Technical questions for the MPC2000xl and the MPC2000
By jtheaudiophile Mon Feb 25, 2013 6:11 pm
I am interested in buying a small synthesizer bass module to be controlled by the MPC, but I am confused about the MIDI capabilities. I know I can stop and start sequences with the MPC 2000, but can I use a pad bank D to send MIDI notes to a synth? I've read the entire MIDI section of the manual, but can't seem to come up with any answers. I know that when you load up the entire MPC starter sound disk, bank D is set to play a bass line with a sine wave and the pads play the bass notes chromatically. Can I use bank D in the same function by controlling a bass synth on MIDI channel 1.

Thank You,

J The Audiophile
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By Ian Canefire Mon Feb 25, 2013 6:25 pm
You must be able to do this. I have a 4000 and I use it to trigger sounds in all of my modules. In any case this is how it is done on the 4000 and hopefully it is the same method.
Find the midi screen on the 2000. If you want to play the pads on the MPC and have it trigger the bass module then it is the master. Decide whether you are going use MTC or midiclock. Whatever you use to sync the machine make sure the bass module is on the same one as the MPC.

You have to configure the MMC as well this controlls play stop and start. Depending on whether your module has a sequencer or arpeggiation grid or not then the module may not have a play, stop, f, rew function. if it does then make one of the machines MMC master and the other slave similar to what you did with the other midi function.

Connect the midi out from the master unit to the midi in of the slave unit.

Not sure what bank will correspond to what note # but in the MPC4000 you can change the pad assigns. In any case you simple hit the pads in all the banks and find out what sound is being hit on the bass module.

Make sure the midi part number is matching that of your bass module.

Obviously have the module plugged into monitors, or have your headphones plugged in the module because midi is not audio.

Cheers,
Ian
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By tapedeck Mon Feb 25, 2013 8:29 pm
yes you can do this and its really easy.

you wont necessarily set it up so that 'bank d' is only midi notes, instead you will dedicate a track to midi, set the type to 'midi', and use all 4 banks. you can still use drums on the other tracks.

the default pad assignment to midi note numbers is totally wack. you will need to adjust that manually with an empty program. :mrgreen:
By buzina8 Tue Feb 26, 2013 8:29 am
tapedeck wrote:the default pad assignment to midi note numbers is totally wack. you will need to adjust that manually with an empty program. :mrgreen:


Thanks !

Im not the OP, but have a question too. I use VST's and open most of them in Fruity. I know that MIDI are signals and not sounds, but if I record a bass with MIDI from Fruity, I cannot hear the sounds anymore when I close Fruity. This is because MIDI are signals, but do we have a solution for this ? Or do I have to record the bassnotes in samplemode ?
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By tapedeck Tue Feb 26, 2013 3:34 pm
buzina8 wrote:Im not the OP, but have a question too. I use VST's and open most of them in Fruity. I know that MIDI are signals and not sounds, but if I record a bass with MIDI from Fruity, I cannot hear the sounds anymore when I close Fruity. This is because MIDI are signals, but do we have a solution for this ? Or do I have to record the bassnotes in samplemode ?

you can either record the entire sequence as an audio loop, and throw that in the mpc.
you can record individual notes (audio) and then resequence them within the mpc.
or you can plug the midi output into another synth and use that (my favorite part about midi). :mrgreen:

the basic concept here is, with midi going into fruity loops, fl is the one actually making the sound. if you remove fl, you remove the sound. you have to capture that sound and put it somewhere else if you want to use it without fl.
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By tapedeck Tue Feb 26, 2013 4:13 pm
buzina8 wrote:What do you mean by midi-out into anoter synth ? Into my midikeyboard ? And use that output into my mpc-midi-in ?

i mean into another synth that has midi input. you are describing using fl as a midi synth - sending it midi notes and letting it produce the actual sound.

you could easily take that same midi cable and plug it from mpc midi out to say a juno-106 midi in, and use the juno as the bass synth.

what you do with the audio out of the juno though is up to you - ideally you would have a mixer that everything went to.

this is just a further example, i'm not saying you have to do this.