MPC Ren & Pro Tools High End Studio Workflow & Setup

Bug reports & end-user support for Akai's MPC Software 'controllers' including the new MPC Studio 2, the MPC Touch, MPC Renaissance & original MPC Studio and MPC StudioB lack.
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MPC Ren & Pro Tools High End Studio Workflow & Setup

By e9000k Sun Sep 23, 2012 7:38 pm
Dear Akai Staff:

this is what I have envisioned when working with the MPC Ren:

Imagine following scenario: I wanna take the MPC Ren down to the Studio to track out Beats on a high end Pro Tools system and DI/Preamps galore or Analog desk which acts as a front end to Pro Tools

Ren Software would be running using the Ren Interface + Additional Interface for more individual outputs as an Aggregate Device on my Macbook.

I would want to connect my MPC Ren Laptop using MIDI to the Pro Tools rig in the studio then Slave the MPC REN to Pro tools using Beat Clock or MTC.

This will allow me to run one pass in the studio and not have to individually track out tracks.

Maybe you can take this into consideration some day, sure I would not be the only one to appreciate this kind of option.

Re: MPC Ren & Pro Tools High End Studio Workflow & Setup

By sparq Tue Sep 25, 2012 1:14 pm
e9000k wrote:This will allow me to run one pass in the studio and not have to individually track out tracks.

Maybe you can take this into consideration some day, sure I would not be the only one to appreciate this kind of option.



i don't understand. why wouldn't you just from home, export all your tracks as stems, put them on a flash drive or CD/DVD and bring that to the "high end Pro Tools" studio and just import your stems.
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Re: MPC Ren & Pro Tools High End Studio Workflow & Setup

By IMAKEMADBEATS Tue Sep 25, 2012 1:30 pm
sparq wrote:
e9000k wrote:This will allow me to run one pass in the studio and not have to individually track out tracks.

Maybe you can take this into consideration some day, sure I would not be the only one to appreciate this kind of option.



i don't understand. why wouldn't you just from home, export all your tracks as stems, put them on a flash drive or CD/DVD and bring that to the "high end Pro Tools" studio and just import your stems.


I think he wants his stuff to be recorded through the high-end pre's.
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Re: MPC Ren & Pro Tools High End Studio Workflow & Setup

By JAH Tue Sep 25, 2012 2:41 pm
IMAKEMADBEATS wrote:
sparq wrote:
e9000k wrote:This will allow me to run one pass in the studio and not have to individually track out tracks.

Maybe you can take this into consideration some day, sure I would not be the only one to appreciate this kind of option.



i don't understand. why wouldn't you just from home, export all your tracks as stems, put them on a flash drive or CD/DVD and bring that to the "high end Pro Tools" studio and just import your stems.


I think he wants his stuff to be recorded through the high-end pre's.

He can still do that by mixing outside of the box.

Also the Ren only gives you 8 stereo outputs max as of V1.0.
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Re: MPC Ren & Pro Tools High End Studio Workflow & Setup

By IMAKEMADBEATS Tue Sep 25, 2012 4:25 pm
JAH wrote:
Also the Ren only gives you 8 stereo outputs max as of V1.0.


there are several ways to do this...
And I may be wrong, But i think he wants to record into pro tools through the pre's, and THEN mix outside of the box, using pro tools as his tape machine.

I've done this with Swizz beats to Dj Scratch. The difference between recording through analog pres to digital, then mixing back through the pre's....vs only mixing through the pre's...is there, but nothing you can't make up for in the mix.

I personally try to keep as little analog to digital conversions as possible, so I normally just do what Jah mentioned.

Re: MPC Ren & Pro Tools High End Studio Workflow & Setup

By e9000k Tue Sep 25, 2012 5:23 pm
Thaks guys for engaging in this discussion

I would want to use the ren outs for 3000 sound on the outs. This can only be captured when ren is acting as interface. So internal bounce is not an option...

imakemadbeats: you are right on why...

JAH: the Outs are limited to 8? You mean a software limitation? how do I route a MPC Track to an output?

Re: MPC Ren & Pro Tools High End Studio Workflow & Setup

By sparq Fri Sep 28, 2012 4:39 pm
Wil1870 wrote:Excuse my ignorance, but what is a stem?



if you have several tracks recorded in say... pro tools. a stem is just one of those tracks that when exported as such, will retain time and position. so if you export your tracks from the MPC software, each of those wave files are considered stems so when you import into pro tools, logic, etc. you will import starting at 0:00:00 and you keep the same time. you might just have to set the bpm on your DAW.
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Re: MPC Ren & Pro Tools High End Studio Workflow & Setup

By Airyck Fri Sep 28, 2012 6:19 pm
This is something I was curious about too, but more for live performance purposes. I'd like to be able to run multiple outs using an audio interface with more output so I can route them to a physical mixer for live adjustment of the mix. I suppose this could technically be done with a controller though :shrug:

edit:
although, I guess using a controller would rule out the possibility of using hardware synths live...

Re: MPC Ren & Pro Tools High End Studio Workflow & Setup

By MrBlack Sat Nov 03, 2012 8:16 am
IS this really true? I havent tried to slave the REN to my pro tools yet, as I am still disecting the beast. but I feel that is a MAJOR issue for me right now as well. I would like to SLAVE the REN to PROTOOLS so I can track out everything through the right mic pre's through some nice A/D. Thats the only way in my book, but this is a minor software issue Im hoping... :oops: :|

On the 2000xl it was under the SHIFT 3 (MIDI/SYNC) button

and after reading the REN manual on "SYNC" it mentions only SENDING sync, nothing about RECEIVING...
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Re: MPC Ren & Pro Tools High End Studio Workflow & Setup

By IMAKEMADBEATS Sat Nov 03, 2012 2:37 pm
MrBlack wrote:IS this really true? I havent tried to slave the REN to my pro tools yet, as I am still disecting the beast. but I feel that is a MAJOR issue for me right now as well. I would like to SLAVE the REN to PROTOOLS so I can track out everything through the right mic pre's through some nice A/D. Thats the only way in my book, but this is a minor software issue Im hoping... :oops: :|

On the 2000xl it was under the SHIFT 3 (MIDI/SYNC) button

and after reading the REN manual on "SYNC" it mentions only SENDING sync, nothing about RECEIVING...


The only way to sync with pro tools and record the Ren's outputs is to set the Ren as the master...for now.
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Re: MPC Ren & Pro Tools High End Studio Workflow & Setup

By DJ Hellfire Sat Nov 03, 2012 2:47 pm
This WHOLE IDEA is impossible for multi-tracking the Ren because the given request requires TWO computers. The Ren only has 2 analog outs. So even if the Ren and Ren laptop could receive midi sync from the Pro Tools rig, you only have 2 outs.

In order for this to work the way you want, you'd have to connect the Ren to the Pro Tools rig (not your laptop) and still be able to slave the Ren hardware/software via midi from the Pro Tools interface. The only way I see this being possible is if the Ren software can still run in standalone along side Pro Tools, not as an RTAS plugin. This would likely be possible if the computer can run two interfaces at the same time. But again, this would only solve the midi sync issue. You still only have 2 outs on the Ren.

Might as well track via RTAS insert since you say you only want to track the beat as a stereo track. Shit, you might as well not even track the beat. Might as well just run the Ren as a plugin and mix the beat inside the Ren app and leave Pro Tools for the vocals.
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Re: MPC Ren & Pro Tools High End Studio Workflow & Setup

By IMAKEMADBEATS Sat Nov 03, 2012 3:16 pm
DJ Hellfire wrote: But again, this would only solve the midi sync issue. You still only have 2 outs on the Ren.

Might as well track via RTAS insert since you say you only want to track the beat as a stereo track


I think they are trying to take advantage of the vintage modes, and run through external gear. And they'd track it the same way you'd track any mpc with only a stereo out. It'd be nice to be able to slave it via midi to Pro Tools to do that.

And yes, I've run the Ren software standalone while running pro tools. It works fine that way.
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