AKAI mpk61 - instant mapping - track pans??

[8bliss]

Please help! I only use my mpk61 in the studio. I'd LOVE to use the knobs on my MPK61 as track pans. Not through "midi mapping". I want it global, tracks 1-8. But as is (with mpk49 template), it only acts as effect encoders. I have 3 banks for the knobs, so pans on one bank & encoders on another, would be a beautiful set up. I looked/tried the "User Remote Scripts" to create my own, but sadly there are no "pans" on the list. I also herd of programming a controller to act as Mackie Control. But I can't find a clear "how to" anywhere. the closest I found is this:

http://www.sensomusic.com/wiki/doku.php ... kiecontrol
But it just says "Pan = midi note 42". What? Wouldn't it have a different midi note for each knob? If so, what are they.

This is all very frustrating, it has been extremely easy for me in the past to set up global pans with other programs, Reason, Tracktion,etc. I must be able to do this. The APC 20/40 & other controllers claim to do track pans... How can I make this happen? Besides this, the feel of the MPK61 w/ Live is a dream...

Thanks,
-B

[dentaku]

Modifying the remote scripts is allot of work, I agree.
The scripts for the MPK series are strange anyway. The Python scripts have very little code in them plus it has a .SYX file included in the same folder which makes it look like that's where some of the important stuff is and I have no clue what to do with an .syx file. This line in consts.pyc looks like a clue that this is the case """" The following consts should be substituted with the Sys Ex messages for requesting a controller's ID response and that response to allow for automatic lookup"""

At the moment I can't see any other way other than switching to CONTROL BANK B and C on the MPK and manually assigning them to the pans.

[8bliss]

Thanks... Yea, I don't know what to do with the actual MPK scripts... I suppose I was hoping I could just create a new custom one... Manually assigning won't really work for me with track pans, unless I wait until the song is ready for lay-down, which is a pain to have to assign it every time, it's quicker to just use the mouse... I can't just set it as a midi map template, because track order changes as I work, so eventually the assignments get out of order with the controller... Such is life... Maybe someone out there has an "instant mapping" solution. Thanks again.

[Shokol8]

that's funny i was complaining about the cme vx5 for the same reason because i used differents vst synthe plugin ,i'd like to have differents banks of midimap presets for each of them,but i have to midimap live everytime i changed them,that make them not really useful for live really,it should have a kind of dialog box between the midi controller and ableton to custom yourself your own templates and assign them to banks button.
Well i am kind of happy to see it's not only the vx5 having this problem, i was a bit pissed off by the fact ,that,what is the point to have so many knobs if they can't be pre assigned,if you have to assign the knobs evrytime then just put five of them cos there is no need for more. :-/

[dentaku]

Actually, the MPK series DO have presets that you can change on the hardware itself (using the little LCD screen) that customizes it to certain VSTs or DAWs and you can build your own presets and send them to the MPK using Vyzex.
What's complicated is setting up Ableton Live automaping which involves writing scripts .
That's why getting the 8 encoders to control track panning without having to map them by hand every time is kind of difficult. Ableton's own automapping is what's complicated.

that's funny i was complaining about the cme vx5 for the same reason because i used differents vst synthe plugin ,i'd like to have differents banks of midimap presets for each of them,but i have to midimap live everytime i changed them,that make them not really useful for live really,it should have a kind of dialog box between the midi controller and ableton to custom yourself your own templates and assign them to banks button.
Well i am kind of happy to see it's not only the vx5 having this problem, i was a bit pissed off by the fact ,that,what is the point to have so many knobs if they can't be pre assigned,if you have to assign the knobs evrytime then just put five of them cos there is no need for more. :-/

[Shokol8]

Actually, the MPK series DO have presets that you can change on the hardware itself (using the little LCD screen) that customizes it to certain VSTs or DAWs and you can build your own presets and send them to the MPK using Vyzex.
What's complicated is setting up Ableton Live automaping which involves writing scripts .
That's why getting the 8 encoders to control track panning without having to map them by hand every time is kind of difficult. Ableton's own automapping is what's complicated.

And have you write to them to tell them what was going on to see if there is any workaround,me i dunno the vx5 yet enough to know if there is such possibilities and the manual is like hyeroglyphe to me,there is nothing very useful in it,i would like just create a bank of assigned preset ine one button to be able to swap live with them,i hope that will be easier when i will get the apc40 and i will use the keyboard just as one and not as a midi controller then,well good luck in your song making you shall have and....
May the sound be with you..... ;D

[8bliss]

Before I got the Akai MPK61, I had a CME UF5 & mpd24... Loved it... That's cool you have a VX5, that's one of the nicest controllers out, by far. If you know the midi control numbers for the parameters in the vst's your using, you can build your own presets on any controller that can save. Or if you know what notes the controller is sending you can create an instant map "user remote script" for the controller... That should work for your cme... It's just that pans aren't on the user script, only "encoders", which means for effects and such...

I'll tell ya, the Akai is much easier to make your own presets. I had a lot of trouble with my UF5 (love the construction though)... The Akai software is real easy... I also had a APC20 for about a day... Didn't care for the feel on the launch buttons... Returned it and got the MPK61... And I absolutely LOVE it! It feels nice and simplifies me... Just wish I could assign instant map pans to any controller...

[dentaku]

I was just reading about the simple User Remote Scripts and you're right, they can't control pan OR solo. That's just weird.
The more complicated Midi Remote Scripts can but they involve modifying Python scripts and in the case of the MPK there's also an even more complicated .SYX file that goes along with it that I have no clue what it does

I know I had a midi remote script for the Korg nanoKONTROL that automaped the 8 first knobs to track pans 1-8 and 9-16 so it's possible.

Before I got the Akai MPK61, I had a CME UF5 & mpd24... Loved it... That's cool you have a VX5, that's one of the nicest controllers out, by far. If you know the midi control numbers for the parameters in the vst's your using, you can build your own presets on any controller that can save. Or if you know what notes the controller is sending you can create an instant map "user remote script" for the controller... That should work for your cme... It's just that pans aren't on the user script, only "encoders", which means for effects and such...

I'll tell ya, the Akai is much easier to make your own presets. I had a lot of trouble with my UF5 (love the construction though)... The Akai software is real easy... I also had a APC20 for about a day... Didn't care for the feel on the launch buttons... Returned it and got the MPK61... And I absolutely LOVE it! It feels nice and simplifies me... Just wish I could assign instant map pans to any controller...

[Shokol8]

Before I got the Akai MPK61, I had a CME UF5 & mpd24... Loved it... That's cool you have a VX5, that's one of the nicest controllers out, by far. If you know the midi control numbers for the parameters in the vst's your using, you can build your own presets on any controller that can save. Or if you know what notes the controller is sending you can create an instant map "user remote script" for the controller... That should work for your cme... It's just that pans aren't on the user script, only "encoders", which means for effects and such...

I'll tell ya, the Akai is much easier to make your own presets. I had a lot of trouble with my UF5 (love the construction though)... The Akai software is real easy... I also had a APC20 for about a day... Didn't care for the feel on the launch buttons... Returned it and got the MPK61... And I absolutely LOVE it! It feels nice and simplifies me... Just wish I could assign instant map pans to any controller...

thanks bliss ,at last an answer that does help!!! i will have a look at that,i think cme did a good product but it seems unfinished the way there is no help about it on their site ,like an easy to use step ,and the manual is so sh..t,and apparently they close the forum about the vx serie cos too much bad publicity,lol...

[jan jeffer]

i have an MPD 24 and managed to work out some of the auto-map stuff

obviously the faders automap to track volume

what wasn't obvious to me initially is that the 8 rotary encoders can auto map to the macro controls on any rack using the following CC messages

Macro 1 - Ctrl 15
Macro 2 - Ctrl 16
Macro 3 - Ctrl 13
Macro 4 - Ctrl 14
Macro 5 - Ctrl 11
Macro 6 - Ctrl 12
Macro 7 - Ctrl 10
Macro 8 - Ctrl 07

Once you set rotary encoders on MPD24 to transmit CC messages on these controller no.s the auto-map functionality makes way more sense.

If you have a look at the MPD24 python script you will notice that these no.s are listed - it is my hunch that some of the other scripts contain similar info about auto-mapping pan/sends/scene selection etc.

i would like to develop a better MPD24 script - one that will allow a bank of rotary encoders for a rack - one for sends - one for pans - and that auto-maps a bank of pads to the master scene selection.

i am sure this is possible but I don't have Python programming skills so if anyone else is into trying to hack this code into something more flexible please feel free to contact me

hope this helps

Jan Jeffer

www.soundcloud.com/jan-jeffer