spdif sync

so yeah, i dont know anything about this. i want to sync my mpc1000 to some sort of media player. i havent been able to find any that have midi without being either huge or way too expensive. i have however found a bunch with spdif ins and outs. is it possible to send start and stop messages and mtc through spdif? again, i have no idea about spdif so any help would be great.

also, if anyone has any ideas on a rackmount media player that can handle wavs let me here em.

awesome

Bro.

Before you even think about buying another piece of gear, I'd recommend about a year just messing with the MPC cause obviously from your post and the reason why nobody is replying to you is cause you obviously don't know shit about MPC's or recording in general. And I don't mean that in a condescending way either but I felt like I need to answer your question since you seem so lost.

There is no sound in MIDI. There are no media players that can play audio through MIDI. MIDI is just data. 1's and 0's. Midi is used as a communication language between audio instruments (like to sync your MPC to another device or software DAW). S/PDIF can be used only with other devices that have a s/pdif input and output (or one of them). Most consumer products don't have spdif. Don't be confused with RCA jacks that look similar. They are not the same thing. Spdif is digital. essentially, sound is not changed by any converters using Spdif since you are not converting analog to digital, it comes digital from your source and enters as digital in the mpc. Using audio cables (TRS - tip ring sleeve) you are recording through the MPC's converters so you will be altering the sound a bit, but not noticeably. Beware, the MPC does not accept more than 16 bit audio. Many software programs bounce down audio by default to 24 bit. The mpc will not recognize the file. If you have drums you load in the MPC that are 24 bit, the mpc still wont recognize them. Everything has to be 16 bit. There are free software programs that convert 24 bit to 16 bit. Use google. You'll eventually need it.

You cannot sync your mpc via spdif. It is simply another input/output on your mpc, just like the analog inputs and outputs. If I were you, the best media player you have is your computer, so use it. If you are serious about using your mpc, I would install a recommended hard drive in it so you can store sounds on there without having to use your CF card and dealing with storage space issues. Get a 75 gig hd and you'll be good. Your computer connects to your mpc through a USB cable. When you press Mode then either the Load or Save pad, you'll see that all the way on the right tab on the screen there will be "USB Storage." If you click that and mount your MPC, you'll view the MPC on the computer and be able to drag and drop files to and from as if the MPC were another hard drive on your computer. That's why it's nice to have a hard drive with your mpc.

k tired of typing going to sleep

Dude, seriously? I appreciate your help, but that was condescending as hell. I never mentioned audio through midi or anything like that, I'm not an idiot. i know what midi is and how it works, what I don't know about is spdif. Actually rereading my post, I cant even see where you came up with the theory that i know nothing about midi or recording considering that the only question i posted was specifically about spdif. I was merely asking about syncing some sort of media player to the mpc. i would rather not use a computer, mine is a piece of crap and i cant trust it and i would love to have some sort of dedicated media player and not have to worry about wether or not it will stop randomly because my processor is too slow. you know?

parts of your post were very helpful, thank you. For real though, you shouldn't assume that someone knows nothing based on one question. I have recorded dozens of albums, recorded and released 9 of my own, and worked in multiple studios for the last 15 years. I have pretty much worked exclusively with tape in the past and have never had any call to work with spdif before, hence my question about it. you were half right though, i dont know much about mpc's. i normally use an alesis mmt for all of my midi and someone convinced me to get a 1000 saying that it would be easier and better. so far, it has been nothing but a huge pain in my ass.

sorry if i come off like a dick here, i'm not trying to. i really do appreciate your help, its just that your post was really insulting for the most part. this is why i hate the internet.

SPDIF sync is only intended to ensure that a digital audio signal is transmitted from one device to another properly. SPDIF sync is totally different in nature and purpose than MIDI sync. MIDI sync is for MTC timecode, mmc start/stop messages, etc.

What sort of media player are you seeking, and what is its purpose in your setup? How do you intend to use it with your MPC, and are you sure your MPC can't do what you want this media player to do?

the mpc would play my midi and programmed beats and i want to sync up something to play backing tracks of sorts, just stuff that i cant reproduce live because of not having enough people and not wanting to bring a shitload of modular synths on the road. it would basically be a couple of stereo wavs.

as far as what kind of media player, this seems to be my main problem. i would need something that i can sync with the mpc that would receive start/stop messages and can play long wav files (they average out to be about 45mbs each). i have done a lot of research, but have pretty much come up with nothing.

well, there is a perfect box for your needs, but it is quite expensive and new on the market.

http://www.elektron.se/

the octatrak!

if you're just trying to play wav files to accompany stuff you're doing on your mpc, why not just use audio tracks?

http://www7a.biglobe.ne.jp/~mpc1000/os2 ... otrack.htm

what os are you usin

wow production value! those swedes sure know how to make a post apocalyptic rave movie about a product without actually telling you anything about it. it looks pretty rad though, maybe a slight bit pricey but definitely cool.

I'm considering selling my mother to buy an octatrack

it's not fair to say they don't give any info, check out the slides, which they published once a week for several weeks: http://www.elektron.se/products/octatrack
(just under where it says "filter content")

word word wrote:the mpc would play my midi and programmed beats and i want to sync up something to play backing tracks of sorts, just stuff that i cant reproduce live because of not having enough people and not wanting to bring a **** of modular synths on the road. it would basically be a couple of stereo wavs.

as far as what kind of media player, this seems to be my main problem. i would need something that i can sync with the mpc that would receive start/stop messages and can play long wav files (they average out to be about 45mbs each). i have done a lot of research, but have pretty much come up with nothing.

What you want is a multitrack audio recorder. There are many to choose from (and not knowing the particulars, I'll let you do your own research), but these will allow you to play several backing tracks in sync with your MPC.

You could also use your MPC (or another sampler) to do it, provided it has enough memory (it would be a bit of a pain though, to be honest). You could also use a laptop...

edit: maybe this would work?
http://www.zzounds.com/item--TASDP004

youre right, after posting that i delved a little deeper into that site. it looks like the coolest sampler ever to be honest. it probably would be perfect for what i want to do. still though, a little on the expensive side.

i'm not sure what os i am using, honestly i'm not sure how to even figure it out. as far as the audio tracks go, it seems like that would be the way to go, but could i really program an entire sets worth of pretty lengthy wav files, samples, and midi? i have tried a couple and even with a 120gb hard drive and 128 mbs of ram i cant even seem to come close. i am starting to think that maybe the mpc isnt the way to go for me, at least for this project. as much as i hate to say it, i might have to just buy a new computer. its just scary to have to rely on one and i hate having a computer on stage.

as for the tascam dp 004, how would i sync that to the mpc? the usb?

ugh.

like for reals.

Oh my bad I didn't realize the tascam doesn't have MIDI.

Anyway, you got the info you need. So good luck.

That want at you, just a general ugh towards life.

I appreciate everyones help. You guys rule.

Oh no sweat. hope it works out for you. One good thing about multitrack recorders is that they are dirt cheap nowadays because of DAWs. There are some awesome deals to be found.