joshbutters wrote:right. i want to use my MPC500 as a midi controller on ableton 8. i have a MIDI to usb cable. please could someone roll through this step by step? i will be eternally thankful.
From Starving Student on the Ableton forum - It's for an MPC 2500 and Ableton 7 but it should get you going;
http://forum.ableton.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=94688&start=15MIDI CONNECTION & SETUP IN THE MPC OS/ABLETON
connect the mpc midi out to the midi in of your interface.
the main outs to your interface's audio input
(not necessesary for syncing, but you'll need it later for finetuning)
go to the SYNC Menu (MODE + PAD 9 then F2)
and set it up like this:
Sync out: A MASTER
Mode: MIDI TIME CLOCK
Framerate: 30
send MMC: ON
your mpc sends out mtc and mmc now
Start Ableton Live and go to
OPTIONS > PREFERENCES > MIDI/SYNC
set the SYNC button of your Midi ports midi input to ON
Set the Type to MIDI TIMECODE
Set the Midi Time code rate to SMPT 30 FPS NON DROP
Activate the EXT button on top, next to the BPM display for setting
Live into External Sync Mode.
Also activate the button with the black and white dot (that's Live's Metronome).
Start your empeecee in Overdub Mode (OVER DUB + PLAY)
The empeecee and Live should now start playing.
If everything is fine, you should hear the two metronomes sound
running
Should you hear the two Metronomes Sounds running not perfectly in Sync,
Try to fine tune that, play around with the MIDI SYNC DELAY until both are in complete Sync. (mine runs at -25.5 ms, for example, but that may differ...)
Another Possibility would be exact setup of your audio latency compensation. there is a lesson in lives help covering correct setup.
do that, if needed.
Congrats, you did it.
Now live is running in sync with your empeecee and you can control Live's
sequencer controls (play, stop, ff,....) with the controls of your mpc.
you can also send midi data from the mpc to virtual instruments loaded up
in live.
All that funky vsti's controlled and sequenced with intuitive"hands on"-style
of the empeecee, isn't this lovely...
From this point on, you might be interested in
CONTROLLING MULTIPLE VSTis IN ABLETON WITH THE MPC
On your mpc, set your TRACK setting from DRUM to MIDI and set your MIDI output from NONE to, e.g. 1A.
I saved a .PGM file where every track uses a different midi channel so i can send 16 (32, if you use your second midi out) channels of midi data.
In Ableton Live, click on the small black button labeled "I.O"
Its next to the Master output fader on the right side.
Now your Input and Output routings appear.
Now, create some midi channels in Live (CTRL+SHIFT+T).
There are four knobs:
MIDI FROM: select the midi interface where you plugged your MPC in.
CHANNEL: select your Desired channel, Either All or 1 to 16
MONITOR:
IN: will playback all the time
AUTO: will playback only if the channel is set to record
OFF: no playback at all
Set your channels correct and then, the mpc will use live as one big rack.
you can push your pads and have the mpc feel and groove, but you will be able to mix down and process nicely in live using plugins & stuff."
Sometimes I still laugh out loud about the beat kangz and that time some English dude hacked the Akai marketing website and stole a bunch of pictures of the Ren before it was released.
