3 BASIC DOUBTS : 16 LEVELS, MIDI SET UP AND CUBASE DOWLOAD

Hello
My name is Nuria and I am new in the MPC1000.I love this little machine but I am clumsy when dealing with electronic devices.Here there are my questions.If any of you could help me, I´d appreciate it.Thanks in advance for reading this message.

1.I have a Roland SH32 sound module and an Evolution keyboard connected to my MPC1000.The connection is correct ( keyboard´s MIDI OUT to MPC´S MIDI IN and MPC´s MIDI OUT into sound module´s MIDI IN ).Everything is set up in channel 1.Well, I cannot play the sound modules sound in the MPC1000 even though I select type: MIDI IN and SYNCH CHANNEL: 1. What can I do then?

2.When I press 16 levels, the 16 levels are not played in the keyboard.The sounds that I can play are the Program´s ones without the 16 levels function.What can I do?

3.How do I download a PROJECT file into a software 16-track software workstation such as CUBASE or COOL EDIT? Will it download in different tracks or all in once?

Thank you,
Nuria

1. Make sure the settings on all machines match. Set up a simple sequence with the first track using an MPC Program (drum kit). Your controller should be sending MIDI to the MPC so when you hit a key, it plays the kit. Then scroll to Track 2, change Type to MIDI, make sure Program says NONE, and select the channel, 1A or 1B depending on which MIDI OUT you used. If your sound module is set to receive channel 1, then playing a key on the controller should send the data through the MPC and into the module....

2. I think you need to reread about how the 16 levels function works, and integrate that with how the MPC lays out samples to the buttons (ie, which notes are being assigned to which pads when you use the 16 levels function)....

3. What do you mean by PROJECT file? Read page 5 of the thick manual, it covers all the terminology for the MPC, then reask this question....

Hi Electric Dragon,

Thank you very much for your answers and, also, reading my message.

1-I read the 16 levels section in the thick book and I still don´t understand why the 16 notes temporary program cannot be played in the keyboard.Too bad.

2-Well, If I save ENTIRE MEMORY, should I be able to download it as an audio file in the computer and use it in Cubase?

Thanks

ravenon wrote:2-Well, If I save ENTIRE MEMORY, should I be able to download it as an audio file in the computer and use it in Cubase?
Thanks

No.

ok, here's an idea of how the 16 levels works:

inside the MPC, each pad is assigned a note. on your keyboard, each key is a note. the keys go in order, for example, the white keys might be (C1, D1, E1, F1, G1, A1, B1, C2- the C major scale). inside the MPC, they follow a different logic.

you can go into PROGRAM mode (MODE + pad7) and then select NOTE (F4). it will show you the pad bank, plus a big matrix of what notes are assigned to what pads. your pads are in a 4x4 matrix, and the screen displays a 4x4 matrix which corresponds to what notes are assigned to what pad.

on my MPC, by default, the bottom 4 pads (1-4) are assigned (C#1 C1 F#1 A#1). so lets say i take a sample and use the 16 levels function using the TUNE parameter, it will take the sample, shift the pitch to 16 different levels, then map them out from pad 1 to 16. if i want to play the lowest tuned sample, i have to hit pad 1, and hit pad 16 for the highest.

but if you want to play these over the keyboard, you need to note that the pad numbers are mapped to different notes than the keyboard is. so my lowest pitch is C#1, the next lowest is C1. on a keyboard, C1 usually plays back a note lower in pitch than C#1. so now the 16 pitched samples are mapped all f*cked up to the keyboard!

you will have to create a program which maps the pads to the proper keys before you do the 16 levels if you want the keyboard to playback the sample properly....

as far as using Cubase, or any audio editor, there are a few different approaches.

1. create your sequence on the MPC. save it as a MIDI file to your card. transfer the midi file into your computer, and open in cubase as a MIDI track. in this scenario you are using cubase to trigger the MPC. you have to make sure all MIDI connections are set up proper, and the MPC is correctly configured to receive the data and playback the correct samples....

2. create your music on the MPC, hook the audio out of your MPC to the audio in of your computer, and playback the audio directly into a Cubase Audio track. you can mute tracks, solo tracks, whatever you want, as you play into your computer and then use Cubase to arrange the audio tracks.

3. you can create your music on the MPC, then resample the Main output and save it as a sample on your card. then transfer the sample into your computer. the sample is jsut a .wav file, so you can import it into Cubase and do whatever you want with it....

4. some sh*t i either didn't think of or mention, but you came up with on your own... play around, just do it!

Hey Electric Dragon,
Thank you.I´ll play around.Practice makes better.Still, I still don´t understand the MIDI CHANNELS set up..I left a post on this topic.Midi is **** complicated..thanks anyway..