Exchange tips and tricks for the Akai MPC4000
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By DJ A-Sharp Mon Sep 12, 2011 4:28 pm
Wanted to know if anyone else experienced this bullsh*t...

I load some sounds into the aksys to transfer them to the 4000. I play them on the MPC4000 and they all have harsh static on the sounds. I load other sounds from a USB Hard Drive and the 4000's Internal Hard Drive into the MPC4000 and all the sounds are fine.

I try the aksys again and the sounds have the static again. So I check and see if the sounds are fine before I Load them into Aksys and they sound perfect. Now I try to load them into aksys again and this time I audition them right from aksys and the sounds have the crazy static. WTH!!!

I never had this problem before. So I uninstalled the aksys program, shut down XP Mode, shut down the entire host computer system, turned the computer back on, restarted XP mode, install aksys program loaded and auditioned sounds again and of course the static is there again, on all sounds.

All possible solutions welcomed.

Thanks in advance
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By RepRSP Mon Sep 12, 2011 8:41 pm
i can "confirm" your problem, had the exact same issue. I run windows 7 64bit version. Xp mode works fine, but after I transfered sounds to the 4K some of them wouldn´t play properly, kinda like you explained it

some more thougts on this?
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By DJ A-Sharp Tue Sep 13, 2011 1:54 pm
Well I done it all aside from formatting the Hard Drive on my computer. This morning I reinstalled Virtual XP on my laptop this time. decided to use a whole different computer. Guess what? Still the same f*ckin problem. Every time I transfer sounds to the aksys program, noise appears on the sounds. I love my 4000 to death but this thing is really pissing me the f*ck off!!! Starting to wonder if I should abandon ship. I'm just not really feelin sitting around loading 30-50 Gigs of sounds one by one to make a damn program.

This is just how dudes start cheating. When their main chick is acting up....lol
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By DJ A-Sharp Tue Sep 13, 2011 5:45 pm
clint246clint wrote:You can transfer & load samples using a USB drive plugged into the 4000.

Get 'em that way.


Yeah, I know but damn that sh*t takes forever loading one by one with the amount of sounds I got....I mean if I must then I must.....
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By Ibunshi Thu Sep 22, 2011 5:53 am
just use an external HD as a sample library instead of keeping it on the mpc, works fine.. and then you can keep the mpc HD for when you save your projects, or put them on the external HD too if you want to be able to quickly be able to use and edit them in the computer before the next time you open the project on the mpc..

And you dont have to load one sound at a time, you can select a folder with the mpc and it will load everything in it..

I use a 500Gig external HD and everything is much better now, and stable, no need for aksys to transfer stuff.. And easy and quick access from the mpc and also the computer if i want..
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By DJ A-Sharp Thu Sep 22, 2011 2:57 pm
Ibunshi wrote:
And you dont have to load one sound at a time, you can select a folder with the mpc and it will load everything in it..



When I load sounds one by one that isn't the tedious part. The long drawn out part is assigning each sound to a pad. Then tweaking each pad to one shot and then turning each pad to poly (just the way I like my sounds in the beginning). That is just a long drawn out process. The aksys software gave me the option to do that in like 10 secs.

Btw the way I got the aksys to work, however it would on function correctly on a computer that only had Windows XP as the most recent OS. The two different computers that I tried to use with the Win 7 OS in Virtual XP Mode are the ones that gave me that noise on my sounds via aksys. I just found it real strange when I didn't have a problem with it before then one day it just stopped functioning correctly. I think it might have been because of the Microsoft updates that were applied to the Win 7 comps.

@Ibunshi just curious to hear how you load your sounds all at once.....and what you then do after it's in the MPC4000's memory....?
By Clint Thu Sep 22, 2011 4:39 pm
DJ A-Sharp wrote:Btw the way I got the aksys to work, however it would on function correctly on a computer that only had Windows XP as the most recent OS...The two different computers that I tried to use with the Win 7 OS in Virtual XP Mode are the ones that gave me that noise on my sounds via aksys


Got there in the end, nice.
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By Ibunshi Fri Sep 23, 2011 8:50 pm
DJ A-Sharp wrote:
Ibunshi wrote:
And you dont have to load one sound at a time, you can select a folder with the mpc and it will load everything in it..



When I load sounds one by one that isn't the tedious part. The long drawn out part is assigning each sound to a pad. Then tweaking each pad to one shot and then turning each pad to poly (just the way I like my sounds in the beginning). That is just a long drawn out process. The aksys software gave me the option to do that in like 10 secs.

Btw the way I got the aksys to work, however it would on function correctly on a computer that only had Windows XP as the most recent OS. The two different computers that I tried to use with the Win 7 OS in Virtual XP Mode are the ones that gave me that noise on my sounds via aksys. I just found it real strange when I didn't have a problem with it before then one day it just stopped functioning correctly. I think it might have been because of the Microsoft updates that were applied to the Win 7 comps.

@Ibunshi just curious to hear how you load your sounds all at once.....and what you then do after it's in the MPC4000's memory....?


ok, so i guess you used aksys to make programs too? im not sure how assigning sounds to pads is faster with aksys, because i think it is pretty fast to do on the mpc as all it takes is to hit a pad and scroll to the sound you want, or if you actually were to load one by one, starting at the top and then put them on whatever pad you prefer.. only faster way i can think of right now is that aksys assigns a full folder of sounds automatically.. but aksys would never know how to put the sounds just the way you want them, that would need the one by one load and assign..

anyway, there is a way to set all sounds to poly, oneshot etc in one go in program mode at the page where you can layer stuff, you just set it to "all" at the top and then everything you do will affect all sounds, so basically you just have to set up one sound to be one shot and it will affect all sounds in that program.. just dont forget to turn that off when finished or you might end up ruining a tweaked sound by accidentally assigning the same filter or change pitch on all sounds when wanting to tweak a single sound...

you can also set up a default project that loads when you turn the mpc on, so i assume that you can have a program already set up just the way you want it, so you dont have to change things to oneshot and so on.. you can also have ready to go programs with sounds already assigned too within that default project, which can be nice to have as default or just use as a separate template project with lots of drum kits that you just can scroll through and test on the main screen.. so you can have that as maybe layer material, and use along with a blank program that is set up for any new sounds you want to bring in


however, the way i usually work is to just assign sounds one by one and place them on the pads i want, i rarely use up all banks so it only takes a minute or two to set up so no big deal for me.. i also use a lot of already set up akai drum kits so its all done pretty quickly, and then any tweaking done is purely for creativity

i have never had use of aksys for anything else than to transfer files, and at first i had a big library on the mpc HD and it took forever to transfer stuff back and forth, it was always very unstable, and often got errors on sounds that actually were ok, or aborted transfers that ended up with a lot of empty files transferred instead, that unless you noticed it, you would think the transfer had been sucessful, and then may have proceeded to delete them from the computer... horrible losing all sounds that way...... but now with everything on an external HD its all smooth and fast, just plug it into the mpc or the computer and ready to use.. i have set up two main folders on it. one is the sample library which contains subfolders with things sorted (and sorting is pretty tedious to do on the mpc, and you cant really move things around using aksys) but easy to do via the computer.. anyway, so i got things sorted, like 'Bass & Instruments' and in that folder i have set things up with numbers like '1 - MPC Programs' and since 1 always get at the top, i have set those to contain folders with various programs for extra quick access.. its all pretty neat and tidy now, i can browse and audition sounds whilst having my blank program and just assign the sounds i want as i move around the sample library.. think its a breeeze.. or i can go straight to a folder that contains ready to go programs and load that.. the other main folder is just called 'new mpc kits' which is things that i may have compiled on the computer, which at the start is just folders with sounds in them. when i then plug the HD back into the mpc, i load them up and then when i am finished, i go back to that folder and save everythign so that i can either just load up the now ready to go program to use for other projects, or just load the whole folder and get the sequneces and everythign else... so you just continue to build the library that way, and you get more and more ready to go programs :mrgreen:
By Clint Sat Sep 24, 2011 2:10 am
Nice post Ubunshi, right on the money!

Personally I just think too many people have become lazy.

Why buy hardware if you don't want to get your hands dirty and are obsessed with speed?
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By Ibunshi Sat Sep 24, 2011 4:01 am
it doesnt have to mean you are lazy though.. the less time you have to put into stuff that really has nothing to do with the music making itself, the more time you then have to make music... a guitar player will probably get frustrated if he has to put on the strings and then tune it each time he wants to use it.. you can kinda liken that with having to sit and do long transfers and jump around in menus and settings things up before you can get going with the actual music making..

as i see it its just good to strive to get more effective on these kind of things, as it lets you put more focus on stuff that maybe for the music's sake, should be more important.. and in the end it all adds to your work flow as it means there will be less things in the way for your ideas to flow more freely

...its the reason why i combine the mpc with cubase.. it allows quicker processing, i can have it process things in realtime whilst multitracking, so cubase becomes and extension of the mpc, and i can then use vsts in realtime when i mix, along with the mpc's own tools... and for arrangement, after i've recorded what i want, cubase gives me a greater overview and its quick and easy to move around everything from tiny parts to big sections, where if i where to do the same on the mpc, it takes longer.. having to duplicate sequences, putting them in order, muting or soloing sounds.. and then it takes extra time having to redo things if i chnage my mind or want to try something different etc.. things that only takes a seconds to do in cubase.. and then vice versa, there is no way i would sit and try to do the same things i do on the mpc, but on a computer, it would just take too long to program drums that way.. so, i'm combining things that allows me to work at good speed..

it can be good with limitations, but i can only see these things as the bad kind as the only thing it does for me, is making it take longer to do certain things.. its not the kind of limitations that forces me to find creative solutions.. so it only really makes me want to become more effective at doing them so they no longer are in the way of the flow
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By DJ A-Sharp Sun Sep 25, 2011 6:12 pm
Ibunshi wrote:it doesnt have to mean you are lazy though.. the less time you have to put into stuff that really has nothing to do with the music making itself, the more time you then have to make music... a guitar player will probably get frustrated if he has to put on the strings and then tune it each time he wants to use it.. you can kinda liken that with having to sit and do long transfers and jump around in menus and settings things up before you can get going with the actual music making..


@Ibunshi thanks for explaining exactly what I have basically trying to get across to every one. :shock: THANK YOU!!!!!
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By Ibunshi Mon Sep 26, 2011 2:13 am
DJ A-Sharp wrote:
Ibunshi wrote:it doesnt have to mean you are lazy though.. the less time you have to put into stuff that really has nothing to do with the music making itself, the more time you then have to make music... a guitar player will probably get frustrated if he has to put on the strings and then tune it each time he wants to use it.. you can kinda liken that with having to sit and do long transfers and jump around in menus and settings things up before you can get going with the actual music making..


@Ibunshi thanks for explaining exactly what I have basically trying to get across to every one. :shock: THANK YOU!!!!!



i think the actual laziness doesnt come so much from these kind of things really, but more from not willing to put in the time and practice to get experience.. so there is a difference between that and striving to get more effective with the methods you use..

complete newbies doesnt really know the difference at first though, because of a lack of overall experience, so they might not at first know where and what they need to put their time into... so many people buy gear and then give up because they thought it would be easy, or not having enough patience to gain the experience.. and some people simply buy gear thast is not so well sited for them, and because odf that cant connect well with it.. then it will be more of a struggle for them

but these days more people also want instant gratification, they believe the marketting and hype of hardware and software and think it will all be a breeze to use and automatically let them make awesome music if they just get the tools.. so i can see why people talk about laziness too

depending too much on the tools is like hoping your kitchen will make the food for you if you only get some fancier and more advanced kitchen equipment :mrgreen: