PRO TOOLS/MPC1000/USB KEYBOARD syncing question

Okay so let me start out by saying that i posted this under the thread title "question about hooking up three things"
I was smartly advised by clint246clint to post a new thread with "PRO TOOLS" in the topic.

Here's a link to a picture i made of my setup
http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n119 ... /setup.png

This is what I am trying to do:

My goal is to be able to use the sounds in pro tools (mainly xpand!) and sequence them in my MPC1000
I would like to be able to play those sounds on the keyboard, record them into the MPC1000 and hear it come out of the "shitty speaker system"

****(please don't post a link to the using xpand! as a sound module thread, this is a different situation, and that's why i'm writing this out so long and detailed)****


First problem: I only have a keyboard with USB and no midi ports
I am trying to figure out how to make this work but i have many questions as there are so many little things to get right, especially since i don't have midi ports on the keyboard

My HOPE is that someone here knows PRO TOOLS like a mutha and can hopefully try and see how i could make this work if at all.

Here's my questions:
are these cable connections correct?
1.) (MIDI OUT of interface to MIDI IN on the MPC1000)
2.) (audio cables going from the STEREO RIGHT and LEFT OUT of the MPC to the inputs 1 and 2 on my interface)
also, do i have to use both cables or can i just use one and use a MONO instrument track.


NEXT QUESTION: what kind of tracks in PRO TOOLS? I've been trying it with INSTRUMENT TRACKS
I just don't know what settings to put for the INPUT and OUTPUT on the tracks
I also don't know what to make the settings in xpand! either, or any other virtual instrument for that matter.

IN THE MPC QUESTIONS:
what do i need to set the MIDI SYNC to
Do I need to use midi sync at all in this case? (because the keyboard has no midi ports)
Should i use a midi track in the mpc?



**I don't even mind having to track these sounds out again into pro tools, i just want to be able to use them in my MPC**




So if anyone knows or has any ideas on how i can use the pro tools sounds and work with them in my MPC via the keyboard i have, this would be awesome.

Also, please don't think i haven't tried this because i have, about 20 different times. (literally 20)

This is my last attempt at giving it a go because i just don't know what i should do anymore to figure it out.

So if you've made it this far reading, thanks and i hope someone can help me out somehow.

Sincerely,
Copper Tony

Get yourself a small midi hub. It eliminates the hassle of daisy chaining your gear, and allows your daw to distribute midi to where ever you need and want it to go.

Plus you'll need "midi out" from your keyboard instead of usb in order to trigger your sounds.

No, your cables are not right.

use the sounds in pro tools (mainly xpand!)

audio cables going from the STEREO RIGHT and LEFT OUT of the MPC to the inputs 1 and 2 on my interface

You realise that the Audio cables are pulling AUDIO (sounds) out of the MPC and into PT? That contradicts what you said earlier. If you are not using the MPC for sounds, then forget audio.

It's not hard if you think about it.
What is the controller? The keyboard.
What is it controlling? The MPC (since that is your sequencer).
What is your seq controlling? The sound source.
What is your sound source? PT / Xpand.

So you need control signals (MIDI) from the keyboard, to get into the MPC, and then go to Xpand.
You need audio to get from your sound source, into PT. Convenient, because they are both the same thing. So you don't need any audio cables...except to monitor your PT output.

Because the keyboard just has USB...you basically have to have a 'middle man' which can read the USB, and convert that to standard MIDI.
So, the keyboard needs to be picked up by PT as a midi track. That would be the input choice on the track.
You then route that midi track to your intercace MIDI OUT. That would be the output on the track.
That MIDI Out gets plugged into the MPC MIDI IN.
The MPC MIDI OUT gets plugged back into the interface MIDI IN.
Create a track for Xpand. Now set it to receive on the interface MIDI IN.

You now just need to configure your MPC to send MIDI (its where you choose which DRUM pgm to use).
Just start with 1 channel at first, keep everything on channel 1.

Now here's the simplified version...you are hitting a key on your keyboard, its going into PT, PT is spitting it out to the MPC, and the MPC is spitting it back into Xpand.

The other option, very simple, make a sound from Xpand, sample it, and then just work with the MPC. That is 100% a totally different process though and will leave you with a completely different workflow.

Follow the guide I've tried to lay out very carefully, and get ONE PIECE AT A TIME working.

Good luck.

EDIT: The way I described it, your sounds are going to come out of the Yamaha speakers. Your 'shitty speaker system' is irrelevant here, since you are not doing any audio with the mpc (your diagram doesn't match what you said, anyway).
Of course the way around this, is to plug the output of your fast track into audio ins of mpc, and then just pass it straight through...cant you do that with a new mpc?

Just wanted to try to re-route the train I just sent off.

Why not do this, one piece at a time, like for real.

Step one: Get your Keyboard triggering Xpand sounds.

Once you've got that, we'll move on.

the picture's a good idea - it makes it immediately obvious where you've gone wrong

would be even more useful if it was shown in the thread:

nogginj wrote:The other option, very simple, make a sound from Xpand, sample it, and then just work with the MPC. That is 100% a totally different process though and will leave you with a completely different workflow.

This right here. Monitor your MPC via your interface and play along using expand in protools. Export the Xpand track to wav (or sample with the MPC) and edit it to spec either in a wav editor or MPC. Sequence. Done.
Not to derail the train, but the way you want to do it seems too convoluted. But that's just my opinion and work flow is a matter of preference.
Also, you're not getting the most out of your setup. Take a look at this:


Just a suggestion.

vvvv How's that?

what's with all this linking to images so they open in a different page!

dammitpeople!

Much thanks to everyone who is helping out.
(sorry about the image linking to a different page)

I'm gonna try to work this out and report back with any problems.

basically, think about what you're trying to do and the signal flow needed

if you want the mpc to trigger sounds in the computer, you need a midi cable from the mpc to the computer, because that's the direction the midi data needs to flow in

if you want the mpc to sample the sounds from the computer, you need audio cables from the computer to the mpc, because that's the direction the audio needs to flows in

and if you want something else, figure out what signal you want, where it comes from, where it goes to - then just hook it up!

Ocular's diagram would give you a very flexible setup where you can route anything to anywhere, but like nogginj said, start simple and get one thing working at a time

and if it doesn't work, stop and think about what you want to do, and if the changes you made actually help you achieve that