Technical questions for the MPC2000xl and the MPC2000
By Infamous Sun Apr 10, 2011 8:33 am
Had this annoying problem for the last couple of months. Sometimes my MPC didn't passed the "RAM Memories check" at start.

After making one thousand experiences, decided to buy new RAM memories, with gold contacts. It worked, for a couple of days, then the same problem came back again, everyday, like the mailman.

Opened the MPC a couple hundred times, trying to figure out what was really the problem. I think i've nailed it.

I have the 8-outs expansion board (the original Akai IB-M208P - bought on Ebay), the EB16 effects board, plus an internal card reader (hot-swappable).

As you can see in this video ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCmiina870U ) this dude connects the cable to that particular entrance on the mainboard (precisely at minute 1:05) . And that's what i did, 'cause i've followed this dude's video...

What i did was i've removed the IB-M208P cable from that plug and put it on the next one, right beside the one where the card reader is connected.

Now, that plug has two "teeth" that grab the cable real titgh, the other one doesn't has those "teeth".

I still don't have 100% confidence that that was the issue, but the thing is, my MPC never failed again, the 8-outs board is working correctly and now i'm capable of working without issues.
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By mr_debauch Mon Apr 11, 2011 5:00 am
Infamous wrote:Had this annoying problem for the last couple of months. Sometimes my MPC didn't passed the "RAM Memories check" at start.

After making one thousand experiences, decided to buy new RAM memories, with gold contacts. It worked, for a couple of days, then the same problem came back again, everyday, like the mailman.

Opened the MPC a couple hundred times, trying to figure out what was really the problem. I think i've nailed it.

I have the 8-outs expansion board (the original Akai IB-M208P - bought on Ebay), the EB16 effects board, plus an internal card reader (hot-swappable).

As you can see in this video ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCmiina870U ) this dude connects the cable to that particular entrance on the mainboard (precisely at minute 1:05) . And that's what i did, 'cause i've followed this dude's video...

What i did was i've removed the IB-M208P cable from that plug and put it on the next one, right beside the one where the card reader is connected.

Now, that plug has two "teeth" that grab the cable real titgh, the other one doesn't has those "teeth".

I still don't have 100% confidence that that was the issue, but the thing is, my MPC never failed again, the 8-outs board is working correctly and now i'm capable of working without issues.


so wait, back to the ram issue... what ram are you using? gold contacts is not a real spec... do you know the specs of the chips you put in the machine?
By ALustyGhost Fri May 20, 2011 9:13 pm
I've got a 2kxl with an aftermarket CF reader (not sure what make, the previous owner installed it).

If I try to save a file in memory over a file of the same name on the card, it freezes the machine 1005 of the time. On the plus side, it forces me to save a lot of different versions while I'm working, which is a good habit to have.

The guy I bought it from claimed it also froze if you tried to save in a directory tree more than two or three levels deep, but I haven't actually tried it yet, since I usually only keep two or three projects on the card at any given time, with stuff that's finished stored on my computer.
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By mr_debauch Fri May 20, 2011 10:30 pm
ALustyGhost wrote:I've got a 2kxl with an aftermarket CF reader (not sure what make, the previous owner installed it).

If I try to save a file in memory over a file of the same name on the card, it freezes the machine 1005 of the time. On the plus side, it forces me to save a lot of different versions while I'm working, which is a good habit to have.

The guy I bought it from claimed it also froze if you tried to save in a directory tree more than two or three levels deep, but I haven't actually tried it yet, since I usually only keep two or three projects on the card at any given time, with stuff that's finished stored on my computer.


well my favourite way of savig on CF cards on the 2000xl was to make a new folder on the card for each song .. so lets say I started a new song... when it came to saving I would go and make a new folder so all components of that song would be in there... even samples would be copied and re-written in that folder so it kept track of every component of the song.
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By nogginj Sun Jul 31, 2011 7:08 pm
Alright yall tell me if you've heard this one before, or if it's a 'feature' I'm somehow misinterpreting?

Lately, when controlling an external synth with my 2kxl, whenever I hit the 'Note repeat' button, it triggers a note-on on the synth that just holds until I do a midi panic (no note-off). It's always the same note, and I don't need to hit any pads. Just hit that button and it turns that note on.

Only happens when the sequencer is running, and only happens usually if i've been using midi pretty extensively.
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By mr_debauch Mon Aug 01, 2011 3:57 am
nogginj wrote:Alright yall tell me if you've heard this one before, or if it's a 'feature' I'm somehow misinterpreting?

Lately, when controlling an external synth with my 2kxl, whenever I hit the 'Note repeat' button, it triggers a note-on on the synth that just holds until I do a midi panic (no note-off). It's always the same note, and I don't need to hit any pads. Just hit that button and it turns that note on.

Only happens when the sequencer is running, and only happens usually if i've been using midi pretty extensively.


could it be that you exceeded your max midi events? sometimes similar sounding stuff has happened with me on the 60
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By nogginj Mon Aug 01, 2011 4:27 am
mr_debauch wrote:
nogginj wrote:...whenever I hit the 'Note repeat' button, it triggers a note-on on the synth that just holds until I do a midi panic (no note-off)...


could it be that you exceeded your max midi events? sometimes similar sounding stuff has happened with me on the 60


Controlling only 1 synth, I hope not, but I guess it's possible. I also don't think midi feedback is happening cause I don't have a physical loop set up like that.

that's a good thing to consider, thanks.
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By mr_debauch Mon Aug 01, 2011 4:36 am
nogginj wrote:
mr_debauch wrote:
nogginj wrote:...whenever I hit the 'Note repeat' button, it triggers a note-on on the synth that just holds until I do a midi panic (no note-off)...


could it be that you exceeded your max midi events? sometimes similar sounding stuff has happened with me on the 60


Controlling only 1 synth, I hope not, but I guess it's possible. I also don't think midi feedback is happening cause I don't have a physical loop set up like that.

that's a good thing to consider, thanks.


well I would never have thought so too... but for example, sometimes I use an electribe ea-1 with the 60 and because all the knob tweaks can also be recorded (it's a VA synth) as well as notes... well I am not sure exactly what the 60 does cause I dont try to achieve the problem on purpose.. but I think it records the new action gets recorded and it sort of seems like some of the previously recorded stuff gets lost or something like that.

Keep in mind, every note takes up at lease two events not including aftertouch and other things of that nature... not to mention internal sound triggers etc..
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By nogginj Wed Aug 03, 2011 12:32 am
mr_debauch wrote:
nogginj wrote:
mr_debauch wrote:...could it be that you exceeded your max midi events? sometimes similar sounding stuff has happened with me on the 60

...Controlling only 1 synth, I hope not, but I guess it's possible. I also don't think midi feedback is happening cause I don't have a physical loop set up like that....

...sometimes I use an electribe ea-1 with the 60 and because all the knob tweaks can also be recorded...but I think it records the new action gets recorded and it sort of seems like some of the previously recorded stuff gets lost or something like that....Keep in mind, every note takes up at lease two events not including aftertouch and other things of that nature... not to mention internal sound triggers etc..

I want to reiterate that I am not recording any extra midi info, as I have no midi-in set up.
I have managed to isolate the problem to only occurring when I am transmitting midi-clock or midi time code. For some reason, that note-repeat starts to go whacky if I'm sending some sort of sync message out of the same midi port. I had it going earlier today, locking every note I would hit while hitting note-repeat. I went into the MPC midi window, turned off MTC, and all was good again.
It had gotten really bad too, where not even a midi-panic would stop it.

Maybe it has something to do with the note-repeat doubling as a tap-tempo button?
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By mr_debauch Wed Aug 03, 2011 5:41 am
^ oh i get what you're saying... hmm... maybe... the note repeat makes use of the machine's section of resource dedicated to the sequencer and it's likely the mtc etc... also does. maybe the resource was maxed out. sounds odd though and at least you figured out how to avoid the issue. That for sure counts as a glitch in my book.
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By Jaspa Wed Aug 03, 2011 6:55 am
not really a glitch with the machine running, but I have had a problem with FX settings not saving with a pgm/song. Maybe it's because I didn't save 'all' possibly. I lost a really cool FX setup I had on a song I was working with.
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By mumkai Wed Aug 03, 2011 7:07 am
you guys heard of this one? whenever i adjust the envelope of a pad - decay/release WHILE the beat is playing my MPC doesnt necessarily freeze, but glitches out the beat, and all these numbers crowd the screen. keep in mind i was hitting the same pad i was editing while the beat was playing. i think the last time it happened i was layering a kick. its happened dozens of times and now i tip toe around that area of params since im scared my akai wont come back from another glitch. i dont use the data wheel anymore for that area and i type everything in now. kinda got used to typing for all the paramerters - tune, filter, etc.. well, only remedy for this is to turn it off and then turn it back on. :x

also the 16 levels tune adjustment bug happens to me as well. its just stays at 4 (or previous setting) and my cursor wont let me move to the right to change from 4-13.

there's another one with 16 levels. this is pretty rare, but i guess worth putting up. if you leave 16 levels on and go into track mute 16 levels turns off by default. when i go back to main screen and decide i want to use 16 levels again sometimes my 16 levels just wont work. press button - nada.

all in all, i still love my akai. :lol:
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By nogginj Wed Aug 03, 2011 12:59 pm
mumkai wrote:also the 16 levels tune adjustment bug happens to me as well. its just stays at 4 (or previous setting) and my cursor wont let me move to the right to change from 4-13.

i've always noticed and hated this! I thought it might have something to do wtih pad placement, or sound tuning, but i can never consistently figure it out.
mumkai wrote:whenever i adjust the envelope of a pad - decay/release WHILE the beat is playing my MPC doesnt necessarily freeze, but glitches out the beat, and all these numbers crowd the screen.

that sounds awesome....video + audio would be cool.
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By mr_debauch Wed Aug 03, 2011 5:03 pm
well that sounds like either bad ram or what I suspect even more is some of the components have gotten loose over time. Open her up and reseat all connectors and cables, ram, etc...

my 60 did that for a while until I did that and now it's perfect.