Mixing

I usually push everything over to the daw for mixing purposes, but I was wondering, does anyone know how to make a decent mix on the 500, just using the 500, peace, ah yeah, chuuuch!

I just use whats the the [PROGRAMS]. It makes a BIG diff. I was workin on a song just last nyte & the samples i edited using my software didnt sound so good, but when i edited those sounds in the 500 it sound pretty amazing.

The Hi-Pass filter & panning seem to be the key along with volume, attack & decay. effects on select samples... Master compression...The master EQ sux...very unvariable... I usually record warm and run through compression & EQ after the fact... Just some ideas from myself...I'm still learning too though so any added comments from other members would be cool on this subject.

Cold Snap wrote:The Hi-Pass filter & panning seem to be the key along with volume, attack & decay. effects on select samples... Master compression...The master EQ sux...very unvariable... I usually record warm and run through compression & EQ after the fact... Just some ideas from myself...I'm still learning too though so any added comments from other members would be cool on this subject.

Thanx Mann

i dont fux with mixing on the mpc i take it all into logic and do it there.

nxnut_92 wrote:I just use whats the the [PROGRAMS]. It makes a BIG diff. I was workin on a song just last nyte & the samples i edited using my software didnt sound so good, but when i edited those sounds in the 500 it sound pretty amazing.

could this have something to do with the sound card you are using in your DAW? i know that digidesign sound-cards (mbox/002) kinda suck maybe the sound card in the MPC is better quality?

2326t wrote:

nxnut_92 wrote:I just use whats the the [PROGRAMS]. It makes a BIG diff. I was workin on a song just last nyte & the samples i edited using my software didnt sound so good, but when i edited those sounds in the 500 it sound pretty amazing.

could this have something to do with the sound card you are using in your DAW? i know that digidesign sound-cards (mbox/002) kinda suck maybe the sound card in the MPC is better quality?

ITS IS SOME TRUTH TO THIS, REAL TALK SOMETIMES RE-SAMPLING AND SAVING THE WAV FILE TO YOUR COMPUTER DOES SOUND BETTER, IT JUST TAKES LONGER THAN TRACKING INTO YOUR DAW

ya i have actually recorded beat CD's for hip hop groups in my area by just resampling the song i made....it doesnt sound BAD doing it that way, but i would suggest using a DAW just for finding your certain sound, and being able to go back to it to change something at a later date, or i guess you could just save all your stuff on a compact flash and do it that way...BUT i would prefer DAW for mixing, and the MPC for the premix, just to get an idea of the sound you want....

I asked Supreme the Sunz Of Man & Wu-Tang producer how he process his beats... he was tellin me that he only records a single stereo track to audition...he don't track out nothing or any special mixing...simply bangs it out and does all the tweaks on the MPC 2500...I thought that was rather inspiring.

The MPC500 lacks a mixer mode, so you have to use have to adjust the volume and pan of each pad which can be a pain.

However the master effects offer both a compressor and EQ at the same time which can help make general adjustments to your mix. The addition of the BP and HP filters effectively let you EQ every pad to make it work better in the mix. Panning is also easily overlooked, it's a shame you can't pan each layer individually. But by being creative you can still create a decent mix on the MPC500.

I also resample pads often trough the effects (like EQ) to get the samples to stick better in the mix.

Snerg

applying eq or compression to the whole song is more of a mastering technique. and modifying individual sounds via the [program] mode, is sort of like preemptive mixing, but it's not true mixing unless the tracks are separately recorded, then "mixed" together. this is the pivotal aspect of mixing. the inherent problem with mixing on the mpc500 is that there are no individual sends. the mpc500 does a straight (dry) mix and sends all your tracks out via two channel stereo.

i think this sort of illustrates the usefulness of the mpc500. i disagree with labeling the mpc500 as an entry level mpc, because it's not a very good production center, what it is, is an amazing live tool, and immaculate portable sampler.

Like someone said about Supreme, I do it all on the 500.

Resample sounds to get them sounding the way you want them while saving your effects.

LEARN WHAT THINGS DO.
Compression (basically) pushes the quieter sounds towards the louder sounds. You put it on a sample, it affects the sample, you put it on the master effects, it makes your whole track (sometimes too) full/loud. The thresh tells it what sounds to affect (the lower you put it, the more sounds it loudens), ratio brings things closer together, gain raises the final volume, attack and decay tells it when to kick in (lot of attack, it waits a bit on every loud sound)
EQ can be very useful for low-end theorying (taking just the bassline) or the opposite. also general purposes.
Attack is a fade in for an individual sample. Very useful for putting your own drums on top of existing drums in a sample (they won't be so offbeat if you put a bit of attack on).
Decay is the fade, use it on a sound thats on NOTE ON mode to make it fade out.
Changing the velocity (midi volume) and pan is a basic way of mixing, but efficient if you know what you're doing.

Run your samples through a mixer before they hit the MP and get them sounding right that way.

and go to http://mp3.deepsound.net/eng/samples_calculs.php to learn a bunch of new tricks (use your imagination to see how these can be used).

Ask if you want more, I go to a music conservatory for production (they're no too fond of hip-hop in there tho) and I don't like computers and do just fine on the 500.