Trying to Sequence my Roland synth Sh-201 with my MPC500

Here is what I WANT to do:

Play notes from my SH-201 into my MPC500. Then I want my MPC 500 to send the notes back to the SH-201.

Here is what I tried:

I connected the output of the MPC500 to the input of the SH-201. I hit the squares on the MPC, and I can't hear any sound out of my SH-201. I would think the mpc500 would send out some sort of note data. I'm not sure why this doesn't work. Shouldn't I be able to play the keyboard with the mpc500? Is there something I have to do to get the mpc500 to send out note data?

It sounds like you're going to want to use MIDI rather than the standard outputs. Can you elaborate a little on what you're desired result is? Do you want to hear keyboard sounds or MPC sounds? Are you planning on playing a note, using the MPC to edit that note, then send them back to the keyboard - and if so, is this for storage purposes or to sound immediately--or just to record into the MPC?

This is a quote from Beat Making On The MPC 500 by MPC-Tutor about basic MIDI set-ups might help get you started:

Controlling the MPC pads with a keyboard

"This is the simplest MIDI set up. As I'm sure you know, your MPC is a sampler, which means you can sample sounds into it and play those sounds by pressing the rubber PADS. But, we do not have to play these internal MPC sounds with the PADS - we can use a MIDI controller keyboard instead. As I've already mentioned, a controller keyboard is simply a keyboard with no sounds inside it that is used to instruct sound modules to play their internal sounds. Well, in this case, our MPC can be considered a 'sound module' - i.e. it's a machine capable of receiving MIDI instructions, and these instructions will tell it which internal samples it will play. Set-up is simple. All you do is connect one end of a MIDI cable to the MIDI out port of the control keyboard and the other end to the MIDI IN port of the MPC."

Hope this helps!!!
[Sorry I keep editing. I'm trying to make sure I'm being clear]

triscuit wrote:I hit the squares on the MPC, and I can't hear any sound out of my SH-201.

OR TRY THIS:
AGAIN from Beat Making On The MPC 500 by MPC-Tutor:

Connecting up a keyboard with sounds (synthesiser)

"If you have a keyboard with its own sounds, like a Korg Triton for example, you can still control the MPC samples as you did in the last example. This is because any synthesiser keyboard will transmit MIDI information. Just remember that the main difference here will be that your keyboard in this situation can also emit sounds itself - so make sure you turn off the synthesiser's volume control, otherwise you'll not only hear the MPC internal samples, but also the synth's sounds as well!

The main thing I want to show here is that a synth not only has a MIDI out, it also has a MIDI IN - hence it can not only send MIDI information, it can also RECEIVE it. Equally, our MPC not only receives MIDI information, it can also TRANSMIT it. This means that we can send a MIDI information signal to our synth from our MPC and this signal can (amongst other things) tell our synth to play a particular note. How do we send a MIDI signal from our MPC? Well, the PADs all have a unique MIDI note number so when you press a PAD, it's the same as pressing a key on a MIDI keyboard. For example, PAD A1 is by default MIDI Note 37 - if a MIDI synth is connected to your MPC and you press PAD A1, it will play MIDI note 37 (C#) in our synth.

This time, as well as connecting the keyboard MIDI out to the MPC MIDI in, you connect the MPC MIDI out to the keyboard MIDI in. This is called the MIDI 'handshake'.

So, press a PAD on the MPC and a MIDI instruction travels from the MPC MIDI out to the synth MIDI in. Upon receiving it, the synth plays the appropriate note which in turn is outputted as audio through the synth's audio outputs. Equally, you could press a key on the synth and this will transmit a MIDI instruction to the MPC. Upon receiving this instruction, the MPC could play an internal sample (should one exist at that MIDI note number) which would be outputted out of the MPC audio outs (if connected)."

MPC-Tutor is crazy knowledgeable about stuff like this. I would highly suggest grabbing his book. It sounds like it could help you out. It totally helped me out. It's my go-to manual.
http://www.mpc-samples.com/product.php/104/beat-making-on-the-mpc500/

MAD-tentacles wrote:

triscuit wrote:I hit the squares on the MPC, and I can't hear any sound out of my SH-201.

OR TRY THIS:
AGAIN from Beat Making On The MPC 500 by MPC-Tutor:

Connecting up a keyboard with sounds (synthesiser)

"If you have a keyboard with its own sounds, like a Korg Triton for example, you can still control the MPC samples as you did in the last example. This is because any synthesiser keyboard will transmit MIDI information. Just remember that the main difference here will be that your keyboard in this situation can also emit sounds itself - so make sure you turn off the synthesiser's volume control, otherwise you'll not only hear the MPC internal samples, but also the synth's sounds as well!

The main thing I want to show here is that a synth not only has a MIDI out, it also has a MIDI IN - hence it can not only send MIDI information, it can also RECEIVE it. Equally, our MPC not only receives MIDI information, it can also TRANSMIT it. This means that we can send a MIDI information signal to our synth from our MPC and this signal can (amongst other things) tell our synth to play a particular note. How do we send a MIDI signal from our MPC? Well, the PADs all have a unique MIDI note number so when you press a PAD, it's the same as pressing a key on a MIDI keyboard. For example, PAD A1 is by default MIDI Note 37 - if a MIDI synth is connected to your MPC and you press PAD A1, it will play MIDI note 37 (C#) in our synth.

This time, as well as connecting the keyboard MIDI out to the MPC MIDI in, you connect the MPC MIDI out to the keyboard MIDI in. This is called the MIDI 'handshake'.

So, press a PAD on the MPC and a MIDI instruction travels from the MPC MIDI out to the synth MIDI in. Upon receiving it, the synth plays the appropriate note which in turn is outputted as audio through the synth's audio outputs. Equally, you could press a key on the synth and this will transmit a MIDI instruction to the MPC. Upon receiving this instruction, the MPC could play an internal sample (should one exist at that MIDI note number) which would be outputted out of the MPC audio outs (if connected)."

MPC-Tutor is crazy knowledgeable about stuff like this. I would highly suggest grabbing his book. It sounds like it could help you out. It totally helped me out. It's my go-to manual.
http://www.mpc-samples.com/product.php/104/beat-making-on-the-mpc500/

This is much more what I am after, for now. I want to play the keyboard with the mpc.

I have been able to play the mpc with the keyboard. I am just confused why it doesn't work the other way around.

Still when I connect the output of the mpc to the synth, when I press a pad the synth doesn't sound. I would think it would send out the corresponding midi note assigned to the pad.

I tried turning off soft thru as per the manual suggested. That didn't work either. Although I would think that wouldn't matter. Next I am going to try to figure out how to turn off local control on the keyboard. Although still, I can't see why that would matter.

When you talk about outputs and inputs state whether you are referring to audio connections or midi.

And describe your monitoring set-up.

It makes a big difference.

BTW, you do know that the SH-201 is not multi-timbral right?

triscuit wrote:I connected the output of the MPC500 to the input of the SH-201.
Still when I connect the output of the mpc to the synth, [...]

Are you using MIDI cable to connect from the MIDI IN/OUT (the left-most jacks if you're looking down on your MPC--they say OUT/IN and MIDI in the middle--they look like this http://www.tcelectronic.com/media/midi_io_sm.jpg) into the MIDI IN/OUT of your SH-201?

OR

Are you using 1/4-inch cables (standard music cables) to connect from the R/L OUTPUT (the right-most jacks besides PHONES if you're looking down on your MPC--they say R/L and OUTPUT in the middle) into the inputs on your SH-201?

I just want to make sure we've made it that far.

Sorry I should be more clear. I am using midi cables. I connect a midi cable from the output of my mpc to the input of my sh-201.

Then I monitor the sh-201 with head phones. I have the headphones connected to the headphone jack on the sh-201.

I press a pad on the mpc and I THINK I should hear a note on the sh-201. This makes sense to me. I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong.

I couldn't find anything called local control specifically on my sh-201. I did find something called remote keyboard. Changing that setting didn't seem to help.

Here is the manual for the SH-201 if anyone wants to take a look.

http://www.roland.com/products/en/_supp ... UCT=SH-201

triscuit wrote:I press a pad on the mpc and I THINK I should hear a note on the sh-201.

Okay--let me see if I have this right.

You have a sample on your MPC. You want to hit a pad to trigger that sample - and have it play out of the keyboard?

Also, just as a quick troubleshooting thing - try the same thing you've been doing with your headphones hooked up to the MPC rather than the keyboard. Also pay attention to the main volume levels on both the keyboard and the MPC - as this may be important.

Try messing with the way you have the MIDI cables set-up - just so we can make sure its not a simple connection problem. There was information on the correct wiring in the quotes from Beat Making On The MPC 500 included in my earlier posts.

OR do you simply want to be able to trigger notes on your keyboard from your MPC?

*Also, are you positive that the MIDI cable is working 100%. Do you have a way to use the cable in another setting so you can be positive that it isn't damaged in some way?

Make sure that your MPC500 is sending midi on the same channel the SH-201 is set to receive midi on.

The SH-201 only receives midi on ONE CHANNEL at a time.

MAD-tentacles wrote:

triscuit wrote:I press a pad on the mpc and I THINK I should hear a note on the sh-201.

Okay--let me see if I have this right.

You have a sample on your MPC. You want to hit a pad to trigger that sample - and have it play out of the keyboard?

No I just want to play the keyboard with my mpc.

As in I want to send midi data from the mpc to the keyboard. Each pad on the mpc has a midi note. I want to send that midi note to the keyboard.

I'm very very sure I have this set up correctly. Although I did try moving midi cables around. I also tried playing my korg tr with my mpc500. I tried different midi cords. I'm not sure what the problem is.

I am going to try making sure the midi channels are right. I think that remote function lets the sh-201 lets it receive on all channels. I'm assuming the mpc 500 is sending on all channels. I'll have to check the manual.

OK, so I was finally was able to play notes from my mpc to my keyboard. I had to set the track type to MIDI and the midi channel on the track to 1. Boy they sure don't make this clear in manual. I had to dig around.

The next challenge is to be able to play the MIDI notes with the keyboard into the mpc. Then send the MIDI notes back out to the keyboard. If anyone has any ideas on how this could be achieved it would be greatly appreciated.

At this point I give up and suggest you just keep trying to work it out.

It is the most basic of midi connections to use one synth.

The answers are already in this thread, and in your hands.

Good luck.

I just got an ms2000. so I think I can help. This is what I do on my 1k, so it shouldn't be much different.
To control the keyboard with mpc and to record what you tap out on the pads in the mpc go with midi out mpc to midi in keyboard.
To have what you're playing go into the mpc and play back the way you hit the keys on keyboard in the mpc, go with midi out mpc to midi in keyboard and midi out keyboard to midi in mpc.

Make sure the channels are setup the same channel on both the mpc and keyboard and the local setting on keyboard is off.

I hope I was of some help.

or also try turning auto-chromatic on, this may help.