MPC: KEY CONCEPTS

this is the MPC live - and in this video we're going to learn about the key concepts in the MPC workflow by the end of this video you should have a good understanding of how the MPC is structured what the key elements are and how they relate to each other these concepts applied to the MPC X live live - one touch as well as the MPC software so let's get started a quick outline of the key elements and their hierarchy is as follows projects contain sequences which contain tracks which can either be audio or MIDI and MIDI tracks contain corresponding programs on the main screen of our MPC we can see this basic structure in the interface at the top in red we have the project information as well as the current location of the playhead and other settings in the gray section below we have the sequence information including tempo and length next we have the track section which shows the type of track its length and other information and in the lower section we have the program information for the currently selected track now let's describe each of these in detail project files are the main files in the MPC workflow a project file can be used to create a simple beat a whole song or a larger composition you can sketch out ideas within a project or create a well-crafted masterpiece a project must contain at least one sequence a sequence can be thought of as a container for the tracks within a project an entire song can be programmed into a single sequence but for greater flexibility and control you can program a separate sequence for each section of your song you can have a sequence for the verse another for the chorus and another for the bridge the advantage of this is that sequences can then be repeated for efficiency and quickly chained together to form an arrangement or song and there can be up to 128 sequences in a project which gives you the ability to program an elaborate arrangement a sequence also sets the length of a pattern in a project you can have from 1 to 999 bars in a sequence a sequence must contain at least one track tracks are essentially containers for sounds and notes within and then common two types audio and MIDI the interface of the MPC will change depending on the type of track you have selected and you can switch between them with the buttons at the bottom of the screen notice how the settings change depending on which type is selected note both audio and MIDI tracks can contain audio files and it is important to understand how each one uses audio files this may seem confusing at first so let's define each one audio tracks are simply containers for audio files within a sequence you can think of an audio track as a place for longer audio files such as vocals or a guitar part when we select an audio track we see a minimal set of settings and features since audio is recorded directly into an audio track the settings and functions of an audio track are limited to that task we have a record button in a monitor button to monitor the input signal because audio tracks do not contain programs our lower section is populated with settings such as input configuration and a shortcut to audio edit mode note in standalone mode an NPC can have a total of 8 audio tracks per project and in the MPC software there can be a total of 128 audio tracks MIDI tracks are very versatile and they're used for several different purposes you'll likely be using MIDI tracks for the majority of your tracks so it's important to have a good understanding of them they are called MIDI tracks because at their chord they use MIDI notes along a timeline to trigger events looking at a MIDI track of drums we can see notes or pads are arranged vertically on the y-axis and the measures of time are horizontal on the x axis in effect this is how a player piano or self playing piano works a song is written into a scroll containing notes which trigger over time on the MPC if we had a drum beat programmed into a MIDI track it would look like this each note triggers a sound to play over time those notes can be moved around and edited to form a pattern you can even adjust the velocity of individual notes so that they trigger the sound at different volume levels the length of a MIDI track can be set to the length of a sequence or it can be shorter than the sequence additionally MIDI tracks can have different lengths from one another in essence this is the core of a MIDI track and now we can discuss the different types of MIDI tracks MIDI tracks come in six different types drum plug-in key group clip MIDI and CV at this point it's worth noting that MIDI tracks go hand-in-hand with programs each type of MIDI track has a corresponding program type which it must use let's describe each type of MIDI track drum tracks are for one-shot samples like percussion sounds if we load a drum program into a drum track we can see that our 16 pads are populated with one-shot samples but it's worth noting that you're not limited to just drum samples and you can load whatever samples you want the MPC has eight banks of pads that populate the main 16 pads on the unit if we select a different pad Bank we can see that our pads are now empty most of the stock drum programs only contain 16 samples but you can populate all the pads which gives you a total of 128 pads per program for example you could have one massive drum kit of 128 of your favorite samples or chop up some vocals in an interesting way now it's important to note here we have a MIDI track that contains audio samples within its corresponding program in this capacity you can get really creative with audio files without being limited strictly to audio tracks here's an example if we sample a record and chop it up we can then assign our chopped sample to a program we can then manipulate in sequence these chops however we like for many users MIDI drum tracks and programs will make up the majority of their sequences on the MPC but there are still other MIDI track types to be familiar with plugins are a different form of mini track and program and possibly the most unique type unlike other tracks we discuss which rely on audio files to playback sound a plug-in is a virtual instrument which generates its own sounds you can think of this like a VST and a DA where a sound engine instance is loaded with an ax MIDI track for example there are three synth engines currently available as plugins within the MPC and there are many presets within each engine we can select one now it's loaded into our MIDI track we can now view all of the preset settings parameters that define the sound and we can change them to create a different sound this makes plugins a powerful feature and allows you to create sounds without samples additionally the 16 pad layout now functions a bit differently from our drum program our pads are now a chromatic scale of piano notes moving up the pad banks from a to H moves us through the octaves of the scale from low to high since we're on this topic it would be a good time to quickly explain that the pads can be configured in two different modes when in a piano bass track by entering notes mode the pads are now only notes within the scale on the screen in this case C major and know that this setting is global to the project file changing the scale or key will affect pad mode on other tracks which is helpful because it should match the key and scale of our song further we can even change the mode of our pads from notes to chords progressions and more this is a very helpful and powerful feature one quick note the bassline plug-in is a mono synth this means it won't have polyphony to create chords you'll want to use the other programs for these modes the next type of mini track type is key group in this type one to four samples are loaded into the corresponding program and they are spread across the chromatic keyboard of pads this is helpful if you want to play a melody from one sample but know that the sample tends to sound best closer to its original root note clip tracks and programs are similar to drum programs but they loop samples in sync with the tempo this is good for performances you can load a group of samples into a program and they can loop together into a beat or a song pads can be set to repeat or play only once in sync with the tempo next we have MIDI programs this may sound confusing but this MIDI track type is designed to trigger external gear via a MIDI 5-pin din jack or USB MIDI you can use this to trigger an outboard synth for example while the notes are maintained within the NPC you can then route the audio to an external mixer along with the NPC's audio output or you can bring the audio from the external device into the MPC lastly we have CV programs this is a similar type to MIDI programs and that they are used to control external gear however this type uses CV or control voltage connections on the NPC's that have these types of jacks and because there are multiple cv jacks you can assign a program to each jack this allows you to program and control multiple external devices that accept cv here's one last thing to know before we end this video most of the elements discussed here can be individually saved for later use and there are some helpful exporting options as well you can export a project file as an Ableton Live file as well as exporting a rendering of a project to a WAV or mp3 you can save individual sequences as well as save MIDI tracks as programs this is useful if you want to reuse parts of your projects and other songs you can even bounce a MIDI track to audio programs also have a variety of helpful features for example you can save a program of your favorite drum kit for use in other projects you can also have one drum kit used on several tracks within a project for additional flexibility in mixing applying effects and sequencing you can even create layer pads for advanced sound design and flatten them into a single sample by now hopefully you have a good understanding of the key concepts and elements within the MPC having this foundation of information will allow us to gain additional insights into the features and workflow of the MPC for more information about the MPC be sure to subscribe to this channel and give a like if you enjoyed this video or learn something and drop a comment below if you have a suggestion for a video you would like to see your support outs and it helps us grow this channel we do this for you thanks

Channel: Ollie Loops

Views: 30,851

Rating: 4.9787717 out of 5

Keywords: MPC, MPCLIVE, MPCLIVE2, MPCLIVEII, AKAIPRO, AKAI, AKAI MPC, MPCONE, MPC One, MPC X, Key Concepts, Workflow, tutorial, explain, explained, how to, make beats, jam, song, music, drum machine, sampler, sample, beat, beats

Id: yhl719LJ1Zo

Length: 11min 4sec (664 seconds)

Published: Thu Jun 04 2020

Reddit Comments

[u/jpderooy]

Great video with a nice, short but complete explanation. Thanks!

[u/Ghost_Hardware_]

Awesome - my Live 2 just arrived today, my first MPC, this is so helpful! Smashed that sub button!

[u/cauliflowerear89]

Good to see you making traction with your vids ollie. When are we going to have a beatmaking session?

[u/dawman56]

Thanks Mate

[u/dawman56]

Thanks for reply. I can deal with that as long as I can recall a set worth of projects (songs) as long as they can be recalled by a button press, like the boot up screen seems to show some project files if you selected the option.

I just need to know if there’s a way on the MPC Live to get projects loaded without menu diving. Plan on making the MPC my hardware sequencer on stage.

I can easily adapt to its workflow but hate buying one just to find out Project recall requires menu diving.

Korg WaveState uses set lists to avoid its deeper menu structure. Hoping this is possible.

[u/dawman56]

Thanks again. I can swing it, but I used a Yamaha QX-1 and MC500-mkII back in the 90’s so I was spoiled by immediacy. 10-15 seconds is way too long in my venues, but chaining 3 projects together, then 10-15 reloading is acceptable. Down time clears the dance floor, but clearing the dance floor means mo drinks. Really appreciated your help. Loved the WaveState video, made me buy it. But I hacked my keys off and made my own module.