MPC solutions/questions for the new age
Sun_Fortune
1,374 Posts
All of this "click of death" shit Ive been reading about has got me totally shook. Im so conscipated by this I cant even go to the bathroom. I've decided to air my thoughts and worries, in the hope that we can use our combined knowldege to solve some unsustainable problems for mpc users. A few questions for those who might know:I assume the click of death affects jaz disks, correct me if Im wrong. So when the click of death happens, and it will, that means that all of my disks are then unreadable? Or just some? Does anybody have a good method for backing data up? Ive got about twenty 2gb jaz diks that i need to back up. Its a bit narcissitic to back everything up, but Id like to save a large chunk. What is the optimal saving device? I assume its one of those card readers, but I really dont have the energy to spend six months figuring that out. Are built in Zips an option? How about those elusive SCSI drives? It seems that making music on the mpc is not practical because, well, everyone will loose all their data over time. (I know entropy is a law, but it should take longer than a few years.) What is a practical way to use older model MPCs? Should one simply use it as a controller and sequencer for software programs? It seems the only option is to either accept total inevetable information loss or to abandon the older models and start using a 1000 with a computer or a 4000. Does anybody use those machines (I forget what they are) that look alot like the MPC. Is it a pioneer? Basically, anyone who has any ideas and information to contribute is encouraged to discuss. I dont know about you folls, but the MPC is my main instrument and method for composing. i wouldnt mind abandoning it if I could find a piece of equipment that was as easy to operate quickly. The 4000 seems like an idea, but with all the accesories, its a bit expensive. But I guees you gotta drop 20 gs to play on a great steinway.is the mpc era over.............? 
Comments
dude, I dont wanna worry about this -- thats why Im seriously considering dropping the MPC. Biran, what do you back up on? Does the usb zip work with an og mpc2000? Sounds intriguing...
Im not sure if you can install a card reader for the mpc2000, do you know? Dude, that sucks about the click of death. how long had you been using your zip for when it happened?
happy 420 btw.
on another note, i just got a mpc1000 in last week and while i haven't put it through extensive use yet, the workflow seems about the same as the 2000xl i had before. if you're really concerned about data backup and all that, the 1000, 2500, and 4000 with their usb connections are going to be nice for you. storage on compact flash and transferring files over usb on the mpc is a really really really nice thing compared to just using zips on the 2000xl but i really think it's more of a convenience than anything.
brian man, thanks for the knowledge. The usb zip sounds like a great option. Im definately going to lok into that and some card readers asap. You've given me hope...
http://www.mpc-forums.com/viewtopic.php?t=24363&highlight=mpc2000 is a thread to read up on that but basically you need to modify extra things for the 2000 and it ends up being quite expensive. i don't know if you want to but i remember you saying you had two mpc2000s so maybe you could sell one and get a 1000? just an idea.
hope is fleeting, the candle blows out in the wind.
That sounds like a great idea though. definately a greta idea.
The only MPC???s that are a real bitch to bring into the 21st century would be the 60/II and the 3000.
They use a painfully outdated SCSI control that I think 3 card reader models (out of the thousands out there) will work with.
The 2000 and up should be really easy to put a cheap internal multicard reader in.
If I was in a jam with one of the later MPC models I???d honestly just try to do the software jump. I keep the 3000 because the sound and the swing is just undeniable. Later models, not so much.
to answer dude's question above: the click of death is literally...a click of death. your floppy, zip, jaz, etc. drive just starts clicking and you lose all the data on the disc.
on another aside, the machine you were talking about is the roland mv8000. i dont fux with new roland machines these days though (except for the newer sp 303/404 series) cause i don't really like the interface design or navigating through those menus.
http://www.midicase.com/card_reader_guide.htm
Like I said though...REAL easy to do...just make sure you get the read/write card reader.
What do you physically have to do to the MPC in general? Remove the floppy drive (obviously) and solder the card reader in? Or is it more disconnect/connect? I want to get a card reader asap, but I'm apprehensive about doing it with damn near zero knowledge of chip boards and soldering.
definitely get someone else to do it if you aren't comfortable with it.
day: was it you a few months ago asking about using a microkorg and mpc with midi?
Cool, that's actually is different than another one I saw. Maby I'll give that a shot.
And yeah, it was me who asked. I still can't get that shit to play more than one midi note at a time which I think is all it can do. It's good for basslines, though.
Don't you have the same set up?
Is it really lacking that much of the "feel" of the 2000/XL?
I've been thinking of selling my 2000 and getting one just for the convenience of not having to fuck around with ZIP discs and that kind of thing...
I'm running a 2kxl and a microkorg and have no problems. This isn't meant to sound patronizing but is the patch your using monophonic? Coz i know some of them are. If not i can run through my set up for you if you like. Pad sounds etc play chords fine.
I haven't learnt my 2000 yet properly (i'm using a different one completely at the moment) so the different menus isn't an issue, just curious about whether it's nice as an all in one thing...
I've used both a 2kxl (at home) and a 1k (travelling) fairly extensively and i think the biggest difference is the weight/construction. I don't really quantize very often though... just practice and you won't really need it. I don't have a good knowledge of the Rodger Lynn (sp?) machines though, so i can't argue whether the MP changed dramatically after he left (which seems to be alot of the arguement) since i was late to the party.
now i gotta say, what i did after that is still beyond me to this day. i panicked and ended up putting a 3rd disk in the machine, hoping that i could at least salvage my most important beats that i was about to make a second album with. i regret that a lot... 3 of those 4 disks were completely destroyed. I even sent them to an mpc specialist and data recovery expert jeff goins, who runs the site mpc2000xl.com. He didnt charge me anything, but told me they table of contents was erased, and there would be no way to recover ths disks.
when he told me a took a hammer to the jaz drive. no joke. and that was pretty much the last time i cried like rivers of tears.
i ended up using the encasing of the jaz drive to hold a 4 gig hard drive in a scsi bay. it still works. I still use an mpc, but honestly i dont know why
Yeah, it is, but I wasn't talking about polyphony, I was talking about playing more than one track at a time. I've always avoided MIDI and have a somewhat unorthadox creative process, but I figure it's time I utilized everything I have, so I started using the Microkorg in conjunction with teh MPC. My problem is overdubbding tracks on the MPC because I can only play one instrument at a time on the Microkorg. I'm guessing that might just be a MIDI thing, but I don't know for sure. Plus, I always see a million rack mount modules when people use MIDI.
By all means, please do
I need some