mpc 2000xl sampledump & ableton

dj mush · Post by **dj mush** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 1:12 pm

hi,

in the manual of the mpc 2000xl is said that a sample-dump via midi cables is possible. (page 183)

it states it is possible to transfer samples from mpc to external device, or the other way around.

i asume this is only possible to dump from and to a zip or other external disk...

but is the dump also possible from the computer to the mpc and vice versa?
it would be awesome to transfer samples straight from the computer to mpc.
or even from ableton...

can somebody with some mpc experience explain me the possibilities with that? as the manual doesn't show what kind of equipement to use with sampledump.

i know other mpc's with usb can probably do the trick, but i have a 2000xl, and would like to max out the possibilities with that one, before concidering buying another type.

thank you!

last man on earth · Post by **last man on earth** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 3:17 pm

You can use MIDI to sample dump, but that doesn't mean that you should - that feature is left over for those of us who are limited to only that method of sample transfer, but you have a computer with internet, so that pretty much means you don't need to do that.

Also, the MPC manual doesn't say anything about using any oter equipment because they have no idea what the process may be for that other equipment.

There are two better options (well, three, but the third isn't as good as the first two):

1. get this thing:
http://www.mpcstuff.com/2000xl-mcd-mult ... drive.html
It's $125, and allows you to use compact flash cards in your MPC2KXL, and CF cards for that can get up to 8 gb in size (although the MPC probably won't recognize all of that space).

2. Get a USB zip drive that is bus powered (powered from your USB port), in whatever size you're working with, either 100 or 250, shouldn't cost more than $80 on ebay.

3. Gut an old computer for an internal zip drive, then put it in your computer (I would go with this option last).

A MIDI sample dump is not efficient in comparison to those three methods of sample transfer, and by inefficient, I mean, go get a beer or put on coffee while you wait for that to finish, because it is a VERY SLOW PROCESS, prone to many problems and interruptions. Also, if you have a MIDI interface into your computer, the samples aren't going to go straight to live, they're going to go to your hard drive first (live won't access the disk in the MPC), so the methods mentioned above would work better in any circumstance.

Pretty much, MIDI dump is for people who are stuck in a cabin in the woods with only two MIDI based samplers and no computer or compatible media between them.

minimal · Post by **minimal** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 3:19 pm

last man on earth wrote:Pretty much, MIDI dump is for people who are stuck in a cabin in the woods with only two MIDI based samplers and no computer or compatible media between them.

... or for people with elektron machinedrum UW, which still offers MIDI sample Dump

last man on earth · Post by **last man on earth** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 3:36 pm

minimal wrote:
last man on earth wrote:Pretty much, MIDI dump is for people who are stuck in a cabin in the woods with only two MIDI based samplers and no computer or compatible media between them.
... or for people with elektron machinedrum UW, which still offers MIDI sample Dump

So that fits everything I said except for being stuck in the woods.

Also, it would be quicker to sample into the Machinedrum, trim, and assign, than it would be to do a MIDI dump between the two, at least from what I read about the speed of MIDI dump.

dj mush · Post by **dj mush** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 3:58 pm

hey last man:

i already have build in my mpc a zipdrive, + i have an external zip drive for my computer...
so i can load zip on my comp and load them in the mpc...
i asume the flashcard option is pretty much the same thing/situation, as i have now with my internal zip on the mpc? (except for bigger storage)

or what is the advantage of the flashcard thing?

thank you

idealy would be that i could have sample transfer from computer to mpc, without having to load disks...
the newer mpcs have usb, so that would be the sollution, but i don't want to buy a new mpc...
so what is the best datatransfer way from comp to mpc 2000xl and back?

thanx!

last man on earth · Post by **last man on earth** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 6:40 pm

dj mush wrote:hey last man:

i already have build in my mpc a zipdrive, + i have an external zip drive for my computer...
so i can load zip on my comp and load them in the mpc...
i asume the flashcard option is pretty much the same thing/situation, as i have now with my internal zip on the mpc? (except for bigger storage)

or what is the advantage of the flashcard thing?

thank you

idealy would be that i could have sample transfer from computer to mpc, without having to load disks...
the newer mpcs have usb, so that would be the sollution, but i don't want to buy a new mpc...
so what is the best datatransfer way from comp to mpc 2000xl and back?

thanx!

The best way is the way you're using right now - zip drives in both your computer and your mpc. - Knowing how to do a MIDI dump is great if you have a machinedrum, as other dude said, but something like that is going to limited to very few newer pieces of hardware and a whole lot of old hardware, so unless you plan on buying something that will need to use MIDI dump as a method of transferring samples, I wouldn't even worry about it.

The compact flash card is nice as far as storage, since you can keep 4 + times the amount of data on a 250mb zip disc, but I know people who have been using the same .APS file for the last decade, so it's not necessary if you aren't loading a lot of different kits in a small amount of time. Keep in mind that storage means nothing past the RAM limit, meaning that you can only load up so much, and if you're always near your computer with your mpc, you'll never have an issue.

Even with the newer MPC's, the usb option only turns the mpc into a giant card reader - the mpc is totally unable to do anything but access the compact flash card while that feature is in use, so, in essence, the new ones still have to go through the same stuff the old ones do, just without having to actually eject disks/cards (although it's just as time consuming)