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By robo_g.e. Thu Jul 17, 2008 11:22 pm
GEAR:
Echo Audiofire 8 / Win XP / Cubase SX 3 / Roland Fantom-X / MPC 2000XL

How do I playback audio from the MPC while recording/sequencing with Cubase SX 3? I recorded the midi notes from the MPC (DRUM1: 1A Device1) to a Cubase midi track but the audio doesn't playback (the loaded drums from the MPC).

The only way I got the drums to playback is when I recorded a drum pattern in the MPC sequencer. The Cubase midi track recorded the notes, but the timing was way off. The visible Cubase midi notes did not match the MPC drum playback, with the two at the same tempo. The MPC was looping much faster.

Is this the only way to get playback from drums? How do I set Cubase’s seq as MASTER and MPC as slave to get this timed right.

CONNECTIONS:

Wires: MIDI I/O from AF8 connected to MPC I/O. (Do I need to make a connection from the MPC Record I/O to sound card?)

MPC:
Sync In: Mode = MTC / Frame Rate = 30 / Receive MMC = On
Sync Out: Mode = MTC / Frame Rate = 30 / Send MMC = On

When MMC is on, the LCD screen reads “waiting for time code” Which does not go away. When on, I can’t hear count (ticks), can’t record any drums.

When MMC is off, I can rec/seq/playback the drums.

CUBASE:
MTC Input = Echo AF8
Machine Control Settings / MMC Active (checkbox) / MMC Input = AF8


Sorry for the illiteracy, but this is really confusing

Feel free to PM also
By Clint Fri Jul 18, 2008 10:01 am
robo_g.e. wrote:
The only way I got the drums to playback is when I recorded a drum pattern in the MPC sequencer


See, you knew the answer all along!

Sequence on MPC + record in CUBASE

This is the conventional way of using an MPC/DAW studio set-up. Keep it simple unless you know what you are doing.

What you are trying to do (trigger the MPC from Cubase) can be done, but is not really a meaningful way of working and has NO BENEFITS over the conventional method.
User avatar
By dabmeister Fri Jul 18, 2008 10:52 pm
I slave my mpc via MTC from Nuendo 3, been working excellent. No need for MMC, which is used to send commands, ie: transport controls.

Setup Cubase to send MTC . Make sure you've selected the appropiate midi port that'll be sending this to the MPC. Then in Cubase, go to transport (headings at the top of the project window), sync setup, make sure the timecode source is set to internal, machine control options are off, & midi timecode destination should be set to the midi port connected to your MPC.

All other options should be OFF.

If everything is hooked up right, your MPC will start & stop from the transport in Cubase.