Reviews and questions about the entry-level MPC500
By Drooopsta915 Tue Mar 04, 2008 9:22 pm
I got the drum part of making a beat down pretty good, I make different drum (sequences) then connect them together, I want to add some keyboard and maybe a sample, do I have to add the sample and the keyboard to each sequence? I want to loop a sample and add drums to the loop, then some keys but I'm stuck. anyone got any ideas?

By Emilie Tue Mar 04, 2008 9:26 pm
It is a good idea to have a sequence pr. instrument. It's easier to manage.
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By thebackwardszero Wed Mar 05, 2008 10:13 pm
Ok, so yes, you would go into each individual sequence and add whatever you want. Say you have all your drums assigned to bank A with the kick on track 1, snare on track two, and hi hat on track 3. Lay down your drums (or you seem to already have them laid down).
Then you would find your self a sample. For simplicity sake, I'm just going to assume you've already got your sample all chopped or looped (that's a whole other story). If it's chopped then assign the chops to all of the pads in bank B. If its looped assign the loop to one pad in bank B. Then start on track 4, and overdub your loop or your chops. You've now added a sample.
If you wanted to add keys, that's up to you the way that you do it. Personally I like to do it completely separate from the MPC.


Hope that helps.

By Drooopsta915 Thu Mar 06, 2008 12:52 am
So your saying that when I start recording my drum line I should start record and do each drum part (kick,snare,clap etc.) on individual tracks, not all on the same track. I'll keep practicing thanx for the advice.
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By thebackwardszero Fri Mar 07, 2008 1:45 am
When I first started using the MPC i just tapped it all out on the same track. You don't have to have the drums on separate track, if you wanted to add a sample. It really all depends on the nature of the drums. The advantage to recording on separate tracks is that you can get more specicfic with the track mute function. So if your playing back the sequence, you can manipulate the pattern a little bit. Cut out the kick and snare for a transfer part maybe, Cut out the hit hat for a breakdown...

Keep at it, you'll learn fast. Hit me up with any more questions though, I'll do my best to answer.