MC-808 Questions and Answers

[dv1394]

Hypno

ahahaha

man, all thumbs up (even those on feet)

[hugo_]

Hi Dirk! Hi guys!

I must say I'm new to this forum and also a potencial buyer for a mc808 but... I have a question.
I looked onto to Dirk's FAQ about it and it is awsome. Helped me a lot. Now, if you guys permit, my issue!
I want to use the 808 on a electronic project and need it to play music. Lets say I want to put inside a tune with 32 bars, in order to make it loop so we can, for instance, to improvise with it. I'll need to insert the structure onto it with the chord symbols (?) or do i need to play the chords on it or into it? Can I isert a midi file only with the chords beeing played? Will a bass of the 808 also foloow that? Or can we only use in a more simple way chord symbols like C-7 or D7b9?
I kind of need it to playalong with musicians, kind of like band-in-a-box if you understand me better.
How easy is all of this to be done? Can we used the software for that?
thanks for the help

[dralabs]

sorry if repeat question but the editor is installed and switched the 808 to midi as per the manual, but there is no desktop icon how do i open the editor. Im using windows.

I got it, I uninstalled it and then installed again to my desktop.

[dr_boehm]

Hi,

click on [Start], "Programs", "MC-808 Editor". Right click on "MC-808 Editor". Left click on "Send to..." and the left click on "Desktop". Now you got a link to your mc-808 editor on the desktop.

Use it wise

Ciao, Dirk.

[hugo_]

Hi Dirk! Hi guys!

I must say I'm new to this forum and also a potencial buyer for a mc808 but... I have a question.
I looked onto to Dirk's FAQ about it and it is awsome. Helped me a lot. Now, if you guys permit, my issue!
I want to use the 808 on a electronic project and need it to play music. Lets say I want to put inside a tune with 32 bars, in order to make it loop so we can, for instance, to improvise with it. I'll need to insert the structure onto it with the chord symbols (?) or do i need to play the chords on it or into it? Can I isert a midi file only with the chords beeing played? Will a bass of the 808 also foloow that? Or can we only use in a more simple way chord symbols like C-7 or D7b9?
I kind of need it to playalong with musicians, kind of like band-in-a-box if you understand me better.
How easy is all of this to be done? Can we used the software for that?
thanks for the help

[dr_boehm]

Hi hugo,

the mc-808 does not follow your chord symbols and add a bass or sonething like that. The mc-808 is a sampler, drum computer and sequencer in a small package but has no auto accomp feature.

For this 'Band in a Box" feature you need one of the numerous yamaha or roland or ... keyboards. Maybee there is a possibility to route the midi out and feed it into the mc-808 as an expander with modern electronic sounds. BUt you still need some style editing software to generate your styles.

One idea: Use band in a box to export a midi file after you inserted all the chord symbols. Then import the midi file into a pattern of the mc-808 (complete with chords and bass).

If you can live without the auto accomp. feature you can build up patterns in the mc-808 by inserting notes, by doing the x0x drum edit, by playing in realtime with the buttons of the mc-808 or with an external keyboard. You can also define chords that will be recorded when you press one of the 16 note keys on the mc-808.

You can change the patterns while the sequencer plays so that (when improvising) you can define when to change from one part of a song to the next part.

Ciao, Dirk.

[reasoner]

hi dirk!

i have used mc with ableton live and i have recorded some midi simbols in 3 channels in live from 3 mc 808 parts.
is it posible that the mc 808 to play that midi channels in that 3 parts ?

and another one:)...can the mc808 send out audio signal simultaneosly from direct output and mix output aswell?
what is direct output for?my mc doesnt send audio signal from there

[dr_boehm]

Hi reasoner!

1) Try to save the 3 midi channels as standard midi file in ableton. Copy the files to your mc-808 (user or card) to the /TEMP/SMF folder. Now import the midi file into a pattern. Have a look at the faq for this.

2) Use the direct out for sounds that you want to route through additional effects (like talkbox or old analog delay...) or use it to send a click track live to a drummer. Each part can only be switched between main out and direct out.

Ciao, Dirk.

[jp8000]

Why there is the chord memory, if it doesn't follow the bassline...

that's weird

[dr_boehm]

???

[machinewave]

is it possible to route a track to go to an effect and the compressor at the same time or two effects and the compressor?

[dr_boehm]

Hi machinewave,

for each effect you can set the output. Press [SHIFT]+[COMP] and then cursor right. Set the output assgin to MFX1.

Ciao, Dirk.

[Hemulen]

Hello everybody.

Sorry to get a little out of focus for this thread but I´d just like to say a big thank you to Dirk and everybody involved keeping this forum up.

I had my 808 for about a year and I managed to fix the problems I´ve encountered mostly through the manual but I have had two great problems that I´ve been unable to fix until the day I came across this site. ..

...and this was a week or so ago.

After this I was first able to sync the 808 with cubase through MIDI and tonight just 5 minuts ago I managed to sync the LFO1 into the current BPM. Its fantastic..

So again, Many many thanks from Stockholm.
I´m looking forward to solve any future problems through this forum as easily as the ones mentioned.

/Hemulen

[illicitizen]

Is there any way to trigger a song to play and scroll to the next one in a setlist live w/o touching the machine?

[dr_boehm]

Hi,

you could send a midi start command to start the song with some programable pedal but as far as i know there is no midi message implemented in mc-808 to change the song no.

Ciao, Dirk.