APC40 TIPS --- Share Your Brainz!

[nezzyidy]

Enough with the pointless forum arguing, many of us now own the Akai APC40,
let's share our tips, tricks and workarounds.

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My suggestion is a reminder that any knob or button can be remapped elsewhere.
If there is any function you don't need to use in a live performance, remap it!

If you are a DJ who uses three tracks for music, map the other 5 volume faders to
either Aux levels or Aux device settings.

If you are musician then set up all your clips to have the correct volume, then
use the volume faders for other parameters. (even including the master fader if
you don't need to use it.)

Truely, it sucks to need to work around the fact that you cannot control the aux level
or devices in the usual way... Hopefully this workaround will be useful to SOMEONE
out there.


Cheers!

Ms. Nezzy IDy

http://www.nezzyidy.com
Worship the Glitch!

[channelite]

When using the compressor, device bank 3, knob 3 controls output volume. Use to annoy me that volume wasn't in the first set of eight mappings. Seems kind of silly to have volume in the third set of device knobs. At least now we have access to 8 banks of 8 knobs for plugins with the APC. Rock on..

[Dirk Bigler]

Check out www.akaiapc40.com to discuss any thoughts you may have.

[nezzyidy]

If you like to control sends A and B at the same time, try remapping the 'pan' bank
of the APC40: Map the top four knobs to 'send A' tracks 1-4, the bottom four knobs to
'send B' tracks 1-4. Then do the same for the 'send A' bank for tracks 5-8.

Now you have control of send A and B for tracks 1-4 on one bank and for tracks 5-8
on the other bank. If you have more than 8 tracks then continue on to the 'send B'
and 'send C' banks. (giving you 16 tracks).

If you have 4 return tracks but only 8 music tracks you can split the the 'Pan' bank
of the APC40 between four sends for track 1 and four sends for track 2, then 'send A'
bank to 3-4, 'send B' to 5-6, and 'send C' to 7-8.

If you are a DJ with only four music tracks and 8 return tracks you can dedicate the
'Pan' bank of the APC to track 1 where knobs 1-8 correspond to sends A-H, then map
'send A' bank to track 2 sends A-H, 'send B' to track 3, and 'send C' to track 4.
now you can bank between tracks 1-4 and instantly control all of the 8 aux on your
chosen track.

(I haven't tried this yet but I assume this would work)

http://www.nezzyidy.com
Worship the Glitch!

[Lo-Fi Massahkah]

When using the compressor, device bank 3, knob 3 controls output volume. Use to annoy me that volume wasn't in the first set of eight mappings. Seems kind of silly to have volume in the third set of device knobs. At least now we have access to 8 banks of 8 knobs for plugins with the APC. Rock on..

Don't own the APC. Yet.

But couldn't you just make a rack of your own with the 8 relevant controls mapped to macros - as you like them? To avoid bank switching.

.m

[channelite]

You can add an instrument to the library with the mapping saved? I'll have to try that.

[nemoy]

I was a bit disappointed how they solved (or didn't solve) recording of clips.
If you use several Live instruments for a live performance, let's say an electric Bass guitar;
you most probably wont have one hand free to push the Button on the APC to start/stop
the recording of your clip.
If you record a bassline, and then play a fender rhodes line to another channel,
It's not enough to just assign the footswitch to a specific record button,
because you'll have to re-assign it with every new track / instrument or even clip in the same track.

having seen the footswitch Jacks on the APC, i thought of something like:
depending on wich track you selected, the footswitch automaticly triggers record
for the selected (and armed) channel.
but that doesn't really work, does it??

Any Ideas on this?

[feyshay]

I've been thinking about coordinating the use of the Behringer FCB 1010 with the APC 40. The 1010 allowed me to easily arm and launch recording without any trouble. What if you were to use scene launch. There is a setting in preferences that I have enabled that allows automatic recording into slots that are armed when launching a scene. You could make sure that stop buttons in your other track are deactivated so that they don't stop when the next scene is launched. You could then use one footswitch to move down to the next scene and launch that scene. That might work, no?

[nemoy]

...that does work indeed!

Where do i have to assign the footswitch to then? szene launch button, right?
and where can i deactivate the stop clip buttons in that scene?

And, as soon, as i'd like to record an alternative take lets say a bridge,
or chorus, i'll have to just assign the footswitch to the desired szene launch button in ableton live,
and there you go?...
i'll have to try this! thanks!

generally I'm looking for a way to build up songs completely from scratch,
on the fly, on several channels, with several real instruments, played,
recoded and looped one after another,
quite easily and quick. for a live performance.


...another problem.
if i set up things like described, and go for the scene launch approach,
let's say i swap into an alternative scene, (bridge, or chorus) but need
one of the instruments to be heard, but not recorded.
I'll have to arm the channel to hear the instrument i play, but scene
launch buttons will start recording a clip in that alternattive scene.

???

ay, i'll need a little more time to really figure this out
thanky for any helpful advice!

[maze23a]

One thing i would like to do is to toogle between session and arrange but
as far as i can see it ,this function is not midi mapable.
Anyone has an idea if this is possible?

[Kaktusen]

I'm building my setup from scratch with an MPD24, a Novation Nocturn (tho I'm prolly gonna dump this), and a Behringer BCR2000.
For now, I'm only gonna describe my basic APC40-setup\framework, have to figure out a bunch of CC's and stuff before I incorporate the other gear.

For mashups and DJ'ing, I use 6 channels with an Utility set to -6db first on each, as I like to slam the faders for quick cuts, and because it's to fiddly trying to make perfect settings in the heat of the battle. This is followed by an EQ Three in bypass with the bass set to -inf, and the device On\Off is remapped to the activation buttons above the cue row so I have bass kill on each track. For now, I've mapped the mid on the EQ to the Pan bank, but haven't made up my mind on whether or not to go with this. All channels ends with a Limiter.

Channel 1-3 is routed to channel 7 and 4-6 to channel 8 for group fx like Dblue glitch, Beat Repeat, Lucifer, Autofilter HP- and LP-sweeps, Autopan with 0 degrees phase for tremolo, flanger etc. Both of these channels start with a -6db Utility and ends with a Limiter. 7 and 8 are mapped to the crossfader. This is also the reason I need more knobs and buttons :p

I also have two AUX'es with a Simple delay and a EQ Three with the bass kill engaged on the first, and a laaarge reverb with basskill on the second.
This is as far as I've come for now, hope it helps

Btw, I'm not particularly fond of the sound of the crossovers on the EQ Three, anyone have any tips on a totally transparent DJ-eq VST, or do I have to buy a DJM-800 and a NI Audio 8 after all? :p

[djlimbs]

this might be common knowledge, but the "Cue" knob is relative so you can map it to fine-tuning tempo and use it to speed up slow down your set as far as the range is (i think it's like 30-300 or something). pretty nifty for me

[nezzyidy]

Thanks for the tip DJLimbs!


Here's a sweet video: Customize the APC40
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4YIGfhbCtw


http://www.nezzyidy.com

[Dirk Bigler]

Post at www.akaiapc40.com as well and make it a success!

[Lo-Fi Massahkah]

Post at http://www.akaiapc40.com as well and make it a success!

With all due respect - isn't it better to stick to one forum? This one. Seeing as the APC is an Ableton product. And that the akaiapc40.com forum is some add-hosted "free" website.

I'd rather stay here. Concentrate the knowledge.

.m