Operator`s manual

MPC500 Operator's Manual rev 1.0

Chapter 3: Sequence feature

The MPC500 has a sequencer feature that allows you to record/playback your performance. With the sequencer feature, you can record the

performance you created with the pads, and by playing back the recorded data, you can reproduce your performance. The actual

performance will be recorded on a track within a sequence. For more information on sequences and tracks, see the section entitled

"MPC500 Basic Concepts and Terminology" on page 7.

The performance data you made by hitting the pads will be recorded on a track as a pad event. A track can contain other events, such as Q-

Link slider information, tempo change etc… When you are using the MPC500 with an external MIDI device, you can record the data from

the external keyboard as MIDI events.

Note: The sequencer feature records only performance data (when and which pad you hit, etc…). It does not record the actual sound.

Main Sequence Page

This is the page where you record/playback sequences. This is the MPC500’s main operation mode and, unlike the other pages, you can

display this page by pressing the [SEQUENCE] button at any time.

 'Now' Field

The 'Now' field, which is located in the upper left corner of the screen, displays the current time of the sequence by bar and beat from left to

right. For example, '002.03' means the third beat in the second bar. When you record/playback a sequence, the display updates constantly to

show the current position of the sequence. While the sequence is stopped, you can move the cursor to the 'Now' field to set the time

manually.

 Tempo

You can set the tempo in the MAIN SEQUENCE page. The 'tempo' field is represented by '♪:'

You can set the tempo for a sequence between 30.0 and 300.0 beats per minute. When the MPC500 is set to follow an external source via

MIDI clock, the 'tempo' field will display "EXT" for external tempo. You can change the tempo after you create the sequence, or change the

tempo anywhere in a sequence by inserting the tempo change event in the STEP EDIT mode. (See page 41 for more information on STEP

EDIT mode.)

Tap Tempo Feature

You can set the tempo using the [TAP TEMPO] button as well as in the 'Tempo' field. Hold the [TAP TEMPO] button and tap any pad to

the desired tempo. The MPC500 will calculate the tempo based on the timing that you tap with the pad while holding the [TAP TEMPO]

button, and set the sequence’s tempo to that value. The MPC500 takes the average four taps of the pad, but you can adjust the number of

taps used to calculate tempo in the Tap average field in OTHER mode.

 'Pad Bank' Field

The 'Pad bank' field is in the upper right corner of the display. This field is represented by a letter that displays the current pad bank. You

can change Pad banks by selecting this field, and turning the [DATA] wheel, or Pad banks can be selected by pressing one of the four PAD

BANK buttons directly.

 'Sequence' Field