Technical questions for the MPC2000xl and the MPC2000
By Nehemiah Tue Jul 12, 2005 4:27 am
Whats up mpc fam i wanted to know if i creata song on the mpc will i be able to insert the program changes into the sequence or will i have to create separate sequences in order to accomplish thih for example...

I create a 8 bar intro/verse and i have the piano playing the chords and the melody then i get ready to transition to the chours and i want to have the chords change up would i create two diffrent sequences with program changes or would i do one whole song and insert the program cahnges that way? i hope you understand where i'm going with this.

By VanFanel Tue Jul 12, 2005 5:11 am
You would have to have 2 different "Chords" so that one would have the normal pitch, and the other would have the changed up pitch.



Game...
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By McSmooth Tue Jul 12, 2005 6:09 am
The question didn't make much sense. You mentioned program changes, are you trying to change programs on the MPC or on an external unit? Typically with internal sounds, you keep them the same per track on the MPC. With external midi, you can insert a program change to send to an external device anywhere you want in a track. This would allow you to switch sounds of an external unit on the same midi channel at any point. You would want to remember to also have a program change back to the original at the start of the track.

By Nehemiah Tue Jul 12, 2005 6:37 am
My bad for the senseless ?...Okay here it is...do i create six different sequences and insert the program changes then create the song, or can i create the song then insert the individual program change's
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By McSmooth Tue Jul 12, 2005 6:44 am
Still not sure what your using program changes for. When you say that are you referring to steps in song mode? Really have to specify what exactly you are trying to do as the term "program change" typically has to do with a midi message that changes sound banks.

If you are referring to song mode, sequences and songs are seperate. Usually you create your sequences first, then align them in song mode later. However, you can always make changes to the sequences later if you would like and the changes will take affect on the song.

By politeone Tue Jul 12, 2005 2:55 pm
Hey bro, i haven't dealt w/prgm changes but i'm thinking its not even what u need to do.. i suggest u let us know exactly what gear your using and what exactly your trying to accomplish. If all you want to do is change up the piano chord then u have to replay it in a seperate sequence as whatever the new idea is and have them be diff. parts.. if u r keeping the exact same chord info but with another sound maybe that is where ur saying u need a program change. just making sure i understand ur question. i use my mpc w/triton so if u have similar set up i can help u.

By Nehemiah Tue Jul 12, 2005 4:39 pm
whats up politeone thtas where i'm going...but i'm using the fantom xr and es6....say i have the paino and the chords going in the intro and then verse 1 comes and i want the main paino melody to drop out but the chords to keep playing along with a guitar would i insert a program change for this and would i have to do this for the following 4 sequences or could i create one long beat I.E. Song and insert the program changes into it....man i hope that was clear.
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By McSmooth Wed Jul 13, 2005 1:47 am
Have you tried it yet? You can insert a program change anywhere you'd like using the step sequence mode. So you can either have it be just in the begining of a certain small sequence, or in the middle of an entire song contained in one big sequence. Just drop the program change where you need it (just try it, its easy).

The other way to do what you want is set up your sound module for a multi so that it has multiple sounds set up for different midi channels. Then you don't need any program changes and can play both piano and guitar at the same time (just set the specified midi chanel for the specified instrument on each track). You need to know how to setup multis on your phantom though, so if not, just pick up the manual, should be pretty easy. (i use a xv-5050, so if they are set up similarly its not too hard).

Also, if you have a chance, can you check out my question to you in the "Card Reader" thread you started? Thanks bro.
By S.O.U.L.-O. Wed Jul 13, 2005 7:47 am
I kinda have the same Q/A, but my prob. is that I've used all 4 program banks and I want to add another sample prgm. chromaticly scaled out and incorporate it in my track. So can I do a mid sequence or song prgm change or am I gonna have to freak it someother way?
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By Lampdog Wed Jul 13, 2005 4:23 pm
S.O.U.L.-O. wrote:I kinda have the same Q/A, but my prob. is that I've used all 4 program banks and I want to add another sample prgm. chromaticly scaled out and incorporate it in my track. So can I do a mid sequence or song prgm change or am I gonna have to freak it someother way?


XL has 4 active programs but can hold 26 in memory, "MPC3000" a while back explianed that you CAN access those extra programs via program changes in step edit at the beginning of the sequence. You;ll have to search for that thread. I've never done it. I should do it huh. I will.
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By McSmooth Wed Jul 13, 2005 8:36 pm
There is a feature on the main MPC screen for doing this easily that I think a lot of people never use. You know the field on the main Seq page that says "Pgm:"? You can use that as the program change which is sent out when the track is first played. You should be able to see how this is very helpful as you know what program is going to be played and dont have to guess if the midi command is in the sequence.

If you want to select your drums this way, you need to first set the MIDI program change parameter to the value you want (you do this in the progam area when you go to rename a program). This can be confusing as most people do not set this value for their programs and it defaults to 1. You would need to have a unique value for each program loaded in memory for it to work correctly. I try to keep a list of all my programs and a specific program change number of each, that way there are no conflicts, and makes it easier to use multiple drum kits. Very important when playing live and you actually need to have tons of programs loaded up at once.

Oh and not that it matters, but its only 24 in memory, not 26 :wink:
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By Lampdog Wed Jul 13, 2005 10:22 pm
24, my muthafreakin bad, haha.

By politeone Thu Jul 14, 2005 3:51 pm
Yo i could be dense here.. but i think all u need to do bro is set up your programming efficiently. i.e. Keep piano on one track guitar on another track etc. so if all you want to do is drop something out or use exact same midi info with diff instrument.. u just copy the sequence to a NEW sequence and name them like: intro, verse1, chorus..etc.. that way in the program field.. u change it to the midi channel u r using on ur gear (looks like u got multichannel gear); and change that channel to the right sound u want to hear .. that is after you've copied the sequence or track to where u want it. all u might need to do is mute a certain part on the copied sequence (see track muting) i'd first get really comfy with copying tracks and sequences and seperating all instruments into individual tracks and then play with chaining what u want in song mode using mutes etc.. i hope that is what u r asking.
btwn all the responses on here should be what u need.. its hard to know without conversation or bein in the same room on stuff like this i know.
good luck bro