Very basic question. Please help!

Hello there, I am an ultra beginner with akai, mpc, and music. trying to get bearings right.
Can someone please explain me difference between Program, Preset, Project, Sequence, Sample



I know it is very basic. but I am stuck at basics only.

thanks in advance

This is actually explained quite well in the user guide. If you haven't already downloaded it, the first section of (page 12 onwards) contains an overview of the main MPC concepts:

https://cdn.inmusicbrands.com/akai/M22D ... 2.11.7.pdf

Check that out and if you have any specific questions, let us know.

is this correct understanding?

a project has sequences.
a sequences has tracks.
a track uses program to play itself.
a sample is a sound that can be assigned to any key or pad.
user records a track.
what is a preset?

Yes, basically you have to assign a program to a track so that you can play/record performances on that track. So if you want to record a plugin performance (e.g. a sub bass from Hype synth) set the track to 'plugin' and assign an instance of Hype to the program on that track.

Presets are used within plugins to load up a specific group of settings to give you a specific sound (you could also call them 'patches'). For example, the tubesynth plugin has various bass presets, pads, leads, etc. Most plugins have many presets built in, you just select them from the dropdown in the plugin itself, but you can also create and save your own, or load additional presets from the browser.

some programs only play music on pad, some only on keys, some on both. is this correct?

what is a 'kit' type program? what is 'melodic' type program?

in a track, I can only use one program. is this correct?

if I change the program while recording a track, the sound of the track will change as per the new program. is this correct?

Saurabh wrote:some programs only play music on pad, some only on keys, some on both. is this correct?

No. A track can accept MIDI input from any supported MIDI device, be it keys, built in pads, external MIDI controller pads etc. There are no restrictions. And don't conflate programs and tracks - it is the track that recieves the MIDI input, and these MIDI signals are routed to whatever program is assigned to this track.

what is a 'kit' type program? what is 'melodic' type program?

This is just labelling ('tagging') used in some of Akai's library content, just a file naming choice made by the sound designer. In Akai libraries a 'kit' is a 'DRUM' program which often contains a mix of drums, melodic one shots, sound FX etc. But a 'kit' can contain whatever you want it to contain. Many of my kits consist purely of drums only.

Akai sometimes use the tag 'melodic' to refer to instrument programs (e.g. a bass instrument). Again this is really just a choice made by the guy who built the factory library, you will not necessarily see this used anywhere else. You can name your programs however you wish. But tagging can be used in the Media browser to help filter your library by keyword, although Akai have never released any official guidance on this.

in a track, I can only use one program. is this correct?

Yes.

if I change the program while recording a track, the sound of the track will change as per the new program. is this correct?

Yes. A (midi) track plays back and stores MIDI events. These events will trigger sounds in whatever program is currently assigned to that track.

I have AKAI MPK mini.

Some program don't have any sound assigned for keys, only sound assigned for pads. Is this normal?

I created a custom program by assigning different samples to 8 pads in my akai mpk mini. I also want to use an electronic piano along with my program. how do I add electronic piano to my custom program?

thanks in advance

Saurabh wrote:I have AKAI MPK mini.

Some program don't have any sound assigned for keys, only sound assigned for pads. Is this normal?

The pads are likely set to cover MIDI notes C1 to Eb2, so to play those sounds on the keys make sure you select an octave that covers those MIDI notes.

I created a custom program by assigning different samples to 8 pads in my akai mpk mini. I also want to use an electronic piano along with my program. how do I add electronic piano to my custom program?

What exactly do you mean by "I also want to use an electronic piano along with my program."? Ultimately the MPC is a multitrack sequencer so you can assign your drum kit to track 1 and make track 2 a plugin track assigned to 'Electric'. Now if you select track 1 you can play the drums. If you select track 2 you can play the keys.

However, if you want to play both at the same time (e.g. left hand drums, right hand keys) then you can use TRACK VIEW to assign different controllers to different tracks (e.g. pads for track 1, keyboard for track 2).

You can also use the 'key range' option in the Inspector to create keyboard splits.

Alternatively you can try combining the drums and keys to the same program, with the drums occupying range C1 to Eb2 (the default pad MIDI notes, i.e. bank A), and your keys assigned from notes E2 onwards. This can be achieved a number of ways, either using keygroup programs or DRUM programs. To do this you need to have multisamples of your electric piano notes.

However this is all fairly advanced stuff. I wrote an article for standalone MPCs, it might help explain some of this, but you should also check the MPC Software manual

https://www.mpc-tutor.com/mpc-midi-tuto ... ntrollers/