I have a question about my MPC500 & recording in Pro Tools..

Hey ya! I just made my account on this site and I've had my MPC500 for less than a week. It's been great so far, still learning a lot. Haven't got the whole sampling thing down just yet but I was wondering...

Is it possible to use the MPC500 in conjunction with my MacBook Pro & Pro Tools? Like.. is it possible to have each track recorded in Pro Tools as they are in the MPC? You know each individual track in any given sequence.

I'm asking this because I would rather mix my instrumentals using Pro Tools, I'm pretty new to Pro Tools as well so I wanted to spend time with that too, ya know. Plus, I know I can make a better final product mixing and mastering in Pro Tools rather than relying on the editing in the MPC alone. So is it possible?

You are limited by the number of audio outputs on your machine, maybe you should have gone for an MPC with more outputs??

The numer of audio inputs on your PT interface must also be taken into account.

Without multiple outputs on your MPC you are limited to tracking out one stereo track at a time.

Hmmm, I didn't think of that >_<

I was thinking that with a MIDI cable something along the lines of what I was thinking was possible... connecting a MIDI cable from the MPC to the Pro Tools Mbox...

So, if I can only record 1 track at a time into a Pro Tools sessions... how do I go about doing that. I have the standard cable that connects my MPC500 to speakers or whatever I want to sample from. Is that the same cable I use... cause I somehow doubt it >_<

Thank you so much man

rule #1 MIDI is data not audio. So the connection is just to tranfer midi data and control other gear, not play audio.

And you can only record one STEREO track L/R per pass so its 2 tracks a pass.

Both your MPC and Pto tools have manuals that you need to refer to in order to gain an understanding of your capabilities and limitations.

Yea, I'm still getting a grasp of MIDI but I understand that the actual audio is not transfered but rather the data use to trigger the audio. I don't have any other equipment with MIDI inputs/outputs other than my Mbox and MPC500... so I guess this is not the route used to record what I sequence w/ my MPC...

I am reading through the manual, though, thoroughly. I'm up to chapter 13 (Effects) in the manual for the MPC500. But it doesn't really meniton, so far, recording out of the MPC into some kind of recording software. I guess it's assuming sequencing and mastering of an instrumental would be done entirely inside the MPC.

I'm still a little lost on recording into Pro Tools though...

Read the manual ten times a day.

-_-

I think a little help from areas other than the manual is always good... a different insight or process other than the one on paper.

@ Tr1pl36ix

the latest eNewsletter from Akai had a section on connecting MPCs to different DAWs (including each specific model and each specific DAW). You could sign up for that at the Akai site too as I found it really helpful (it's free).

I probably won't do a great job of explaining this but here goes:

first, create your sequences and song on your MPC500. You do not need to be connected to your MBox or computer yet.

to get your songs from your MPC500 to Pro Tools you record them via your MBox2.

the guitar lead outputs (R&L) from your MPC500 connect to your MBox inputs.

the trouble with recording into any DAW is latency. meaning that the milliseconds which are lost or gained due to all sorts of variables end up messing up the timing of your song when it goes into the DAW. This is especially true if you are recording each individual instrument or sequence from your MPC into your DAW separately.

the answer to this problem is midi. your midi connection between the MPC and the Mbox2 allows the DAW to effectively dictate the timing controls of your MPC - so both are (literally) in sync.

I'm not exactly sure on ProTools, but with other DAWs you use the midi-out of your interface and connect this to the midi-in of your MPC.

then you set the sync of your MPC500 to slave and make sure the settings in ProTools understand what's connected. This is where I would refer to the Akai info newsletter on connecting to ProTools. It will tell you which menus to go into and what to change inside ProTools to make it all work. It's usually not complicated at all - so don't worry.

Then you use the mute pad function on your MPC and play your song through with just individual sounds or groups of sounds at a time.

so for example, say you have an extremely basic 2 minute song which you have used a kick, snare, hat, violin and some keyboard sounds all assigned to different pads on your MPC500.

first you mute all pads apart from the ones which are responsible for the drum sounds - kick, snare and hats.

record this 2 minute song onto track 1 of your DAW, (so all you hear is the drums playing for the whole song) then stop recording.

now on your MPC, mute all pads apart from the ones responsible for the violin.

record this whole 2 minute song onto track 2 of your DAW (so this time you just hear the violin playing).

now on your MPC, mute all the pads apart from the ones responsible for the keyboard sounds.

record this whole 2 minute song onto track 3 of your DAW (so this time you just hear the keyboard playing).

Lets say that in this example the keyboards are only used in the last 20 seconds of the 2 minute long song. This means when your record, you will be recording silence for the first 1m40 and then you will hear the keyboards come in for the last 20secs.

now on your DAW you have 3 individual tracks - one for the drums, one for the violin and one for the keyboards. if you play the master control then they will all sounds exactly the same as on your MPC, and (most importantly) they will all be exactly in time and start/stop exactly on time (just like they did on your MPC). this is because of the midi cable keeping everything in perfect sync.

this seems like the long way to do things (especially if you have a long song with many different instruments you wish to track out individually) - but as the MPC500 only has the one pair of outputs you can only do (in this case record into a DAW) one sound at a time.

you can now add as many effects to individual tracks as you like, using plug-ins inside your DAW, adjusting the EQ of individual tracks, adjusting the volume of individual tracks, whatever you like!

I hope that helps you and I hope I got it right!

Yea Beetle, I was thinking along those lines. Thank you for clearing some things up.

The thing about MIDI though, is that others have told me a MIDI connection does not transfer the actual sounds, just the note used to activate those sounds (ie. the pad I hit & how I hit it). I'm pretty sure that's correct.

However, I think you're just saying that the MIDI connection would be used strictly to keep things in syn, while another cable (from the output of the MPC) would be used to transfer the actual sounds... right?

Lastly, I only have one cable, right now, that I used for the MPC. It's a cable with Left and Right (Tip & Ring) on one side and just one plug on the other side of the cable. I could use it for sampling off of the computer (Mbox) or whatever else has a 1/4'' jack. Could I also use this cable if I connected it into the back of the Mbox (Input 1 [Direct input/ Line]) instead of how I connect it to the headphone jack on the Mbox for sampling?

Thanks for helping me out with these things. I have a basic understanding of some things so I appreciate you breaking it down even further.

@ Tr1pl36ix

correct. I'm saying that the midi cable doesn't transmit sounds, in the situation we're talking about it's just to keep everything in sync. midi information can be used in different ways and in this case it's all simply about timing of two machines (your MPC and your computer via the MBox) using a common "language" to know they are doing things (record, start and stop) at the exact correct time. that language is midi. your MBox allows you to record audio at exactly the right times.

there are other situations where midi is used differently. eg. when you connect your MPC up to a midi keyboard - those situations are the ones commonly referred to where midi sends information about the sound (timing, length of note, which note, etc) but that is a different situation to why and how you are using your Mbox here.

i understand what you're asking about regarding your current cable. that cable is great for sampling, but not optimal for sending audio back into your MBox.

at the moment you're using your MPC to sample sounds, drum hits, etc using this cable plugged into the R&L inputs on the MPC and the single plug at the other end of the cable plugged into the output of your iPod or turntable or mixer, etc.

you can sample either mon or stereo and you'll soon discover pros/cons for each. lots of people prefer to sample in mono as it keeps the file size smaller (half the size!) and you can then pan the tracks containing these samples later (either in the MPC itself or in your DAW) to create the the stereo feel that you want for your song.

your MBox is going to expect you to be sending a stereo signal and of course has individual R&L inputs for this exact purpose. I guess you could (in theory) use your Y cable - but then you would only have one input. So for example, when you record your drum track into Pro Tools and you can see the waveform being created on your computer screen as it records the sounds coming from your MPC, you would have the R channel with a "bumpy" looking waveform and a flat line for the L channel.

then when you listened to your recorded track in Pro Tools there would only be sound coming from your right hand side speaker, etc. I guess you could then copy and paste that waveform from the right channel into the left as well but they would have to be lined up exactly and it would be the biggest pain in the arse ever.

what i'm taking a long time to say is that you need to buy another cable. one that has a R&L plug at each end (like your "ring" and "tip" except both ends of the cable are like this). these are quite cheap as there is nothing special about them and guitarists use them tonnes. this cable will allow you to record songs created on your MPC into Pro Tools in stereo (completely regardless of whether you originally sampled the sounds used to create your song in mono or stereo).

plug the red-ended plug into the right output of your MPC and the red-ended plug at the other end of the cable into the right input of your MBox and you're golden.

agian, I hope that makes sense for you.

if everything else is too confusing, try this, its simple
i have an mpc and i record each track into garage band
once you have your song, convert it to a sequence
then record it into pro tools one track at a time (using track solo)
make a sequence with one sound in it and set it as the first sequence of the song, so that when you are lining them up you can use that as a reference (record it on every track)


i think that sounded more confusing than it was. pretty much just record each track at a time and then line them up.

@ drunkmonkey5556

I think I get what you're saying however -

he's got a great midi interface, he should set it up right the first time and get all the advantages out of it. with the mid cable he can never need worry about all that effort that you go to "getting everything lined up" - it's automatically done exactly and correctly as he records into his computer via the MBox.

what you're suggesting works for you and a bunch of others who don't own a midi interface, but why would someone pay good money to get a great midi interface only to not use properly?

I appreciate ya input for real.

I understood everything. Just one last thing. >_< As far as I know, the Mbox 2 doesn't have a Left and Right input... just "Line (TRS) and DI" Here's a picture so that you can see what I'm talking about. Notice on the back of the Mbox, what the jacks are at either input 1 or 2.

http://www.protel.co.nz/digidesign/imag ... ack-lg.jpg

So... if I'm thinking right here, I would actually use this "Y cable," as you put it, and would plug the Tip and Ring into the MPC and the other single end into the DI (or maybe Line (TRS) of Input 1 on the Mbox.

P.S. All I need is one MIDI cable right? Or do I need 2 connecting both the MIDI outs & ins of the Mbox and MPC 500?

Thank you guys, I keep reading around and looking at videos here and there, tryna make sure I learn as much as I go.

you only need one midi cable.

regarding your MBox inputs, read the **** Mbox manual.

ok record with y cable tip ring ino mpc other end into your interface-
select MONO in on pro tools(i asume since its industry standard yo can do this?)
sorry but one in doesnt get you stereo
play mpc full song no mute or solo---check your levels on protools try to hit about -6db ---24 bit audio
allows this--
then do the solo track record thing but--
set protools metronome on and press record(should have mentioned to set protools tempo to the same as your mpc)
give yourself a measure or to then on the down beat of say measue 3 press play start not play.
let it record
repeat like mentioned 1 track at a time
slip edit end and begining of your audioclips in pro tools and then slide the clips back to bar 1
adjust vol fx blah blah use the DAW


disclaimer i use sonar but im shure protools can pull off this simple task
good luck....

ben