MPC Studio with ext synths

Question:

Say I got 3 external hardware synths. I want to sequence them with the MPC Studio.
Because it's got only one midi out port, it means I will be able to sequence a total max of 16 midi channels, assigning each channel to a synth.
OK
Now...if I am right until here, tell me this:
Will I be able to hear them all synths at the same time in the MPC Studio? Am I limited only by the number of inputs on my soundcard?
Will I be able to hear all 3 synths at the same time in MPC Studio, assigning to each a differect effect on different audio channels in MPC Studio??

If answer is yes...did anybody do that without **** up the processor on the laptop?
ANY BUGS in sequencing this way and audio recording like this?

Thanks a lot guys and sorry for the long post!!

You can also use other MIDI interfaces that are attached to your computer, and assign those to any of the 4 MPC MIDI output ports in the MPC Software Preferences/MIDI tab.


External MIDI is not very well supported in MPC Software at the moment.

In the MPC Software application, there is no way to record external sound sources into MPC Software in sync with your existing sequences, and there is no input to the MPC mixer for external audio as you are expecting.

In the MPC Software plugin, you are limited to a single MIDI output port at a time from the plugin to the DAW, which has to be re-routed to an external MIDI output, if that is possible within the DAW you are using.


Hopefully they get some real external MIDI support happening in the next update, with the Direct Recording/Place Event feature from earlier MPCs in the MPC Software application, and providing a way to work with 4 external MIDI ports from the MPC Software plugin.

But in the renaissance it can be done. I even saw a video.

What did you see, do you have a link to the video?

can t find the clip...but

http://www.akaipro.com/kb/article/1486

also

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOilTxOngNQ

The first link shows how you can record a new sample while a sequence is playing...and then what?

You have a new sample, but you have to manually guess where that sample is meant to be triggered, if you want that sample to playback in time with an existing sequence, as it was recorded.

That is what I mean by not being able to record a new sample into the MPC in sync with an existing sequence, it needs the Direct Recording/Place Event feature that some hardware MPCs have, to place a new event into the sequencer that triggers the newly recorded sample in the correct location, within the sequence, so that it plays in sync with the sequence.


The second link shows the MPC Software plugin, and the single MIDI port limitation when using it as a plugin within a DAW.

MPC Software supports 4 MIDI ports, but when used as a plugin, you only have a single MIDI port from the plugin into the DAW, which you can then route to an external MIDI port, if the DAW allows it.

The limitation here is that it only allows the MPC Software plugin to output to a single MIDI port at a time, rather than the 4 MIDI ports supported in the software, and on the Renaissance hardware.

This means 16 midi channels right?

This means I can sequence 16 hardware synths and record them as they play; in the DAW host using the soundcard right? ...just like a hardware MPC

...and then throw the audio recording in the MPC as a sample and sequence it accordingly.

Tell me if I got it wrong.

(For example in Maschine u can t do that.. it really sends just ONE midi channel to hardware as a plug in)

Basically, sort of, yes.


You have access to one MIDI port from the MPC Software plugin within the DAW.

If your DAW allows you to reroute that MIDI port to an external device, as you can in Pro Tools, then you can send the 16 channels on that one MIDI port to attached external sound modules/synths.

I am not sure if all DAWs allow that.


It also depends on the synths, how many MIDI channels each responds to, as in a mono synth only responds to a single MIDI channel, but multi-timbral polysynths can respond to multiple MIDI channels, up to 16 MIDI channels on one synth, if you want them to.

And, you can not chain 16 synths directly off of a single MIDI port, using the MIDI Thru connections on the synths, as you are only supposed to chain together 2-3 in a chain, I think. While it might work, I am not really sure how it would handle them all chained together, you would need a 16 output MIDI Thru box to do it properly, or maybe at least 8 MIDI Thru box with 2 synths hanging off of each output, or something like that.


That is not exactly like a hardware MPC, as the larger hardware MPCs, and the Renaissance itself, have 4 physical MIDI ports, to allow 64 MIDI output channels, but MPC Software plugin only gives access to 1 MIDI port, with 16 MIDI output channels, at a time.


And yes, you can then use that newly recorded sample within the MPC, and sequence it.

The only issue is that you have to guess where the start of the sample is within the sequence, and enter/play the event into the sequencer manually, guessing where the sample should start.


So, depending on exactly what you want, you might get enough external MIDI functionality out of MPC Software, and it might perform sufficiently better with external MIDI than Maschine to suit your needs.

Man, u've been so nice!! Thanks a lot!!!