live playback and incorporate the sample into the current pattern being played? (I could live without this, but it would be a nice bonus)

Thanks!

BTW I went thru the manual but I didn't find it very helpful and I watched many videos of mpc500, but virtually all of them were of people finger-drumming.

charonme wrote:(I assume it can play a predefined pattern with various samples which will constantly loop without me doing anything)

Yes!

charonme wrote:- during live looped playback can I modify some parameters of some of the sounds or tracks, for example filter cutoff or volume (while other sounds play unchanged)? Can I do that with an external midi controller?

Yes, you can edit the effects and sample sound (ADSR, filter, etc.) in real-time while the sequence is playing. You can also map filter, pitch or volume to the q-link slider for easier tweaking without having to dive into the menu. I"m not sure if it's possible to do it with an external MIDI controller.

charonme wrote:- can I record and immediately play a looped midi track during live playback that will control an external synth or drummachine?

Yes!

charonme wrote:- can I sample external audio during live playback and incorporate the sample into the current pattern being played? (I could live without this, but it would be a nice bonus)

Yes, but I'm not sure how seamless it can be (eg, not having to stop the current pattern). I don't use it in this way so I'll have to check.

seems like when the cutoff frequency of the resonant filter is changed, it is only applied when the sample is retriggered, it's not applied to the currently playing sample

charonme wrote:seems like when the cutoff frequency of the resonant filter is changed, it is only applied when the sample is retriggered, it's not applied to the currently playing sample

it's realtime if you use the qlink.

charonme wrote:- can I sample external audio during live playback and incorporate the sample into the current pattern being played? (I could live without this, but it would be a nice bonus)

You can't sample while the sequencer is playing.

charonme wrote:- can I record and immediately play a looped midi track during live playback that will control an external synth or drummachine?

Yes.... but.... You can't switch to a new sequence right after you have recorded. A trick that I used is to stop the sequencer on beat and start it back up on beat so the audience thinks it's one of those intentional cut outs and then you can switch sequences live.

Riggs wrote:

charonme wrote:- can I sample external audio during live playback and incorporate the sample into the current pattern being played? (I could live without this, but it would be a nice bonus)

You can't sample while the sequencer is playing.

Umm, yes you can. Just hit PLAY while in Record Mode.

Got it? Good! Now go try it before I slap your eye out.

Riggs wrote:use the qlink

thanks! this works

Ill-Green wrote:Umm, yes you can. Just hit PLAY while in Record Mode.

Nope, doesn't work
First, my sequence is already playing, then I switch to record more - so why would I hit play again? It does nothing.

Second, when I start recording my sequence stops and when I finish recording and go back to my sequence, it is erased!

Third, when I try to record another sample to another pad, the whole mpc freezes completely

Now I'm going to try it without the RAM module, maybe it's not compatible

charonme wrote:

Ill-Green wrote:Umm, yes you can. Just hit PLAY while in Record Mode.

Nope, doesn't work
First, my sequence is already playing, then I switch to record more - so why would I hit play again? It does nothing.

Second, when I start recording my sequence stops and when I finish recording and go back to my sequence, it is erased!

Third, when I try to record another sample to another pad, the whole mpc freezes completely

Now I'm going to try it without the RAM module, maybe it's not compatible

Can't you read? I said "Just hit PLAY while in Record Mode" not hit PLAY then go into Record Mode. And why wouldn't you hit PLAY again in Record Mode? Thats just stubborn bs if you ask me. RTFM.

I did hit play again in record mode and as I already said, it did nothing, because the sequence was already playing before I went into record mode. Also, I didn't find anything about this in the manual

The 500 saved my Life.Who`s Dilla?

charonme wrote:I did hit play again in record mode and as I already said, it did nothing, because the sequence was already playing before I went into record mode. Also, I didn't find anything about this in the manual

Hit stop before going into the record mode so that the sequencer is not playing. Then go into recording mode and hit play to start your sequence. I'm going to have to look into why your samples are being erased when you go back to your sequence. After recording, did you assign it to a pad?

The MPC is a sampler.... a controller.... and a sequencer... but they are pretty separate functions.

You're not going to be able to live sample while you perform with the sequencer.

When you sample in record mode, you can press play to start the sequence you have selected. This is only a convenience so you can record something performed in time with the sequence. When you stop recording, the sequence will stop. You've then got to name the sample and maybe assign it to a pad.

Approach, sampling like it's own thing. Learn to use the sampler. Learn how all the sampler functions work and don't think at all about the sequencer or the pads.

Learn how to use programs. This is how the controller part works. Learn how to assign samples to pads and how to make the pads do cool stuff with the samples when you play them. Learn to use effects. Forget about the sequencer and sampler when you do this.

Learn how the sequencer works. Learn to step edit, switch effect sets, send qlink messages, send messages to other midi devices, copy midi between tracks and sequences. This, of course, is separate from the pads and sampler.

It's easy to get lost in what part of the MPC is doing what when you try to take this all in at once. I apologize if it comes off all grade school sounding.

Don't give up though. There's some really cool stuff you can do on an MPC that you just can't do on anything else I've used. You've got to learn to work in the limitations of the machine though. Good luck!

thanks Riggs, there certainly are people who need it laid out like this

Machine Life wrote:Hit stop before going into the record mode so that the sequencer is not playing.

But this would defeat the whole purpose of sampling while the sequence *IS* playing

Samples were not erased, the content of a sequence (midi data) are erased, the samples are left intact and assigned to their pads.

OK now I have more info about the erasing: when I record a track and then hit stop, then record a second track and without stopping go into sampling mode and record a sample (and assign it to a new pad), the second track gets erased, but the first tracks is not. Maybe the mpc is saving recorded midi data permanently only after I hit stop and "unsaved" midi data gets erased when I try to record a sample?

Also, my mpc (or my RAM expansion) seems to be faulty because it froze right now when I stopped the sequence playback after recording a few notes.

charonme wrote:OK now I have more info about the erasing: when I record a track and then hit stop, then record a second track and without stopping go into sampling mode and record a sample (and assign it to a new pad), the second track gets erased, but the first tracks is not. Maybe the mpc is saving recorded midi data permanently only after I hit stop and "unsaved" midi data gets erased when I try to record a sample?

That's one of those bugs that Akai didn't fix. You will need to stop the sequence before you switch modes or as you have found, you'll lose data. The best fix is the stop-on-beat start-on-beat false pause. If you stop the sequencer after recording, it looks like all the recorded data will be committed.

It sounds like you need an SP-404 in your rig. The MPC sequencer and an SP is a pretty nice combo for live performance. I know a guy that has a lot of success with this setup.