How can i transfer date between MPC3000 and MacBook Pro?

Thanks for any help in advance.

I had a good search on this, but couldn't find any direct information about it.

How do i go about connecting my 3000 to macbook for date transfers?

I want to sample in the 3k, then send the samples to the mac. Mainly so i can chop them up in Logic, as it would be so much faster. Not to mention the ability to save all my sounds on the mac, and cutting out the unreliable ZIP drive.
In effect using the mac as the MPC's hard drive.
The positive's of doing this would be huge; Chopping sample's/ Processing samples if needed/ external reliable storage.

I't looks like there are SCSI to Firewire converters out there. Does anybody have any information about how to do this?
Or even if it's possible with the old 50 pin connector on the 3k?
Or if the file types are compatible. Wether they need converting to WAV etc, and if the conversion messes with the integrity?

Im upgrading the system to Vailixi 3.50 soon. Would Vailixi give me any other option's for this?

To my knowledge, that isn't possible because the MPC3000 doesn't support SMDI. You have to move your samples from computer to sampler via some type of removable media: floppy drive, zip drive, CF card. And you need a 3rd party program to accomplish this: Chicken Systems Translator, MPCEditor, MPCPgmMaker.

I don't believe Vailixi 3.5 adds this feature but I will defer to a Vailixi owner on that issue.

I can help you with the hardware requirements - just call or email. The software is readily available - just search for those titles and you'll find them for sale. They are all commercial products that cost $40 or more.

Thanks for the reply scsiforsamplers's!

So because of limitations (no SMDI support) there must be removable storage in between the two?

I had a brief look at your site scsiforsamplers.com. What would be the best hard ware option for me for what i want to do? (as explained in my first post)

Are the card readers more reliable than ZIP?
Would i be able to connect my existing "iomega ZIP 100" via a "SCSI to Firewire adapter" ? So in effect having the mac chained to the MPC via the ZIP drive.

I have two fire wire ports in the mac (a 400 and 800 port) So i guess im better of using Firewire as opposed to USB? I would rather use Firewire, my USB ports are all being used. And maybe it's just better too.

My MPC3000 system is 3.11. Do the newer systems have better file support for transfers? i.e; The MPC samples in WAV or something similar.

Sorry about the river of questions

Great questions and I have a similar (future) setup so I would like to know myself.

You probably would be able to use a Firewire-to-SCSI converter to attach your SCSI Zip drive to your computer, so that would save you the cost of buying a USB Zip drive. You wouldn't know until you tried it - compatibility depends upon how well the driver firmware is written and how well it implements the SCSI command set. If you have to buy one, try to make sure you can return it in case it doesn't work.

Yes, card readers are much more reliable than Zip drives but that doesn't mean the Zip cannot do the job. It can and it is a more inexpensive option than a SCSI card reader. I always say buy a card reader if you can afford it because Zip drives will break down at some point.

If you don't already have a Zip drive, we have both SCSI and USB Zip drives and that is what you would need, one of each. Unless, you want to try either a SCSI adapter card or SCSI-to-USB (or Firewire) convertor. Some people like to have two Zip drives so they aren't constantly unhooking the drive from the sampler and lugging it to the PC, then back again. But depending on your budget, a little unhooking may be in order.

Then you'd just need the 3rd party software of your choice. I'd try to use the latest os for the MPC3000 if possible but I'm not aware of any specific reasons for that. I don't, however, claim to be an expert on the operating system versions and I'm sure there are plenty of people here who could better answer that question.

Please contact me if you have any other questions.

to transfer the date you would need something like a Delorian

Internal CF reader into the MPC3000 and a CF reader for your MBP.

scsiforsamplers.com wrote:You probably would be able to use a Firewire-to-SCSI converter to attach your SCSI Zip drive to your computer, so that would save you the cost of buying a USB Zip drive. You wouldn't know until you tried it - compatibility depends upon how well the driver firmware is written and how well it implements the SCSI command set. If you have to buy one, try to make sure you can return it in case it doesn't work.

If you don't already have a Zip drive, we have both SCSI and USB Zip drives and that is what you would need, one of each. Unless, you want to try either a SCSI adapter card or SCSI-to-USB (or Firewire) convertor. Some people like to have two Zip drives so they aren't constantly unhooking the drive from the sampler and lugging it to the PC, then back again. But depending on your budget, a little unhooking may be in order.

Thanks JD.
So i may be able to just get a SCSI to Firewire adapter, and use only the ZIP drive i already have. Connected; MPC (SCSI) to ZIP/ ZIP (SCSI to Firewire adapter) to mac?
Or (if im understanding you correctly) would i have to disconnect and reconnect each time with this setup? There for im better of getting another ZIP drive (USB ZIP) Are there Firewire ZIP drives?

Do you guy's stock the adapters? They seem hard to find in New Zealand.

modornge wrote:Great questions and I have a similar (future) setup so I would like to know myself.

Yeah, i can't believe this is not a really common question! I thought it would be one of the main issues of today's setups

No, you'd definitely have to unhook the Zip from the MPC and hook it up to the computer when you wanted to use it with the computer. You couldn't have it hooked to the MPC and adapter at the same time because of termination issues. Plus it isn't a safe thing to do, even if it worked, because only one master device can "own" the disk at a time and having two hooked up is a recipe for corrupting the FAT table on the disk.

I don't stock any of the USB-to-SCSI or Firewire-to-SCSI adapters because they don't work with samplers. I do have some SCSI adapter cards available. If you have a free PCI slot in your computer, that can be a good way to go.

But if you can afford it, I'd recommend getting a USB Zip. It would be easier, safer and a cleaner setup IMO. Plus you'd probably have better luck finding one of those in NZ than the Firewire adapter.

Thanks again for the solid information JD.

I think i'll go for a USB ZIP drive. I'll just have to get a USB hub (multi port)
It looks like i would need an "Active USB hub" (self powered) so the load does not exceed the power out of the single mac USB port.

You mentioned some software for the mac ZIP; Chicken Systems Translator, MPCEditor, MPCPgmMaker. Is there a preference on which one?

Dan Clark wrote:

modornge wrote:Great questions and I have a similar (future) setup so I would like to know myself.

Yeah, i can't believe this is not a really common question! I thought it would be one of the main issues of today's setups

The information you seek is already around this forum and a few other sites. You couldn't have used the correct search terms to find it.

Dan Clark wrote:You mentioned some software for the mac ZIP; Chicken Systems Translator, MPCEditor, MPCPgmMaker. Is there a preference on which one?

Depends what and how many features you need .They're all a bit different. I think they all have free trials.
I use MPCEditor as I don't need what the others have to offer.

It looks like MpcPgmMaker is for mac osx. Chicken Systems Translator's newest version is both mac and pc, but allot more expensive. Like $140 US.