Forum to discuss all matters relating to the MPC1000 and MPC2500 operating systems created by 'JJ' (all versions).
By converter Sat May 19, 2012 6:44 pm
This is with a MPC 1000, JJOS2XL 3.18.

I tried to get the answers in the manual on JJ site, but the info is very ... succinct about this and probably assumes that the reader already knows (which unfortunately I don't).

What are the difference (s) between (or in other words why was it necessary/useful to makes these different types) :

1 .... DRUM track and AUDIO track
2 .... DRUM program and INST program

I do understand the need for a special MIDI or CHORD track setting, but since for me a sample is a sample whether a snare sample or a synth sample,
why is there DRUM vs AUDIO tracks and also DRUM vs INST programs settings and what can you do with one that you could not do with the other ??
(I have some feel about this but it is by no means clear). Thanks !
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By crossings Sat May 19, 2012 9:41 pm
drum tracks are your typical case of samples assigned to pads of a program for playing back manually on the pads... audio tracks are for recording audio directly into the MPC as strictly audio... for when you want to record audio from an external source... let's say record scratches or whatever... it just records an audio file for as long as long as the sequence is [is: 4 bars or whatever]. play around a bit and you'll get it.
By innovine Sun May 20, 2012 6:59 am
converter wrote:
What are the difference (s) between (or in other words why was it necessary/useful to makes these different types) :

1 .... DRUM track and AUDIO track
2 .... DRUM program and INST program

I do understand the need for a special MIDI or CHORD track setting, but since for me a sample is a sample whether a snare sample or a synth sample,
why is there DRUM vs AUDIO tracks and also DRUM vs INST programs settings and what can you do with one that you could not do with the other ??
(I have some feel about this but it is by no means clear). Thanks !


A MIDI track is useful when you are interested in melody, pitch, chords and how long notes are. A DRUM track is useful when you are thinking about beats and timings. These two track types each have a different editor when you press mode+a15

The two program types, Drum and Inst, help you group your samples by instrument type. if your samples are for percussion, and you will be tapping out beats then a drum program is useful. on the ther hand, if you will be building a synth, and pithing long notes and playing chords, then the inst program type is better suited. I havent dont much of that myself tho. hope this helps!
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By bliprock Mon May 21, 2012 6:38 pm
yeah MIDI and Chord with MIDI channel enabled will send MIDI (notes, controller info) down that MIDI channel, say to a synth for instance. and back of course. Dont discount MIDI, but for samples only, yes you notice as crossings sez, that Drum gives you sample program that is the pad assign. So hit a pad in drum mode and it plays sample depending on program basically. Now INTNSTRUMENT is easy to understand if you think of it as a program of samples that act like an instrument. SO say piano or guitar have a few samples pitch shifted along the pads so when you hit pads you get a piano or guitar as you have made instrument program. Its like a dedicated chromatic tuning of a sample, but with a whole lot more, like portamento, and such.
Audio is like a backing track. :P
dump a wave into Audio track and it will play along, much like a backing track. Helps to know BPM of course to match sequence BPM.
So DRUMS is like a program of different drum hits
AUDIO is like backing track
INSTRUMENT is like a dedicated chromatic, or what ever scale use of a single(or a few) samples to mimic an instrument with different notes on differnt pads like you do now
By innovine Tue May 22, 2012 4:25 am
You can also switch between DRUM track and MIDI track type when in the editor, depending on what you want to edit. Hit Mode+A15 and move to the track type and change it, you'll see that the editor presents different information depending on the track type.
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By -niN Tue May 22, 2012 4:23 pm
INST tracks really start to make sence if you have a MIDI keyboard hooked up to the MPCs MIDI IN.
Using the pads will allways limit you to those 16 notes ( unless you don't mind switching banks while playing ur melodys :wink: )