The 44.1kHz limitation, plus it can only connect to one audio interface at a time.
1 Like
This is a key aspect to bear in mind with the USB features of the MPC - if you want to use USB audio, the device youāre connecting becomes the interface for the entire machine, so itās a bit more of a hassle than just swapping out an audio lead for traditional sampling. I expect it works best when you can attach a āpermanentā device like the Model 12. For individual sources I find it more convenient to use a mixer bus going to the MPC inputs.
As for the OT + MPC combo, well, they both have their areas of advantage without too much crossover - the MPC does long-form sequences and polphony really well, the OT handles creative sequencing and hands-on performance better. The MIDI capabilites of the OT can add a lot to the MPC, which is in many ways quite a strait-laced device. A good combo, I think - MPCās there for bread & butter stuff and the OT comes along to add spice. Bread, butter and spice, what more do you need? Maybe some cheese, but the options there are endless.
4 Likes
Do you tend to use the MPC for producing your tracks then and record the OT as just another an audio track in the MPC? And similarly for any synths the OT is controlling via midi?
Well, slight cheat here as I was using an MPC One, but Iām mainly use the Force now because I love the macros and the arranger. But the setup is the same - the Akai is the centrepiece and other stuff, including the OT, feeds into it via a mixer send. I only tend to bring a DAW in at the end of the process for export and general tidying up (if Iām lucky enough to get to that point), so the Akai UI works nicely for putting things together until then.
One downside to this, unless you invest in a multichannel USB device for the Akai, is that youāre only capturing one track at a time, like a 2-in portastudio. I have got a couple of old mutlitrack recorders if I need them , but generally Iām happy to grab elements one at a time, Iām not putting on complex Jean-Michel concerts.
On the One Iād either sample in various bars of an external device to edit and shuffle around, or grab a whole ātrackā in clip mode (which is where the Forceās Arranger & disk streaming makes a difference). But also if something is more fun to do with just the OT and DFAM or something like that. the mixer setup means I can just leave the Akai out and use / record them separately. But as I say, the MPC or Force are nice to have sitting up front so you hear something nice and say āIāll have thatā. Which is where any sensible person would be using a DAW, basically.
3 Likes
I have an A4 and Digitone and Iām hoping to add a Syntakt. I would like to know if I get an MPC One how I could fit it into my workflow?
I would like to be able to keep my Elektron workflow beside a new one on the MPC. So I would like to use the A4 song mode to still work with midi patterns on elektrons to build up a song. The MPC would then provide Pads, Fx, transition sounds etc but Iām unsure how I would sequence those sporadic parts to fit in with the song on the Mpc?
Also could I have them all connected via usb midi (via USB hub) so Mpc can do sequencing duties alongside din Midi for A4 program changes?
Not sure thatās clear but Iād be grateful for any advice.
Only you can answer that, but, be prepared, there is a learning curve to the MPC that is quite different to the 64-step Elektron/Roland approach.
Itās a learning curve worth taking on though, because when you get a handle on the MPC you realise how good/powerful it is.
The MPC is best as the master clock/master sequencer. You can still run patterns on the Elektrons and bring their audio into the MPCā¦ I use my Elektrons either as sound modules (where I sequence them from the MPC (or Ableton)) or as external sequences parts/patterns that I trigger from the MPC(or Ableton).
Iāve tried it all other ways, this works best, IMO.
Yes, this is one of the strongest parts of the MPCās game.
4 Likes
Thanks, that helps 
Yeah, I didnāt realise there was an OS update adding usb compliant audio interfaces. Sounds like I can just use USB to connect my mixer then when in the studio and capture my OT and A4 that way, and route things through the Analog Heat too. Pretty cool if that works.
In terms of updates Akai has been really good, there was a moment when lots of people, me included, were really vocal about all the bugs and issues, but Akai turned it around big time. Really looking forward to the next update.
2 Likes
Iāll be looking forward to it too as my Live 2 should be arriving tomorrow. Reasoned it made more sense to finally experience an MPC and figure out what it can bring to the table rather than a second OT. And managed to alleviate my Syntakt GASā¦
4 Likes
It does work, but as I say it shifts the audio interface to the mixer entirely, so thatās where any audio connections, including your headphones, need to go. On my mixer itās more convenient to use regular audio connections - itās easier to route them around so I can sample single channels, groups of channels and so on. Also I donāt get any level control over the MPC signal - it replaces the 2-track tape input, and the MPCās onboard volume control no longer works in that situation, so that can be a nuisance.
Itāll depend on your mixer, of course - this is with a Xenyx, which behaves well enough generally but seems to have the USB element just bolted on. Iāve connected the MPC to an MC-707 via USB, and that was a much better experience.
1 Like
When working this way, how do you handle patterns that have FX from the Elektron boxes?
How do you mean?
The FX are there if you want them, whether youāre sequencing internally or from the MPC.
I like/prefer to catch the sound āwetā if thatās what I like the sound of, so Iāll record/print the sounds with FX when I get to that stage. Iām never concerned about keeping āsafeā/ācleanā recordings without FX, if thatās what you mean.
I mean how do you handle loops from the Elektron when there are reverb tails etc. This is not specific to working with Elektron/MPC itās more a general thing of how to loop printed audio that has FX baked in. Something Iāve never really figured outā¦
Cool! Ya got an SC1000! How ya like it?
Ah ok, I get you, for trails and tailsā¦ if it bothered me Iād probably record them from the Elektron, or simulate it on the MPC air reverb.
Plenty of room on the MPC to sample in longer loops and trim them to include the FX effectively (and also sample a start / end loop). Or sample the dry loop and 100% wet FX separetly and layer them in the MPC for more control (and creative experiments). As @CCMP says, you can generally recreate FX on the MPC, though it can be more time-consuming than just dialling in an Elektron reverb, for example.
If you have some beloved external FX you donāt want to recreate and that donāt lend themselves to a loop, the MPC will let you sample in up to five minutes to a clip program, so you can treat it as a kind of multitrack in that respect (and you can record even longer - up to 20m - as a regular sample).
3 Likes
Iāve been having issues with this. When Iām playing a sequence and manipulating the Osc select to dial in a sound it keeps crashing.
I donāt have the Live II anymore but i found that particular issue really disappointing.
My workflow:
- Before recording onto an audio track, uncheck the Loop function of the sequencer and record the pattern with the wet tail.
- The audio track is now filled with a recording that is longer than the length of the sequence. Thatās fine, just mute that track.
- Create a new drum program (or use an empty pad on your existing drum program if you wish) and add the newly recorded sample onto a pad. Just go to Program Edit and scroll in the samples list until you find it.
- Set it to One Shot and then record a hit into the secoencer on the first beat of the first bar.
Now the one shot will play entirely, including the tail that would normally have been cut off if you just played it from the Audio track instead.
The other benefit of this approach is that you can also add glitchy (MPC) effects into the step sequencer, p-lock style, and/or record other forms of automation onto the track without it getting erased if you decide to do a new take in the future. So, if you want to do a new take on the Elektron, just record onto the audio track again, and a new sample will be recorded. Just go into Program Edit and change the sample of the pad to the new recording. Done. All the automation of the drum program are still intact.
If you have many different patterns, you can just repeat this process on the same audio track. Every new take will generate a new sample. You can even rename the samples from the Sample Edit screen to keep track of them, and then assign them to different pads. Just remember to not assign them to a mute group, or the wet tail wonāt actually play out in the end anyway. Instead, double tap Stop when stopping playback mid-sequence to stop the audio.
7 Likes