My PROFESSIONAL midi production center

Hi,
I'm sitting in front of my professional midi production center - the MPC1000.
I've used other profesional products before:
"ACID PRO"
"PRO Tools"
"Logic PRO"

One thing PROFESSIONAL products have in common is a slider that lets you increase or decrease the volume for each track or lane or whatever you want to call it. We call this slider a fader. And when making midi information louder and softer, these professional products call this feature "increasing or decreasing velocity of a track".

MPC60 (1987) - you could adjust the velocity (volume) of each track on the main screen
MPC3000 (1991) - you could adjust the velocity (volume) of each track on the main screen
MPC2000 (1996) - you could adjust the velocity (volume) of each track on the main screen
MPC2000xl (1997) - you could adjust the velocity (volume) of each track on the main screen
MPC4000 (2001) - you could adjust the velocity (volume) of each track on the main screen
MPC1000 (2004) - hmmm....let's see, press every button, press open window all over the place....and....you can't do it.


You can't adjust the volume of what you record into it. It is a sequencer on which you cannot adjust the volume.

Am I missing something here?
Thanks,
Dahkter

Not really - this has been covered here before, it's one for Akai to look in to.
Until then, folks here are changing Pad volumes in Program mode.

thanks Stereoroid,
You are definitely right, we have gone over this before, just feeling more and more shocked that they don't have a way to adjust the volume of a part after you've played it.
Take care,
Jason

This is the $hit that really phucking erks me...all the zoning arguments seem like more of a luxury to me (don't get me wrong...I want them)...I feel like track velocity adjustment is a necessity...come on Akai...throw us a phucking bone here

stereoroid wrote:Not really - this has been covered here before, it's one for Akai to look in to.
Until then, folks here are changing Pad volumes in Program mode.

Please look in the second post of this link:
http://www.mpc-forums.com/viewtopic.php?p=120237#120237

That would be nice but I believe it's called a Music Production Center not a MIDI Production Center

I remember when I was alot younger and got my first MPC I was really stoned and I was staring at the MPC logo on my MPC2000xl and was like "what does it mean to be a midi production center? - I only use audio / wave files" Perplexed for years, I mean perplexed

a couple years later, I was playing some newer toys like the EMU Xtreme Lead and my Nord, sequencing the whole lot from my MPC (recording automation, velocity, etc.) - "OH!!!! Now I get it, MIDI Production CENTER, right!"

I sold the 2000xl a year or two later bought a 1000 a year after I sold the XL and I'm staring at the MPC logo on the blue box going "why does it say MUSIC PRODUCTION CENTER?"

ideas?

because Akai thought they would sell more units if they changed "midi" into "music" ....

my guess anyhow...

"dude, check out this hot midi i just made!"

djadonis206 wrote:That would be nice but I believe it's called a Music Production Center not a MIDI Production Center

But still... is this possible?:
http://www.mpc-forums.com/viewtopic.php?p=120237#120237

Moogens wrote:

djadonis206 wrote:That would be nice but I believe it's called a Music Production Center not a MIDI Production Center

But still... is this possible?:
http://www.mpc-forums.com/viewtopic.php?p=120237#120237

oh hey,

nah the 1000's sampler does not understand cc # 7 unfortunetly so...

I do not know of any professional production systems (or studios) that actually use midi track volume changes. Most will do volume changes in post recording editing where more control can be exercised (plus the work can be non-destructive).

Remember,the MPC1000 is the budget model and is only the fraction of the cost of all those other MPC's. You are free to buy one of the others.

i understand what MPC3000 is saying on this, but it's doesn't take much time nor code to add velocity. if it you open-source it'd be done already.

there is a lot of truth about this being the budget model. i've been vacillating on wheather i should just get an MPC2000xl or just wait to see what updates will come. there is also a chance we're not going to get new features in upcoming updates but only bug fixes.

i was an early MPC2000 and 2000xl adopter. Updates were slow to come and often dissapointing. Only the MPC4000 is FINALLY getting it's much need updates with features that were promised several years ago. many features that should have been there with the initial release (because they advertised it with them).

i'm once again trying to be patient. trying...

mpc3000 wrote:I do not know of any professional production systems (or studios) that actually use midi track volume changes. Most will do volume changes in post recording editing where more control can be exercised (plus the work can be non-destructive).

Remember,the MPC1000 is the budget model and is only the fraction of the cost of all those other MPC's. You are free to buy one of the others.

Im a bit confused that the MPC1000 is only a "budget model" and being "only the fraction cost of all those other MPC's". In Denmark the price is aprox. the same as 2000xl but of course half the price of the 4000. When using this amount of money for an instrument I dont expect to be on a "low budget".

Maybe I havent used that much "professional (digital) production systems". But I would like to know how you work this around, which I think should be a normal procedure? (or am I missing something?):

I make a sequence with a couple of drumtracks + miditracks controlling fx. a synth. When listening to the sequence I find out that drumtrack 1 is to high in volume compared with the rest. Maybe I even want to do a fade in of drumtrack 2. Of course I want to change the level - and maybe even do the fade in - without having to stop the playback and go into to the detailed parameters. Dont tell me a professional production system cant do this ? I thought this was basic operation? But hey, Im not a pro. In many ways Im a beginner.

mpc3000 wrote:Most will do volume changes in post recording editing where more control can be exercised.

Yes, but making fade ins/outs (and adjusting volume of drumtracks) for live performance should be possible as well? But I guess its the cc # 7 issue djadonis206 was talking about.
Weird though - but a great thing - that I can do this on the mpc miditracks controlling my synth!

"but it's doesn't take much time nor code to add velocity"

I am not sure one could say that. I assume you can code in ASM? This isn't php or VB.

"In Denmark the price is aprox. the same as 2000xl "

Really? I just checked Thomann. MPC1000: 888 EUR, MPC2000XL 1098 EUR. Did I miss something?

"Maybe I havent used that much "professional (digital) production systems". But I would like to know how you work this around, which I think should be a normal procedure? (or am I missing something?): "

Audio levels are adjusted after the multi-track recording is made. It is something that is going to get done anyway by an engineer, even if you attempted to adjust levels yourself. Usually an engineer will tell you not to fade at all since they feel they can do a better job.

I do not tell a vocalist to sing quieter. I do not tell a drummer to hit lighter. I also do not tell the sequencer to play with less velocity. As long as the recording system captures a good dynamic range, it is done. The the rest is fixed in editing (without all the expensive people or location).

"Yes, but making fade ins/outs (and adjusting volume of drumtracks) for live performance should be possible as well?"

The volume is easily adjusted in the mixer screen. That is what it is there for. I do agree that is very helpful to have some addtional adjustments for live work. Anything that needs to be faded could be done by an outboard mixer and the indie outs or by the mixer screen. Even for the MPC2000XL, which has mixer automation, multi-track select mixer change capabilities, and track velocity, I just reach up for the outboard mixer channel fader since that is much easier than digging around for the right track in the MPC screens (I learned that also, after fading the wrong track from in the MPC in a live show).

The big disadvantage for not having track velocity control is if velocity is mapped to something else besides Volume (this does not affect 99.9% of people that write hiphop).

This threads exhibits the big difference in the MPC1000. Akai has never released a subsequent MPC at a cheaper price AND cut features. In order to get the 1000 below a certain price point, some things that existed in older MPC models were not implemented. People that had already used MPC's are slightly annoyed (but strangely they are not annoyed by the price, memory or 24 programs), while people that have never used an MPC do not share the same issues.

Now I'm confused

the MPC series is both a sequencer and sampler -

don't most samplers understand CC # 7 Volume / Velocity - I think so

and most sequencers I've delt with can transmit cc # 7 Volume / Velocity

So the MPC no matter how many x's and 0's proceed it should take care of this for you - it's a pretty standard feature whether you do it yourself or leave it up to an engineer

No one way is the right way, but you should be able to do it your way

It's odd to me when people speak on behalf of someone else - like do you really know the reasoning behind what Akai does and doesn't do?

Who really knows why Akai made the MPC1000 the way they did, I like it but it would be nice to have a couple more things included