How do you convert your drum sounds to mono on the 3000?

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How do you convert your drum sounds to mono on the 3000?

By BoyOfVirtue Wed Jan 20, 2016 3:59 am
Most of the time, drums sound better in mono. Unfortunately, there is no way to convert the L+R channels into one mono sample, as is possible on other MPCs.

So with that being said, how do you work around this? The closest thing I've found is to copy the sample, delete one channel from each sample and then set a pad up to trigger both copies simultaneously.

Is this generally how it's done? Anybody have any other tricks they'd be willing to share?

Re: How do you convert your drum sounds to mono on the 3000?

By BoyOfVirtue Sat Jan 23, 2016 3:51 am
acid kalle wrote:just sample them in mono!


Yeah but that's only one side of the sample....I was hoping to find a way to convert L+R channels into one mono channel. Doesn't seem like that's possible within the 3000 BUT! I have an idea....

Could I set my patchbay up with a Y-cable (eg: Image) and use that for when I want to record my dj mixer's output in mono? Is this feasible?

Re: How do you convert your drum sounds to mono on the 3000?

By BoyOfVirtue Mon Jan 25, 2016 2:22 pm
JAYCEE3K wrote:Am I missing something, what's the problem with summing source to mono first and then sampling in mono?


Of course that would definitely work but I don't believe I have a way of summing my stereo channels to mono. This is normally done via a mixer, no? Or how does one normally sum a stereo source to mono?

Re: How do you convert your drum sounds to mono on the 3000?

By JAYCEE3K Mon Jan 25, 2016 10:12 pm
BoyOfVirtue wrote:
JAYCEE3K wrote:Am I missing something, what's the problem with summing source to mono first and then sampling in mono?


Of course that would definitely work but I don't believe I have a way of summing my stereo channels to mono. This is normally done via a mixer, no? Or how does one normally sum a stereo source to mono?

Yes it would require a mixer of some sort.

But if you're sampling in stereo and then trying to make mono output from within the 3k I don't see how copying the sample and muting opposing channel on each, and then triggering both simultaneously would NOT still be stereo.

Re: How do you convert your drum sounds to mono on the 3000?

By BoyOfVirtue Tue Jan 26, 2016 5:21 am
JAYCEE3K wrote:
BoyOfVirtue wrote:
JAYCEE3K wrote:Am I missing something, what's the problem with summing source to mono first and then sampling in mono?


Of course that would definitely work but I don't believe I have a way of summing my stereo channels to mono. This is normally done via a mixer, no? Or how does one normally sum a stereo source to mono?

Yes it would require a mixer of some sort.

But if you're sampling in stereo and then trying to make mono output from within the 3k I don't see how copying the sample and muting opposing channel on each, and then triggering both simultaneously would NOT still be stereo.


Well, the very definition of stereo is when the Left & Right channels are outputting different parts of the same sound. If you copy the sample, convert each side of the sample to mono and trigger simultaneously, both channels are gonna be outputting the same sound....ie: monophonic sound.

I spoke to one of the pro audio guys at the music store today and he couldn't really give me a reason why using a Y-cable wouldn't work...just that "using a cable to do the job of a mixer" wasn't a good idea. I bought the cable anyway and I could see him shaking his head as I left :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

I'll see if this works and post up some A/B comparisons for everyone. Who knows, maybe this will work
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Re: How do you convert your drum sounds to mono on the 3000?

By Wal Martian Tue Jan 26, 2016 3:44 pm
BoyOfVirtue wrote:Well, the very definition of stereo is when the Left & Right channels are outputting different parts of the same sound.

L and R channels of a stereo sound aren't necessarily different parts. Take a mono pressing of a beatles album (beatles recorded alot in mono) and play it on a stereo setup and you will hear a stereo image of a monophonic song. Or make a mono sine wave in your daw, and play back in stereo, you get a sine wave from both speakers, lower dB than from just one speaker because of the pan law.

Re: How do you convert your drum sounds to mono on the 3000?

By BoyOfVirtue Tue Jan 26, 2016 7:33 pm
Wal Martian wrote:Thru patchbay or direct, a Y cable won't sum the two audio channels. One channel will come through and one will not.


Damn you're no fun :lol:

Wal Martian wrote:
BoyOfVirtue wrote:Well, the very definition of stereo is when the Left & Right channels are outputting different parts of the same sound.

L and R channels of a stereo sound aren't necessarily different parts. Take a mono pressing of a beatles album (beatles recorded alot in mono) and play it on a stereo setup and you will hear a stereo image of a monophonic song. Or make a mono sine wave in your daw, and play back in stereo, you get a sine wave from both speakers, lower dB than from just one speaker because of the pan law.


Well yeah, but that's with a monophonic pressing.....if that beatles record were recorded in stereo, the L channel output would most likely be different than the R channel output. I'm talking for drum breaks or drum sounds that are recorded in stereo and sound punchier--in my opinion--when summed to mono, as is possible in my 2500.


It's totally possible you're right about the Y-cable not working, I am away from my MPC and haven't tried it yet. But I'm still hopeful :-D I'll be back tomorrow and upload an A/B comparison
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Re: How do you convert your drum sounds to mono on the 3000?

By Wal Martian Tue Jan 26, 2016 9:22 pm
BoyOfVirtue wrote: I'm talking for drum breaks or drum sounds that are recorded in stereo and sound punchier

Right, 2 mic recordings are true stereo. 1 mic played over two speakers is a stereo representation of a mono signal.
BoyOfVirtue wrote:It's totally possible you're right about the Y-cable not working,

To see if it's working try unplugging the red cable from your patchbay, plug it back in, then unplug the grey cable, and plug it back in. One should silence any sound coming through, the other should have no effect.
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