Only getting 10mb not 16mb loads

Hello,

My MPC500, newest OS, has the standard 16Mb memory. On my PC I create various sample programs using BlueBox software. I have a main folder that is only 15.4Mb with about 6 subfolders each containing programs and samples. Again the main folder is only 15.4Mb.

I transfer the folder onto the CF Card over USB and try to load the programs into the MPC500. I only get to load about 4 programs, approx 11mb, before I get an insuffcient memory message.

Autoload is off, there are no other samples loaded, so my question is why can I only load approx 11mb into what is supposed to be 16mb of memory.

Is there some kind of bulking up that goes on inside the MPC that adds more data. If that is the case is - What is the max amount of usuable sample memory you can load into a 16mb MPC500?

cheers

Grizzle

I can't answer this question but I definitely recommend upgrading the RAM. You won't regret it a bit even if money's tight like it is with me.

I don't have a 500 yet, but I remember reading somewhere that it included about 5 Mb of pre-loaded internal sounds, which are probably copied from the internal flash memory to RAM at power-up. Maybe that's why there's only about 10 Mb actually available for your own samples.

According to the manual (page 100), there's an autoload function that loads the contents of the flash memory to RAM at power up, but you can turn it off. You can also overwrite the flash memory with your own data.

yep thats correct, some of the 16mb is flam mem, so get yourself a nice 128mb stick and problem solved

phono wrote:yep thats correct, some of the 16mb is flam mem, so get yourself a nice 128mb stick and problem solved

Hi thanks for the reply. What is flam mem and would you know how much memory it takes up. Would you know how much of the 16mb is usable. It would help if I knew the limits I could make appropriately sized multi's.

I know I should upgrade the ram... anybody got a link to decent ebay seller or any kind or off the shelf ram I can buy online. Things are so tight I'm on a weed ration.

cheers

Grizzle

Grizzle wrote:

phono wrote:yep thats correct, some of the 16mb is flam mem, so get yourself a nice 128mb stick and problem solved

Hi thanks for the reply. What is flam mem and would you know how much memory it takes up. Would you know how much of the 16mb is usable. It would help if I knew the limits I could make appropriately sized multi's.

I know I should upgrade the ram... anybody got a link to decent ebay seller or any kind or off the shelf ram I can buy online. Things are so tight I'm on a weed ration.

cheers

Grizzle

He meant "flash mem", not "flam mem". The MPC 500 has 5 Mb of internal flash (non-volatile) memory whose contents are copied into RAM at power up. Read my previous post. There is a way to turn off automatic loading of the flash memory data, so that you will have all the 16 Mb available for yourself. It's a good temporary solution until you upgrade your RAM.

fac wrote:

Grizzle wrote:

phono wrote:yep thats correct, some of the 16mb is flam mem, so get yourself a nice 128mb stick and problem solved

Hi thanks for the reply. What is flam mem and would you know how much memory it takes up. Would you know how much of the 16mb is usable. It would help if I knew the limits I could make appropriately sized multi's.

I know I should upgrade the ram... anybody got a link to decent ebay seller or any kind or off the shelf ram I can buy online. Things are so tight I'm on a weed ration.

cheers

Grizzle

He meant "flash mem", not "flam mem". The MPC 500 has 5 Mb of internal flash (non-volatile) memory whose contents are copied into RAM at power up. Read my previous post. There is a way to turn off automatic loading of the flash memory data, so that you will have all the 16 Mb available for yourself. It's a good temporary solution until you upgrade your RAM.

Thanks Fac. I have already turned Autoload to OFF (Mode/Load/Autoload - OFF). Nothing loads into the MPC at power-on. No samples, no sequences, nothing at all. It is completely blank but I still only get about 10mb.

I must be doing something wrong or else the MPC bulks up samples as they are loaded in. Manual time again

Looked at the manual.

Turned autoload to off. Deleted Autoload folder from CF card (as the manual said to).

I tried to delete the internal flash memory. i read the manual and i could only find mentioning of saving over the internal flash ram. i saved over it with a blank project and then deleted the autoload folder it created.

Now when i go to STATUS after power-on it reads 100% wav but I can still only load about 10mb in. I load a folder with 4.6mb and look at the STATUS and it reads 55% wav. That means 10mb max which would seem to suggest it is still loading 5mb from internal flash ram. I cannot find any samples in the MPC500. Status read 100% wav and if I try to purge or save sample it says I have no samples loaded so I have no idea where they are or what the hell I'm supposed to do.

Is there a fucntion somewhere that I can completely erase the internal flash name without saving anything.

Grizzle wrote: so I have no idea where they are or what the hell I'm supposed to do.

Click this link and buy that shit...problem solved bro
http://cgi.ebay.com/EXM-128MB-MEMORY-AK ... 1|294%3A50

My totally unfounded guess is that the RAM is divided in two parts: sample memory and sequence/program memory. The size of sequence/program memory is fixed to accomodate (according to the specs): 100,000 notes, 99 sequences (with 48 tracks per sequence), 20 songs with 250 steps, and 24 programs (i.e., settings for each pad). I suppose that it takes about 5 Mb to store all that data. The rest of the RAM is the available sample memory. Thus, when you only have the factory 16 Mb, you have only about 11 Mb available for your samples, even if there's still free memory in the sequence/program RAM.

This makes even more sense when you look at the available sample time reported in the specs:

Sampler Recording Time:

* 136sec [16MB/MONO]
* 24min 28sec [128MB/MONO]

136 seconds * 44100 samples/second * 2 bytes/sample = 11995200 bytes = 11.5 Mb

24 min 28 sec = 1468 sec * 44100 samples/sec * 2 bytes/sample = 123.5 Mb

So, whether you have 16 Mb or 128 Mb, there are about 4.5 Mb which aren't used for samples. This is probably the fixed buffer used to store sequence and program data.

Grizzle said in his first post that he could only load about 11 Mb of samples out of 15.4 Mb in his folder, so I guess that's the actual limit unless you upgrade the RAM.

Cold Snap wrote:

Grizzle wrote: so I have no idea where they are or what the hell I'm supposed to do.

Click this link and buy that ****...problem solved bro

F**k solving the problem, dude. We need to know why can't you load 15.4 Mb of samples in a 16 Mb device!

But seriously, my 500 hasn't even arrived and I have already ordered the extra RAM.

fac wrote:

Cold Snap wrote:

Grizzle wrote: so I have no idea where they are or what the hell I'm supposed to do.

Click this link and buy that ****...problem solved bro

F**k solving the problem, dude. We need to know why can't you load 15.4 Mb of samples in a 16 Mb device!

But seriously, my 500 hasn't even arrived and I have already ordered the extra RAM.

Alrighty then... "**** solving the problem" Seriously tho I'm sure there is a technical explanation behind this guys issue but after you "maybe" figure it out, I doubt your going to be able to change it and plus dude asked for a link I believe to a solid seller on ebay so I was just being of service... so maybe when you actually GET your mpc and learn it then you can be of more service yourself instead of trying to shoot down other member comments... just sayin

Cold Snap wrote:so maybe when you actually GET your mpc and learn it then you can be of more service yourself instead of trying to shoot down other member comments... just sayin

hey dude, calm down... I was just being sarcastic, after trying to understand why the guy couldn't load his stuff... if you read my other posts you will see that I was actually trying to help him while he upgrades the RAM. I was looking for an option that didn't require him to spend any money, but to do that we have to understand first how the memory is handled.

fac wrote:

Cold Snap wrote:so maybe when you actually GET your mpc and learn it then you can be of more service yourself instead of trying to shoot down other member comments... just sayin

hey dude, calm down... I was just being sarcastic, after trying to understand why the guy couldn't load his stuff... if you read my other posts you will see that I was actually trying to help him while he upgrades the RAM. I was looking for an option that didn't require him to spend any money, but to do that we have to understand first how the memory is handled.

I'm calm man...like I said, I was just sayin...but do what you do

fac wrote:

Sampler Recording Time:

* 136sec [16MB/MONO]
* 24min 28sec [128MB/MONO]

136 seconds * 44100 samples/second * 2 bytes/sample = 11995200 bytes = 11.5 Mb

24 min 28 sec = 1468 sec * 44100 samples/sec * 2 bytes/sample = 123.5 Mb

So, whether you have 16 Mb or 128 Mb, there are about 4.5 Mb which aren't used for samples. This is probably the fixed buffer used to store sequence and program data.

Cheers FAC... that sound right to me... Seeing as there's no way roud it I bought some recommended RAM off ebay so hopefully it'll work.

Thanks all for your replies.

Grizzle