Help with the fundamentals please.

Hello,

I am new to the MPC world. I have a Touch, and am anticipating getting the Live.

I have a small studio and am interested in using the Touch to record my synths and drum machines, and then to arrange tracks into songs.

I am struggling to find any videos or documentation that really explain the foundation of the MPC 1.9 software. I really want to start at the beginning (like "what is a program, sequence, track" etc) so that I can build a firm understanding of how to work with it.

I have searched high and low online. I am reviewing the MPC Academy videos ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJnEy4dp2eg) and they are helpful but don't seem to really explain the foundation of how to build a song like I am looking for.

I am also reading through the MPC User Guide 1.9 (http://6be54c364949b623a3c0-4409a68c214 ... e-v1.9.pdf)
But even though this is what is offered in the MPC Touch page on the Akai site, it is actually focused on just the Renaissance and the Studio. There seem to be some important differences in functionality. Regardless I will continue to study it as it is the best information that I have found.

Am I missing something? Or does anyone have any other suggestions as to resources that will allow me to start from a zero knowledge perspective. I really want to learn this system, but I feel like every resource is just giving me tips and tricks and not the fundamentals I need.

Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks

This http://www.mpc-samples.com/product.php/ ... uch-bible/ is very good. Has it all.

Actually, I had read through the sample material before and did not think that was what I was looking for. However, now after reading the table of contents I see that is covers way more than I had initially thought. I think I will buy it.

Thanks.

Yup, Tutor explains things simple enough to wrap your head around the MPC jargon. There will be things in that book that you thought you knew about but really don't.

Bro, where are you coming from? Like what hardware or software/DAW? Or is this your first piece of gear? These will indicate the level of tutoring you may need. Have you ever made beats/music?

M.s wrote:Bro, where are you coming from? Like what hardware or software/DAW? Or is this your first piece of gear? These will indicate the level of tutoring you may need. Have you ever made beats/music?

Good questions.

I have DJed for years and for the past year I have been building a small studio (Roland: MX1, TR8, JX03, SYS1, JDXI, TB3, Novation Circuit, and now the Touch). That has resulted in making house/tech house music live, and I have been playing sets live as well. Everything is running through the MX1 as the master clock, and it works great for a live setting.

However, now I want to record and arrange those tracks that I make with the gear. I have dabbled with Ableton, but don't want to be tied to the computer long term, so that is why I went the MPC route.

I have been recording samples in the Touch and just starting try and arrange them properly. That is where I am after about a month with the Touch.

Programs are where you organize your sounds. You can put all your sounds that make up the sequence in one program or have different programs for different sound sets (drums, bass, samples, efx et)

Tracks are where you record each sounds performance onto. Most people have a track for each separate sound (track 1 snare track 2 kick track hat and so on).

Sequences are where you can record the performance you created with the pads, and by playing back the recorded data, you can
reproduce your performance. Think seq 1 verse 1,,, seq 2 verse 2,,, seq 3 changeup,,,, seq 4 hook etc

You use "song mode" to arrange your different sequences to create a full song. You can then convert that song into 1 long sequence where you continue editing with mutes etc

J.O.BEATS wrote:Programs are where you organize your sounds. You can put all your sounds that make up the sequence in one program or have different programs for different sound sets (drums, bass, samples, efx et)

Tracks are where you record each sounds performance onto. Most people have a track for each separate sound (track 1 snare track 2 kick track hat and so on).

Sequences are where you can record the performance you created with the pads, and by playing back the recorded data, you can
reproduce your performance. Think seq 1 verse 1,,, seq 2 verse 2,,, seq 3 changeup,,,, seq 4 hook etc

You use "song mode" to arrange your different sequences to create a full song. You can then convert that song into 1 long sequence where you continue editing with mutes etc

As elementary as it is, this is very helpful. Thanks.

To get wacky
Load a kit
Use multiple pad tab assign
Adjust the pitch on the Lfo
For all the them
And mess with your vol Lfo
Bad ain't it

Programs = kits
Tracks = layers
Sequences = song parts