Discuss the various methods you use in music production, from compressor settings to equipment type.
By platfus118 Sat Mar 23, 2019 3:30 pm
Hey!
I got an MPC2500 (jjosxl), SP404sx, SP303, OP-1 that I use each one individually, mostly within Ableton Live.
I want to make the MPC2500 more of a DAWless studio-center (I'll move the stems to Ableton for further mixing and arranging)

I'm having trouble with using them all together. Routing them so it's intuitive and convenient,
even the most basic things. I connect my MPC2500 to the ins of the SP303 and from the SP303 to my interface > monitors. I'm really new to MPCs and I don't really know how to record audio while the drum beat is playing.
Also, I don't think I want THE ENTIRE beat to go through the SP303 vinyl sim, maybe only the drum tracks or individual hits / synth tracks. What is the easiest way to bounce to SP303 and from SP303 back to the MPC? What is your workflow?

I'm sorry if I'm incoherent,
thanks!
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By mr_debauch Mon Mar 25, 2019 3:15 am
well, to go to and back from the 303, maybe you need to solo the thing you want to add vinyl sim to.. record into the 303, disconnect and sample back into the 2500.

OR, solo the thing you want to add vinyl sim to, record to a pad in the 303... then mute those things in the 2500, and unmute the rest... record to another pad in the 303 without vinyl sim. Then adjust the starts of both to play at the same time.... or don't even record that second bit without vinyl sim, just leave the first part muted in the 2500 and play the rest through the line in, and sequence the newly recorded bit from the 303 via midi.

So, let's say drums we want vinyl sim, main sample we want reverb or delay or something also in the 303 but not vinyl sim.. bass we want to filter with isolator, and in the 2500 there is a bunch of other samples to get triggered but they don't need fx from the 303.

1) record drums soloed into the 303 on a pad with vinyl sim..
2) turn off vinyl sim and now solo the main sample and turn on delay or reverb... record onto an other 303 pad.
3) turn off reverb or delay and turn on isolator, solo bass and record to a 3rd pad,
4) turn off isolator, set up 3 new tracks on the 2500 with midi out going to the 303 in... make each of the 3 tracks trigger each of the new 3 pads in the 303.
5) keep those original 3 tracks off on the 2500, and trim all 3 pads on the 303 so the start points are at the right place. then try out how it sounds with the new result from the 303... you can also swap between the original 3 tracks to the new 3 tracks with fx as variation.
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By mr_debauch Tue Mar 26, 2019 3:50 am
yeah sometimes you can try pushing start/end/level and turning down the volume (or turning up the volume sometimes works) of the pad.. then try turning back on vinyl sim and adjusting the compression amount again. It can be a bit rough if you don't record into the 303 with consistent input gain and you wind up having to find a way to balance everything in the 303. If I know more or less what i will be sampling from an advance before starting... i try to make sure the loudest sample doesn't clip, then i leave the gain there for the rest of the stuff...
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By Ill-Green Fri Apr 12, 2019 11:50 am
I used to have an MPC500+SP303 combo. The 303 was the DAWless daw. I create loops and oneshots in the 500 and make different sequences as intro, verse, chorus, bridge and outro. Or maybe strip a beat into different sequences like; Drums, sample, and bass. The SP's 8 polyphony was my 8 tracks. I would sample the sequences from the 500 into the 303 and would lace effects as it sampled it in. It was a lot of control for me because I had the power to turn the effects on at certain times and make it musical instead of turned on all the time (though some effects do).

I also did a kind of a parallel compression thing with the two because the 303 can play while receiving sound from the 500 at the same time (404 can't), so I would play both with identical beats and go crazy with the mfx.