Post your views and questions about the Akai MPC2500
By pb-sh Sat Apr 29, 2006 10:34 am
If I try to open a midi file created on the MPC in Logic I get a message about New SMPTE frame rate recognized and whether I should use it or not.

Can someone please explain what this means and whether or not I need to change Logic's or the MPC settings. Sorry if it's a bit of a noob question.

tia
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By sensei Sat Apr 29, 2006 11:16 pm
Make sure your tempo in the logic session is the same as the MIDI file tempo. It will open it at wheatever tempo your Logic session is but you are getting this message because it is not the same tempo as the midi file created in the MPC.

By pb-sh Sun Apr 30, 2006 2:27 pm
Tempo in Logic and on the MPC are 170bpm. Both are set to t/sig 4/4, 32nd notes. It makes no difference with regard to the SMPTE frame rate warning.

Image

Maybe it all makes no odds - I can canel the message and the midi file plays ok. But it's annoying and I wish to know what I'm doing wrong, if anything, and what to change to put it right, if it needs putting right.
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By sensei Sun Apr 30, 2006 3:26 pm
Do you have the tempo set as master? When you save a sequence in the 2000xl it saves with the seq tempo regardless of what the master tempo is.

The default seq temp is 120 bpm so when Logic is opening the midi file it is reading a 120bpm temp, which is what is was saved as unless it was altered. So even though you can see 170 BPM in the tempo on the MPC this can be disregarded if it is a master setting.

Try saving the midi file with the tempo in the MPC set to seq setting.

By pb-sh Sun Apr 30, 2006 5:19 pm
Yes, the MPC tempo is set, in this case, at 170. I always set the MPC and Logic tempos identically.

In the case of the file I used to make that screen grab, I did a quick beat at 170 on the MPC. Then I copied the midi beat over to the Mac. Then I loaded Logic, set the tempo in Logic to 170, and imported the midi file.
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By sensei Sun Apr 30, 2006 11:23 pm
Please read my previous post more carefully. There are two ways to set the tempo in an MPC ( I am not 100% sure about the 2500). You can set the tempo to either MASTER or SEQUENCE. In brackets next to the tempo you will see the letters MAS or SEQ. You need to change the tempo to SEQ setting and set it to 170. Even though you have the MAS Tempo set to 170BPM when you save a sequence it will save with the default SEQ setting even though you don't have the SEQ tempo setting seleceted in the main screen. Default SEQ setting is 120BPM and this is what your midi file tempo will be saving with. This is why you are getting an error message in Logic. Even if your tempo is set correctly in MAS tempo setting it won't matter unless you change the tempo in the MPC to SEQ setting and set it to 170BPM before you save the midi file.

By pb-sh Mon May 01, 2006 1:03 pm
sensei wrote:Please read my previous post more carefully.


I did - they were clear as mud. There is no (MAS) or (SEQ) next to the tempo number, hence my last post.

sensei wrote:There are two ways to set the tempo in an MPC ( I am not 100% sure about the 2500). You can set the tempo to either MASTER or SEQUENCE. In brackets next to the tempo you will see the letters MAS or SEQ. You need to change the tempo to SEQ setting and set it to 170. Even though you have the MAS Tempo set to 170BPM when you save a sequence it will save with the default SEQ setting even though you don't have the SEQ tempo setting seleceted in the main screen. Default SEQ setting is 120BPM and this is what your midi file tempo will be saving with. This is why you are getting an error message in Logic. Even if your tempo is set correctly in MAS tempo setting it won't matter unless you change the tempo in the MPC to SEQ setting and set it to 170BPM before you save the midi file.


I would like to be enlightened then in this respect. As far as I can find the manual shows there is one way - adjusting the number next to the little note on the main screen anywhere from 30-300. I can set the track to be either drum or midi, but saving the seq with that at midi makes no odds. Same error message.

The only other tempo setting I can find is for fixing the tempo (press window key when tempo is highlighted) but that seems to be for changing tempos eg globally across sequences. Anyways, just for the sake of it I turned that off and set it to 170 then hit f5 to okay it etc. Same error message.
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By sensei Mon May 01, 2006 1:29 pm
When I assume I make an ass outta U and ME.

Sorry to lead you up the garden path pb-sh. I assumed you were getting error reading for another reason, one that I have seen with Logic when importing a midi file from the 2000xl. I also assumed the 2500 had the same sequencer setup as the 2000xl. :oops:

Perhaps it has something to do with the frame rate that is chosen in the midi setup in logic. If it is set to 24 change it to 25 (What is the default setting in the 2500?) or vice versa. Maybe that will work.

Either way I don't think it is anything that will affect your session or midi file. I would select yes in the Logic window you showed.

By pb-sh Mon May 01, 2006 1:57 pm
sensei wrote:When I assume I make an ass outta U and ME.

Sorry to lead you up the garden path pb-sh. I assumed you were getting error reading for another reason, one that I have seen with Logic when importing a midi file from the 2000xl. I also assumed the 2500 had the same sequencer setup as the 2000xl. :oops:

Perhaps it has something to do with the frame rate that is chosen in the midi setup in logic. If it is set to 24 change it to 25 (What is the default setting in the 2500?) or vice versa. Maybe that will work.

Either way I don't think it is anything that will affect your session or midi file. I would select yes in the Logic window you showed.


Hey, you've been trying to help man, no need to feel bad about that and I appreciate the assistance :-) Not easy helping when you don't have the thing in front of you and harder if you're not totally familiar with the hardware.

Actually syncing the MPC as master in Logic is a nightmare (as slave it runs fine). The 2500 only does midi clock too, rather than MTC or SMPTE. I'm new to the midi side of things as well so that doesn't help.

Thanks for your time tho mang.
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By sensei Mon May 01, 2006 2:11 pm
Yeah man. I was having hell when I first started in Logic coming from Cubase but I eventually got it going and using Midi Beat clock even though I got MTC with the 2000xl.

Say you wanna 4 bar loop, use the pen tool in the timeline at the top and and draw a 4 bar loop. You should see a green translucent bar that covers the time you want looped.

In preferences go to MIDI click on where it say midi syncing or something and select the input as midi clock. Logic as slave. You should be able to get it happening.

Once it syncs with MPC as master it is a nice setup.

I am having considerations about trading my ASR10 and 2000xl so I can get a 2500.

By pb-sh Mon May 01, 2006 3:40 pm
I'll have to read up from the Logic manual as for the life of me I cannot get the MPC as Master.

Slave is fine however.