Reviews and questions about the entry-level MPC500
By DHGonzalez Sat Feb 17, 2007 7:46 pm
Hey,

I am very new to the boards. I have asked a bunch a questions and so many of you have given me answers that really made the learning curve of the MPC500 very simple. I am the basics down pack, and now moving on to the deals ... thank you, and now for my question.

Please share with me any Tempo/Timing tips ...

The MPC is very unforgiving to the human touch. I start a recoring ... i get the metronome all in my ear ... i hit in my basic drums, my kick on the 1, my snare on the 2 and 4 ... then i play my samples ... everything seems to be flowing ... but then i stop my recording ... i listen back ... and my playback have "my 1" not on the "MPC's 1." It is some what a tad too early or a tad too late. Please help ...

I try and use the timing correct ... to fix this problem but all it does it force is to sound stupid ... I got the MPC to make my drums on music sound more free ... but i can't be that free ...

If anyone one has any tips, please help. Please give me a step-by-step and assume that i know nothing. I just want to make this feel right ...

Thank you in advance ..
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By Upright Sat Feb 17, 2007 8:26 pm
This sounds like it may have something to do with the way your samples are playing, maybe they are not trimmed properly. If there is to much space at the beginning of a sample the sample will not line up with the sound of the metronome especially if you have T.C on. If this isn't the problem I'm not sure what it could be. :D
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By SimonInAustralia Sat Feb 17, 2007 10:17 pm
I'm not sure I understand the problem correctly.

Are you saying that the rhythm you are recording sounds OK, it is just that when playing it back that your first hit is not lined up exactly with the start of the bar in the MPC, but that the timing of the rhythm itself still sounds right to you?

Would it help to measure in Step Edit Mode where the first hit of your rhythm, maybe the first kick drum hit, actually falls, and then use Shift Timing in Sequence Edit mode to shift the whole rhythm forwards or backwards, so that the first hit is happening right at the start of the bar? This would move the whole rhythm so that it starts right on the MPC first beat.

Is that what you are trying to do?
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By Upright Sat Feb 17, 2007 10:36 pm
Yeah Simon I agree with you. I'm not quite sure I understand the problem either. To be quite honest it could be a number of things your doing wrong and without being able to hear what's going on it's hard to say how to fix the problem. :D
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By peyote Sun Feb 18, 2007 1:04 am
try turning time correct (TC to off)

then it will play back pretty much exactly what you play

By DHGonzalez Sun Feb 18, 2007 1:07 am
The loop play fine ... I pop in my elements ... and to the ear they sound on time ... i get the perfect boom-boom-bap. Then i stop the sound and press "play start" i noticed that the first boom doesn't start the loop, rather, that boom is dedicated to the ending of the 4th note's ending or a tad bit into the 1st. When i try "Timing Correct" it forces the sound in all ackward and sometimes cuts the sound. I am not sure what the problem is ... i am guess i asking for a list of possible problem and various solutions that suit.

Any help would be awesome
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By Lampdog Sun Feb 18, 2007 2:45 am
Sounds like your samples are not trimmed properly.

You may have bad human timing.

Timing correct can't help a badly trimmed sample.

Turn off the timing correct and use your own human timing, you will get better and better with "time". Have patience. Trim properly, play EXACTLY how want, turn off timing and you'll get it right.