MPC Live Major Update.

[timc3]

This doesn’t help my GAS for an MPC at all. Trying to convince myself I do not need it, but then again perhaps its worth selling my Octatrack for.

[terryfalafel]

The music scene in Brussels is good, also lot of smart people that have something to say, and want a change are going to parties there.


Anyways... LttV maybe you could help me with my MPC though. I'm trying to use it as a plugin in ableton, and I would like to be able to send midi via mpc ports (programming the sequences on mpc not ableton) like in standalone... I'm fighting with that for quite a while to be honest and I still can't crack it.

This doesn't work, and it's the reason I returned the MPC Live I bought. When you're in PC mode, everything has to go in and out via the computer. Only in standalone mode will, for example, the MIDI ports on the box itself function.

If the MPC Live was able to work in standalone mode but stream audio into the DAW at the same time, it would have been a better solution for me, but this hard line between PC mode and standalone mode meant that it just wasn't the one for me...

[Martin]

I love this update! If they release vst support in standalone i will abandon the computer for writing tracks and only use ableton for some sound design and for mixing. I find that i make better music with the mpc.

Really need to get fast with the q-links etc though! Anyone have some tips or tutorials for that?
And, do you have any tips for midicontrollers and how you use them with the mpc?

[Lost to the Void]

The music scene in Brussels is good, also lot of smart people that have something to say, and want a change are going to parties there.


Anyways... LttV maybe you could help me with my MPC though. I'm trying to use it as a plugin in ableton, and I would like to be able to send midi via mpc ports (programming the sequences on mpc not ableton) like in standalone... I'm fighting with that for quite a while to be honest and I still can't crack it.

This doesn't work, and it's the reason I returned the MPC Live I bought. When you're in PC mode, everything has to go in and out via the computer. Only in standalone mode will, for example, the MIDI ports on the box itself function.

If the MPC Live was able to work in standalone mode but stream audio into the DAW at the same time, it would have been a better solution for me, but this hard line between PC mode and standalone mode meant that it just wasn't the one for me...

Does this solve the problem?

https://c.getsatisfaction.com/akai_prof ... cegn9lp8yk

[terryfalafel]

The music scene in Brussels is good, also lot of smart people that have something to say, and want a change are going to parties there.


Anyways... LttV maybe you could help me with my MPC though. I'm trying to use it as a plugin in ableton, and I would like to be able to send midi via mpc ports (programming the sequences on mpc not ableton) like in standalone... I'm fighting with that for quite a while to be honest and I still can't crack it.

This doesn't work, and it's the reason I returned the MPC Live I bought. When you're in PC mode, everything has to go in and out via the computer. Only in standalone mode will, for example, the MIDI ports on the box itself function.

If the MPC Live was able to work in standalone mode but stream audio into the DAW at the same time, it would have been a better solution for me, but this hard line between PC mode and standalone mode meant that it just wasn't the one for me...

Does this solve the problem?

https://c.getsatisfaction.com/akai_prof ... cegn9lp8yk

Thanks for having a hunt. It's not quite the same use case, as what I wanted was sending midi sequences from the MPC Live itself, not from the DAW, to external hardware while in controller mode.

Sadly I think my requirement, which was basically to work in standalone mode using the MPC Live as a standalone hardware sequencer, but stream audio tracks over USB into the DAW (a la Overbridge), just isn't how the MPC Live works.

[P0607r0n]

The music scene in Brussels is good, also lot of smart people that have something to say, and want a change are going to parties there.


Anyways... LttV maybe you could help me with my MPC though. I'm trying to use it as a plugin in ableton, and I would like to be able to send midi via mpc ports (programming the sequences on mpc not ableton) like in standalone... I'm fighting with that for quite a while to be honest and I still can't crack it.

This doesn't work, and it's the reason I returned the MPC Live I bought. When you're in PC mode, everything has to go in and out via the computer. Only in standalone mode will, for example, the MIDI ports on the box itself function.

If the MPC Live was able to work in standalone mode but stream audio into the DAW at the same time, it would have been a better solution for me, but this hard line between PC mode and standalone mode meant that it just wasn't the one for me...

Does this solve the problem?

https://c.getsatisfaction.com/akai_prof ... cegn9lp8yk

Thanks, he is showing some workaround there that should work for me. The one with "export midi sequence" so at the end of the day the sequence I created in mpc can be triggered while while using it in controller mode. Just we need to flex a little.
That's what I need because I want to record external synth twiddling on top of the final arrangement in bleton.

[ross-alexander]

The music scene in Brussels is good, also lot of smart people that have something to say, and want a change are going to parties there.


Anyways... LttV maybe you could help me with my MPC though. I'm trying to use it as a plugin in ableton, and I would like to be able to send midi via mpc ports (programming the sequences on mpc not ableton) like in standalone... I'm fighting with that for quite a while to be honest and I still can't crack it.

I've got a feeling this doesn't actually work properly yet I have mentioned it to akai. You can see them and select them but when you hit play it defaults back to none. Check this and have a word I'm informed they realise it's an issue.

[ross-alexander]

It should work and doesn't the reason I tried is it would be handy for me. You can go into prefs and select them but they revert as I said. I'm convinced that is actually a bug been told as much. Would be very useful.

[snitch]

wow, this thread really made me reconsider the mpc live.
I am currently giging with two Octatracks and some other Hardware and i can tell you its pretty messy. Especially transitions between patterns are always so hard to do. Ive been looking for solutions for that for years now.

@void: do you manage to get like dj-ish transitions between your tracks with the mpc?

[Lost to the Void]

wow, this thread really made me reconsider the mpc live.
I am currently giging with two Octatracks and some other Hardware and i can tell you its pretty messy. Especially transitions between patterns are always so hard to do. Ive been looking for solutions for that for years now.

@void: do you manage to get like dj-ish transitions between your tracks with the mpc?

My PAs have always been designed around flowing like a DJ set. Nothing worse than going back to barebones beats between each track.

So yes, I use outputs 3&4 as "left deck"
and outputs 5&6 as "left deck" so I can mix, chop and fade between them just like a DJ (then with that I run 3 hardware synths).

[ADG]

I'm toying with buying an MPCX as a stay in the studio hub machine.

if you did use this as a studio machine, how would you use it as hub and record/sample external gear?

i've been trying to find the best way to sync an mpc live with an erm multiclock, external drum machines/seqs, an octatrack and eurorack clock. wanted to use the mutliclock as the master as solid as rock and works perfectly with everything else (plus will sync perfectly to ableton when i get the computer involved, but this mostly after the initial hardware production phase) but the mpc won't let you use the looper or audio tracks when externally synced... using the sampler function doesn't give perfect loops and the threshold isn't ideal for stuff that doesn't start on one, tapping a pad isn't totally accurate either.

when i run the mpc as the master into the multiclock you can see the bpm reading on the erm jumping all over the place showing the mpc midi out has plenty of jitter.. so not ideal as the master for everything else and anything recorded likely have random time shifts..

looking to record synced loops and long audio tracks from my gear onto the mpc and octatrack, then play them back synced with everything else.. any tips much appreciated - cheers

[intrusav]

wow, this thread really made me reconsider the mpc live.
I am currently giging with two Octatracks and some other Hardware and i can tell you its pretty messy. Especially transitions between patterns are always so hard to do. Ive been looking for solutions for that for years now.

@void: do you manage to get like dj-ish transitions between your tracks with the mpc?

My PAs have always been designed around flowing like a DJ set. Nothing worse than going back to barebones beats between each track.

So yes, I use outputs 3&4 as "left deck"
and outputs 5&6 as "left deck" so I can mix, chop and fade between them just like a DJ (then with that I run 3 hardware synths).

Two left decks? You, my friend, need more balance in your life

[P0607r0n]

I'm toying with buying an MPCX as a stay in the studio hub machine.

if you did use this as a studio machine, how would you use it as hub and record/sample external gear?

i've been trying to find the best way to sync an mpc live with an erm multiclock, external drum machines/seqs, an octatrack and eurorack clock. wanted to use the mutliclock as the master as solid as rock and works perfectly with everything else (plus will sync perfectly to ableton when i get the computer involved, but this mostly after the initial hardware production phase) but the mpc won't let you use the looper or audio tracks when externally synced... using the sampler function doesn't give perfect loops and the threshold isn't ideal for stuff that doesn't start on one, tapping a pad isn't totally accurate either.

when i run the mpc as the master into the multiclock you can see the bpm reading on the erm jumping all over the place showing the mpc midi out has plenty of jitter.. so not ideal as the master for everything else and anything recorded likely have random time shifts..

looking to record synced loops and long audio tracks from my gear onto the mpc and octatrack, then play them back synced with everything else.. any tips much appreciated - cheers

Didn't encounter any jitter when sequencing synth, and sending clock to the drum machine out of the mpc. Though didn't use it with any midi splitter box.

BTW. Void, I wouldn't say the X is really necessary if you don't need the mic preamps and CV. The additional control knobs you can get simply by adding midi controller, after some update you can midi map nearly every parameter of Mpc.

[Lost to the Void]

But you get more audio outs, more midi ins and outs.

[Lost to the Void]

I'm toying with buying an MPCX as a stay in the studio hub machine.

if you did use this as a studio machine, how would you use it as hub and record/sample external gear?

Really? Sampling is very easy with the MPC.

I wouldn't record final audio on to it though, I'll record onto the computer. Makes more sense.

[ADG]

I'm toying with buying an MPCX as a stay in the studio hub machine.

if you did use this as a studio machine, how would you use it as hub and record/sample external gear?

Really? Sampling is very easy with the MPC.

I wouldn't record final audio on to it though, I'll record onto the computer. Makes more sense.

Agree, sampling is easy if the MPC is master but if you use external sync audio tracks and the looper don't work. If it's the master, with the jitter on the midi output, any recorded audio tracks will have slight timing variation. Would love it function the same with an external clock (like the Octatrack's recording) because it's the best hardware interface for editing etc. I've used.

If you're recording straight into the computer, would you just use the MPC for external sequencing and as the master clock? Do you use the MPC software?

[ADG]

Didn't encounter any jitter when sequencing synth, and sending clock to the drum machine out of the mpc. Though didn't use it with any midi splitter box.

Can you see the BPM reading on the drum machine or the synth? On the ERM you can see the clock shifting +/- 1 BPM, sometimes a bit more. In comparison, using the Octatrack as the master, it's +/- 0.1

If everything playing live and shifting slightly it's not too bad - if you record individual takes of each unit, the jitter will effect each track separately so they'll all be slight off each other.

Wouldn't be a issue if didn't want to use the audio tracks/looper as could just use a solid external clock - just trying to get to the best workaround

[Lost to the Void]

if you did use this as a studio machine, how would you use it as hub and record/sample external gear?

Really? Sampling is very easy with the MPC.

I wouldn't record final audio on to it though, I'll record onto the computer. Makes more sense.

Agree, sampling is easy if the MPC is master but if you use external sync audio tracks and the looper don't work. If it's the master, with the jitter on the midi output, any recorded audio tracks will have slight timing variation. Would love it function the same with an external clock (like the Octatrack's recording) because it's the best hardware interface for editing etc. I've used.

If you're recording straight into the computer, would you just use the MPC for external sequencing and as the master clock? Do you use the MPC software?

The MPc is the sequencing heart of the setup, along with dealing with samples and drums, the computer records everything via multi input interface for eventual mixing.
Very simple, you could say traditional really, sequencing device and recording device are separate.

[ADG]

The MPc is the sequencing heart of the setup, along with dealing with samples and drums, the computer records everything via multi input interface for eventual mixing.
Very simple, you could say traditional really, sequencing device and recording device are separate.
[/quote]

cool, thanks. still making all the samples and drums in ableton then importing them into the MPC? do any recording into it?

what's your master clock?

[Lost to the Void]

I have big SSD drive inside the MPC which has a lot of my vast sample library in it. Tons of my field recordings, there`s more drums and sounds in there than I`ll ever use in a lifetime.

MPC is master clock sequencing everything, like I said, very simple setup.