ADA Depot - A Forum To Support Users of ADA Amplification Gear

ADA Preamps => Original MP-1 => Topic started by: bloodspoint on April 11, 2017, 02:17:58 PM

Title: My MP1 is here! And a couple questions on EPROMS and MIDI
Post by: bloodspoint on April 11, 2017, 02:17:58 PM
Found a 1.38 MP1 on Reverb, and it got here today. Plugged it into the Randall RRM 2-80, and wow. This thing is a beast! My Chameleon sounds like dog doodie by comparison.
I snagged a Behringer FCB1010 to use as a controller. Does the manual tell in decent detail how to set up a controller? Is it (I hope) not rocket surgery?

Another question - can I update the EPROM to the 2.x on this, and is it as easy as swapping chips? More importantly, is it worth it?

Thanks!

Sean
Title: Re: My MP1 is here! And a couple questions on EPROMS and MIDI
Post by: bloodspoint on April 11, 2017, 02:22:30 PM
BTW, a question on presets - how do I tell if what's on here are the factory presets? 47 on this unit is "Wait" in a can. Seriously. If these are tweaked, what's the best way to back them up? Is there an editor, or can I at least back up with a sysex dump?

Thanks!

P.S. Will I have to decode captchas to post forever? I have pretty good vision, but I'm about 1 for 3 on these.
Title: Re: My MP1 is here! And a couple questions on EPROMS and MIDI
Post by: bloodspoint on April 11, 2017, 02:34:47 PM
Well, after reading the manual, I think I can kind of answer two of the questions myself. Looks like only 1-29 were presets, so anything above that number has been added?
And the manual says (in a lot of words) that the default MIDI mapping is 1:1, so when it gets here, I'll plug the controller in and see what I've got.
Title: Re: My MP1 is here! And a couple questions on EPROMS and MIDI
Post by: Kim on April 11, 2017, 03:49:04 PM
Welcome! :wave:

Will I have to decode captchas to post forever? I have pretty good vision, but I'm about 1 for 3 on these.

That captcha should go away after you have a few posts under your belt.  It's just an added measure to help keep the riffraff out.

The v1.xx only has 29 factory presets, so anything above that was put in by a previous owner.  The Factory presets can be altered and saved; there is a Preset Spec Sheet towards the end of the MANUAL (http://adadepot.com/manuals/ADA-MP1-manual-version-1.pdf) that you can compare those settings to see if they have been altered and then you can also reload all the Factory Presets if you choose. 
Title: Re: My MP1 is here! And a couple questions on EPROMS and MIDI
Post by: Iperfungus on April 11, 2017, 04:42:37 PM
If you install  a V2.01 EPROM you will get some firmware updates related to MIDI and more factory presets (1-69).
This will, of course, leave your MP-1's tone unchanged.

The FCB1010 should work fine with your MP-1 and also with the Rocktron, if you plan to use the Chameleon as a digital fx unit and noise gate (why not? Rocktron rules!).
Title: Re: My MP1 is here! And a couple questions on EPROMS and MIDI
Post by: Harley Hexxe on April 11, 2017, 05:00:18 PM
Hey Sean,

     At the end of the ver 2 manual, there is a blank MP-1 Program Chart. Print it out, and write down the settings of the presets you want to keep. Hard copy is the best way to back up these presets.

    You can upgrade to ver 2.01 Eprom, and this will have 69 factory presets stored in it. These additional presets were designed around the Split-Stack cabs using a stereo power amp, which came out in 1988 after the MP-1 was introduced. Of course, these will work with your choice of stereo power amp and speaker cabs too.

    The MP-1 is set by default to 1:1 MIDI mapping, which means if you press button #1 on your controller, preset #1 will load in the MP-1. The Beringher controller is a bit overkill for the MP-1 since it has no MIDI Continuous Control functions, so, the only thing it will do is change presets in the MP-1. The default MIDI channel is channel 1. If the MP-1 will be the only MIDI unit you use, then you don't really have to do anything but plug in and play, and the FCB1010 will change your presets for you. You will not have the ability to power the FCB1010 by phantom power, since it doesn't come with that option, so your power supply will be on the floor with your controller. All MIDI controllers should be set to MIDI channel 1 by default.

   I hope this has been helpful.

   Harley 8)
Title: Re: My MP1 is here! And a couple questions on EPROMS and MIDI
Post by: Dante on April 11, 2017, 05:29:49 PM
Hi Sean (aka Bloodspoint),

Welcome to the Depot!! Good to have you on board

I had a FCB1010. If I remember correctly, it was one digit off the MP-1, MP-2 etc. Maybe it was just that the numbers started at ONE and not ZERO, either way, it was annoying to me. Let me know how you yours works - my memory is not so good looking - it may be that I was just using banks that ranged 10-19 on my MP-2 whereas the FCB ranges them from 11-20 (does that make sense?) which threw all my patches off by one (I think...again, I don't remember so goodly)

Dante
Title: Re: My MP1 is here! And a couple questions on EPROMS and MIDI
Post by: MarshallJMP on April 12, 2017, 03:20:22 AM
You can overide presets 1-29 so they may or not be original presets.Depends if the previous owner has overwritten them or not.

Now with a V1.38 you can't save your presets to a computer, you need a V2.01 for that.If you want I can hook you up with one.
Title: Re: My MP1 is here! And a couple questions on EPROMS and MIDI
Post by: rnolan on April 12, 2017, 04:34:57 AM
Hey Sean, great to hear you like the MP-1  :thumb-up: .
Changing the firmware (EPROM) is an easy chip (EPROM) swap.  Yes it's worth doing and MJMP has the last version released for MP-1 (v2.01) (http://www.marshalljmpmodshop.net/miscellaneous_parts_and_replacement_tubes.htm).  The later version has more factory presets and also a bit more MIDI support (eg dump/load patches to PC (via MIDI (sysex)). And yes there are editing programs (see elsewhere on here) but update to the v2.01 EPROM first.
As Harley says, any patch it has currently you like and want to keep, write them down.  When you load (re-load) factory presets (instructions in the manual) they will overwrite (in the case of v2.01) user patches 1 to 69 (or in your current EPROM case, patches 1 to 29).  The factory patches are stored in the EPROM and you can call them up whenever you want.  To use them you load them into the various MP-1 user presets/patches and adjust/store them as desired.
What Dante is alluding to is that some MIDI gadgets go from patch  0 to 127 but the MP-1 goes from 1 to 128.  So when you send out (press) patch #1 from the controller pedal, your MP-1 will go to 1 but another device (eg my Quadverb) will go to patch 0.
The FCB can do allot of switching stuff and also has a good PC interface to program it.  Ask questions as you go with it, my mate Mike has one for his MP-1 rig and is quite across it (and a member here).  But for now you just want to change MP-1 patches with it, which is it's most basic function.
Title: Re: My MP1 is here! And a couple questions on EPROMS and MIDI
Post by: bloodspoint on April 12, 2017, 07:05:35 AM
Thanks for all the info, guys! Really loving this thing. I'm planning to try the different units I've got - Chameleon, Quadraverb GT, and Midiverb II (or III, can't remember) and see which one plays nicest in the loop as a delay. I'm really digging this thing! It's been a long time object of GAS for me, going back to when I first heard it on recordings by groups like White Lion. And I'm definitely going to write down patch 47, in case I lose it. It is money.
Title: Re: My MP1 is here! And a couple questions on EPROMS and MIDI
Post by: Iperfungus on April 12, 2017, 09:20:37 AM
Thanks for all the info, guys! Really loving this thing. I'm planning to try the different units I've got - Chameleon, Quadraverb GT, and Midiverb II (or III, can't remember) and see which one plays nicest in the loop as a delay. I'm really digging this thing! It's been a long time object of GAS for me, going back to when I first heard it on recordings by groups like White Lion. And I'm definitely going to write down patch 47, in case I lose it. It is money.

Mmmmmmh....
My suggestion is to use both MP-1 outputs and enter in a stereo FX unit (the QV GT, that also has a good usable noise gate inside, in case you need it...while the Chameleon has not stereo INs...).
Then go into a stereo power amp to drive a good stereo 2x12 cab or a couple of 4x12 cabs if you want to kill someone...  :metal:

Trust me: you'll be happy a lot.
Title: Re: My MP1 is here! And a couple questions on EPROMS and MIDI
Post by: rnolan on April 13, 2017, 02:17:16 AM
Hey Sean, totally agree with Max (Iperfungus) here.  The MP-1 works best in stereo, yeah you can use the (mono) fx loop, but why... Just go MP-1 A/B out > QV GT L/R in, QV GT L/R out to poweramp L/R in > 2 cabs (or stereo cab) and it will blow you away (use the QV dry/wet mix settings to get the fx balance where you want it). Another trick is to use the chorus with depth set to 100 and rate set to 0, really fattens up the sound  >:D (in stereo set up).

Can you post the 47 patch in the MP-1 patches pls (or here), then you'll never loose it LoL and we can give it a try also  :whoohoo!: .
Title: Re: My MP1 is here! And a couple questions on EPROMS and MIDI
Post by: Soloist on April 13, 2017, 06:16:39 PM
Ah Richard you beat me to it  :lol: I was going to ask Sean to post his patch 47 here so I could give it a go. :headbanger:
Nothing screams 80's like an MP1!
Title: Re: My MP1 is here! And a couple questions on EPROMS and MIDI
Post by: bloodspoint on April 18, 2017, 07:05:46 AM
It's interesting you guys mention this. I just came to the same conclusion, and was wondering, with the mono loop, how to do this, but the outputs --> QGT's ins --> power amp makes sense. I guess I have to mess with the mix on the QGT, so I don't end up with just effected signal at the power amp. In the loop, I have it set to 100% wet.
Title: Re: My MP1 is here! And a couple questions on EPROMS and MIDI
Post by: rnolan on April 20, 2017, 03:15:29 AM
Also the loop on the MP-1 is series (in line) and not parallel (and stereo mixed in like on MP-2). So either you use a mixer and Fx send returns (like I did when I had MP-1, I never used it's loop) or you have to set the wet/dry mix in the Fx (if you use it in loop or chain through it).
The most common set up is to chain through (MP-1 A/B out > Fx L/R in, Fx L/R out > poweramp) the Fx and adjust the wet/dry mix and input and output levels in the Fx unit. Using a mixer with 2 Fx sends is easier to get the gain structure and mix right but adds complication (but also maintains the analogue integrity of the MP-1 better, it's subtle but does make a difference).

Hears how my mate MikeB does it:
MP-1 > GMaj2 > B200s.  He also uses an ADA GCS3 cab simulator in the MP-1 loop for recording (so loop on for recording, loop off for live) and makes copies of his patches with loop on or off.
Title: Re: My MP1 is here! And a couple questions on EPROMS and MIDI
Post by: bloodspoint on April 20, 2017, 06:55:36 AM
Thanks!
As reported in another thread, I found an Intellifex, and that with the MP1 seems like a perfect match.

I'll be upgrading to a 2.01 EPROM soon, so I'll write down the patches I want to keep, before they get blitzed.
Title: Re: My MP1 is here! And a couple questions on EPROMS and MIDI
Post by: Harley Hexxe on April 20, 2017, 07:05:47 AM
Good idea :thumb-up:
Title: Re: My MP1 is here! And a couple questions on EPROMS and MIDI
Post by: bloodspoint on April 20, 2017, 12:26:25 PM
w00t! Successfully upgraded my EPROM from 1.38 to 2.01. Now I need to find a MIDI dump that works on Mac. I do IT for a living, and guitar and recording for fun now (used to do it for money, but there's no money in it, except what I was spending). The point of all that is I have an audio I/O unit that has, among other things, MIDI in/out, so I just need to find a utility app to save and load the patches.

Anyway, the 2.01 EPROM arrived today, so I popped the MP-1 out of the rack, and opened it up. Super clean on the inside. I knew it had a repair done by the guy I got it from to the input jack, so perhaps they cleaned it up then. I had also order the holder and replacement batteries for it from Mouser (thanks, whoever posted that info!), so while I was in there, I checked the battery. It was 2.9V and some change, and did not look like the originals. I figure it must have been replaced at some point. I was torn between replacing and leaving it, but the scientist in me told me not to mess with it, so if for some reason the unit had weird errors or didn't come back up after the chip swap, I wouldn't have to wonder if it was the battery thing.

I took some pics of the inside while I had the cover off. Tubes have yellow markings. Didn't pull them to see what they said.
The original EPROM seemed stuck in the socket, then popped out suddenly. The new one had a wider leg spread than the original, so I had to carefully tweak them in a little. Once I did that, and positioned it very carefully, I was able to seesaw it into the socket.

I fired it back up, and watched the lights do their dance, and the 2.01 flash by, then Err3. Uh oh. Then, it showed patch 1. Just for fun, I turned it back off and on, and it didn't do the err3 thing again, so I'm going to assume it was related to the EPROM change. 
Plugged it back into the amp, and it sounds glorious.

Okay, off on a Mac sysex utility hunt.
Title: Re: My MP1 is here! And a couple questions on EPROMS and MIDI
Post by: vmaxvmax on July 06, 2017, 02:54:59 AM
Maybe a little late now but I use: https://www.snoize.com/SysExLibrarian/

Easy to use.