Unofficial modifications or beta OS

mrfaia wrote:That's cool "D"! and since you brought up the subject of sysex, What do you think of the ability for the MPC to actually store Sysex dumps from other gear and the ability to store everything in a single file?

You can already do this, you just have to save the dump as a sequence. I was more refering to the mpc's internal sampler and how it responded to sysex. There are four sysex messages to control the internal mixer (pan, individual volume, stereo volume, and efx send). These messgaes work while recording but not during play back. What I would like is to set up my 1600x fader box so I could control the volume of the samples during play back for live use (to mute and unmute samples).

I rock that 1.72. like most 2000 owners. I came to terms with the MPCthe first month I had it. It's not a fully functioning sampler, end of story. Neither is the XL, folks. Bottom line. There are just certain things you can't do, like sequence the same sample w/ ployphony in Note Off mode, etc.
...Stuff you can do with most rackmount samplers. It's the OVERALL feature set that makes it intuitive, slick, and creative in one box.
For all the stuff you listed, you really need a 4000, like you said
Dogs, I do believe that the drawbacks and shortcomings of a particular beat making steeze are what gives you use as opportunity to be craetive and recourcefull, IE, Pete Rizzock squeezing a coupla extra seconds out of the SP1200. I am positive that many experienced 2000 owners like myself can do amazing ish with the unit. 4000 is the ish tho'!!!

I don't get it, how do you save a sysex dump from another piece of gear as a sequence? I mean, with all the program selections and everything that is vender specific to that synth?

trupro wrote:I rock that 1.72. like most 2000 owners. I came to terms with the MPCthe first month I had it. It's not a fully functioning sampler, end of story. Neither is the XL, folks. Bottom line. There are just certain things you can't do, like sequence the same sample w/ ployphony in Note Off mode, etc.

i hear ya bro, and good point. of course not all those things are going to be implemented and i would never expect them to be... but if nobody said anything what good would that do? even if just some of the editing/sequencing stresses could be lifted, it would make the 2k & 2kxl more valuable + enjoyable to use.

the only thing that beats a failure, is a try.

1-0ne

p.s the least we can hope for is that AKAI will make a press release/public statement about why it can't or will not update the OS.

mrfaia wrote:I don't get it, how do you save a sysex dump from another piece of gear as a sequence? I mean, with all the program selections and everything that is vender specific to that synth?

Thats the beauty of sysex. Midi out from the machine you want to dump the sysex from. Set it up to dump, and then start recording on the mpc (turn the loop repeat off). The mpc will record all the sysex messages as a sequence track.

You can also write sysex messages in the step edit screen of the mpc by using the insert button (same as using a control change).

I had to figure all this out by trial and error as I have never found a good book that explains midi without either being too basic or too technical.

One thing to add: the only synth I use to do sysex dumps is my Sequential Circuits Six-Track which has a suprisingly good midi spec (Sequential invented midi and this is one of the first synths to use it). I generally program all my Sysex messages on my 1600x, which is a real nice thing to have, especially since the Six-Track only has one knob for all control changes!

"the least we can hope for is that AKAI will make a press release/public statement about why it can't or will not update the OS"

They have. Take your pick from:
"There is no more room in the OS" or
"It is finished and there are no more bugs"


"There are four sysex messages to control the internal mixer (pan, individual volume, stereo volume, and efx send). These messgaes work while recording but not during play back. What I would like is to set up my 1600x fader box so I could control the volume of the samples during play back for live use (to mute and unmute samples)."

I've used this with the MPC and the PC1600. I do recall it working but it was a very long time ago.

mpc3000 wrote:"
They have. Take your pick from:
"There is no more room in the OS" or
"It is finished and there are no more bugs"

humm good point. perhaps we should phrase it different.

like..

the least we can do is have AKAI address the issue by making a public statement/press release responding to our inquiry about further OS development.


about the sysex messages, i have a midi box so i'm going to have to try that myself to see. hehe if it's already a feature that would be something i've never thought of using.

1-0ne

-{n8}- wrote:
about the sysex messages, i have a midi box so i'm going to have to try that myself to see. hehe if it's already a feature that would be something i've never thought of using.

1-0ne

if you are able to make it work, let me know... There is always the chance that I was doing something wrong.

OK, I just shot off the e-mail to the engineer at Akai that I spoke with earlier this week. I mentioned my idea of how to possibly get around the Flash space limits (I was hoping for some more creative input in that area), a few of the updates that we gave input on and I left him a link to this thread for more details. So from here on out be on your best behavior since we could be having guest drop by...

I would like to add more features
-ability to resample your sequence/live
-ability to multi layer in one pad
-timestretch live
-assign track mute on the pads then when you over dub it actually mutes (automation)
-add a lil bit more resolution.... maybe 100 per pqqn more.
-and wtf is the use of 2nd sequence

mrfaia wrote:(I was hoping for some more creative input in that area),

did you mention the idea we had about a disk-booting OS? that one would require no hardware at all and would be the most feasible to implement but again like mpc3000 stated before it would put them in a position to have protection for piracy (if the OS were to be sold of course).

descartes wrote:
if you are able to make it work, let me know... There is always the chance that I was doing something wrong.

got no idea how to do this. i was just using a Oxygen 8 to assign a CC# but i guess that's not exactly the same thing. if anyone else can confirm that function or if mpc3000 can give us a run through of the process that would be most helpful.

1-0ne

No I didn't mention the disk booting OS because I didn't feel it would resolve the issue of there not being enough room for the OS on the MPC. It was important to address thiss issue because without addressing it and finding a solution to getting around technical limitations there's no need in requesting anything else because there's no way to implement it. We're telling Akai what we want; Akai is telling us it can't be done because there's a problem with storing a new OS ... let's help them get around the problem that's keeping them from implementing any new OS's and then focus on the requests for a better OS, at that point it would be much deserved.

well what kind of suggestions were you looking for in the way of the flashrom upgrade? how the OS would be loaded from the space or how it operates?

i know you mentioned having it load features as they are requested. if that was going on you could have different setups as templates such as "live" "midi controller" "drum tracks" "chops" "master" or "session" aside from the regular "default blank program". you could load the template with all the features you need without taxing the memory by loading the whole OS every time it boots (say if you are just using the sequencer imagine the space you’d save by not loading the trim editor or recorder?) . each one would have the program assignments and the default sequence settings setup already (mixer settings, pre assigned track midi channels, fx to pads, individual default name and sequence setups and changes in program preset... user adjustable of course).

as for the technical stuff i have no clue but i do know that if the space is the problem than more space is the solution.

1-0ne

p.s one other thing I wanted to point out as well

take a look at what mpc3000 said about an empty ROM socket on the mpc2000xl motherboard.

http://www.mpc2000xl.com/mainboard.htm



"This is possibly for a Boot ROM (not used). The jumper just above it selects whether to boot from the Flash BOOT ROM or a ROM installed here."

is this infact a rom slot we can use to store the new OS? if so, it would be easy to configure the mpc to bypass the internal flashrom. all then that would be required is the code alteration. so really isn’t the question now just finding a rom with the space required for the update? does the 2k have something similar?

Well... The MPC (non XL) doesn't have the advantage of this slot. I wish I knew what the specs are for the bus that connects the 8mb flash card.

This guy is serious about this ish, huh? Let's remember that the
2000 'classic' IS a disk boot OS system. There is no flash rom unless you install after purchase. I applaud your efforts, and I can run down at least a dozen drawbacks of my 2000 that are indeed easliy remedied. But, I gotta say, only an independant programmer will do this. I feel that Akai's product support is weak, and thus would be nonexistant on a machine they no longer manufacture. It's also called "Planned Obselescence" It's why the Hummer looks OK, and the H2 looks alot better. It's why the 2000 has no samplerate conversion, and the XL does. I will ask the head of sales for Akai's America division if he can suggest anything. He's an engineer as well, and can at least shed some more light on specialists that would be serious about helping the thousands of producers who use the 2000 & 2000XL. Although I do not have an XL, I feel they should have at least added sample-in-play, for cats who don't have recording gear, to track in live inst. samples while a sequence is playing. The 4000 has it, why not us? PLANNED OBSELESCENCE DOG. I would be VERY interested if I could hoop out my 2000 to fully support XL files down to the number, so other producers didn't have to bring thier XL to my crib. That shit is wearing on my 8 channel snake, man!