New to Making Beats and Could Use Direction

Hello,
I just bought a MPD18 and have no idea where to begin with it. I bought it to have fun and add some beats to my guitar music. However, it seems there is steep learning curve to using the sequencers that the MPD18 interfaces with and a lack of introductory material on how to slowly wade into the scene.

I'll probably be using Ableton Live. Are there any books on how to begin making beats with MPD18-like pad controllers? I'm so green and new to this area any advice would be appreciated. I just want to make some beats!
Thanks.

First and foremost read the manuals... can't stress that enough. The majority of answers you could need are in there somewhere. Most of them have a quick guide which will get you working through the basics. Also don't forget Ableton comes with some tutorials built-in.

The next step is to ensure that the MPD is communicating correctly with Ableton via the USB connection. Again, detailed instructions for that can be found in the Ableton manual. But it's in the preferences under the Audio/Midi tab I think... somewhere there you will be able to choose the device. I'm not sure with the MPD, but you may have to install some drivers to get the USB-MIDI working correctly. Although a lot of modern stuff is plug-n-play...

You will probably be using an instrument in Ableton called the "Drum Rack", which is essentially a MIDI channel being controlled by the MPD. The samples in the Drum Rack are audio files which you will have to find yourself from various sources which can simply be dragged onto a pad in that instrument. These are then controlled from your MPD in real-time, but they can of course be edited afterwards.

In terms of musical structure that's where the fun begins. I'd say get everything working technically, then experiment.

http://www.ableton.com/live-for-beat-creators

There's a little bit more information there, but it's quite basic. Failing that you can always google for "Ableton Drum Rack Tutorials"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aipp8a1Pm7Q

There's one I found doing a quick search which may be of use. In the side bar there's also a few more so check those out too. I didn't make this or any of them so don't hold me to that

If it's basic use of Ableton you need help with just give me a shout. I'll do my best to explain things in layman's terms. Good luck and enjoy! Try not to get frustrated it's SO worth the learning curve.

Are there any tutorials to be found anywhere? The documentation that comes with the MPD18 is only a few pages long (not counting the cover page, etc.). I checked the Akai web site to see if there were any other documents or tutorials, but there aren't. I just bought mine the other day, and I'm planning on using it with Puredata and/or Supercollider, but I'm having trouble figuring out how to use it. I've got it installed properly (I think) under Windows 7 and tried using it with the stand-alone version of EnergyXT, but only a few of the 16 pads produce any sound. I think it's just a mapping issue, but I'm not sure. I think I can figure it out eventually, but some tutorials might be helpful.