MPC + MIDI Controllers

Hello everyone. I am new to the boards, but have been producing and using an MPC for awhile.
I also understand MIDI and am capable of programming MIDI controllers, etc.

My question is this. Is it possible to buy a MIDI controller (one that is all pads like an MPC interface) and connect to the MPC in such a way that you can trigger other banks without pressing the "A,B,C,D" buttons. I suppose this would be done by matching the MIDI notes on your controller to whatever MIDI notes you want triggered in those banks. Is this possible?

The reason I ask is for live performance. I am working on some routines similar to JEL and was considering doing this or buying a Roland SP-404 to go along side the MP.

I also was wondering if anyone has tried something like a Roland PK-5A with an MPC. The foot controlled MIDI boards.... I thought it would be interesting to try something with one of these as well. Once again it is a MIDI controller though.

Any thoughts let me know. I am looking at having to play multiple things at the same time. Kick, snare, hats, and some samples on the pads, and bass on the foot controller....

Or something similar with the side controller with pads.

Thanks, Peace.

no.

NEXT!

Lol... spazz.

To the OP-- You can definitely have separate controllers to trigger all the pad banks in your MPC, if u want. Your guess about matching up the midi notes was accurate. For instance, I got a keyboard running midi into my MPC1k, and it will trigger each pad in all 4 pad banks.

So you could do 2 midi pad controllers (once you've set them up to trigger the proper notes), plus the MPC pads and then access banks A - C without hitting those bank buttons. Or a keyboard controller...

I build my loops/songs on the MPC and play live with a Monome.

http://monome.org/

mlr - is the most common program used for playing live.

http://vimeo.com/2441155
http://vimeo.com/2434050
http://docs.monome.org/doku.php?id=mlr:mlrv

http://www.vimeo.com/groups/monome

Check the videos out by edison here - :
http://www.vimeo.com/2655887

mudlogger wrote:I build my loops/songs on the MPC and play live with a Monome.

http://monome.org/

mlr - is the most common program used for playing live.

http://vimeo.com/2441155
http://vimeo.com/2434050
http://docs.monome.org/doku.php?id=mlr:mlrv

http://www.vimeo.com/groups/monome

Check the videos out by edison here - :
http://www.vimeo.com/2655887

This looks pretty awesome. I don't want to use a computer at all though. I just want a MIDI controller like that. LOL. I am looking to do the live shows with no sequencing, and I don't want to use a computer. I have used computers live and I just believe they are unreliable and cannot be trusted as a musical instrument for touring and playing a lot.

Also, do you have to build the controllers for this yourself? If so that is really awesome. I use to circuit bend some too, which seems like people who would be into that would want monome.

elevated wrote:Lol... spazz.

To the OP-- You can definitely have separate controllers to trigger all the pad banks in your MPC, if u want. Your guess about matching up the midi notes was accurate. For instance, I got a keyboard running midi into my MPC1k, and it will trigger each pad in all 4 pad banks.

So you could do 2 midi pad controllers (once you've set them up to trigger the proper notes), plus the MPC pads and then access banks A - C without hitting those bank buttons. Or a keyboard controller...

This is what I thought. I obviously don't want to be overkill on the pads so if I decide to trigger all four banks I will just use a keyboard, because I am not that lazy... I can switch between some banks. LOL. But thank you, you just confirmed what I was thinking. I appreciate it.

- thats fair comment about not wanting to use a computer. Theres been talk of making monomes that include the software with a flash drive - but noone has done this yet.

- a lot of the guys are circuit benders or computer programmers - they use Max/MSP runtime software the most - all open source - all apps are free and made by the community.
- you can buy a kit and build yourself or you can buy a readymade one.

There are 3 sizes (depending on number of buttons) - 64, 128 and 256
- the 64 also has an accelerometer.

- by the way - monome 128 go on sale tomorrow - 9 Jan - last time - they sold out in 15 minutes!

mudlogger wrote:- thats fair comment about not wanting to use a computer. Theres been talk of making monomes that include the software with a flash drive - but noone has done this yet.

- a lot of the guys are circuit benders or computer programmers - they use Max/MSP runtime software the most - all open source - all apps are free and made by the community.
- you can buy a kit and build yourself or you can buy a readymade one.

There are 3 sizes (depending on number of buttons) - 64, 128 and 256
- the 64 also has an accelerometer.

- by the way - monome 128 go on sale tomorrow - 9 Jan - last time - they sold out in 15 minutes!

That is super cool and I am very interested however... I don't want to use a computer. At all. I strive to move away from the computer. The more I move away from it the better my music gets and the more organic it sounds. Also, I experiment more without a computer. That is just me personally because I think there are great features with using a computer, but the sound is rigid and mechanical.... which is awesome if that is what you want... but I don't want that.

I am going to keep my eye on these though.

I'd definitely keep them in mind - they are jawdroppingly good and allow a great ammount of freestyling instead of the mute/unmute, read your e-mail type gigs you see nowadays. Check these guys out.

http://vimeo.com/311236

Also Daedelus is a long time monome user.

http://www.vimeo.com/1473270?pg=embed&sec=1473270

mudlogger wrote:I'd definitely keep them in mind - they are jawdroppingly good and allow a great ammount of freestyling instead of the mute/unmute, read your e-mail type gigs you see nowadays. Check these guys out.

http://vimeo.com/311236

Also Daedelus is a long time monome user.

http://www.vimeo.com/1473270?pg=embed&sec=1473270

Yo that video was insanely awesome.
So is this running on a click and he just records everything in and then it breaks it up into 16 note phrases on the monome that you can trigger and control and manipulate?

Great information. I am really interested in that. That is pretty hot....
You keep getting me more interested. LOL.

So is this running on a click and he just records everything in and then it breaks it up into 16 note phrases on the monome that you can trigger and control and manipulate?

Yes thats right - hes using a modified version of MLR program and added a click. The sample is stretched across one row in 16 note phases. You can resample anything that you just played - on the fly, then you can resample the resample and play the resample! When you resample - it will put the new sample on another row - which you can freestyle with also.

here's the discussion + program he used (if you download free Max Runtime you can check it out - however it won't play without a monome plugged in) :

http://post.monome.org/comments.php?Dis ... e=1#Item_1

In MLR - each row of buttons is 1 sample loop. Each button on that row is a slice or chop of that sample - hes playing the chops in different order. Each row will have say - drums, bass, guitar, vox. So in effect you can replay the bassline in a different order and resample at the same time. It also has 2 pattern recorders that - when switched on - memorize and replay your button presses. I mainly use the pattern recorders - i'll have maybe a crap loop - switch on the pattern recorder - play the chops manually until the loop is completely different - then resample - switch the pattern recorder off.

This is a good video of the pattern recorders memorizing the button presses :

http://www.vimeo.com/460728

theres a picture here of the computer screen :

http://docs.monome.org/doku.php?id=app:mlr

this is edison using mlr - reminds me a bit of Jel :
http://www.vimeo.com/820090

also % is a superb MLR player.
http://www.vimeo.com/476274

MLR is just 1 program for the monome (the best for live work) - there are many more that do different things with sequencing + composition and stuff, but to be honest i tend to just use MLR. I do my composition on the MPC because thats were i do my best stuff.

http://docs.monome.org/doku.php?id=app
check out boiingg, press cafe, dj64, molar, press cafe, polygome - all provided by the forum for free - its like having 30 JJ's!

I just wish JJ would release the code to other developers - but thats a whole new discussion!!!!

- by the way - monome 128 go on sale tomorrow - 9 Jan - last time - they sold out in 15 minutes!

this time they sold out in 2 minutes.........look out for some stupid prices on ebay.

mudlogger wrote:

So is this running on a click and he just records everything in and then it breaks it up into 16 note phrases on the monome that you can trigger and control and manipulate?

Yes thats right - hes using a modified version of MLR program and added a click. The sample is stretched across one row in 16 note phases. You can resample anything that you just played - on the fly, then you can resample the resample and play the resample! When you resample - it will put the new sample on another row - which you can freestyle with also.

here's the discussion + program he used (if you download free Max Runtime you can check it out - however it won't play without a monome plugged in) :

http://post.monome.org/comments.php?Dis ... e=1#Item_1

In MLR - each row of buttons is 1 sample loop. Each button on that row is a slice or chop of that sample - hes playing the chops in different order. Each row will have say - drums, bass, guitar, vox. So in effect you can replay the bassline in a different order and resample at the same time. It also has 2 pattern recorders that - when switched on - memorize and replay your button presses. I mainly use the pattern recorders - i'll have maybe a **** loop - switch on the pattern recorder - play the chops manually until the loop is completely different - then resample - switch the pattern recorder off.

This is a good video of the pattern recorders memorizing the button presses :

http://www.vimeo.com/460728

theres a picture here of the computer screen :

http://docs.monome.org/doku.php?id=app:mlr

this is edison using mlr - reminds me a bit of Jel :
http://www.vimeo.com/820090

also % is a superb MLR player.
http://www.vimeo.com/476274

MLR is just 1 program for the monome (the best for live work) - there are many more that do different things with sequencing + composition and stuff, but to be honest i tend to just use MLR. I do my composition on the MPC because thats were i do my best stuff.

http://docs.monome.org/doku.php?id=app
check out boiingg, press cafe, dj64, molar, press cafe, polygome - all provided by the forum for free - its like having 30 JJ's!

I just wish JJ would release the code to other developers - but thats a whole new discussion!!!!

Thanks for the heads up!!! I like the concept. Not sure if I want to drop that much money though, but I will keep my eye on this, because it is mad sickkkkkk

objektivone wrote:

mudlogger wrote:I'd definitely keep them in mind - they are jawdroppingly good and allow a great ammount of freestyling instead of the mute/unmute, read your e-mail type gigs you see nowadays. Check these guys out.

http://vimeo.com/311236

Also Daedelus is a long time monome user.

http://www.vimeo.com/1473270?pg=embed&sec=1473270

Yo that video was insanely awesome.
So is this running on a click and he just records everything in and then it breaks it up into 16 note phrases on the monome that you can trigger and control and manipulate?

Great information. I am really interested in that. That is pretty hot....
You keep getting me more interested. LOL.

he needs to address that issue with his arms flinging all over the place everytime he hits the buttons, i'm thinking he's got his earth all wrong, 'cos he's definitely getting some kind of electric shocks there off his home made bogbox. darn it - he.s actually in pain, its affecting his judgement too , the musics awful.

arebee wrote:

objektivone wrote:

mudlogger wrote:I'd definitely keep them in mind - they are jawdroppingly good and allow a great ammount of freestyling instead of the mute/unmute, read your e-mail type gigs you see nowadays. Check these guys out.

http://vimeo.com/311236

Also Daedelus is a long time monome user.

http://www.vimeo.com/1473270?pg=embed&sec=1473270

Yo that video was insanely awesome.
So is this running on a click and he just records everything in and then it breaks it up into 16 note phrases on the monome that you can trigger and control and manipulate?

Great information. I am really interested in that. That is pretty hot....
You keep getting me more interested. LOL.

he needs to address that issue with his arms flinging all over the place everytime he hits the buttons, i'm thinking he's got his earth all wrong, 'cos he's definitely getting some kind of electric shocks there off his home made bogbox. darn it - he.s actually in pain, its affecting his judgement too , the musics awful.

I am not really sure what we are talking about now.