New MPC user - Concepts of tracks and programs...

Hi all

I've never used an MPC before - got myself a 4000 a few days ago and i'm on the learning curve roller coaster now!

I'm struggling getting my head around the difference between tracks and programs within a sequence. Would you say this is the logical way to view it?:

You have a separate program per track, to make up the sequence? So say I have a drum loop chopped - have that as program 1 on track 1. Then additional drums... program 2 on track 2. Piano chops - program 3 on track 3... and so on.


This might seem obvious to some but it's puzzling me. I've seen videos where people only have one individual hit per track... eg kick on 1, snare on 2... but others a whole cacophony of sounds on 1 track.

Is it just that there is no right or wrong to this? Are there particular benefits to the way you like to do it?

Sorry for being such a newbie bout this!

You can only have a single program assigned to a track. Each track can be made from events triggering any number of sounds from the assigned program.

So you could for example record an entire kit on a single track, which works well if you record the entire kit finger style. Or you could split the kit with each sound assigned to it's own unique track (kick track, snare track etc, each using the same program). Setting it this way can make mixing and tracking to a DAW easier.

to make things even more complicated you can record/play multiple tracks with the same program
lets say i have a drumkit in program 1
then i record BD in track 1, SD in track 2, etc
-all with the same program-
this way you can (un)mute simply the right stuff

HI,
There is no right or wrong way. That sir is the beauty of this unit. Well engineered things tend to have many ways of doing similar things.
That said here is one way to see things:

samples: the smallest common denominator. A sound. Whether long or short in duration.
programs: think of a keyboard and each key black or white has one sound or sample assigned to it.
That one group of keys is a program. Roland calls these patches. Programs can either Drum
or Keygroup.
Drum Programs: each pad on the MPC (or keyboard key) has a specific sample assigned to it.
Keygroup Program: pads on the MPC (or keyboard key) are in chromatic pitch relative to its adjacent
pad (or key). Similar to that of a piano where each key has a sound that is either +
or - in pitch relative to middle C. Thus your sample will now have a different sound
depending on the the pad pressed.
Multi: A group or programs together. With each program having its own editable parameters and fx.
Tracks: similar to an instrument plugged into a mixing board this is the place where the program
(your instument of samples) is assigned. Tracks can be assigned to external midi gear, internal
midi and programs. You have many tracks. More than you will ever use
Sequences: Multiple tracks put together make up a sequence. You have more sequences than you will
ever use up.
Songs: Multiple sequences put together in your preferred order. With the added bonus that you can
turn a song into one sequence. Thus giving you the ability manipulate a song .

Now because you can mute and unmute track on the fly and change sequences on the fly it makes sense to do as was suggested earlier. That is keep your tracks in some sort of order within the sequences. For example, track one in all of your sequences as a lead, track two as a bass, track, three kick drum, track 4 a snare, track 5 a hihat, etc.

This way if you are mixing and creating live you can mute track two and know that you will only be muting the bass. This way takes planning but wonderful in the long run. Especially if you take the time to name your tracks.

THis is what Akai should have focused on showing people when they created this monster. It gets very deep. ONce you start messing with the mixer screen, the synthesizer and the mod matrix and the pitch shifting, you will soon see that the possibilities are damn near endless. It goes further than most can conceptualize.
Yet if you want to do simple things like that of the MPC 60 or the MPC3000 or the mpc2000 you can.

If you want to experience LIFE, connect a midi keyboard and a behringer BCR2000 to the MPC 4000.

Peace and Love
Ian

so ian,

do you have a 'template' for a BCR2000 ?

greets,

joris

Yes Joris,
I made a youtube video of the bcr 2000 and the mpc4000. I am sure there is a way to share such things however i do not use a computer much and never looked into sharing a template online.
In any case it is super easy to assign the bcr to the mod matrix. The downside being that you do not see the parameters change on the mpc screen.
Upside is that you have a lot of control over the mpc. The mcp4000 has many CC#s.
Cheers,
Ian