Exchange tips and tricks for the Akai MPC4000
By foge1 Fri Feb 29, 2008 9:11 am
I have just spent a day creating a 16 layer drum program of an acoustic kit dry and one for the room sound.

I used 4 drum programs and a multi assigning the four drum program to the same channel on the multi.
each drum program has four velocity levels in decreasing order giving 16 in total. i.e. drum program one 90-127 (velocity)
drum program 2 60 - 90
etc.
however I have a problem. The mute group on the hihat only works if i hit the closed hihat in the same program.

So if I hit open hihat say at vel 95 (drum prgram 1) then closed hihat 75 (drum prgram 2) it doesn't mute the open hihat even though they are assigned to the same multi channel.

is there a way around this problem?
Is it that mute groups cannot work when using multiple programs via a multi?

I hate fact you have a four sample limit per pad its rubbish!
If kurzweils have had 32 layers for the last million years why do I have to use a multi to get more than four levels of velocity switching. Its very frustrating! everytime I want to adjust a drum sound I have to do it accross four programs!

Is there a better way?
Love the seq still hating the ergonomics of the 4k.
geoff

By renegadebliss Fri Feb 29, 2008 8:50 pm
The 4000 and all MPC's are limited to 4 velocity zones per program. That's the way they've been, and Akai doesn't look like they are worried right now in making a "better" sampler... all they reallly seem to care about is getting the MV sales back... so i think your out of luck
on that one. Your work around is your only option. You can pick up a cheap
Alesis Fusion for $500 now and it can do it. If it was a Rack Module I'd probably include
it with my setup. It can do 8 way zones.


And in regards to your issue. Mute Groups are Per Program only. So mute groups work when you have multiple programs, but they dont' work across Programs...


Cheers,
Dave

By MPC 4 ME Fri Feb 29, 2008 10:08 pm
Have you considered Battery 3? It is 199 and it is basically made for these type of things. It does choking. It has options to setup a open/closed hihat. It has cycle around robin to get a bit random hits when you play your electronical drumkit. I have a V-Drum connected to Battery and the MPC and its really great. Setting this up in the MPC is a bit painful in my opinion..
User avatar

By eknocbeats Fri Feb 29, 2008 11:19 pm
Have you tried keeping your hats on the first pad bank of the prog and your snares on another, etc.? Also are you using just the first pad bank of each program instead of all 6? Shiit if you have that many various hats, give it its own program.............doubt you use more than 64 mute groups.
User avatar

By McSmooth Sat Mar 01, 2008 12:22 am
There is a second way to get >4 zones per note... keygroups. Even though keygroups were not meant for drums, they are essential for complex drum programming like this. Unlike drum program notes, each keygroup definition can be placed anywhere on the keyboard, even over existing ones. This will take some work for you to reprogam, but I believe it will do what you are trying to accomplish, and keep everything in one program and you don't have to mess around with the multi. This will give you drum kits the other MPCs can only dream of.
User avatar

By eknocbeats Sat Mar 01, 2008 1:48 am
McSmooth wrote:There is a second way to get >4 zones per note... keygroups. Even though keygroups were not meant for drums, they are essential for complex drum programming like this. Unlike drum program notes, each keygroup definition can be placed anywhere on the keyboard, even over existing ones. This will take some work for you to reprogam, but I believe it will do what you are trying to accomplish, and keep everything in one program and you don't have to mess around with the multi. This will give you drum kits the other MPCs can only dream of.



Will this solve his issue with the mute groups???
User avatar

By eknocbeats Sat Mar 01, 2008 2:23 am
Wow i think this exceeds your Kurzweil as far as layers goes!!!!!
Well if you look at it this way 1 KG holds 4 zones and you have 128 KG in 1 program, thats 32 layers for every 8 KG. That gives you 16 individual sets of 32 layers per program. If you need more than tht man..........................get a fking drummer!!!! lol. 4k is sick
User avatar

By McSmooth Sat Mar 01, 2008 2:44 am
eknocbeats wrote:Will this solve his issue with the mute groups???

It is all one program, so yes.

By foge1 Sat Mar 01, 2008 12:57 pm
thats really helpful thankyou.
I will muster up the will power to go back and do it all again.
argh.
but good news.
g