Post your views and questions about the Akai MPC2500
By del Sat Feb 25, 2006 9:44 pm
whats the deal with the time stretch function, im beginning to think in a dumb ****, i am following the instructions from the manual step by step, but i will be damned if i can get a drum loop to run at the same tempo as any other samples i got loaded up, is there a simpler way, i mean the manual makes it sound real easy but it aint workin atall ?
somebody give me some advice so i can get some healthy beats on the go.
thanks in advance as always, cos yous cats are helping me through this learning curve day by day !!!!
nice 1
Del

www.alltimehigh.co.uk
www.soundclick.com/delsbeats

By filthy mack Sat Feb 25, 2006 10:02 pm
explain in detail what your problem is and then I'm sure someone or myself can help you get to where your going :)

By del Sat Feb 25, 2006 10:18 pm
i will get back at you mate, i need to think how to word it.
thanks for quick reply.
im gonna persevere with it tonight n see if i can get some results

nice 1
Del

By del Sun Feb 26, 2006 11:33 am
ha, im struggling chopping the shit up as well !!! i guess its just gonna take a bit of time. ive only had the machine 2 weeks so i guess im doing fine .
still cant get the time stretch to work. sometimes if i want to stretch to say 96 bpm it ends up super fast . **** knows????
nice 1
Del

www.alltimehigh.co.uk
www.soundclick.com/delsbeats

By _Stilo_ Sun Feb 26, 2006 7:00 pm
del wrote:still cant get the time stretch to work. sometimes if i want to stretch to say 96 bpm it ends up super fast . **** knows????

Sounds as if you're struggling with the Tempo detect... you know you have to set the Original Tempo field right for the timestretch to work correctly? If you determine that automatically by using the "Tempo" button (F2), the MPC computes the tempo assuming it is a 1 bar long sample. So, if it actually spreads over 2 bars you'd have to divide that value manually by two, or the timestretch will give a wrong result.

Still a little tricky to get it exactly matching the sequence however, but maybe this gets you going in the right direction...



Stilo.
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By cyrus Mon Feb 27, 2006 3:35 am
yup. Its annoying cause on the mpc2000xl there was an automatic bpm detect.
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By jahrome Mon Feb 27, 2006 3:44 am
In the 2000XL, the automatic tempo/BPM wasn't really automatic. For it to be accurate, you have to sample drum phrase, edit the sample so it loops correctly, and then use the tempo detection function. (if I recall, you have to set the number of beats or bars..)

The same holds true for the 2500 from my limited experience with it.(minus setting the beats) If you just sample a sound source with editing the loop...the results will be far from accurate.
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By Lampdog Mon Feb 27, 2006 3:47 am
yeah I hate the bpm detect on 2kxl.. i don't use it.
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By cyrus Mon Feb 27, 2006 6:17 am
setting the beats was nice. Sometimes you are not always working with a 4/4 bar. or you are not working with a comlete 1 bar section.

basically you do less math.
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By dablunt Mon Mar 13, 2006 1:37 pm
_Stilo_ wrote:
del wrote:still cant get the time stretch to work. sometimes if i want to stretch to say 96 bpm it ends up super fast . **** knows????

Sounds as if you're struggling with the Tempo detect... you know you have to set the Original Tempo field right for the timestretch to work correctly? If you determine that automatically by using the "Tempo" button (F2), the MPC computes the tempo assuming it is a 1 bar long sample. So, if it actually spreads over 2 bars you'd have to divide that value manually by two, or the timestretch will give a wrong result.

Still a little tricky to get it exactly matching the sequence however, but maybe this gets you going in the right direction...



Stilo.




So...... In this situation, do you have to specifiy the amount of bars from the Main Sequence Window? Or do you specify the amount of bars in the TimeStretch options?

Ta.

By del Mon Mar 13, 2006 5:30 pm
i think for the tempo detect to work you need to be measuring a 1 bar loop, no longer, so if you measuring a 2 bar u need to half it, i think !!!!

nice 1
Del

By _Stilo_ Mon Mar 13, 2006 5:42 pm
dablunt wrote:
_Stilo_ wrote:Sounds as if you're struggling with the Tempo detect... you know you have to set the Original Tempo field right for the timestretch to work correctly? If you determine that automatically by using the "Tempo" button (F2), the MPC computes the tempo assuming it is a 1 bar long sample. So, if it actually spreads over 2 bars you'd have to divide that value manually by two, or the timestretch will give a wrong result.


So...... In this situation, do you have to specifiy the amount of bars from the Main Sequence Window? Or do you specify the amount of bars in the TimeStretch options?

Ta.


No, you can't tell the MPC how many bars your sample takes. You have to divide the tempo it gives you by yourself. For example, you know your sample is 2 bars long, the MPC Tempo Detect gives a tempo of 140 BPM, then you set your sequence to 70 BPM and 2 bars. It still isn't accurate however, you will have to tweak it a little to fit perfectly.
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By jahrome Mon Mar 13, 2006 6:20 pm
I think you guys may have been using this function wrong/incorrectly/inefficiently. I don't have an MPC 2000XL at home anymore but from memory.......

You sample a loop..lets say 4 bars. Next you edit it so that it loops perfectly. When you use the tempo detect function..you have to set the number of beats(if I am using the correct terminology) correctly in order for the MPC to show the correct tempo. Since I was sampling mostly hip-hop and R&B loops...I know that the tempos are usually between 80-100. So if the tempo didn't show in the range, I had to adjust the number of beats correctly in order for the correct tempo to show. Next, you can set your 4 bar sequence to the same tempo as the sample, and it should play it back perfectly(once recorded into the sequence). You may have to tweak it slightly..but should get pretty accurate results. I have never had any issues with this function.