Akai MPCs, why so legendary ?

Discuss music production with Ableton Live.
Tone Deft
Posts: 24152
Joined: Mon Oct 02, 2006 5:19 pm

Post by Tone Deft » Tue Nov 25, 2008 10:30 pm

Credo wrote:
grok wrote:Maybe a little OT
I bought a MPD 32, and hooked it up with Live. Talking about a dreamteam. I only have for a mnth now and it changed my workflow big way. My musix and performing has become so much better ( I hope :oops: )
Nice to hear! My MPD32 arrived today (man how long a week can be!)
How do you use this setup? Do you have a standard setup or different in each set?
Are you using lots of drum racks or mapping pads to clips?
Any tips n trix to share?
I use my mpc like an mpd sometimes...

slave Live to the MPC and go to town with the Note Repeat feature.

one kinda laborious thing I did was to take the EIC drum racks and re-map those to the default mpc layout so the drum types are in columns, kicks on the left, snares in column 2, OHH in column 3 and CHH at the right column. on the MPC at least the notes for the pads are laid out in a seemingly random order, YMMV for the MPD.

hth.
In my life
Why do I smile
At people who I'd much rather kick in the eye?
-Moz

jamief
Posts: 1856
Joined: Sun Dec 08, 2002 1:50 pm
Location: Awakend

Post by jamief » Tue Nov 25, 2008 10:31 pm

and its newer model

This had midi and a totally wicked sequncer.


Oberheim • DMX

http://www.vintagesynth.com/oberheim/dmx.shtml

lola
Posts: 1100
Joined: Mon Jun 27, 2005 1:57 pm

Post by lola » Tue Nov 25, 2008 10:40 pm

jamief wrote:and its newer model

This had midi and a totally wicked sequncer.


Oberheim • DMX

http://www.vintagesynth.com/oberheim/dmx.shtml
i still love the good old 707, what i would like to have sometime if i have the cash is a sequential studio 440

jamief
Posts: 1856
Joined: Sun Dec 08, 2002 1:50 pm
Location: Awakend

Post by jamief » Tue Nov 25, 2008 10:49 pm

lola wrote:
jamief wrote:and its newer model

This had midi and a totally wicked sequncer.


Oberheim • DMX

http://www.vintagesynth.com/oberheim/dmx.shtml
i still love the good old 707, what i would like to have sometime if i have the cash is a sequential studio 440
He he i had a 707 as well and 727 and 606 and a 909 3x 303s loads of moogs. Loved my moog source http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=V1Ac_MCOt ... re=related

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=xnWqXegN3 ... re=related
and the minimoog

Show off bastard eh ? :D I was addicted - now its soft synths it's like bloody heroin to me ! :?

Like the look of that sequential studio 440 though Lola nice ! :)

lola
Posts: 1100
Joined: Mon Jun 27, 2005 1:57 pm

Post by lola » Tue Nov 25, 2008 11:59 pm

jamief wrote:
lola wrote:
jamief wrote:and its newer model

This had midi and a totally wicked sequncer.


Oberheim • DMX

http://www.vintagesynth.com/oberheim/dmx.shtml
i still love the good old 707, what i would like to have sometime if i have the cash is a sequential studio 440
He he i had a 707 as well and 727 and 606 and a 909 3x 303s loads of moogs. Loved my moog source http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=V1Ac_MCOt ... re=related

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=xnWqXegN3 ... re=related
and the minimoog

Show off bastard eh ? :D I was addicted - now its soft synths it's like bloody heroin to me ! :?

Like the look of that sequential studio 440 though Lola nice ! :)

got my first analog i was 15 in 1985, a kawai 100 f monophone analog, which i got for free from a friend back then
still own a lot of analogys, i swear by them, i don't like softsynths that much, i love the specs but diss the sound, and after all its the sound that counts for me, ableton is a nice addon tho, with analog and digital hardware.

grok
Posts: 85
Joined: Thu Nov 03, 2005 11:50 am
Location: Belgium

Post by grok » Wed Nov 26, 2008 8:44 am

[/quote]Credo wrote:
grok wrote:
Maybe a little OT
I bought a MPD 32, and hooked it up with Live. Talking about a dreamteam. I only have for a mnth now and it changed my workflow big way. My musix and performing has become so much better ( I hope )


Nice to hear! My MPD32 arrived today (man how long a week can be!)
How do you use this setup? Do you have a standard setup or different in each set?
Are you using lots of drum racks or mapping pads to clips?
Any tips n trix to share?

I use my mpc like an mpd sometimes...

slave Live to the MPC and go to town with the Note Repeat feature.

one kinda laborious thing I did was to take the EIC drum racks and re-map those to the default mpc layout so the drum types are in columns, kicks on the left, snares in column 2, OHH in column 3 and CHH at the right column. on the MPC at least the notes for the pads are laid out in a seemingly random order, YMMV for the MPD.

hth.


@ Credo
Wel don't use the templates, I did asign all manualy. Just grab a lot sounds , put it in your drum rack and go. Instead of a more linear approach to my music, I make more loops and trigger them with the MPC .
Greetz
Grok
P4 Desktop-Echo Gina-Laptop P4-Motu Ultra Lite-AkaiMFC-Sherman-TeeBee 383-Reaktor-Live 7-Alesis Mk2-Novation Remote-Phat Boy-DBX comp-Korg KaossPad 3-Kaossilator-Akai MPD32

starving student
Posts: 7129
Joined: Thu Dec 09, 2004 6:13 pm
Location: right here

Post by starving student » Wed Nov 26, 2008 10:27 pm

so here's a clip of the smallest mpc, the 500, I think it makes a great midi controller even though it has the 12pad setup instead of the 16pad configuration, I like to think of it as a midi controller that you don't have to take the computer with when you're on the go, imagine if the mpc32 had a built in compact flash slot that takes up to 32 gigs, 128megs of ram in it, and a dope sequencer/sampler inside, plus the ability to send samples back and forth between the comp and itself, if the mpd had all of that I would not hesitate to get one, funny thing is it's smaller than the mpd but the pads are wonderful

http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=Pqf9x5bMEP4

starving student
Posts: 7129
Joined: Thu Dec 09, 2004 6:13 pm
Location: right here

Post by starving student » Wed Nov 26, 2008 10:48 pm

this ones not bad, kinda nice to see something other than hiphop with the machine

http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=NauQK7JLq-I

starving student
Posts: 7129
Joined: Thu Dec 09, 2004 6:13 pm
Location: right here

Post by starving student » Wed Nov 26, 2008 10:54 pm


starving student
Posts: 7129
Joined: Thu Dec 09, 2004 6:13 pm
Location: right here

Post by starving student » Wed Nov 26, 2008 10:56 pm

oh this dude gets better and better this is sick

http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=4YP7WBc70 ... re=channel

starving student
Posts: 7129
Joined: Thu Dec 09, 2004 6:13 pm
Location: right here

Post by starving student » Wed Nov 26, 2008 10:59 pm

fuck this guy is gooooood

i love what people do with minimal shit

http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=VKHNfSS0E ... re=related

Chang
Posts: 286
Joined: Wed Oct 15, 2008 9:38 pm

Re: Akai MPCs, why so legendary ?

Post by Chang » Thu Nov 27, 2008 12:30 am

navitus wrote:Ok, so "Starving Student" from these boards got me researching on the Akai MPC series.


But its more geared for studio stuff and less live performance am i right ?
Isn't live with an akai MPD controller the ultimate MPC ?

I'm missing something, please elaborate.
Cheers
F

Long time MPC 2000 and 4000 owner here. The main reason the mpc is better is sequencing work flow. Hit one pad puts all pads in pitch mode on the fly of that sound, hit another pad put selected sound velocity on all pads on the fly and in the 4000s case, hit pad put sound on all pads with all kinds of filter levels on the fly and tons of other items constantly sequencing away. This is more powerful than anything when it comes to sequencing. The MPD controller is just a lookalike and is anything but an "ultimate MPC" it can't do those features that only the mpc line can which are the most important powerful ones. The mdp is just a midi controller with some pads and fader controllers. Just use keyboard controller, close your eyes and pretend your hitting pads, it does same thing. Being an mpc owner I've never understood the mdp thing. it looks like an mpc with little pads but is far from an mpc. And to my knowledge there is no way to make Live or any other daw act like an mpc in use with an mdp.

I wish there was.

starving student
Posts: 7129
Joined: Thu Dec 09, 2004 6:13 pm
Location: right here

Re: Akai MPCs, why so legendary ?

Post by starving student » Thu Nov 27, 2008 12:46 am

Chang wrote:
navitus wrote:Ok, so "Starving Student" from these boards got me researching on the Akai MPC series.


But its more geared for studio stuff and less live performance am i right ?
Isn't live with an akai MPD controller the ultimate MPC ?

I'm missing something, please elaborate.
Cheers
F

Long time MPC 2000 and 4000 owner here. The main reason the mpc is better is sequencing work flow. Hit one pad puts all pads in pitch mode on the fly of that sound, hit another pad put selected sound velocity on all pads on the fly and in the 4000s case, hit pad put sound on all pads with all kinds of filter levels on the fly and tons of other items constantly sequencing away. This is more powerful than anything when it comes to sequencing. The MPD controller is just a lookalike and is anything but an "ultimate MPC" it can't do those features that only the mpc line can which are the most important powerful ones. The mdp is just a midi controller with some pads and fader controllers. Just use keyboard controller, close your eyes and pretend your hitting pads, it does same thing. Being an mpc owner I've never understood the mdp thing. it looks like an mpc with little pads but is far from an mpc. And to my knowledge there is no way to make Live or any other daw act like an mpc in use with an mdp.

I wish there was.
chang, could you go into more detail as to why you think the mpd32/software can't do what an mpc can do? I'm very intrested in the specific features you're thinking of, as you can see i love the mpc but i also love live and am always trying to learn more about them, thanks and don't mean to put you on the spot :)

jamief
Posts: 1856
Joined: Sun Dec 08, 2002 1:50 pm
Location: Awakend

Re: Akai MPCs, why so legendary ?

Post by jamief » Thu Nov 27, 2008 12:56 am

starving student wrote:
Chang wrote:
navitus wrote:Ok, so "Starving Student" from these boards got me researching on the Akai MPC series.


But its more geared for studio stuff and less live performance am i right ?
Isn't live with an akai MPD controller the ultimate MPC ?

I'm missing something, please elaborate.
Cheers
F

Long time MPC 2000 and 4000 owner here. The main reason the mpc is better is sequencing work flow. Hit one pad puts all pads in pitch mode on the fly of that sound, hit another pad put selected sound velocity on all pads on the fly and in the 4000s case, hit pad put sound on all pads with all kinds of filter levels on the fly and tons of other items constantly sequencing away. This is more powerful than anything when it comes to sequencing. The MPD controller is just a lookalike and is anything but an "ultimate MPC" it can't do those features that only the mpc line can which are the most important powerful ones. The mdp is just a midi controller with some pads and fader controllers. Just use keyboard controller, close your eyes and pretend your hitting pads, it does same thing. Being an mpc owner I've never understood the mdp thing. it looks like an mpc with little pads but is far from an mpc. And to my knowledge there is no way to make Live or any other daw act like an mpc in use with an mdp.

I wish there was.
chang, could you go into more detail as to why you think the mpd32/software can't do what an mpc can do? I'm very intrested in the specific features you're thinking of, as you can see i love the mpc but i also love live and am always trying to learn more about them, thanks and don't mean to put you on the spot :)
Forgive me for pushing in hear but what he is saying is that the mpd is a keyboard essentially and well the mpc line is a sequncer that just so happens to have pads that are intriskly ( i cant spell) linked to how you write and compose on the mpc line. You cant sequnce on the mpd :)

Chang
Posts: 286
Joined: Wed Oct 15, 2008 9:38 pm

Re: Akai MPCs, why so legendary ?

Post by Chang » Thu Nov 27, 2008 1:14 am

starving student wrote:
Chang wrote:
navitus wrote:Ok, so "Starving Student" from these boards got me researching on the Akai MPC series.


But its more geared for studio stuff and less live performance am i right ?
Isn't live with an akai MPD controller the ultimate MPC ?

I'm missing something, please elaborate.
Cheers
F

Long time MPC 2000 and 4000 owner here. The main reason the mpc is better is sequencing work flow. Hit one pad puts all pads in pitch mode on the fly of that sound, hit another pad put selected sound velocity on all pads on the fly and in the 4000s case, hit pad put sound on all pads with all kinds of filter levels on the fly and tons of other items constantly sequencing away. This is more powerful than anything when it comes to sequencing. The MPD controller is just a lookalike and is anything but an "ultimate MPC" it can't do those features that only the mpc line can which are the most important powerful ones. The mdp is just a midi controller with some pads and fader controllers. Just use keyboard controller, close your eyes and pretend your hitting pads, it does same thing. Being an mpc owner I've never understood the mdp thing. it looks like an mpc with little pads but is far from an mpc. And to my knowledge there is no way to make Live or any other daw act like an mpc in use with an mdp.

I wish there was.
chang, could you go into more detail as to why you think the mpd32/software can't do what an mpc can do? I'm very intrested in the specific features you're thinking of, as you can see i love the mpc but i also love live and am always trying to learn more about them, thanks and don't mean to put you on the spot :)




On the mpc you have banks of sounds you've brought in. Lets just keep it simple and say 1 sound per pad. Kick, Kick #2, Snare, Synth bass, Synth bass #2, Snare #2, hat etc etc etc etc covered across all pads on all banks. Now heres the thing. With the touch of one button you can hit the Synthbass pad for instance, hit pitch and instantly it will appear across all pads (in 4000 all banks as well 88 keys) you sequence this bass line sound however you want, use tap repeat even then hit exit, and all the pads will pop back to normal as they were Kick, Kick #2, Snare, Synth bass, Synth bass #2, Snare #2, hat etc etc etc etc but your sequencing of the bassline remains. This is an extremely powerful feature and is obviously impossible to do with mdp and live or any other daw.

Same thing goes for velocity. You have all your sounds spread out across your banks and with one button you can hit the hihat for instance, and set it to velocity. Now temporarily as with the bassline example above, it appears at different velocities across all pads so you can sequence how you want, rolling up 32nd hats in step, or playing the hats on diff velocities to give beat a groove, tap auto repeat etc etc. Once you're done, you hit exit and everything goes back to normal with original sounds on all your pads. This goes for tweaking filters, pitching things and can do it all with tap repeat on and everything gets sequenced and just exit all pops back to normal.


On MDP you play 16 sounds on a little midi controller with a few midi knobs doing the same thing you can do with any midi controller keyboard out there. All sound on pads is just triggering. You cannot do what is described above in any fashion.


Do you understand now? English is not my first language.

Post Reply