Post your views and questions about the Akai MPC2500
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By dablunt Wed Jul 11, 2007 9:35 am
Anyone find that 64 tracks isnt enough?

Ive got a Korg Triton (16Channels) Access Virus (16Ch) And an emu Orbit (16Ch) that just leaves 16 for odd bits of external MIDI equipment, by the time thats all connected I only have about 7 tracks for samples left over.

Anyone know if they ever "up'd" the amount of tracks available on any other MPCs? Whether its possible like...
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By BDRAKE Wed Jul 11, 2007 11:41 am
dablunt wrote:Anyone find that 64 tracks isnt enough?

Ive got a Korg Triton (16Channels) Access Virus (16Ch) And an emu Orbit (16Ch) that just leaves 16 for odd bits of external MIDI equipment, by the time thats all connected I only have about 7 tracks for samples left over.

Anyone know if they ever "up'd" the amount of tracks available on any other MPCs? Whether its possible like...


:? Do you actually use all of those tracks?
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By temetrepo Wed Jul 11, 2007 11:51 am
i was asking myself the same question
lol
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By wUnderlabs Wed Jul 11, 2007 1:45 pm
haven't ever used more than 30. i could see reconfiguring tracks to keyboard voices being time-consuming, but do you really need even 64 in any given track? maybe so, i haven't gotten there yet.
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imo

By Lampdog Wed Jul 11, 2007 4:59 pm
When you make a song, do you actually use EVERY available midi track on ALL that gear? if so, then you need more tracks.

If you don't then it sounds like you are just trying to fill up a midi channel just because you have the gear but you are not even using the midi track, waste of a "could be used" track and an unorganized way of producing.
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By dablunt Wed Jul 11, 2007 7:12 pm
i use the 3 main midi devices as layed instruments - so most of the channels are in use.

i mean we have 128 programs now right? y not? i know u can use prog changes but just for convinience.

wat does cubase3/logic etc go up 2? 8)
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By Lampdog Thu Jul 12, 2007 2:13 am
Ok, I didn't stop to think about that, yeah I see where you'd run into a problem then. Have you ever though of midi layering, meaning give more than one program the SAME midi number? It works in my triton extreme.

IE, I can give piano program and a string program the same midi number in triton and record their midi note in mpc midi track 1. Easy. This is of course if you want them layered using the exact same midi channel and notes. But the drawback is their note data is on one track and not seperated. That doesn't bother me at all though.
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By lipton Thu Jul 12, 2007 5:14 am
i also get frustrated because i dont name the tracks.

i just keep climbing until i get to the 60
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By Lampdog Thu Jul 12, 2007 6:24 am
Organization can save you headaches.
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By dablunt Thu Jul 12, 2007 8:39 am
Lampdog wrote:Ok, I didn't stop to think about that, yeah I see where you'd run into a problem then. Have you ever though of midi layering, meaning give more than one program the SAME midi number? It works in my triton extreme.

IE, I can give piano program and a string program the same midi number in triton and record their midi note in mpc midi track 1. Easy. This is of course if you want them layered using the exact same midi channel and notes. But the drawback is their note data is on one track and not seperated. That doesn't bother me at all though.



yeap i appriciate that also. you can also put a delay on, say the 2nd sound so they dont sound so tied together....


i really dont use them all at the same time, but I like to have a template loaded up with all the tracks named meaningfully and everything to hand instantly instead of having to set up the tracks each time.

naming stuff serously stunts your flow.... maaaan!
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By lipton Thu Jul 12, 2007 12:54 pm
Lampdog wrote:Organization can save you headaches.


smart and simple
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By dablunt Thu Jul 12, 2007 1:27 pm
yeah. thats what i want to do - organise.

i want to load up a template with all tracks pre assigned to my fav synths and arps on my midi equip so i dont have to be fanny around organising.

like i said.

By ntalec Thu Jul 12, 2007 4:37 pm
dablunt wrote:yeah. thats what i want to do - organise.

i want to load up a template with all tracks pre assigned to my fav synths and arps on my midi equip so i dont have to be fanny around organising.

like i said.


Then what you need to do is pay more attention to your work habits and build the template according to that not the gear list.
example;
Ive got a Korg Triton (16Channels) Access Virus (16Ch) And an emu Orbit (16Ch) that just leaves 16 for odd bits of external MIDI equipment, by the time thats all connected I only have about 7 tracks for samples left over.

On the Triton you typically use 4 channels 1-4
Now the Virus can pick up at 5-10 because you typically layer a few sounds.
The Orbit shouldn't need more than 4 channels since it has Super Beats mode correct? 11-14
Still havent even gotten past 16 channels.
I know it looks like I'm talking about daisy chaining but that was just to show the simplicity or using your methods as your point of reference.
If you do then 64 becomes a really big number.
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By Antonym Thu Jul 12, 2007 5:31 pm
not to mention if you've got a track where you're only using 1 sound, just sample it and throw it on an existing program.
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By dablunt Fri Jul 13, 2007 8:30 am
ntalec wrote:
dablunt wrote:yeah. thats what i want to do - organise.

i want to load up a template with all tracks pre assigned to my fav synths and arps on my midi equip so i dont have to be fanny around organising.

like i said.


Then what you need to do is pay more attention to your work habits and build the template according to that not the gear list.
example;
Ive got a Korg Triton (16Channels) Access Virus (16Ch) And an emu Orbit (16Ch) that just leaves 16 for odd bits of external MIDI equipment, by the time thats all connected I only have about 7 tracks for samples left over.

On the Triton you typically use 4 channels 1-4
Now the Virus can pick up at 5-10 because you typically layer a few sounds.
The Orbit shouldn't need more than 4 channels since it has Super Beats mode correct? 11-14
Still havent even gotten past 16 channels.
I know it looks like I'm talking about daisy chaining but that was just to show the simplicity or using your methods as your point of reference.
If you do then 64 becomes a really big number.


I get it - I really do.

But to say that you only use 4 channels on the Triton seems a bit rich. You use as many as you want really.
The orbit does have superbeats mode, but Im not using that.
And you can layer on all these devices yes, but I tend not to. Why? Because then you have more control over the sounds at the sequencer end. For example;

say you have Triton Ch1 and Ch2 playing as a layer the TC on the MPC will effect these together whereas I want the control of shuffling each forward and back. Or Transpose one up an octave. I know you can do all this through the Triton and CC but I prefer it this way round!

But having said all that I just looked at the comparison chart for Cubase and most now support unlimited tracks. I know this isnt cubase and if I want cubase I can fek off, but why would the 64track limit be imposed like this? Apart fro myou dont need that many. :cry:

Cheers all.