Post your views and questions about the Akai MPC2500
By optimystical Sat Nov 20, 2010 10:51 pm
hi all i was wondering if it is possible to hook up say a midi keyboard to my mpc then use it to use a bass sample ive loaded up in the mp then do the basslines instead of doing them in say 16 level mode ive got a m-audio keyrig 49 usb keyboard i think its got either midi in or out maybe both i have to check i suck at doing basslines in 16 level mode and on the keys its so much easier so is it possible to do this and if so is it easy enough to work with and setup ?
By zork Sun Nov 21, 2010 11:17 pm
I got the same keyboard... It doesnt have a midi out, only usb out. Wondering the same -- is it possible to connect it to MPC 2500 using some kind of USB-to-midi connector. What about power then? Normally it gets power from PC's usb port but with connections to MPC's midi i don't know if it's gonna work...

Any helpful solutions would be welcome..
By optimystical Mon Nov 22, 2010 1:30 am
yes just noticed that lol i think were gonna need a keyboard with at least a midi in or out socket i mean correct me if im wrong :oops: if theres no way to hook that keyboard up can anyone suggest a good cheap midi keyboard to do this ?
By zork Mon Nov 22, 2010 2:34 pm
What we need is a USB plug B to Midi in (male) cable -- I don't think such cable exist as all I see is USB plug A to Midi in... Maybe someone with more knowledge than me can share some more light on this...

I came to another solution though -- what about connecting KeyRig49 to PC, and connect PC's S/PDIF out to Digital in on MPC 2500. Then theoretically you would be able to play Reason sounds (like piano) on keyboard and record it in MPC.. Am I thinking right?

Any thoughts are welcome...

UPDATE: It seems there are no optical S/PDIF to Digital coaxial cables, we need also a toslink optical S/PDIF to coaxial digital converter, but i think it's doable.
By optimystical Tue Nov 23, 2010 10:26 pm
the best solution i can think of for myself is just to scrap my keyrig and buy another cheap as midi keyboard one with midi in / out as im just looking to trigger a bass sample already say assigned to one of the pads and play it out on the keys while i record a sequence within the mpc itself. as with setting up the keyrig i think it may be to much hassle if you can ever make it work but if anyone can help us out please post up !! :)
By mpcrookie Wed Nov 24, 2010 2:13 pm
Hey guys, keep me in the loop on this I have a Korg Kontrol 49, and I was wondering the same thing. I am going to try it tonight, I will let you know how it works.
By Villa101 Thu Nov 25, 2010 11:00 pm
I dont think this can be setup easily. Depending on your system, in mac you can go to programs Folder - tools/accessories(?) and choose "sound & midi setup". Something similiar, I am not on a native english system myself. Maybe it is possible to change it there. Just a tip. Pc use I have no idea with.

Best bet would be to buy a cheap ass midi keyboard to connect directly. It is probably hard to setup the channels correctly otherwise. If it is only sounds you need to control, with no sounds, knobs or sliders necessary, just get a free/cheap toy keyboard with midi. A friend of mine had a old one like this laying around.

Image

:lol:

Just got a midi interface so he could connect it to his computer. If you know somebody who has a old keyboard, maybe a good idea to check it out :wink:
By optimystical Fri Nov 26, 2010 12:18 pm
^loveing the retro keytar goodness! lol anyway im looking at this to maybe do what i want it to do?

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing ... =334892648

is a new zealand site but you get the jist all i want to do is trigger a bass sample assigned to a pad or loaded up in the 2500 then then hit record as i would to hit pads to record my loop / sequence etc but i want to utilise them keys to do basslines :)
By Villa101 Fri Nov 26, 2010 10:28 pm
Sure that should do the trick. I forgot to add that in order to get your sample (bass) correctly laid out over the keys, you might need to put some work in chromatic scaling. I am not familiar with it myself. Didn`t ever use it. Just read about it some time ago here. Look around in these forums for help.
By zork Sat Nov 27, 2010 7:47 pm
I found out that I'm going to plug in my KeyRig49 to PC (Reason) and connect PC by S/PDIF to MPC. That way I got access to all the fantastic musical instruments in Reason and can record them directly (using direct recording mode) into MPC with the digital signal (no D/A conversion).

All i need is a S/PDIF optical to coaxial digital converter, seen them on ebay...
By optimystical Sun Nov 28, 2010 11:20 pm
thanks for the tips villa. so basicly i can plug the midi keyboard in but i have to do some things within the mpc to make it read properly over the keys chromatic scaling or whatever i dont have a manual but if its a known thing im sure its somewhere in this forum. and let me know if your setup works zork !
By zork Mon Dec 06, 2010 4:57 pm
My setup works flawlessly, but in the mean time I purchased the legendary Ensoniq ASR-10, sounds from it are million times better than from Reason, so I'm moving towards hardware only solution. ASR-10 and MPC2500.