Describe your MPC60/3000 or ASQ-10 based setup

I dont know what the Motu does exactly, or what role Logic plays in your setup but...

1. Cant the MPC3000 be the MASTER sequencer?
2. Cant the S950 and your synths be MIDIed from the MPC3000 (4 MIDI outs).
3. Cant you connect S950 (8 outs) and synth stereo/ main output/s to the Mackie desk
4. Keep the FX and turntable as they are, sounds OK if only sampling to S950.
5. Send audio from Mackie to a) Logic via firewire or b) Tape/Reel-to-reel using the TAPE OUT (ideally), SUB OUTS, or AUX SENDS.
6. Use ONE of the synths as your master keyboard, the rest as 'sound modules'?
7. I would daisy-chain the two least used synths, reserving one MIDI out port for Logic instruments.

Probably how I would do it in the first instance.

NicDefn wrote:I'll explain my setup and maybe you guys could advise on a more advanced set-up to create a better work flow and make tracking a lot easier!

1) MPC 3000 triggering S950 via MIDI
2) 8 Indiv. Outs of S950 ---> 8 Ins of 16-ch 'Mackie Onyx 1640i'
3) Technic Turntable connected to S950
4) Synths (SH-101/DX7/M1) connected via MIDI to 'Motu Midi Express XT'
5) Synths (SH-101/DX7/M1) connected via AUDIO to 'Motu Midi Express XT'
6) Effect units connected via AUDIO to 'Mackie Onyx 1640i'
7) MPC 3000 connected as slave to Logic 9 using MTC

to me this seems a very crude way of connecting everything, and what i usually do is track out all 8 indiv. outs from the S950 but then i have to cut them up because i have latency issues and i can't seem to get the MPC 3000 and S950 acting as slave to Logics master clock??

It probably depends on what you are trying to achieve.

Are you trying to record your MPC3000 sequences into Logic, as audio, to allow further MIDI/audio composition on top of the MPC sequences, that requires the recorded sequence from the MPC to match up to the tempo in Logic?

Maybe you are recording into Logic to overdub audio tracks over the top of the MPC3000 sequence, and do not really need the tempo to match up with Logic's tempo, and it might be better to not try and sync the timebase of both sequencers?

If you are only using Logic for audio overdubs and audio mixing, do you need the tempos to match up?

If you need a click track to overdub to, could you record one as audio from an individual output of the MPC, rather than using the Logic metronome?


With the recorded S950 latency, do you really have to chop it up, is it simply a matter of the whole recorded track being out of sync due to latency, possibly late overall, and maybe you could just shift the whole track the required amount, rather than chopping it up?


I would consider some of Clint's suggestions, in particular running all the MIDI from the MPC, and recording the audio output into Logic through the Mackie firewire connection (and MOTU audio interface if not enough inputs on the Mackie).


It really depends on what you want/need it to do, there are many different ways to set it up and use it that will work.

NicDefn wrote:What i would ultimately love to do is sequence everything inside the 3000 and run it straight from the mixer to a reel-to-reel

Not sure what the advantage to doing this would be, it would be a PITA to deal with.

It might sound better, 'if' you have a good tape deck and the knowledge/skills to maintain it.

But, you would still have to mixdown from the tape to your delivery format, which is most likely to be into a computer anyway, your mix will only sound as good as the mixer you are using, and you will lose the ability to edit the multitrack recording, and will most likely not have automation in the mixer.

It sounds cool, but not sure how practical it would be in use.

What i want to achieve and the way i want to use my setup

Is to, create sequences using the MPC 3000 and have it MIDI synced to Logic 9 so that i can then record synth midi parts in logic over the top of my sequences.

But not have the audio tracked into Logic yet at this stage, so i can fine tune the drum sequences on the mpc to go well with the synth parts.

I did think about connecting all the synths to the MPC but i like the functionality that Logic gives, where you can fine tune midi regions of the synths to make sure the midi notes hit at the right points at at varying velocities.

Am i right in thinking that if i were to record the synth parts directly into the mpc, it wouldnt allow me this amount of control?

I do have some latency problems which is becoming a bit issue, so your right i could record a click track from the mpc 3000 into logics arrange window. But would i then just line up all the audio tracks with this and ignore logics metronome count?

Just to clarify my setup a bit, all the audio does run through the mackie mixer, using firewire and the MOTU is a 8x8 MIDI in/out rack. Which i have all my synths and MPC hooked up to.

I also still need to work out why my overdub button is not working

Cheers Nic

Sounds like you have it pretty much sorted for the way you want to work.

So is the problem just a latency issue, where sequences recorded in from the MPC/S950 don't match up with the Logic tempo grid/metronome click, like they are always late or something?

Does it sync and all play in time before tracking, when just monitoring everything through the mixer when composing beats on the MPC/S950, and synth lines/etc. in Logic?

Yeah i guess your right i do have it pretty much set up the way i want

Yeah when just monitoring its in time but when tracking in the recorded audio is always late.

I did a audio ping test in logic using the I/O plug-in and it told me that i needed to set my recording delay to -66 samples. So i did that but hasnt helped at all.

Clint mentioned it earlier that why dont i slave logic to the MPC!
But correct me if im wrong but i thought this wasnt possible? I thought Logic and most DAWs always have to be the master?

I would look at the Logic recording delay again.

If it syncs and plays in time OK from all sources, MPC, S950, and Logic, before recording, and is only the MPC and S950 that is late after recording, then I think it is a recording latency issue due to the buffer in Logic.

Maybe try turning the recording delay setting off, record a 1/4 note test signal, like a click, using a sound with a very sharp attack, and trimmed right up to the start of the attack, into Logic from both the MPC and the S950, zoom in to the recorded audio to see how many samples it is late from both devices compared to the Logic tempo grid, and set that in the recording delay, for each device, if possible.

66 samples seems too short for a recording delay, but might depend on what buffer settings you are using in Logic (32 or 64 samples for a buffer maybe will equate to a recording delay of 66 samples).

The recording latency should be pretty stable, and shouldn't change, at the same buffer setting in Logic, though once you change to a different buffer setting, you would possibly have to recalculate and change the recording delay for each buffer setting.

Ok great ill try this and just do it for one buffer size and ill let you know how i get on!

Do you know if logic can be slaved?

I think you can slave Logic to incoming MIDI Time Code (MTC), but probably not MIDI Beat Clock.

Have you tried setting the Sync Mode in Logic to MTC (Project Settings/Synchronization), making sure the MTC parameters are the same on both devices, and sending MTC from the MPC to Logic?

Ok got it to work with Midi Clock but not MTC!

Do you know if there is anyway to control the EXS24 plug in logic 9 via the MPC pads?

I take it i would need a complete 'midi handshake' and not just midi out from the interface to midi in on the mpc?

Cheers

MIDI Beat Clock, but not MIDI Time Code? I thought it would work the other way around, oh well, as long as it does what you want.


You can use the pads to play the EXS24 sampler in Logic.

It doesn't need two way MIDI handshaking, just MIDI notes being sent out of the MPC, from the pads or MPC sequencer, into Logic, and into the EXS24 plugin.

Just set a track in the MPC to send MIDI to the output of the MPC that is connected to Logic, MIDI out A/B/C/D. You can test it by having the track in Logic, with EXS24 on it, highlighted, so that it plays the EXS24 from the incoming MIDI notes coming from the MPC pads.

For longer term use, you want to look into setting up Logic so that the different tracks/plugins within Logic respond to different MIDI channels coming from the MPC, so that you can play more than just the one Logic instrument plugin from the MPC.

Ok nicdefn you should be on your way.

Trying to keep this thread on topic, anyone else care to describe their setup???

Hello all,

New here but wanted to post my setup and get any feedback you have to offer.

MPC 60II
MPC 2000xl
S1000
S20
ASRX Pro
Elektron Octatrack
Elektron Analog 4
Arturia MiniBrute
DSI Evolver Desktop
Gemini XL-600 turntable (pawnshop queen)
Tascam FW-1804 firewire interface
and I record into Propellerheads Record software....
use Ableton Live for some sample manipulation from time to time as well.

I am using my 60 as my main drum machine and as my midi master.
2000xl is for additional drums and longer samples.
S1000 is what I sample all my synths into for playback.
Octatrack really doesnt get used enough. Cool for crazy sample tweaking.....
ASRX Pro gets used for resampling certain sounds...... Has a different bite to it you know.

I try to not do any software editing of my tracks besides eq, compression, and reverb / delay..... No cut and paste affair.