The Akai MPC sampler thread

Catchthehare · 2023-05-19T07:48:14.485Z

Curious_Alchemy:

think what I’m after is a streamlined workflow. My DAW projects tend to end up being populated with aimless experiments and bits of things I’ve recorded that go nowhere and become stressful to open up and sort through

I’ve only had the Live II for a couple of months, and it’s safe to say I’ve completed more (mini) tracks and ideas than I ever have done solely in the DAW. The one thing I’ve been putting off is getting those ideas into the DAW for final arrangement and mix because I’m conditioned to think that is the way. But it doesn’t have to be, at all.

I’m not a finger drummer either… I have timing and rhythm for recording takes, but I’m not fussed about doing numerous overdubs and editing in the grid. I see the pads as big buttons, sample blocks and square keys all at the same time.

The modern MPCs are polarizing for a lot of reasons (mostly fanboy legacy comparisons), but it is no more convoluted than Elektron or Polyend workflows… you’ll either take to it after a few sessions or you simply won’t. There are a few things that I wish were different, and the UI does feel bloated in parts, no doubt about that… these are far from dealbreakers. I bought mine 2nd hand as I was very much in the same boat you are in. And now it’s the central brains of my studio, either as creator or receiver, often both. Of course YMMV

TanaBarbier · 2023-05-19T07:59:58.775Z

It is realy big so that may be a problem, but the Akai Force is pretty similar to the MPCs, but a bit more daw-in-a-box, and less finger drumming oriented.

aporetic · 2023-05-19T11:31:54.859Z

Curious_Alchemy:

I thought it might be instructive to see if people who love MPCs find finger drumming integral to the appeal.

Not at all, for me. And I think it makes sense to compare the Elektrons and the AKAIs (no opinion on the Polyend), but the Rolands never struck me as being as capable.

aeoner · 2023-05-19T13:43:25.769Z

Hi @Catchthehare I don’t know what kind of music you make with the MPC Live II, but I understand that using it along with DAWs is very natural - maybe the way that it is meant to be.

Even if the OS nowdays is basically a DAW by itself, I always found that it was easier to mix/master and arrange more complex stuff (more than just copy/paste sequences and do variations) outside Live.

It’s also interesting to note that it is also kinda of uncommon to fully produce hiphop with older MPC strictly “inside the box”, unless for very specific aesthetic reasons, as you usually will polish the beat in a mixing board, use external FX, overdub some stuff in tape/ADAT/computer for memory management etc

There’s also something interesting about the mini tracks + DAW arrangement: most of people that I know (in a hiphop context) that work with hardware samplers nowdays make beats that way (even if isn’t something said loud), with the exception of (i) straightforward loop based stuff that it’s now called “drumless”, (ii) SP/OP-1 scenes, but even here () its quite common to cut the loops in a DAW to feed the machines, (iii) new hardware trackers (as LSDJ is a different thing).

Finally, I can’t compare the Live workflow with Elektron I sold my MPC Live exactly because I was tired of the massive amount of menu diving and very disperse workflow and interface. Elektron is kinda straightforward: you turn on and you are in the sequencer (which is even physical!).

I “downgraded” to an MPC 2500 with the JJOS exactly because it operates with the same logic.

Trackers are different in the sense that basically everything is in front of you, but exactly because of this it can get convoluted so I’m with you.

itssowindy · 2023-05-19T18:33:35.013Z

When compared to a Daw, the Live is more streamlined, but when compared to many other groove boxes it is less. This is due to it’s versatility and varieties of interaction. For example, there are multiple ways of entering and editing note data. Similarly, there are multiple ways of sampling and editing audio. You can use the pads, touch screen, q Link knobs, or a combination. Once you find your preferred method you will be able to streamline.
Similar to a Daw, it does a lot of things. It can be a controller, FX box, sampler, looper, arranger, midi sequencer, etc. It does these things well to varying degrees, though for streamlining you might find that you prefer one dedicated box for each function.

The pads are very fun, easy to use, and feel great. I have found myself doing more finger drumming because of this, despite not being particularly skilled. One of my favorite things about them is the beat repeat functionality, which is great for playing in grooves, regardless of dexterity and rhythmic timing proficiency. When combined with the pad perform, which constrains them to specific scales or chords, they circumvent the need for music theory ingrained into muscle memory.

The pads are also used in other ways so are not solely a performance tool. They can select notes on the piano roll or step sequencer, select regions of audio for chopping, launch clips, mute tracks, etc.

squarepeig · 2023-05-19T21:07:38.827Z

I’ve never really gotten the “DAW in a box” or bloat arguments, at least when intended as a criticism. I probably only scratch the surface with mine compared to what I could do, and that’s fine for me. I feel like it’s as deep as you want it to be and you can equally stick with a very basic chopping and sequencing process if that’s all you want - coming from an MPC1000 with JJOS the big screen is a godsend and for that reason alone I’d never, ever consider going back.

I got an MPC primarily for sample based hip hop / dance music and over the years I’ve never really nailed it. Maybe I’m particular about rhythms and feel, but in terms of sequencing chops of recorded material I’ve never really been satisfied with my results - maybe I should just commit the time to chop and re-chop, and nudge and adjust sequence tempo by .01 over and over, but basically I find that kind of fine audio editing is where DAWs come in to their own. After posting about this elsewhere on this board a couple of weeks back I ended up getting into Bitwig’s chopping / clip editing process and in terms of getting the nuances of timing down quickly it’s in another league.

But I still have a lot of love for my MPC Live and don’t plan on getting rid any times soon - it’s good for sketching ideas and I far prefer bringing it to jam with other musicians than a laptop, and it’s also not as obtuse as Electron gear. I guess I find it playable as an instrument, I love chopping out a sample and reconstructing in real time - my issue has always been with translating that to the sequencer to build on further. But I guess resampling the performance on the pads is kinda the answer to that, and anyway the Live has so many other things it brings to the party.

EqualTemperament · 2023-05-20T13:00:16.606Z

Curious_Alchemy:

Question - if you were not interested in playing the pads to any notable level of competency, would you still consider the MPC over comparable hardware such as Roland MCs or a Polyend?
I’m looking for a sampling/sequencing/production machine to get away from the computer (and onto the couch), and at least culturally, the pads seem to be a big part of the MPC experience.

In my opinion, don’t overlook the Force as an option. Because it has 4x as many pads as an MPC, the step sequencer that is implemented on the pads it is more quite a bit more robust than the MPCs. It has several different step sequencer views/modes to work with. There are also a lot more options for melodic note modes using the many pads.

Both the Force and MPC have tools for those of us that are not a finger drummers. Step sequencing, step record, note repeat, arpeggiator, humanize, quantize, etc. The drum and keygroup programs have controlled randomization for things like volume, pitch, etc. at a sample level to keep them from sounding robotic if sequenced.

In terms of using it on the sofa, I do it all the time with the Force. An oversized pillow helps with making it comfortable. The Live 2 does have an edge for sofa use though, in my experience, with its battery, speakers, and form factor.

I got into these devices for a similar reason. Just wanted to ditch the computer for music making and use something with more of a hardware feel, and less cognitive overload. I think they achieve this really well.

However, they are very deep boxes. But the way they are organized, they do feel much more streamlined and focused than a modern computer based DAW (to me anyway). For example, if you are mixing, you go into a mixing screen, and that’s all you see. You’re focused on mixing and have hardware controls to support it. If you’re editing a sample, that’s all you see on the screen at that moment, again with hardware controls for that.

Hope that helps some.

Curious_Alchemy · 2023-05-21T04:54:13.029Z

I appreciate the responses - there’s a lot of really helpful perspective and information here.

I’m at the watching walkthroughs and tutorials stage and having all sorts of reactions (watching one person use a touch screen to manually set loop points was unexpectedly frustrating, which was enlightening).
I’m going to try to get down to the local Guitar Center tomorrow and see what I can get my hands on.

EqualTemperament · 2023-05-21T12:02:17.176Z

Hands on is always the best insight. I have a playlist of video tutorials here that might be of some use for you. Most of it is applicable for MPC, but a few of them are specific to the Force.

PS - setting loop points with the touch screen would be frustrating outside of very coarse adjustments. There are multiple knobs for setting loop points with different resolutions as well as zero crossing detection which provide a better experience.

squarepeig · 2023-05-21T13:53:01.015Z

I tend to use a combination of the touchscreen, the Q-Links and the data wheel depending on context. When I first got the Live coming from the MPC1k it felt like magic, but for batch tasks like e.g. fixing the start/end points across 32 chops, I find the Q-Links better. Sometimes it’s nice to just reach for a parameter on the screen rather than think about what the Q-Links are assigned to, but for finer adjustments I might go from there to the data wheel once the parameter is selected. Also fwiw a couple of firmware versions ago they added an option to automatically add tails, i.e. loop points, to all slices in a pattern, not sure is that relevant to what you were watching / thinking of doing, but it’s a hell of a workflow shortcut when chopping drums, etc.

SpaceDog · 2023-06-05T17:43:19.266Z

Greetings!

First, thank you for providing such a thorough walkthrough! Since discovering your posts on this forum, i’ve been greatly inspired to upgrade my MPC1000. The one question I have is pertaining to the encoder replacement. Where are the three leads connected to? Do you have a schematic/photos available for those three connections?

DatGood · 2023-06-22T00:59:39.884Z

Has anyone got a backup copy of MPC Firmware 2.11.3?
I’d like to try upgrading but I lost the pen drive with my backup copy.
I need my MP to connect to my modular via the ES9 and I do not / cannot loose that feature.
I’ve read horror stories about people not being able to connect to their interfaces after upgrading so I’ve stopped at 2.11.3.
Nevertheless, I’d like to try upgrading now, so again…
Has anyone got a copy of that firmware on backup?

Arrgrr · 2023-06-22T08:31:35.019Z

There are a bunch of older firmware downloads on the bottom of the product pages.

akaipro.com

MPC Live II

The completely portable MPC beat making drum sampler with built-in speakers and rechargeable battery for powerful music production anywhere.

Price: USD 1299

Do not see 2.11.3 listed there though.

DatGood · 2023-06-23T00:13:30.743Z

Yup, searched there first. Hence why I came here next. Lol.

MWAU · 2023-07-27T12:57:45.563Z

I just got a 4000 after a 10 year hiatus (during which I’ve had a number of other boxes - too many really - including Maschine(s), newer MPCs and elektrons etc.). My word, I’d forgotten how tight the 4000 is at midi timing. I sync my Kyma system (also insanely tight) using my external boxes and the 4000 is an order of magnitude lower jitter.

I wish it had the luxury of some modern features (mainly easier/faster sample browsing/loading) but it really holds its own. The sampler still deeper than what you find on an X.

Long live MPC

jmsiener · 2023-07-27T16:16:41.720Z

Still to this day the reason why I love the MPC, regardless of model, is that midi is just rock solid. No weird unexplainable issues, just in sync, right, and tight.

MWAU · 2023-08-08T20:58:58.787Z

Haha, spooky. I ordered a USB-SD card reader (pen drive style) just last week as I too was finding the FAT32 usb formatted pen drive really slow. SD card way faster. So yeah, now I can get files onto my 512gb SD really quick and access easily on the 4000. Easier than getting files on Maschine Plus or Ableton Push 3!

P.M.FM · 2023-08-23T13:34:37.667Z

I’m using MPC’s for more than 20 years by now. At this very moment I have an MPC X as a centerpiece in my studio and the ONE as my live-performance tool. In addition to the ONE I play guitar thru some EFXpedals, mainly ChaseBliss and WalrusAudio. In the studio it all ends up in an Allen&Heath QU-32 and for live and of studio production I use a Tascam MODEL 24 because of the USB audio and midi capabilities of the MPC firmware.
I’m a newbie here and would love to add a Norns Shield to my live set up for some more random and generative Addition to my performance.

yoyosandshoes · 2023-09-23T07:25:43.263Z

I’ve been through this thread a number of times and it’s clear i need a sampler and less synths haha. Im wondering about the mpc1000 and it’s live looping - can you repitch while live looping. Is the 1k any good at live looping or would the newer ones be better. And more generally would a beginner be best going for the newer or older devices ? I ask this as I have a little time on my hands but have a bit of fatigue with new gear plus some health matter that’s making cognitive work a little slow. I fell like the newer ones might overwhelm me and my first sampler was an s700 so I’m hopeful that something was remembered from learning that. I’ve considered just going for the sp but I’d like a live sequencer and I ultimately never got it going. Having said that, an sp 404 and digitakt (which I have would work but looping is not great). Didn’t mean to descend into which should I buy as I really just wanted to know about the first two queries. Also an Isla SP2400 has come up in a trade but I don’t feel worthy. Sounds nice though, especially pitched down

Edit to add that I’ve had the sp 404 twice but never sequenced it with something else. It is a decent option

marcus_fischer · 2023-09-27T04:40:57.898Z

I love my 1000 to death but it’s not great for live looping. Octatrack is better in that realm but neither are as good for live looping as a looping pedal is. My favorite looper is actually the eventide timefactor. It does things I haven’t found in many other places.