Unofficial modifications or beta OS

oh just thought of another few things.

support for sf and maybe other formats.

assign samples to notes from the midi input instead of just the pads.

the ability to set your own default programs/settings.

Doesn't number two work already? Just assign the midi note you want to the pads, then the samples to the pads with the midi notes you want.

well to be more specific i mean when you load a wav/snd and the "assign note" is listed... you can press a pad and there is a new note value assigned to that sound. i think it would be handy if you could do it with a keyboard or another midi device.

i do get what you are saying though cause i've done a few pgms up like that all chromatically correct in in order of pad numbers. in case you didn't want it in that exact order (chopped samples sectioned off along the keyboard) with some types on black keys to the white, or you have some other midi device with a weird midi output arrangement... etc.

and now that we are on that topic.. one more pops in my head

16 level with outboard midi gear


1-0ne

"from my understanding, there is absolutely no room for any new OS features because the flash chip that stores the OS has no resources left to spare."

Who says this? Akai? How convenient. There are very few people in the world that can actually check this answer.

mpc3000-
in your opinion, couldn't the older (non-xl) os be upgraded (by a 3rd party) seeing how its os isnt stored in the flash rom but on disk? Furthermore, couldnt some features be dropped (like timestretch, which is much easier to do on a computer) to add others on the xl os?
you seem to know much more about this than i do...

maybe a flash chip update for 100$ or something then just let a third party to make an os update!!!!!

Like say multi layering in one pad.
abilility to resample whats in your sequence.
timestretching while playing sequence.



man theres a ton of shit I can think of.

When I started this thread, I wasn't looking to debate with anyone about the technicalities of what should & shouldn't be considered an upgrade and the why not's to Akai providing continued support. just wanted to know if it was possible and exhaust my resources before throwing in the towel and buying the newer model. I'm poor and buying a new or used XL would be a big sacrafice right now. I'm sorry if I lost my focus but I definately appreciate all the feedback. I'm looking forward to choppin' it up with you guys on some future discussions. In the meanwhile, I've come to the conclussion that I really need to just find the time to do a few hustles and get the $$$ for the XL. By the way, anybody want to buy a MPC2000 with a few scratches on it, 1 year old LCD and an Ext. SCSI ZIP 100 drive ?

mrfaia wrote:When I started this thread, I wasn't looking to debate with anyone about the technicalities of what should & shouldn't be considered an upgrade and the why not's to Akai providing continued support. just wanted to know if it was possible and exhaust my resources before throwing in the towel and buying the newer model. I'm poor and buying a new or used XL would be a big sacrafice right now. I'm sorry if I lost my focus but I definately appreciate all the feedback. I'm looking forward to choppin' it up with you guys on some future discussions. In the meanwhile, I've come to the conclussion that I really need to just find the time to do a few hustles and get the $$$ for the XL. By the way, anybody want to buy a MPC2000 with a few scratches on it, 1 year old LCD and an Ext. SCSI ZIP 100 drive ?

do you really need to sell it? why isnt it working for you? ive been using a non-xl for years and love it?. if you want a better sampler w/ timestretch or whatever, the old rack mounts are going for very little money right now. because of its continued popularity the mpc2000xl will stay expensive, but for less you $ you could get a much better rack sampler and then sequence from your mpc2000.
also, you do have os ver1.72, right?

You know, the more I go over this and being honest with myself, I just wish I had better file management. I wish I could create folders and have long file names and then I can find all my joints. At one time I had built a SCSI tower case with a ZIP100, CD-ROM and 3 HDD and connected it to the MPC2000. But, I'm a backup fiend and it was not possible for me to just connect my SCSI tower case to the SCSI adapter on my PC and backup my stuff to CD-RW for fear that my stuff would get wiped out because I had the HDD particianed (Like A,B,C,D..etc.) I don't care to use zips and floppies as backups becuase they go bad and can be easily erased. So now I work strictly with the Zip and I copy the contents to my HDD to be burned to CD later on. I can back up my work, it's just more steps involved. I like how much faster my work loaded from HDD. As for Outboard gear; I have a Roland JV-1010 and a second PC I built and use strictly as a VST Instrument host running V-Stack and a TON of VSTi's. This has been the best move yet because I'm doing my sequencing and drums on the MPC, I have no latency issues (I'm using an Audiophile 24/96 card) and and the sound quaility is knockin'. Anyone needing help setting one up, hit me back. But I digress, I'm going to get the XL. I may even sell one of my laptops to get.

Oh yeah... I am running ver. 1.72. I ran into this cat online who claims he has a 1.74 beta and he e-mailed it to me. When I loaded it, it was ver. 1.71 (1998). Ver. 1.72 came out in 1999. I told him about it and told him to take his time, I'm in no rush. I personally don't think he knew what he had however, I appreciate the brotha's time spent on my behalf.

Even if it was possible for a 3rd party to modify/update an older MPC's operating system, it will likely not happen for the MPC2000 series. Piracy is the number one issue. The only reason for someone to update an OS would be to make money on it, otherwise the technical expertise use to do such a feat is better used making big $$ elsewhere.

The primary reason people still buy the MPC60 V3 OS is that they cannot pirate the V3 OS ROM's. The MPC2000(XL) does not use boot ROM's. To create a new OS for the MPC2000(XL) would be in effect to sell a new OS on a floppy. This would in turn get pirated away and leave the creator with little incentive to support or continue development.

The only alternative is to do it for free. As much as I love the MPC2k series, I would not do it for free. Like I mentioned, the same expertise used to (re)write an MPC OS is also worth big $$ in the market (it's called embeddded programming).

mpc3000 wrote:
The only alternative is to do it for free. As much as I love the MPC2k series, I would not do it for free. Like I mentioned, the same expertise used to (re)write an MPC OS is also worth big $$ in the market (it's called embeddded programming).

thats just what I didnt want to hear, but I figured as much. I can say something along the line of "i would pay for it" but you are right, people would pirate it and no one would make money off it.

oh well...

would it be possible for AKAI or some organization (donations or some other means) to sponsor a programmer? that way they get money up front plus a commission from the sales.

just a thought...

1-0ne

oh and we make everyone that buys the new OS pledge not to give it away

or even personalize each OS with a serial number/user name embedded in the coding so we can trace it back to the original purchaser (open the version screen and that info will be listed there or even hide it somewhere and not tell anyone where the encripted serial is printed).

Can't you make an uncopyable disk that only has a one time use?

Perhaps something that tells the computer to erase the disk if you try to copy it?

I know The EMAX had a one time use only disk for the SE upgrade, but you could copy it before you used it and then use it.

Just a thought.

those sound like good ideas, but you have to remember the problem: whoever does it will be spending time and money on what will be, in the end, a labor of love. there are qicker and easier ways to make money than making and then marketing an os for a defunct sampler/sequencer, regardless of the size of the potential user base.

the way to do it would be for a large group of mpc users to band together and hire someone: like say 4000 people give ten bucks a piece: im sure someone would do it for forty grand

but the next problem will be: what should the upgrade be like? 4000 people may have 4000 different ideas of how the new os should be...
and how do you show those 4000 people that you are not just running a scam?