Easy file transfer

Hey! Longtime akai user- mpc 2000xl, s2000, and s20. I've always loved them.

So anyways- I recently bought an mpc live and I'm wondering what the best way to transfer samples from older computers, Mac and pc. I searched the forums and it seems like a lot of people use an sd card or formatted USB drives.

Basically, there are hours of vintage recorded synths and drum machines I've collected over the years on a pc running windows xp and a MacBook Pro from about 8 years ago. It would be ideal for me to edit them on the mpc instead of the computers, but is that efficient? They are massive files, mostly 24/96, but I can convert if necessary. I would love to jut dump them on a couple large sized external drives or something so I don't have to keep turning on my computers. I'm all hardware these days, and really just hate even looking at cubase these days.

I don't know- like I said, I'm really interested in what's the best way, or the easiest way to do it. I'm pretty terrible with file management, so most of my "archives" are just giant files where I would go thru a 909 or an akai ax60 and sample every sound variation into one very long track. Just so I could keep the tones backed up.

Let me know any suggestions, thanks!

Load files to a thumb drive and try loading up the MPC programs. Also try the MPC Expansion Builder which allows you to create your own sample pack.

Back to the beats.

Get a big SD card and put your stuff on there. Make a smart folder hierarchy and make use of the favourite folders in the browser on the mpc live to get quickly go to your sounds.

Not sure if programs from the 2000xl will load on a live though, just find out by trying

Totally doable with the MPC, but esp. when editing longer files, it is faster and more convenient with an actual audio editor on the computer.
So I'd edit them on the computer, put the files on a card/HD and load them with the MPC.

Himelstein wrote:Hey! Longtime akai user- mpc 2000xl, s2000, and s20. I've always loved them.

So anyways- I recently bought an mpc live and I'm wondering what the best way to transfer samples from older computers, Mac and pc. I searched the forums and it seems like a lot of people use an sd card or formatted USB drives.

Basically, there are hours of vintage recorded synths and drum machines I've collected over the years on a pc running windows xp and a MacBook Pro from about 8 years ago. It would be ideal for me to edit them on the mpc instead of the computers, but is that efficient? They are massive files, mostly 24/96, but I can convert if necessary. I would love to jut dump them on a couple large sized external drives or something so I don't have to keep turning on my computers. I'm all hardware these days, and really just hate even looking at cubase these days.

I don't know- like I said, I'm really interested in what's the best way, or the easiest way to do it. I'm pretty terrible with file management, so most of my "archives" are just giant files where I would go thru a 909 or an akai ax60 and sample every sound variation into one very long track. Just so I could keep the tones backed up.

Let me know any suggestions, thanks!

I hear you, mate. Same here, long time user of Cubase, since the early 80's on Atari/Amiga.

I installed a TB SSD into the MPC as soon as I found out you could. I figured, if they provided for it, they probably wanted you to keep your own stuff in your own space. The drive is basically filled to the brim, and so I skipped things that I probably would never use again (from older projects) and if I absolutely could not live without, I can just connect an external USB drive and load them. I have not yet, and it's been 3 years, so.

Anyway, if I understand your question correctly, then yes, you can do this, HOWEVER...

As far as is currently known, your samples will be converted from the original format, to the "native" format, at least for now. This format uses 32-bit FP samples.

This means that larger samples cannot be loaded into the X/Live (I have an X, so that's where I am viewing this from) because of the 2 GB RAM. With larger samples I am referring *approximately* to a bit less than a audio CD's worth. Since such a CD is about 650 MB, and what a little less is exactly I have not measured, I would say that anything more than that, it will not load. At least I have not successfully loaded a 59 minute WAV from an audio CD.

The limitation itself is probably not due to RAM (well, obviously it is what is hard limiting the process) but likely the conversion of original formats to 32-bit, which in your case, is an general increase of 1/3 or 33%. That is just taking the bit depth into account. For the CD above this is a pointless increase of 50% in file size.

I haven't even bothered to look into the sample rate which, according to hardware specs, has a range of the values 44.1, 48 and 96, but I don't know what the actual software rate is set at. I just assumed that these devices are running at either 44.1 or 48 by default. Either or, doesn't really matter, since everything is derived to FP and gets mangled pretty quickly.

Good enough for me, at this point in life. My hearing is probably in worse decline than digital.

I have since gone back to using a lot of different synthesizers. I have tons of keyboards and modules, gathered over the years, and so the quality from them is more or less transparent. Some weren't even great to begin with, but that's what makes their character.

i thought about doing that and said **** it. there is no way i am going to browse through years old folders of shit on the live. on the other hand, i did drop a pile of vinyl album rips on there.. and some basic meat and potato stuff like the drum machine collection with all the old drum machines...

i find myself throwing a bunch of stuff to check out on a USB key every now and then... sort through a batch of stuff on the live and sample what ever is useful... then dump the rest.

Thanks for all your replies! This has been extremely helpful. Hopefully my computers aren't too old to support the akai software. Can you format anything from the unit itself?

I noticed on the akai website it shows that you can transfer files from older os's to drives without loading the software. But how could this be without formatting the drive using the software? I seriously don't want to install the software or connect my live as a controller.

Thanks again for all the help!

Himelstein wrote:Thanks for all your replies! This has been extremely helpful. Hopefully my computers aren't too old to support the akai software. Can you format anything from the unit itself?

You can, but it's not recommended. Don't worry about the internal memory and formatting that for now i'd say.

I noticed on the akai website it shows that you can transfer files from older os's to drives without loading the software. But how could this be without formatting the drive using the software? I seriously don't want to install the software or connect my live as a controller.

You don't need the software. Get an SD card and reader to connect to your USB port, then you put your desired sample on the card and put the card in the MPC. Go to the browser to load them.

Himelstein wrote:Thanks for all your replies! This has been extremely helpful. Hopefully my computers aren't too old to support the akai software. Can you format anything from the unit itself?

I noticed on the akai website it shows that you can transfer files from older os's to drives without loading the software. But how could this be without formatting the drive using the software? I seriously don't want to install the software or connect my live as a controller.

Thanks again for all the help!

I am not sure how older MPC's work, but if it's anything like the current ones (X is all I know) then a Program is just a file with surrounding sample files. These files can be copied simply as files into a folder (or the root, if you so desire) and then loaded into the X standalone.

You can connect to a computer without using the Akai "connect", and the drives will appear just like any other USB drives. Then you could grab files from the computer (as long as you can get the files from the previous MPC's to the computer, of course) and copy them onto YOUR drives.

By your drives I mean the internal SSD and the front loaded flash card. Both of which you have to provide.

When disconnected from the computer, you can then load any of the files (as long as they would be compatible, of course) into the MPC memory (RAM).

bees80 wrote:

Himelstein wrote:Thanks for all your replies! This has been extremely helpful. Hopefully my computers aren't too old to support the akai software. Can you format anything from the unit itself?

You can, but it's not recommended. Don't worry about the internal memory and formatting that for now i'd say.

I noticed on the akai website it shows that you can transfer files from older os's to drives without loading the software. But how could this be without formatting the drive using the software? I seriously don't want to install the software or connect my live as a controller.

You don't need the software. Get an SD card and reader to connect to your USB port, then you put your desired sample on the card and put the card in the MPC. Go to the browser to load them.

Ok, so just using a basic (unformatted) Sandisk 16gig card- all I need to do is drag and drop wavs from my computer onto it, then take it out, put it in the mpc live, and I can load them?

Yep! Easy as that. I think you can also just put that SD card in the MPC and connect your mpc via the UBS cable to your computer > your computer will then see it as an external drive (just like you would just input an SD card).

But like I said before: I can recommend to make a smart folder hierarchy for your samples that works for you, so you can go through your files fast.

Also make use of the 5 favourite folders for quick acces. With the big rotation knob you can scroll to the samples per folder and once selected it will autoplay.

Good luck!