Want to use the MPC live

Hi, I'm new to the MPC and I'm having trouble using it. All I want to do is use it to trigger samples live from the pads during a gig. Every time I try to assign a sample to a pad, it doesn't work.

I've loaded onto the MPC my samples which are in folders I've created (named by song). No problem, and they're appearing in the samples. I'm able to audition them as well from the PLAY button. But I just can't get them to assign to a pad.

I'm not sure if I'm understanding things properly. What I wanted to do is create a program for each song in the song's folder, and then go into that program and load up the samples and assign them to the pads. Then, in a gig, I'd load up the program and the samples would be in there in the pads. Easy right?

Cheers for the help!
Carl

Read the **** manual. Seriously page 97

So my basic understanding is right then? I have to load up a program first and then I assign samples into the pads?

I've been through the manual, and I've also followed a couple of YouTube tutorials. My MPC is refusing to assign the samples. It should be a piece of p**s. The samples are way under the max size limit and they're wavs.

I tried running through p97 last night, and I got a couple of prompts which were not mentioned in the chapter. gonna have another crack at this tonight.

Carl

I am completely befuddled by "p**s" ?!!

Piss?

Pots?

Pads?

Plus?

Pies?

(I was never any good at Wheel of Fortune).



Can you edit your waves in the edit menu?

Then you would know in fact that they have loaded and are compatible.

Do you have a program in memory?

In mode+pad6 the "program menu" the first choice is to assign a program. If you dont have one it will prompt you to "make new program".

The program menu is also where you assign your samples to pads and will also obviously tell you if there is a sample assigned to the pad.

Do you have the full level button on?

IE: are you sure that you are able to hear your samples?

update os and put full level on

haha, nice one robthom...it was pies honest. (I'm from Lancasheer)

I'll get back to you after I've tried answering your questions. Cool, so the Program menu is where it's at.

Yes, I've created a folder with a program of the same name inside it. It's in there when I USB to Windows. Wasn't sure if putting the program inside the folder was a good idea, but I don't see why not- folders are are only a way to organise things anyway.

Carl

hey man, not positive on the 500 but on my 1000 when i get stuff setup how i want i save entire memory make it an auto load folder so that when turn off then back on later it will load up how i last left...
again how i do with mpc 1000 i'm assuming 500 may work similiar but thwe manual as they said will be your besr resource.

good luck man

Hey guys, thanks for all your helpful input. Seriously.
I've got the latest OS. It's a BIN file on my computer. And that goes in the root folder, not the INTERNAL folder right?

A general question: Does the MPC have a ROM chip where all of the factory data is stored..surely it does? Something other than the flash memory card. I just don't see any mention of ROM in the manual.

Carl

Hi Carl,

Try creating sample set on pc/mac with this.
http://mpcmaid.sourceforge.net/

Put all samples in one folder on pc/mac, run mpc maid and drag and drop them onto the pads, and save the .pgm file in the same folder.
Then copy onto CF card

Thanks for the link to MPCMaid. Great program.

Wow, I think my MPC is broken.

Firstly, I copied the OS update (bin file) to the root of the CF. It doesn't go in INTERNAL folder.
If I'm wrong, please let me know.


I ran MPCMaid.
Opened a PGM from my CF.
Dragged and dropped the samples. (one per pad)
exported to the CF in a newly created folder for the song. So that folder has both the samples and the PGM file.
Removed hardware safely.
fired up the MPC.
Load Program (mode +6)
navigated to the prog file> DO IT
I get: "Load: With samples
Clear memory: NO"

so i m guessing this tells me that the samples are in the same folder as the pgm file. So I don't want to clear memory...not that I'm aware so I press DO IT.

Then I get: "Replace same sample: NO"

I guess if the sample is already in there then "no". So I press DO IT.

It loads the samples- the names come up in the window.

Now, the DO IT button is STILL FLASHING...why????

I press the pads and I'm getting the default sounds in some other bloody program in there.

what the heck is going on guys????

Cheers,
Carl

Hi Carl,

Replace samples = yes

when loading from CF

If you think about it logically, the pgm file tells the mpc which samples are assigned to buttons/sound parameters etc. You then have to load em off the CF card into the MPC chip ram.If you dont load the samples into the chip mem it will sit waiting for em.

let me know if that works.
Dont worry about the OS upgrade yet, just establish if the MPC is ok without it.
You can always upgrade later to fix any os bugs.


Lea

ps Clear memory = yes

also

Hello, I think your kinda doing it the hard way IMO.

The easiest way in my experience is not to create programs and a whole project inside a folder and expect it to load up right.

I would create the project in the machine first to make sure everything is associated to each other correctly by:

1. putting samples into a folder.

2. Boot up MPC and clear memory. You can do this by loading a program and when it says with samples:no, clear memory:yes
or
you can manually clear the memory by going into your edit screen and deleting each sample one at a time.

3. Now you should have a program assigned to track one and no samples in memory.

4. Go to load screen, go to "load sample", navigate to the folder where your samples are stored, load all your samples into memory one at a time.
You can select which button to place your samples on, but that does not always work so ...

5. Go to program mode, select "sample assign" and make sure that your samples are assigned to the buttons where you want them.

6. After making sure the sample is in fact assigned to the pad, press "full level" button and then press pads to hear the samples.

7. Go to save screen, select "save entire memory", select "to project", select a folder. The folder where you had the samples stored in the first place is fine, press "do it".

8. When you want to reload that entire project use "load folder" and select top hierarchy of that folder.

9. To quick boot something without having to select the folder you can also save entire memory to autoload and it will load at bootup.

I have it working! Quite by accident. I was showing a mate (who's machine it is...go figure he can't use it either) what was wrong with it and I did something different and it worked. After loading the program, I needed to go back into Program mode, ie come out of Load mode.

Thanks very much for your help!

Carl

Just keep messing with it.

After familiarizing myself with the basics through the manual many of the most useful "tricks" I've figured out I've picked up just by messing with it and by accident.

And of course some good ones that I got from this forum.