Exchange tips and tricks for the Akai MPC4000
By schoolforthought Tue Jul 19, 2016 1:41 pm
Quick question.

Is it possible to combine multiple tracks either through multi or the mixer?

Let me further explain---Say Im using a baby grand piano and I play a chord. Now If I copy that track to track 2 and change the part to lets say an acoustic guitar, now the piano and the guitar are playing both the same notes at the same time and I can adjust the volume of just the piano or the guitar add effects etc.

Ive been going through this so much in my head I dont know if it would even be necessary but is there a way to somehow combine the track 1 (piano) and the track 2 (guitar) to one output therefore if I adjusted the master volume for just one of those it would affect both tracks?

Or if say I selected track 1 (the piano) and pressed a key/pad it would also trigger on track 2 (the guitar) thus playing the guitar and the piano together at the same time.....
User avatar
By Lampdog Tue Jul 19, 2016 2:59 pm
Give both programs the same midi number. This will layer them via midi, they will play together, live and recorded playback. Live meaning, realtime pad banging will play both.

or

Copy guitar track to piano track and both will play. It will not be live though. It will only play whatever has been recorded on the track. Realtime pad banging will not play both instruments.

or

Chapter 9—Creating and editing programs pg 89 ZONES can get the job done also.
http://www.mpc-tutor.com/files/mpc-manu ... manual.zip
By schoolforthought Tue Jul 19, 2016 4:12 pm
Lampdog wrote:Give both programs the same midi number. This will layer them via midi, they will play together, live and recorded playback. Live meaning, realtime pad banging will play both.

or

Copy guitar track to piano track and both will play. It will not be live though. It will only play whatever has been recorded on the track. Realtime pad banging will not play both instruments.

or

Chapter 9—Creating and editing programs pg 89 ZONES can get the job done also.
http://www.mpc-tutor.com/files/mpc-manu ... manual.zip


Respect. Much appreciated.

Through midi is how i was kind of doing it--I changed both midi numbers to 2 or something random just to test it out. You gave me the answer to what I was looking for because when im playing live, sometimes I want to hear to different sounds layered, yet copying track 1 to track 2 to switch the part from piano to guitar was how i was doing it.

I know about layering individual samples from pg 89 like if I want to layer a snare and a clap.

Where I get tripped up is i'll start thinking about how I am putting a track together when im not in front of the mpc then when I get in front of the mpc I have a bunch of stuff im trying to get out all at once.

Like you confirmed above changing the midi to the same will get the different programs to play the same midi, yet through the track mixer theres not a way to combine the mixers.

Like through a daw, (reason, fl, ableton, etc) you can say combine track 1 and 2 together so while they can have different panning, fx, etc, say I decided to slide the master volume up and down on track 1, it would automatically do that to track 2.
User avatar
By Lampdog Tue Jul 19, 2016 4:16 pm
pg 57, mpc4k user guide
Note: The part mixer applies only to the sampler section. It cannot be used to control an external MIDI sound
module.
By schoolforthought Tue Jul 19, 2016 4:33 pm
I think something that is a wrench in the cogs is that im only using one multi when I should be using more than one.

For instance Im thinking i should have my pads/piano/strings on say multi 1 and then my kick/snares/hats on multi 2.

ive always used just one multi for some reason.
By schoolforthought Tue Jul 19, 2016 4:46 pm
Lampdog wrote:pg 57, mpc4k user guide
Note: The part mixer applies only to the sampler section. It cannot be used to control an external MIDI sound
module.


I know that, I was just using those daws as an example. for instance in reason through the mixer you can link/route/connect two different tracks through the mixer therefore when you increase the master volume to one the other adjusts with it because they are linked/routed/connected.
User avatar
By Lampdog Tue Jul 19, 2016 4:55 pm
4k is old technology. 4k cpu is not as robust as modern cpu's. No comparison should be made there. Gotta work with whatever it is man. Or maybe combine the 4k with other hardware/software to get your production flow where you need it to be.
By schoolforthought Tue Jul 19, 2016 5:01 pm
Lampdog wrote:4k is old technology. 4k cpu is not as robust as modern cpu's. No comparison should be made there. Gotta work with whatever it is man. Or maybe combine the 4k with other hardware/software to get your production flow where you need it to be.


Im good with it, before the 4k I was happy with my 2k and 2kxl, im about to cop a roland mv8800 when this guy at the pawn shop quits playin with me. Its been sitting there for 2 years and every 6 months or so I pop in just to see if its still sitting. Which it is.....and will be. The best option they have is to list it on eBay but I'm not going to tell them that.
User avatar
By Lampdog Tue Jul 19, 2016 5:07 pm
schoolforthought wrote:....before the 4k I was happy with my 2k....


Me too, still have my orange 2kxlse2, years later added a 4k and love both.
I'll never sell them. I'm riding em till the wheels fall off. Never understood the MV appeal though.


viewtopic.php?f=2&t=175979&p=1673004&hilit=multi#p1673004
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=165646&p=1635160&hilit=multi#p1635160
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=165776&p=1569226&hilit=multi#p1569226
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=156684&p=1471041&hilit=multi#p1471041

Maybe something in these threads can shed some light on something that can help you out.
By schoolforthought Tue Jul 19, 2016 7:57 pm
Lampdog wrote:
schoolforthought wrote:....before the 4k I was happy with my 2k....


Me too, still have my orange 2kxlse2, years later added a 4k and love both.
I'll never sell them. I'm riding em till the wheels fall off. Never understood the MV appeal though.


viewtopic.php?f=2&t=175979&p=1673004&hilit=multi#p1673004
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=165646&p=1635160&hilit=multi#p1635160
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=165776&p=1569226&hilit=multi#p1569226
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=156684&p=1471041&hilit=multi#p1471041

Maybe something in these threads can shed some light on something that can help you out.


'Preciate it, I've watched and i still watch anything I can on the 4000. Knowledge is power its just a matter of applying things. For the beats that ive done, my workflow has been sufficient, its gotten the job done. Now that im getting more meticulous the standard load samples, assign them to a pad stuff isn't really working anymore. The organized approach of organizing the programs then particularly having different multi's (which is something I havent done until today) makes more sense and is needed as I continue to grow.

As long as you always keep doing it you'll continue to grow. I put my cousin who on to making beats when he was in 9th grade, he would just load up whatever samples he could on FL then put together a beat, he never messed with the adsr and really never mixed. Now that its been 4 years he says he spends more time listening and mixing/mastering than he does making a beat.

I'm the same way too, I do something until I either need to change or its time to change. I was able to get beats done before, but recently ive noticed having to go through the lists of programs to edit various parameters...I was like "there has to be an easier way"

Long story short- multiple multi's is the way to go. For instance I can have my piano, guitar, synth, strings in 1 multi under parts 1,2,3,4, then when I come up with a melody I can add parts 5 and 6, and assign the piano to those parts so for parts 1, 5 and 6 I have them all as piano, I can copy the track 1 to 2 and 3 so they all play the same notes and under the multi screen I can pan part 5 to the left and part 6 to the right and add effects.....
It took me a minute to find out how pgm change works but I'm able to get everything done without having to circumvent, I can do it the way its intended.

Its just quicker and organized. It was getting done before, but :Sigh: Those times when you have to walk away and take a break and come back......
User avatar
By Lampdog Thu Aug 18, 2016 3:09 pm
schoolforthought wrote:Where I get tripped up is i'll start thinking about how I am putting a track together when im not in front of the mpc then when I get in front of the mpc I have a bunch of stuff im trying to get out all at once.

This used to happen to me alot. I've learned to be more methodical and slower and it works out for me. One problem at a time mostly.