Syncing PRO TOOLS 8 AND MPC1000

[ProducerSolo]

hey.. ive got a huge ?.. first.. i can have the mpc and pro tools playing together... thats wonderful and great.. BUT!!

i want to be able to record midi in and out of the mpc1000.. not just write notes inside pro tools to send back out to the mpc to play.
i want to be able to record on the mpc and see the notes im playing be recorded..

making an xpand track works.. but how come i cant seem to get the notes im playing on the pads to record in the midi editor?

can someone please help me out..by explaining the configurations..

i have the mpowered 8.0 with an m audio profire 610 interface.. midi is going in and out to the mpc1000..

any help would be highly appreciated.. thanks.

[flommer]

but how come i cant seem to get the notes im playing on the pads to record in the midi editor?

You mean the midi editor on the MPC, right?

I've never worked with an MPC so this is all speculation..

If there is a setting you can adjust on the MPC called "local control" I'd be curious what you have it set to..

Turning local control OFF on a keyboard synth, for example, essentially disconnects the actual keys from the sound engine. This means that the keys still produce MIDI output, but it is not routed to the sound engine anymore.. Just to the MIDI out..

Your MPC is pretty much the same thing, just a different layout of the "keys" plus the extra of a built-in sequencer that will record and playback MIDI. So if you have local-control OFF, you play the pads, they send out MIDI, Protools sees it, records it and sends it back to the MPC sound engine.. But I'm not sure where in that loop the MIDI sequencer in the MPC is getting the MIDI... Before Protools or after...

If you have local control ON, then what is happening is that you play the pads, and midi goes to protools AND the built-in synth at the same time. If you are sending MIDI from protools back to the MPC in this configuration, then the synth is actually getting each MIDI note twice.. This could possibly be causing problems in the MIDI sequencer...

I would think it is somewhat unusual to want to record the same MIDI into 2 different sequencers at the same time (Protools and the built-in MPC sequencer). When you get around to playing back, you're only going to want 1 sequencer controlling what's going on. If you are just recording in ProTools to have a copy of the MIDI to use with Xpand for example, then leave local control ON, and don't route the MIDI back to the MPC while recording. You can always route it to the MPC when you are ready for playback.

Oh, plus you need to have "MIDI thru" enabled in ProTools if you are using the MPC with local control OFF, otherwise the MIDI won't pass "Thru" protools back to the MPC. That could have been the problem all along..

Hope something in all this rambling is useful to you..

[ProducerSolo]

yea my motif has a local control function and that works just fine.. the mpc doesnt seem to have that.. o and the xpand synth was a testing method i used and it worked fine... i will try that midi thru feature.. and see what i get.. im new to pro tools and therefore i must really look into the midi functions it has.. cubase was almost like plug and play..thanks for your help and if any one else has any input id appreciate that also..

[louielou]

Do you want to Slave the MPC?
or use is as the master?

In the MPC1000:
2) Go to the "MIDI/Sync" menu.
3) Set "Sync In" to the corresponding MIDI input port on the MPC.

In Pro Tools:
4) Set your tempo in Pro Tools. (See instructions at the bottom of this page.)
5) Go to the Setup menu and choose MIDI Beat Clock. Check the boxes for "Enable MIDI Beat Clock" and the corresponding MIDI output port.
6) Press play. The MPC should now be playing along with Pro Tools.
NOTE: (Make sure that the value for bars, in the MPC, is NOT set to zero. If it is set to zero, it will not be triggered.)
Setting your tempo in Pro Tools.
You can do this by either of the following methods:
1) Go to the “View” menu, highlight “Rulers” and choose “Tempo”. Click on the plus symbol (+) that appears next to where it says “Tempo” and then manually enter in the desired Tempo.
2) In the Pro Tools Transport window, de-select “Tempo Ruler Enable” (easily recognized as the blue Conductor icon) and either manually type in the desired tempo or use the tempo slider to set the desired tempo.

NOTES:
1) When using MIDI Beat Clock with Pro Tools as the master device, the MPC will be set to the tempo that you have Pro Tools set to.
2) When using MIDI Time Code (MTC), you will have to manually set the tempos in the MPC and Pro Tools to the same tempo.

[ProducerSolo]

yes i have that stuff down pat.. my problem is that when im playing midi as in hitting drums on the mpc.. the sounds are internal... i want to record and have the midi visible in pro tools.. pro tools isnt recording in my midi data to the track.. as a device in pro tools 8.. the mpc 1000 isnt an option in the instruments section..

[flommer]

That is totally different from what I thought you were having a problem with.. So it is simply that ProTools does not see, and therefore, can not record the MIDI output of the MPC?

Are you using a Mac or PC?

If on a Mac, then you might need to add it in Audio MIDI Setup.. I'm not sure about the specifics on windoze... But it is a similar utility

as a device in pro tools 8.. the mpc 1000 isnt an option in the instruments section.

Just to be clear on what you are saying here... the MPC does not show up as an option in either the MIDI Input Selector or MIDI Output Selector dropdown lists on inst and MIDI tracks... You're not talking about Insert plugins, right?

[ProducerSolo]

im on a pc..

yea the mpc is shown in an instrument list in setup.. not on the track.. there are other mpcs but not the mpc 1000... my motif is in the list and it works..

[louielou]

Originally Posted by ProducerSolo

im on a pc..

yea the mpc is shown in an instrument list in setup.. not on the track.. there are other mpcs but not the mpc 1000... my motif is in the list and it works..

did u try the 2000 setup to see if it works for the 1000?

[louielou]

Also have you switch the individual track in the MPC to midi? I have a 2000xl and if I want to trigger midi I have to change the track to midi1..2..3...etc.

[ProducerSolo]

okay.. so now i have the following setup i need trying to work..my mpc has the jjos 4.99

my motif xs is going into the B bank of midi in and out.. on the back of the mpc..
the mpc is going in and out A... to my profire audio interface midi inputs..

pro tools 8..
i need help with the correct settings inside pro tools 8 also.. sorry guys to sound like a newb i just switched over from cubase...

okay so.. i want to be able to record my sample chops as midi.. and then change to another track and throw some drums.. all within mpc..

then add some extra sounds from the motif..

im DIENG to make some production but seriously this setup is DRIVING ME INSANE..

whoever can help me out will get some really really good drums..LOL


but seriously guys help me out..

thanks for the read.. God Bless..