Sync Pro Tools to MPC?

I've put off hardware sequencing for years, sequencing everything in Pro Tools. No problems until now.

I'm looking to colaborate with another producer. I'm all Pro Tools, he's all MPC. I'm trying to do some prep before we link.

I have an EMU PX-7 that I've always triggered percussion from, never syncing the sequencers. Syncing it now has exposed a lack of knowledge I'd like to address.

The sequencers are synced, but don't loop together. With Pro Tools as the master, everything seems fine until the sequence loops in Pro Tools. The PX-7 just cuts out.

What am I'm not doing?

And what do I do about triggering different length sequences in the MPC/EMU?

What we'll be doing initially is playing some shorter sequences from the MPC alongside song-length sequences in Pro Tools.

Pardon the rudimentary questions. Finding answers to these specific issues has been difficult. I probably don't know what to look for... terminology and such.

I know the EMU & MPCs are different, but I'm hoping folks can provide some general sync info and help us save some time.

Thanks

I just read your post twice, and despite the thread title, I'm still not clear what your trying to sync. You're talking about the E-mu than an MPC, and which MPC are you referring to?

Is it Pro Tools to the E-mu?

Is it Pro Tools to the MPC?

There are some good 'how to sync with pro tools' threads around here...somewhere. but once we know exactly what you want, hopefully someone with the same MPC and PT can chime in.

I am trying to sync both.

Right now, Pro Tools & EMU PX-7, PT as the master...

In preparation for Pro Tools & MPC 4K sync at a later date, PT as the master. But I do not have access to the MPC at present.

I'm trying to sync the PX-7 now to make sure I have a grasp on this before this collab so we're not spending time trying to figure this out.

I have the PX-7 and Pro Tools synced, but I'm assuming I'm missing some steps due to the problem mentioned in the initial post.

And thanks for the response. I'd try searching for those threads, but I'm assuming there aren't many PT/EMU threads on an MPC site.

Welcome,

I'm the Boogieman, EMU Command Station guru round these here parts...

First, let's review, you want to sync ProTools and your MPC for tracking. The MPC has sequences recorded that contain events to trigger your PX-7.

Am I correct?

If it is the reverse, PT is sync with the PX-7 and the sequence is there, you can use the extra MIDI events to trigger the MPC.

Let me know if I am right, and I will try to get you sorted.

Double-check the sequence length in both machines...FIRST!

Mike Boogie wrote:Welcome, I'm the Boogieman

Nice intro, lol.

Mike Boogie wrote:Welcome,

I'm the Boogieman, EMU Command Station guru round these here parts...

First, let's review, you want to sync ProTools and your MPC for tracking. The MPC has sequences recorded that contain events to trigger your PX-7.

Am I correct?

If it is the reverse, PT is sync with the PX-7 and the sequence is there, you can use the extra MIDI events to trigger the MPC.

Let me know if I am right, and I will try to get you sorted.

Double-check the sequence length in both machines...FIRST!

2 separate issues.

1st...
I am trying to sync PT & the PX-7 in anticipation of a collaboration with someone who does all their sequencing in a MPC 4K. I want to make sure I have a general understanding before I involve someone esle. But I'll get to that later.

So I have PT & the PX-7 synced. I press play in PT and both PT & the PX-7 play and everything sounds fine. But when the PT sequence loops, the PX-7 doesn't and drops out.

I'm pretty sure the sequences were the same length, but I'll check & address that this evening.

With that said, am I not able to play shorter sequences from the PX-7 along with longer sequences in PT? How would I address having a song-length sequence in PT and shorter, 4-16 bar sequences in the PX-7? Create a Song in the PX-7 and lay out the sequences the same length as the song in PT?

-------

2nd...
I'll need to sync an MPC 4K to PT with PT as the master at a later date. Once I get this figured out, I'll likely keep the PX-7 synced as well and started sequencing percussion in it.

Someone will be bringing an MPC 4K over. We'll likely sequence samples and maybe drums in the MPC; synths, keys, Akai Z4 and maybe drums in PT; and maybe percussion in the PX-7.

I don't have access to the MPC currently. Will it generally be the same as syncing the PX-7?

Bumb

Bezo wrote:Bumb

lol

Welcome back...

Forgive me as I am nursing a massive headache right now.

(probably from predicting a new Ren release)

As far as your sequencing issues...

Create a Song in the PX-7 and lay out the sequences the same length as the song in PT?

Yep! That is the way to go.... Since you have ProTools you have a few others options, but we'll talk about those later.

About your second question, will sync'ing the MPC to Protools be a similar process?

I say yes! I like to use only ONE true sequencer in a project.

My setup works this way.
I use the my MPC to sequence everything, MIDI'd up devices like keyboard synths, my MP-7, software like Reason, etc.
I will create the beat, melody, everything on different tracks in a 4-8 bar looped sequence. This process usually happens without PT being involved...Yet.

Once I have my tracks ready, I "track-out" into ProTools each part of my 4-8 bar loop. That's it! Just the one maybe two passes of the loop for each track. This is where I use PT sync to make sure everything lines up.
Once done with that, I chop what I have track-out into 4-8 bar segments and use CTRL+D to duplicate the loop sequence for as long as I would like the song to be.
Then I go into arrange mode, where I go through the looped sequence and chop, delete, remove the artifacts of the tracks. (Intro,verse,hook,verse,vamp,hook,out) pretty much arranging the flow of the song.