MPC Thread : MPC Live - MPC X - MPC One (Part 2)

The envelopes can sound snappy for sure. But the resolution on parameters isn’t extremely high

Got to say I am loving this machine after finally giving it a proper go.
A lot of things are very intuitive!

I’ve made it through the first 8 chapters of MPC Bible, and have made a few satisfying sequences of my own after following the techniques in each chapter.

Keen to tackle sampling and creating song structures next.

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Not being able to midi map stuff drove me nuts, gonna look into this. Is this github being discussed anywhere in more detail?

Holy crap, thanks for posting that ssh hack. Since i got my mpclive i’ve been wanting to control the looper with my morningstar midi footpedal and it looks like its working!

long live the mpc mod gods

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You’re welcome.

Hopefully AKAI allows that configuration without having to resort to SSH one day.

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Just saw this video and didn’t know that the MPC One can be such a beast for live performances https://youtu.be/L2emtVDEtrw

Can anyone imagine/guess whats going on there from the workflow side on the MPC. Definitely more than just mute/unmute tracks.

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Well, most of it is indeed just muting and unmuting tracks or clips.

He’s using the Note Repeat function a lot, to create those precussion fills.

The MPC is likely sequencing the Neutron.

Other than that, he’s using at least one plugin effect on the Master channel, and possibly one other at the Program level.

Nothing too fancy really.

Just scratching the surface of what the MPC can do, I reckon.

Cheers!

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Thank you! Does anyone know tutorials focused on such live performances? Youtube feels more full of tutorial videos about how to produce songs with the MPC One/Live/X than about how to live perform with them.

Thx.

Can the MPC’s record perfect loops in 2023 as MIDI slave? The looper stopped recording on its own at least some time ago…

Thanks!

Curious what else it can do with regards to live performance other than those things: pad+track mutes, master fx, twisting knobs for various synths and effects. I haven’t explored the live performance aspects of the MPC much but I’d be inclined to say that the above is pretty much it - not just the surface of much deeper live performance abilities.

Analog Kitchen has many great videos on playing live, with the MPC Live as the main brain for his setup. lots of good, practical ideas throughout

https://www.youtube.com/@AnalogKitchen

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Well, for starters, he’s only using two effects.

By contrast, I have every effect slot filled, at both the Program and Master Channel level, with all of the most useful parameters mapped to the 16 Q-Links. I’ve got send effects set up wherever allowed. There are a dozen Pad effects baked into each Program, per pad. So, lots more can be done there natively. And that’s not even including the X/Y pad functionality.

He didn’t do any live sequencing. In fact, I’m not sure if he even changed sequences at all.

Then there’s the actual instrumental aspects of the MPC, which too few EDM-centric folks take advantage of, in my opinion. He could be looping performances, building up tracks on-the-fly, and jamming over the top, both melodically and rhythmically. The pads are there for finger drumming. Plugin instruments and key groups can be played with the pads or an external keyboard, and so on.

External MIDI controllers could be hooked up to control even more parameters.

Regardless, the original question was simply “What’s going on there?”. And it was asked within the context of “I didn’t know the MPC could…”. To which end, I explained what was going on, from what I could see, and simply pointed out that much more could yet be done, should one aspire to really take it to task.

Cheers!

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Further to what I wrote above, it looks as though he’s only using a single track, working within a single pad bank, employing just a half-dozen samples or clips.

So, ya, there’s A LOT more horsepower to be harnessed there.

To be clear, I’m not suggesting that his performance needed anything more, or that more is somehow better. I was just answering the OP’s question, based on the sentiment with which it was asked.

Cheers!

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Hey all, anyone else seeing “edit midi not map” greyed out on clip programs?

The manual specifically says all programs have this ability except key groups.

I’m trying to use an old Novation Launchpad to launch clips but the uneditable midi notes are all over the place.

Thank you for taking the time and summing up all the possibilities for live performances, very inspiring.

Honestly I haven’t seen the MPC One from that perspective yet but that video and your ideas make me wanna try out some of these approaches.

Ah, I see what you mean. I was mostly curious if I had missed unexplored aspects of live performance. Yeah, you can make full use of the 16 q-link knobs in Project mode, I rarely switch mode on the q-links to other than Project or it gets too complex for me, but I suppose you could be all over the individual programs too if you wanted to.

Yeah, this is way outside my comfort zone as that EDM-centric guy. :joy: As is the Looper feature. But those are definitely great live performance options for the more skilled musicians. :blush:

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Just for the sake of making conversation, I’d like to use the following analogy…

If someone were to sit down and play “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” on the piano, and someone else (who has perhaps never seen a piano before) were to ask what else the piano can do, the answer would not be “Well, nothing, you see, you just push the keys down and notes come out.” :wink:

Of course, that’s true. But the degree to which that can be done is staggering.

In my opinion, a comparable level of proficiency can be achieved in the realm of EDM, should one endeavor to push themselves as a performer. You could, for instance, be as proficient at live sequencing as Dataline, or as adept at finger drumming as David Haynes, or as good on the keys as Cory Henry, or as fluid at playing the master effects as Khryo, or (if you’re really ambitious) all of the above even.

Sky’s the limit really. To which end, the MPC can facilitate all of that.

Cheers!

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I don’t know if it is perfect, but it is possible to record incoming MIDI notes when the sync is set to “MIDI Clock”.

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Thanks! I realize I wrote my message pretty poorly. I meant to ask about sampling audio, sorry bout that!

Absolutely. To me, it’s more a matter of what I want to invest in getting more proficient at and what I’d rather delegate to the sequencer. I could see myself improvise on a simple lead at some point, but for the most part, that lead is an integral part of the song and not something I feel like leaving to chance/rehearsal. I personally prefer to just reserve the live performance parts for knob twists and mutes and fills (this is what I love about the Elektron boxes too because ctrl+all is SO fun and rewarding to use live!). That said, I always admire those who go the extra mile to actually perform these devices as real instruments, like ‘Pete again…’ etc. It’s clear that you can even use a proper daw as a live instrument if you want to.