Recording bass live to MPC60 sequence

Hey guys,

I know there has to be something on the forum about this but haven't found it yet even though it seems like something very simple and basic.

I have the mpc60 II, I am trying to record synth bass (no midi) in real time to the loop i've made. I know how to sample into the machine but is there a way to sample real time while the sequence is playing so I can create in the moment?

-Steve

NO.
You can only record MIDI in realtime while the sequence is playing.

So when I hear old school tracks that sound like they are clearly made on the mpc that have live bass playing (electric) then it either isn't on a 60 or they do it in pro tools or something?

yeah there is no recording of audio samples while the sequencer is running.. you must be in the record new sounds page to do that..

you can leave the monitor switched on which essentially keeps the input turned on.. then the synth running into the input can be heard while the sequencer is running from the main page.. but it will not record it like an audio track... the thing to do in this case is record that to pro tools or what ever else you are using (a cassette deck maybe?) and that way you are jamming along with it... but pasting it together later.

you can obviously run the synth not through the mpc into the recording device to record it as well.

Nevets306 wrote:So when I hear old school tracks that sound like they are clearly made on the mpc that have live bass playing (electric) then it either isn't on a 60 or they do it in pro tools or something?

Newer MPC's can record samples while playing a sequence, the recorded samples can be sequenced afterwards.

You could also have a sound module, synth, rompler, whatever connected via midi to the mpc and play a bassline on the sound module controlled with a master keyboard...

There's so many possibilities...

How do you know it's played live? Can you give an example of such a track?

Another option is a looper. There's a couple midi-sync loopers out there. I was thinking of getting one for this purpose alone, for playing bass-guitar or a rhodes ive along with the mpc (instead of recording a separate instrument live to computer whilst the seq/song is playing)

I think this would be the fastest, easiest and slickest way to play live along with the mpc. No fiddling with a computer/daw; just hit record on the looper and play instrument, then sync.

^ and this is one thing I thought about too.. it made me really consider getting a looper/loop pedal ... just for the fun of it.

I'm pro tools at heart so that seams like the best solution for now.

I was listening to a lot of dilla tracks especially from jaylib, another batch, and 3 beat tapes. A lot of the bass lines sound like they are live but i heard he used the voyager so he's either sampling each note and playing it on the pad or doing the midi option you said earlier. And I would hear the chord pads but each an easily be sampled and then assigned to a pad so i think this answers my question.

Also just got the 60 so could I hit one of you guys up for some tips and tricks?

Nevets306 wrote:Also just got the 60 so could I hit one of you guys up for some tips and tricks?

Start by reading the "MPC Bible" sticky and then hit the search function.

Besides all the loop pedals and racks out there..I also notice some use the Kaoss Pad as a midi looper and go a little beyond plain looping and recording and even chop up their live stuff live again, ie: recording a 2 or 4 bar riff/beat, and chopping it up to a 1/2 bar or 1 bar and have it loop in some parts of a song for some tension and build ups or a whole new vibe and beat. Something you can't do on an mpc on the fly... (I notice and think mark de clive lowe uses the Kaoss Pad this way, for looping and recording live instruments in his works and also live gigs and also chops the longer bar recordings up).

^Yeah I have a kp2, and it has limited yet fun sampling on it.. it is extremely basic and it doesn't have a lot of sample time like the kp3 has..

also, I doubt the voyager was sampled like each note etc.. cause the 60 doesn't have that much sample time... chances are midi was used unless very short lengths were sampled.

watch and learn...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpZ8cuiYa7E

producer Focus making a beat. he lays down drums and and a sample in the mpc 3000, then plays the live bass into pro tools along with his sequence. then he has his engineer play back the bass out of pro tools so he can pick the part he wants. then he samples the part into the mpc 3000 and lays it in the sequence.

bing, bang, boom.

this is a recipe for success. Now all i need is to master my 60 and i'll have full creative freedom to do what I'm trying to do.

In the '60, working with 5 secs of new sound sample time, I've been (to work with what I got) playing into a DAW, then bouncing that sound. I then import it into an app that simulates a turntable, where I pitch it up to 45 speed. I am used to using records, and I know how to record into a DAW, so that works well for me - and being able to speed what I have recorded up to 45 speed allows me to squeeze my sample into the 5 sec sample time when I play it back through the '60.

On the other hand, I would prefer not to use the computer, so of I wanna play bass on a keyboard through midi, do I only have 5 seconds to play with?

chaseaston wrote:
On the other hand, I would prefer not to use the computer, so of I wanna play bass on a keyboard through midi, do I only have 5 seconds to play with?

no, because the 5 seconds is the max time per sample on version 2.14 and earlier for the 60 .. and 13 seconds total time without the expansion (26 seconds with the expansion) ... however that applies to sampled, not things playing externally and recorded via midi... you wouldn't run that into the 60 anyways. You would record that into your daw, tape deck, or what ever the hell you have to record.... along side the 60's outputting sounds of course.