THE BASICS - OS/Storage

Hi!

I'm new to the forum and to the world of sampling and have a few basic questions re: storage/OS and Floppy/Zip protocol on the MPC2000xl.

1. Is there any way to write samples (and programs) from Floppy Disk to the internal memory of the MPC so that these samples/program files don't have to be loaded from the these disks each time?

- As I understand 32mb (my MPC has upgraded RAM) should provide up to 189sec of stereo sampling - but whether this is actual memory that can be written to or whether this RAM just governs the total sample length that can be achieved I'm unsure.

2. Are there any formatting issues to be aware of when writing Akai OS files to floppy disk via a USB floppy drive on a Mac laptop? (2012 MacBook Pro)

- I want to upgrade the OS to either 1.20/1.14 before replacing the floppy drive with a CF reader - thinking this one that another user posted with positive results:
http://www.compuapps.com/index.php?opti ... Itemid=208


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Also just wanted to state how great a resource these forums have been for me so far! I'm just starting out on this journey and it's awesome to see this huge community of artists/techs and enthusiasts. I'd love to hear any feedback about anyone's early experiences getting a handle on the 2000XL.

Thanks so much!!

DID NOT MEAN TO POST THIS TWICE!! Sorry!

LVIII wrote:1. Is there any way to write samples (and programs) from Floppy Disk to the internal memory of the MPC so that these samples/program files don't have to be loaded from the these disks each time?

Not the internal RAM, anything loaded into RAM is lost when you power it off.

There was an Akai FMX-008M internal flash ROM option board, but was very expensive, so are very rare now.

You can use the Autoload function to automatically load programs/samples/sequences/etc. on power up, but you need a connected drive (internal or external) to load from.

LVIII wrote:- As I understand 32mb (my MPC has upgraded RAM) should provide up to 189sec of stereo sampling - but whether this is actual memory that can be written to or whether this RAM just governs the total sample length that can be achieved I'm unsure.

That is the memory that is available to load/record samples into, that is the maximum that you can use at one time.

LVIII wrote:- I want to upgrade the OS to either 1.20/1.14 before replacing the floppy drive with a CF reader - thinking this one that another user posted with positive results:
http://www.compuapps.com/index.php?opti ... Itemid=208

That is a good choice, but possibly no longer available, others have not been able to get a response from the company to buy them.

Thanks Simon!! I appreciate the assistance. Are there any more readily available, well-reviewed ATAPI format CF readers you can recommend? I'll scout Ebay/MPC Stuff - ideally I'd like to source parts here in Australia, but understandably there might be limited options here.

Also, I have an external SCSI ZIP drive for additional storage, but it seems as though if I'm serious about having large library of samples/program files I should really be using an upgraded internal CF-based system.

Maybe try CompuApps and see how you go, might be responding to email again, not sure what the deal with them is.



(I have a few CompuApps drives sitting here in a box, new, unused)

My advice for what its worth is, b4 u spend money (in relation to ure desire for cf reader) on what u think ure workflow is going to b like, use it with what u have and then decide if there's a necessity. I've spend money on stuff that I didn't end up using, and if I could do it all again that would b something idfollow. I know people who use zips and are fine. I know ppeople who just track out aft a session anduse nneither. I'm not advising against anything I'm just saying there are many workflows out there the main thing is to find one that works for u. I mean if u dont care about money then by all means w/e.

Yeah good point. There are a lot more vital components I have to assemble for my studio first before I can invest the money in modifying my mpc, so I appreciate your point on establishing workflow with my current setup. Were there any particular components that you purchased that didn't end up getting used much?

Ok, as far as specifics go, about a year ago I got back into music aft about a 4 5 year hiatus. All in all I have been making music for quite a while and have owned quite a few samplers and also computers. I had sold all my gear and was completely out of the "game". Sorry if this is long winded. I decided to get gear together for a new setup. Now there's some stuff I bought and other things I was an inch away from buying that have been/ would have been a mistake. I currently have a setup that incorporates several samplers and a digital multitrack recorder for making my instrumental music. First bad buy was a mixer, and it was 2 fold. 1st I bought a mixer b4 I had settled on what samplers I was gonna use, I got a mixer that had efx with it cuz at the time I thought id use the efx (have still never used em) so I sacrificed on mixer quality for a function I thought I was gonna use. Then shortly aft I realised in my current home situation incorporating a computer in my setup was not going to b cost effective so I went the multitrack route, rendering the mixer I spent 300 dollars on useless. That'shust one example. I also bought a sampler that I thought I was going to b able to incorporate into my setup that never really panned out, another 150 bones. I was 2mins away from spending 250 on a cf reader for my eps16+ but decided a smaller hard drive would b fine ( which only cost 50 bucks) honestly in a year I still havent come close to filling tthe drive I bought. I mean this is a long post sorry about that. Its just to say that in ure case the way u think u will use the mpc may not b how u end up using it at all. I bought an mpc 2000 thinking it would b the central part of my setup and it turns out I only use it for sequencing and drums. I mean a cf reader for an xl as far as I know isn't even really pricey but still I thought id chime in. I mean I know people who have spend like a grand on monitors yet mix in an untreated room. Ultimately doesnt really matter, I just wanted to warn about spending sprees when it comes to gear, I ve made much better purchases when I ve thought them thru, waited, waited some more. I dont want to give you too much to think about but there it is.

Yeah man, that's certainly advice I take on board and it sounds as though you've had quite a bit of experience in unhelpful studio investments. Definitely something I can relate to having made similar investments on a smaller scale. That's why I figured it'd be a good idea to post here to get a real solid idea of how to go about using my MPC for my desired purpose - which is as a standalone sampler outside of my MAC-based recording setup - that is until I feel comfortable enough using the MPC to wish to integrate it into that setup (which is modest at best...).

With that said, as I'd like to try some very basic moving of digital samples from my Macbook to the MPC via floppy disk, for which I'll require an external USB. I'm thinking about the one listed here: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/New-FDD-3-5- ... 3d5&_uhb=1

I'm just wondering what the protocol is in respect to reading/writing program files and small wav audio on 1.44mb floppy disks is on Mac OS X 10.9? I see based on the information above that this drive is only tested/compatible up to OS X version 10.2.
- Based on personal experience, can anyone say whether Mavericks is able to read/write to floppy discs via an external USB FDD?

BUMP
interested in how you go with the usb floppy...
have been looking at the same kit