Discuss the various methods you use in music production, from compressor settings to equipment type.
By chabo Sun Aug 03, 2003 5:23 pm
Hi, there

I have a MPC for a few weeks and read the multisample tutorial a week ago. Ithought about speeding up the assignment of multisamples with the help of a little software tool (I like any kind (Beats or PC) of programming; ) .
I looked up the Program-Files of my MPC2KXL and analyzed the file structure. Now I know nearly every byte of PGM-Files (I can't find where FX-Settings are stored cause I don't have the effect upgrade).

But after all the work with the pgm-files I found the MidiCase MPC Editor. (ahhhrg I always thought that somebody else had the idea :oops:

But in the multisample tutorial it is explained that it's quite an annoying
thing to do all the assignment (unsorted assignment of midi-notes to the pads etc).
I want to program a tool that reads the midi-note of the file name and automaticly assigns the samples to the correct midi-note. Missing notes will be assigned to the nearest sample and the tune value will be adjusted.

My questions are:
1. Can I use the MPC Editor to do what I explained?
I don't want to reinvent the wheel and I don't want to compete with this program cause I think my program will be for free.
(I read the topic in which somebody posted a serial.)

2. Would my tool be usefull?

thanks

By mpc3000 Sun Aug 03, 2003 7:29 pm
If it was feasable to do such a thing, it would have already been programmed.

There is one serious issue with that method: "tool that reads the midi-note of the file name"

Midi note data is not stored in standard audio file formats. It would be anyone's best guess as to the actual midi note it is intended for. You could do some complex audio analysis to determine the closest Note (A, A#, G) and assign it to a midi note in a program but this can cause even more problems like what to do if slightly flat or sharp. Also some samples do not analyze very good for their note value. Samples with reverb, distortion or contain other complex harmonics are often wrongly evaluated even by the best software today that can analyze this.

Lastly, while multisampling in the MPC seems like fun, it is very bad at it and sounds horrible. A $200 S2000 has tons more sampling features designed around multi-samples themselves, like keygroup cross-fades, layers, EG's, tonal controls, and additional filters. Plus there is MESA Editor for the S2000 which you can use your PC interface to edit all this via SCSI and in real-time. It is much easier and quicker for me to do this on the S2000 and it sounds better.

I am always adding features to the MPC Editor. I take any suggestion and add any feature that I can, so if you have an idea to make using multisamples easier on the Editor I would be glad to hear them. Currently in the Editor, you can drag a sample from pad to pad and just hit the detune to make a multisample. I am planning to add a mini auto-chromatic assign to the Editor like the XL has but this will differ in which you can specify a range of pads to put the sample on. This ahould allow you load a half a dozen samples as part of a multisample and quickly aggisn them in a few mouse strokes.
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By MPC-Tutor Mon Aug 04, 2003 7:39 am
mpc3000 wrote:Lastly, while multisampling in the MPC seems like fun, it is very bad at it and sounds horrible.


Obviously not heard my bass multisample programs then, Mike :wink:

Seriously, I've been multisampling on the MPC for years - as long as you keep it to things like bass sounds, keys, trumpets, guitars - basically anything that doesn't need extended decays like strings and pads, it sounds fantastic. Just keep things nice and simple and it works a treat.