// Studio utilityBeta
MPC Expansion Converter for the MPC 3000
Turns the drum programs of a modern Akai MPC expansion into .PGM programs and 16-bit .SND sounds for the MPC 3000.
- Target machine
- Sample memory
- 2 MB / 32 MB max
- Audio
- 16-bit, 44.1 kHz
- Pads
- 64 (4 banks of 16)
Drop an MPC expansion folder here
The folder with the .xpm programs and their WAV samples. Nothing is uploaded; conversion runs in this browser.
Your browser may ask you to confirm an upload. Your files never leave this computer.
Reads .xpm programs and .wav samples only
The MPC 3000 names each sound after its file, so sound and file names are kept to 8 characters.
New
Kit Maker
Build an MPC 2000XL program from your own samples: drop sounds on the pads and export a .PGM with its sounds.
Step by step
How to load a modern MPC expansion on an MPC 3000
- 01.Input
1. Drop the expansion folder
Drag the folder of a modern Akai MPC expansion onto the page. The converter reads its .xpm drum programs and their WAV samples. Nothing is uploaded; the files stay on your computer.
Reads: .xpm programs + .wav samples
- 02.Options
2. Choose the options
Pick mono or stereo. Sounds are always .SND files with 8-character names on this machine. The list shows how much sample memory each program needs on the MPC 3000.
Shows sample memory per program
- 03.Convert
3. Convert and download
Each program becomes a folder with one .PGM file and its .SND sounds, packed into a ZIP together with a report of every change.
Output: ZIP with one folder per program
- 04.Hardware load
4. Load it on the MPC 3000
Copy a program's files to a DOS-formatted floppy or a SCSI disk the machine can read, and load the .PGM. The program loads its sounds from the same disk.
Media: 1.44 MB floppy disk or SCSI drive
Mapping
What gets converted
How each part of an expansion program is carried over to an MPC 3000 program.
| In the expansion | On the MPC 3000 |
|---|---|
| Pad and its MIDI note | Same pad and note (notes 35 to 98) |
| One sample on a pad | One sound, tuned by the program |
| Several stacked samples on a pad | Mixed into one sound, with each layer's tuning, level and pan applied |
| Tuning, level, pan, attack and decay | Note parameters and mixer settings |
| One-shot or note-off, mono or poly | Poly mode (Poly, Mono or Note off) |
| Mute groups | Mute targets (each pad can silence two others) |
| 24-bit, 32-bit float, 48 kHz or stereo audio | 16-bit, 44.1 kHz .SND, mono or stereo |
| Programs with more than 64 pads | Split into several programs |
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Documentation & FAQ
Questions and answers
- Has this been tested on a real MPC 3000?
- Not yet. The .PGM and .SND files follow the format the MPC 3000's own operating system writes when it saves a program (OS 3.08, and the same in Mansell Labs' Vailixi 3.50). Until a converted kit has been loaded on a real machine, treat it as a beta, and let us know how it goes.
- Can the MPC 3000 load modern MPC expansions?
- Not directly. Modern expansions store programs as .xpm files, which the MPC 3000 cannot read, and their samples are WAV files, which it cannot load at all. mp2mp converts the drum programs into the 3000's own .PGM format and the samples into 16-bit, 44.1 kHz .SND sounds.
- Why are the file names only 8 characters long?
- The MPC 3000 names each sound after its file, and a program finds its sounds by those names. A floppy or disk written by a computer keeps plain 8-character file names, so every sound gets one that survives the copy.
- How much memory do converted kits need?
- The MPC 3000 has 2 MB of sample memory as standard, about 22 seconds of mono audio, and can be expanded to 16 MB, or 32 MB with later memory boards. A typical 16-pad drum kit needs 1 to 3 MB in mono. Converting to mono halves the memory, and trimming silent tails saves more. A 1.44 MB floppy holds only a small kit, so larger ones are best moved on a SCSI disk.
- What happens to pads with several layers?
- An MPC 3000 note plays one sound, so stacked layers are mixed into a single sound, with each layer's tuning, level and pan applied first. If layers are switched by velocity, only the loudest layer is kept.
- What is not converted?
- Plugin, MIDI and keygroup programs have no MPC 3000 equivalent and are skipped. Effects and sequences are not converted either.
- Are my samples uploaded anywhere?
- No. The conversion runs entirely in your browser. The site has no server component for files, and its security policy only lets the page talk to its own host.