Getting Started

Starting VMPC2000XL

Standalone

Linux

If you have installed VMPC2000XL via your package manager, you can run VMPC2000XL from anywhere in the terminal by typing VMPC2000XL and pressing Enter.

If you have followed the recommendations of the Manual installation (Ubuntu 20) section, your standalone application is in /usr/local/bin. By default this path is in your PATH environment variable, so you can run VMPC2000XL in the same way: type VMPC2000XL and press Enter.

If you want to detach the process from the terminal completely, in order to use it for something else or close it, run VMPC2000XL &; disown.

macOS

Navigate to /Applications in Finder, locate VMPC2000XL and double-click it. Alternatively use Spotlight and start typing “VMPC2000XL”. Pretty soon the application shows up and you can press Enter to start it.

iPadOS

After installing VMPC2000XL, tap the VMPC2000XL icon in your Home Screen to start it.

Windows

Open the Start Menu and start typing “VMPC2000XL”. Pretty soon the application shows up and you can press Enter to start it.

Plugin (all platforms except iPadOS)

If your DAW or plugin host is compatible with the format of VMPC2000XL that you installed (LV2, VST3, AUv2 or AUv3), it should detect VMPC2000XL as a software instrument. The AUv2 and AUv3 also come as effects, because in some cases, such as using the AUv3 in AUM, that’s the only way to get audio input to work.

Please refer to your DAW’s manual if you are not familiar with adding software instruments and effects to your projects.

For more information on capabilities and limitations within each plugin and DAW combination, consult the plugin compatibility matrix. The matrix is a must-read in case you run into any plugin issues, including those that are related to multiple outputs, keyboard shortcuts, and plugin window resizing.

Note

For the AUv3 to be detectable by the host, you need to have run the standalone version first.

Plugin (iPadOS)

On iPadOS, VMPC2000XL comes as an AUv3 plugin. It can be used as an instrument, or as an effect plugin. The instrument gives you:

  • Audio out: 5x stereo out, 8x mono out

  • MIDI in/out

And the effect gives you:

  • Audio in/out

  • MIDI in

Most of the testing has been done in AUM, but in theory the AUv3 should work in other hosts too. In hosts other than AUM, you might see audio input working when using the instrument. In Logic on macOS this works via the Sidechain feature, so be sure to look at all the facilities the host offers before you give up on routing audio input into the instrument.

For more information on capabilities and limitations of the AUv3 in various hosts, consult the plugin compatibility matrix. The matrix is a must-read in case you run into any AUv3 issues, including those that are related to multiple outputs, keyboard shortcuts, and plugin window resizing.

Note

For the AUv3 to be detectable by the host, you need to have run the standalone version first.

Audio/MIDI configuration

Standalone

When you start VMPC2000XL for the first time, it is highly recommended that you configure your audio and MIDI devices. Click on the speaker icon in the bottom-right menu.

Audio output/input

VMPC2000XL can function fine on audio output only, but this is also the absolute minimum you will need to configure correctly. Audio input and MIDI in/out can be configured to your liking.

Note that for audio out to work well, an audio device needs to be selected, as well as which output channels of this device you want to activate. If your device supports more than 2 mono outputs, VMPC2000XL can make use of them. Up to 10 mono outputs can be used simultaneously, congruent with an MPC2000XL that has the M208P output expansion board.

Up to 2 mono inputs can be activated at a time. A single mono input, such as the internal microphone of a MacBook, also works. Note, however, that such a mono input is treated by VMPC2000XL as a stereo input where both channels are the same.

Note

On iPadOS, VMPC2000XL does not allow recording from Bluetooth devices, because this would result in a playback and recording sample rate of 16kHz. So, when you connect, for example, a pair of Bluetooth headphones that have a built-in mic, this built-in mic will be ignored, and VMPC2000XL will keep using the iPad’s internal mic for recording new sounds, while playback will be going over the Bluetooth headphones.

Sample rate

The sample rate is generally best left at 44.1kHz or 48kHz, but you can run VMPC2000XL at any sampling rate that suits your needs.

Audio buffer size

Keep the buffer size as low as possible. You generally want to keep the buffer size at 512 samples or below. The bigger the buffer size, the bigger the latency, meaning a bigger delay between triggering a pad and hearing its sound. On the other hand, if the buffer is too small, your audio will sound glitchy or garbled.

Below is an overview of the smallest buffer sizes that still work well on most modern systems:

  • Windows Audio (WASAPI): 192

  • Windows ASIO: 128

  • macOS/iPadOS CoreAudio: 64

  • Linux JACK: 128

Note

These are approximations. Depending on what other software you are running and various system configurations, you may need a larger buffer, or maybe you can go lower than the suggested buffer sizes, without introducing audio artifacts.

Plugin

When you open VMPC2000XL as a plugin in your DAW or plugin host, there are no audio/MIDI settings that can be configured in VMPC2000XL. It is your DAW/host that determines the buffer size and sampling rate. If you notice a big delay between triggering a pad and hearing the sound, please refer to the documentation of your DAW/host to find out how to change the buffer size.

For some suggested buffer size settings, see Audio buffer size.

Note

If the PLAY LED lights up but Now:001.01.00 does not start counting, this means that no valid audio output is configured. Verify your audio output settings. If it does start counting, but you’re not hearing any audio output while you should be hearing something, verify that you have made the desired output channels active by putting a checkmark in front of them in the “Active output channels” section of the Audio/MIDI Settings.

Loading the TEST1 sounds

When you start VMPC2000XL for the first time, there are no sounds in memory. Let’s load some sounds and assign them to a pad. In this section we will discuss two ways to achieve this:

  1. Via the LOAD screen

  2. Drag-and-drop a WAV or SND file onto a pad

Note

Another way to load sounds is by loading a PGM or APS file. After having learned how to load individual WAV or SND files via the LOAD screen, it’s easy to figure out how to load PGM, APS and other files. Please refer to the MPC2000XL manual (p164-167) to see the details of this process.

LOAD screen

To open the LOAD screen:

  • Make sure the sequencer is not playing

  • Press Shift + 3 simultaneously to open the LOAD screen

  • Press ↓ to navigate to the File: field

  • Press - or + (to the left of Tab), or drag the DATA wheel with the mouse, to change File: to TEST1

_images/file_test1.png

  • Press F6 to enter the TEST1 directory

  • Turn the DATA wheel to change File: to KICK1           .SND

_images/file_kick1.png

  • Press F5 to play a preview of the sound

  • Press F6 to open the Load a Sound screen

  • Click on pad 1 or press z to set Assign to note: to 35/A01

_images/assign_to_note.png

  • Press F5 to confirm

Now when you click pad 1 or press z you should hear a kick drum.

Go through the same process for the HAT1 and SNARE4 sounds from the same directory, and you have assembled a basic kit.

Drag-and-drop

From your Operating System’s file manager (Nautilus, Finder, File Explorer, etc.) drag one SND or WAV file onto a pad. This sound is now loaded into VMPC2000XL’s memory, and assigned to the pad in your active program.