MPC and Ableton

Share your favorite Ableton Live tips, tricks, and techniques.
Post Reply
Bpantell
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Sep 28, 2007 5:36 pm
Location: Los Angeles
Contact:

MPC and Ableton

Post by Bpantell » Fri Sep 28, 2007 5:39 pm

Hi, I am new to Ableton and I am trying to find a 'best practices' for using my MPC 2000xl with Ableton. ANybody else out there using the MPC 2kxl with Live 6?

Thanks,
~B

http://www.studiobhiphop.com
Check out my music and design portfolio...
http://www.studiobhiphop.com

shonsteez
Posts: 4
Joined: Wed Dec 22, 2004 8:11 am
Location: cali
Contact:

Post by shonsteez » Sun Sep 30, 2007 8:13 am

Wutsup man? I also use Ableton with my MPC but primarily as my DAW for tracking. I accomplish this via SPDIF from my 1000 to my soundcard and then into my computer/DAW/Live....
This is super easy to do even with just Midi Clock. Thats what I use. The 2000 has MTC as well I believe but Midi Clock is just fine. Ableton is really good about midi sync issues so there shouldnt be any issues with tracking out your beat correctly unless a setting in yer prefs is incorrect.
Just make sure that u make Live the MASTER not the SLAVE. The MPC may hold onto the correct tempo for a bit but the odds are it will eventually fall out. I can say this from personal experience, and so its best and safer to just make Live the Master.
Good luck man and have fun! Live is the shit.

shonsteez
Posts: 4
Joined: Wed Dec 22, 2004 8:11 am
Location: cali
Contact:

Post by shonsteez » Sun Sep 30, 2007 8:14 am

Wutsup man? I also use Ableton with my MPC but primarily as my DAW for tracking. I accomplish this via SPDIF from my 1000 to my soundcard and then into my computer/DAW/Live....
This is super easy to do even with just Midi Clock. Thats what I use. The 2000 has MTC as well I believe but Midi Clock is just fine. Ableton is really good about midi sync issues so there shouldnt be any issues with tracking out your beat correctly unless a setting in yer prefs is incorrect.
Just make sure that u make Live the MASTER not the SLAVE. The MPC may hold onto the correct tempo for a bit but the odds are it will eventually fall out. I can say this from personal experience, and so its best and safer to just make Live the Master.
Good luck man and have fun! Live is the shit.

Hovatron
Posts: 3
Joined: Fri Oct 12, 2007 2:10 am

Post by Hovatron » Fri Oct 12, 2007 2:12 am

To bring this up again...

I have an MPC 1000 and Ableton Live 6.
I do live remixing and mashups of tunes, and want to use my MPC as a controller purely, I don't need any of the loops and sounds on it. So I basically want to turn it into an MPD or a Trigger-Finger. I have a USB-to-MIDI cable.
I know nothing about MIDI and setting stuff as "master" or "slave", though I know what these terms mean.

Is such an operation possible???? thank you.

mok
Posts: 64
Joined: Sun Aug 06, 2006 1:32 am
Location: Zurich, CH
Contact:

Post by mok » Fri Oct 12, 2007 5:20 pm

i also use Live 6 and a MPC 2k XL since quite a while, and i figured out lots of different ways to use these two together....not only using it as a drum controller, but having fun with samples made in live and played after on the MPC...

first of all, I also recommend to set the MPC as Slave, and Live as Master. this is done in the setup of Live and on the MPC, and also you have to match the two by syncing to the Metronome... My MPC is about 48ms behind Live, but this always on the MIDI device chain and the MIDI interface you use... after this you can record loops and stuff, and they fit perfect into your live set.

its also possible to use the MPC only as a controller, although I think personally this is not the reason why I would use a MPC... just select the Midi In Channel in Live, put your MIDI chain in the right order MPC >> MAC/PC, set the MPC to send Midi Notes to Live a you´re done!

but the best way is to feed your MPC with sounds, and get making grooves, then record these into live and rework them there...millions of possibilities! :-)

cheers, and have fun!
Mark

Post Reply