Which OS are you running with your MCD?

Was curious which OS people are using the most with their MCD.
The single partition makes it easier to use in a computer but then you have to deal with finding smaller size cards.
The multi partition makes buying cards easier/cheaper but it you lose the ease of computer use.

For me I eventually came to the conclusion that 1.14 was a better route overall for the MCD.

You can use both...you can use a 1.14 'MPC' partitioned/formatted memory card with OS 1.20, and you can use a 1.20 'PC' partitioned/formatted memory card with OS 1.14.

I am not sure if there is any difference between 1.14 and 1.20, if your card reader operates with both OS versions, other than the IDE/ATAPI partition type and size in the format routine.


I would use 1.20 to format a single 1GB maximum 'transfer' memory card, and use that for transferring to/from a computer, only, not for storing your beats on.

I would also use 1.14 to format a multi-partition MPC format memory card, for storing your beats on.


If your card reader operates with both OS versions, I don't think it matters which version you use, except for when you actually format the memory card...

- the 1.14 format routine writes a multi-partition 'MPC' format that is not fully computer compatible
- the 1.20 format routine writes a single 1GB maximum partition 'PC' format, on the IDE/ATAPI connection, that is fully computer compatible
- the 1.20 format routine still formats memory cards as the 'MPC' multi-partition format on the SCSI connection, the single 1GB maximum partition 'PC' format restriction only applies to formatting on the IDE/ATAPI connection


You can also format larger memory cards, than 1GB, with the 1.20 1GB PC partition/format, it just doesn't use the additional space beyond 1GB.


I suppose it depends on what each user prefers, using the maximum capacity of a larger memory card, or having everything on a PC accessible partition.

It might be easier to use the 1.20 PC partition/format in the long run, so that all your data is available to transfer directly onto computer later on, if you want/need to.

Some of what you state doesn't go with what I have seen with the Akai MCD or with OS 1.20.

Using 1.20 with SCSI still had the same restriction with things larger than 1G.

Also it wouldn't allow you to use a CF card larger than 1g and just ignore he additional space, it couldn't identify the cards to format or use.

In all cases those same cards work fine with 1.14.

Which OS are you running with your MCD?

1.14 w/ 512 cf. Atapi mcd, 2kxlse2.

Lampdog wrote:Which OS are you running with your MCD?

1.14 w/ 512 cf. Atapi mcd, 2kxlse2.

It's an actual blue MCD 2kxl so it shipped with 1.20.
It works with 1G or smaller media but with anything larger it never wanted to recognize it.

When I use 1.14 on it it's business as usual and the media has no issues.

So if I wanted to keep using 1.20 I have to go with the smaller cards which are becoming harder to find and the prices are rising.

If I use 1.14 then I can pretty much grab ScanDisk cards of the more readily available sizes and keep it moving.

ntalec wrote:Some of what you state doesn't go with what I have seen with the Akai MCD or with OS 1.20.

Using 1.20 with SCSI still had the same restriction with things larger than 1G.

Also it wouldn't allow you to use a CF card larger than 1g and just ignore he additional space, it couldn't identify the cards to format or use.

In all cases those same cards work fine with 1.14.

Sorry, I am talking about a CompuApps ATAPI741 multi-slot card reader, not an actual Akai MCD (or whatever reader the Akai MCD is actually based on).

Maybe they behave a little differently.

I don't recall the exact one I have in my XL, but I think it's pretty close if not the same spec as the OEM MCD, not sure though.

I have the opposite as Lamp, if I go to 1.14 everything goes to hell.

But with 1.20 everything is perfect, just have to live with the 1GB formatting limit. I get 2GB Sandisks when they go on sale for like $10 and don't even worry about the 50% loss on actual capacity.

I fill them using a USB 2.0 reader on the computer, saves time on all my CF capable MPC's.

That's part of why I was trying to understand who was using 1.20.
If the actual CF reder that Akai used seems to work with 1.14 what was Akai's real reason behind 1.20.
The great ease of computer interaction is nice but the disk size restriction greatly diminished that value.
It still comes back to how easy it is for you to get your hands on the smaller disk and what other sources you share files with.

Funny how Akai says if you have the actual Akai shipped unit that you should use 1.20 but I still feel 1.14 is still a better choice.

ntalec wrote:If the actual CF reder that Akai used seems to work with 1.14 what was Akai's real reason behind 1.20.

I suspect the real reason for 1.20 was that they were selling a card reader in an MPC for the first time, and it was going to be easier to support users if they forced a PC compatible partition/format onto them, rather than trying to support a whole lot of users who could only see a single partition on the card from their computer, and were wondering where the rest of their data went, if they used the older style MPC multi-partition format.

^That sounds very likely.

My limited understanding of the differences was mainly if you didn't need the SCSI support, and were OK with the 1GB limit to just go with 1.20. Personally the PC compatibility fit what I wanted more as I mentioned.

But I do recall a couple years ago when I was experimenting during and after the CF reader install, finding some of the Akai instructions/posted limitations to not be true. Namely that some readers had no chance of using 1.14 when they actually could.

But before I confused myself any further I just settled for 1.20 after deciding the partition aspect wasn't a big deal to me personally, even though I had used the partition support with zips prior to the CF upgrade.

Metatron72 wrote:My limited understanding of the differences was mainly if you didn't need the SCSI support, and were OK with the 1GB limit to just go with 1.20.

SCSI in 1.20 stills works the same as in 1.14, it formats as the older style MPC multi-partition format in a SCSI reader, instead of the 1GB PC single partition that it forces on an IDE/ATAPI reader, but still reads/writes both types of partitions/formats fine from a SCSI reader.

Metatron72 wrote:But I do recall a couple years ago when I was experimenting during and after the CF reader install, finding some of the Akai instructions/posted limitations to not be true. Namely that some readers had no chance of using 1.14 when they actually could.

There does seem to be a whole lot of misinformation floating around about 1.20 and card readers, I was surprised to find the CompuApps readers I bought were working perfectly fine on 1.14, after what I had read about IDE/ATAPI card readers needing 1.20, and that is why I did a fair amount of testing to try and work out exactly what was going on.


Maybe the MCD drives Akai used were not as ATAPI compliant as these CompuApps drives I am using, and maybe 1.20 has some changes to deal with that, which maybe is the reason 1.20 is said to be required for the simpler non-ATAPI IDE-CF card adapters.

I have been meaning to test out 1.14 with one of the more simple IDE-CF adapters that I have here, to see if it would work or not.

SimonInAustralia wrote:
Maybe the MCD drives Akai used were not as ATAPI compliant as these CompuApps drives I am using, and maybe 1.20 has some changes to deal with that, which maybe is the reason 1.20 is said to be required for the simpler non-ATAPI IDE-CF card adapters.

I have been meaning to test out 1.14 with one of the more simple IDE-CF adapters that I have here, to see if it would work or not.

That could be true but the One Akai used work with 1.14 or 1.20?

Just seems to be a lot of grey area surrounding the use of the card readers in the 2kxl.

As I've mentioned, I just got mine in and chose 1.20 in the end, and never thought about it again.

But as I was getting ready to get the CF reader and as I was installing it, I read everything here, all the info Akai had posted and so on, and my head was spinning as at least 50% of what I was reading was contradicted all over the place.

I'm not well versed in it all to contribute anything really, but it would great if your thread leads to definitive guidelines on compatibilities and limits as people's experiences are compared, ntalec.

I have thought about buying a genuine Akai MCD reader a couple of times, when I have seen them come up for sale, just to test and see how they compare, and to see what make/model of card reader they actually are, but I have 10 CompuApps readers sitting here in a box, so it would be a waste of $.