recording patterns in slave mode

Hello, new here! I am trying to record patterns on my MPC 500 in slave mode.

I am having my MCP 500 slaved to my Electron Analog 4. I am trying to record sequences on external clock sync but I can’t figure out how to get the bars to align. Both devices are set for the same pattern length.

After recording when I hit play again on my Elektron the pattern I just played perfectly on time is always 4 bars behind or somewhere else completely off.

The MPC manual doesn’t mention anything about recording in slave mode.

I’ve only been successful with recording when I do it to the MPCs internal clock without the A4 but it really brakes my workflow if I can’t record straight on to my A4 pattern.

Any ideas? Is the MPC 500 just not meant for recording on to ext clock? Thanks for any ideas!

I was trying to jam with a friend who was on his A4 and MonoMachine and we couldn't figure out how to get it running smooth with my MPC as a slave. We had to turn it around where the MPC was the master and it worked out so much better.

Thanks, so I figure there's some problem there. Here it works fine when I playback sequences with the MPC as slave. Just recording sequences is a problem. But since I never really record sequences live on the fly it isn't a huge issue here.

Are you on the 500 as well? Any idea if it would work better on a 1000? I would consider upgrading if it solves the problem.

I think I figured it out:

Master clock needs to be running on the Elektron. It won’t work if you set the MPC for record and try to start the recording with the Elektron transport.

With the Elektron master clock running press either overdub or record together with the play button on the MPC (not the play/start!!). The MPC click (if turned on) will lock perfectly into the Elektron master clock and the sequence will be exactly on time.

Then it’s all a matter of choosing pattern lengths on both devices that work together. This time I had my MPC set for double the A4 length and it worked.

I'm on a 1K w/ JJOS. We weren't dead-set on any one piece being the master clock so swapping out the MPC for the clock was no big deal. It did kinda suck that we couldn't jam & build our patterns in an organic, improvisational sorta way though.