The place to share knowledge about upgrades, mods, customisations and all other cool DIY projects for MPCs and other music equipment.
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By Ultros Tue Feb 02, 2021 10:41 am
Hakai - MPC Custom Firmware with For MPC X, LIVE and ONE

Does one of the moderators want to please replace my link in the first post with this one please
:arrow: https://www.sendspace.com/file/m5x6un

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***WARNING*** I ASSUME NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR "DAMAGES" DONE OR VOIDING OF WARRENTY. BY USING THIS YOU ARE AWARE THAT YOU ARE MODIFYING THE SYSTEM ROOT, YOU CANNOT TECHNICALLY BRICK THIS WAY HOWEVER, I'M SURE IF YOU MESS UP THE UPDATE PROCESS SOMEHOW IT CAN CRIPPLE A SYSTEM. ***WARNING***


Both MPC and Force software builds in the firmware.

Yeah, that's right... Not all features work properly. The Akai software seems to have machine-specific conditions baked in. Step sequencer doesnt work right, clip editor also doesn't really work. The Hype synth is missing presets and oscillator sounds (we need an ssh enabled force to pilfer those from!)

For the most part its really stable however, the force software doesn't like to record events, playback events or any of that fun stuff on my MPC ONE. MPC users with an X or Live / Live 2 may experience other issues. If it ends up freezing up or some shit don't panic just hold the power button and it will power cycle. You can restore the factory 2.9.0 firmware at any point with the same method you've used to install the Hakai custom firmware.


Promissing features of the Force software

Ableton Control is there, which is nice for us MPC One owners. (I've not tested this feature please test leave feedback)

Hypesynth appears to be in working order, if someone has the synth presets for us I could make it work out of the box.

Maybe you want to be pendulum? Maybe you are pendulum... If you're playing with a series of instruments routed into your MPC for a live performance say a midi drum kit, a keyboard, and a guitar, maybe a mic as well all at once. I think the force software wins for the software interface to use the channel mixer tab has all sorts of wonderful options placed right there in that component's window. Users can select options like fx, pan, and I/O control right there. Really nice, I'd love to see that channel mixer in the next itteration of the MPC firmware for MPC.. but one can only dream.


Synth and preset stuff

TubeSynth has has a whole pile of new presets! Wicked.

BassSynth appears to have a few extra synth presets as well.

HypeSynth... doesn't work in the regular MPC software only in FORCE MPC

    ##these are available in both software modes
    AIR Music Technology - MPC - AIR Diode Clip
    AIR Music Technology - MPC - AIR Half Time
    AIR Music Technology - MPC - AIR Stutter
    AIR Music Technology - MPC - AIR Vocal Doubler
    AIR Music Technology - MPC - AIR Vocal Harmonizer
    AIR Music Technology - MPC - AIR Vocal Tuner
    Akai Professional - MPC - Granulator
    Akai Professional - MPC - Sample Delay

    ## only available in Force software mode (MPC 3.0.6)
    ## the hype module is missing the presets and oscillators, perhaps one of you with a force could share that for others?
    AIR Music Technology - MPC - Hype

    ## Presets for non existent synths? perhaps fx plugins not entirely sure
    ## but the preset documents read as "synth"
    WayOutWare - MPC - AXXE
    WayOutWare - MPC - Odyssey
    WayOutWare - MPC - Solus

How's It work?

Install the firmware update using the regular USB update proceedure.

Download the firmware, copy it to the root (topmost directory) of a usb stick and install from settings menu using shift button.

Whenever you click create a new project, it will cycle between MPC and FORCE software versions.


How it was made

I could tell you that but then I would have to kill you... No, the truth is I can't jam linux into peoples heads...
wouldn't even want to try.

I used TheKikGen's python script for packing a firmware and I also used TheKikGen's SSH modded 2.9.0 MPC
USB firmware update as my source.


Download:

SHA1SUM
0322540ede9020457e2d6eeb7ff7106f9f962db8

MD5SUM
b78c6d1d1a598ddae0d1cb40a2ed9417

(someone please mirror this somewhere as it will not last forever)
DOWNLOAD FIRMWARE HERE



Here's a Bonus! Dump you're nand and internal expansions to usb!

Format a usb stick and name it "force", the make a folder on the root of a your usb name it "scripts" and then copy this code into a file named "force.sh" and place it inside that scripts folder. It will only work on usb and it will take probably 5 to 10 minutes of sitting at the MPC Logo screen. When it boots into the MPC software screen it has completed the backup procedure.

Code: Select all
#!/bin/sh
##
## Dump System Script
##
## What does this do?
##      It will back up your MPC's nand to USB as well as copy the internal soundbanks and configurations.
##
## How to use this:
##       Step 1: Create a folder on a USB named "force" (NOT SD IT WONT WORK) and name it scripts all lower case without quotations
##      Step 2: Copy this script inside of it and name this script force.sh also in lowercase.
##
##
## Note:
##       It is safe to leave this script in place but if the backups get deleted off the usb it will
##       automatically dump the files to the usb again, so its better to remove or rename it to
##       force.bak
##

if [ ! -e "/media/force/MPC-One-Nand.img" ]; then
   dd if=/dev/mmcblk1 of=/media/force/MPC-One-Nand.img
fi
if [ ! -d "/media/force/acvs-content" ]; then
   mkdir /media/force/acvs-content
   cp -Rp /media/acvs-content/* /media/force/acvs-content/
fi
if [ ! -d "/media/force/az01-internal" ]; then
   mkdir /media/force/az01-internal
   cp -Rp /media/az01-internal/* /media/force/az01-internal/
fi

Last edited by Ultros on Tue Feb 02, 2021 11:56 am, edited 3 times in total.
By 40Beatz Tue Feb 02, 2021 11:25 am
Soooooo...... what does this add to the X/Live Environment? I'm confused
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By Ultros Tue Feb 02, 2021 11:43 am
40Beatz wrote:Soooooo...... what does this add to the X/Live Environment? I'm confused


MPC 3.0.6 software to mess with on your MPC. Other than that shit all for you I guess. Why don't you try it and see if you can find some features you don't currently have embedded in it? Rather than go strait to posting "what does it do" moments after the initial post.
By 40Beatz Tue Feb 02, 2021 2:01 pm
Ultros wrote:
MPC 3.0.6 software to mess with on your MPC. Other than that **** all for you I guess. Why don't you try it and see if you can find some features you don't currently have embedded in it? Rather than go strait to posting "what does it do" moments after the initial post.



Soooooooo Ignore the Disclaimer, Download and Install the Firmware... WITHOUT Asking Questions? Got you! :lol:
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By NearTao Tue Feb 02, 2021 2:30 pm
@ultros - cool work... was going to say don't forget to do a chmod on the force.sh script... but then I remembered most people probably aren't running an ext fs, and more likely fat...

Keep it up though... if I had a Force I'd help you out here... but definitely interested to see how you continue to progress.
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By EnochLight Tue Feb 02, 2021 6:10 pm
There's some effects plugins on there that aren't on the Force currently:

AIR Music Technology - MPC - AIR Vocal Doubler
AIR Music Technology - MPC - AIR Vocal Harmonizer
AIR Music Technology - MPC - AIR Vocal Tuner
Akai Professional - MPC - Granulator
Akai Professional - MPC - Sample Delay

The vocal plugin effects seem particularly interesting - these are the sort of things that would come in handy if disc-streaming were implemented, as well (though I'm not holding my breath for that feature). :lol:

But since this is a brute force hack of the Force firmware onto an MPC, one would assume that these are things already being beta tested for Aka Force, and not the MPC... :hmmm:
User avatar
By EnochLight Tue Feb 02, 2021 6:31 pm
Ultros wrote:
## Presets for non existent synths? perhaps fx plugins not entirely sure
## but the preset documents read as "synth"
WayOutWare - MPC - AXXE
WayOutWare - MPC - Odyssey
WayOutWare - MPC - Solus



Way Out Ware's Kik AXXE was based on an ARP AXXE and is like a super basic 13 year old plugin that should easily run on the MPC/Force CPU in standalone:

https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/wa ... e-kik-axxe

The Solus was a basic monosynth by Arp:

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Here's an old Arp AXXE:

Image

No clue if any of these are coming in standalone; maybe they're working out a deal to include them in the desktop software or something? Way Out Ware's website hasn't been updated in over 10 years and I suspect the company's assets may have been largely bunk for some time:

http://www.wayoutware.com/index.php
User avatar
By Ultros Tue Feb 02, 2021 8:49 pm
EnochLight wrote:
Ultros wrote:
## Presets for non existent synths? perhaps fx plugins not entirely sure
## but the preset documents read as "synth"
WayOutWare - MPC - AXXE
WayOutWare - MPC - Odyssey
WayOutWare - MPC - Solus



Way Out Ware's Kik AXXE was based on an ARP AXXE and is like a super basic 13 year old plugin that should easily run on the MPC/Force CPU in standalone:

https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/wa ... e-kik-axxe

The Solus was a basic monosynth by Arp:

Image

Here's an old Arp AXXE:

Image

No clue if any of these are coming in standalone; maybe they're working out a deal to include them in the desktop software or something? Way Out Ware's website hasn't been updated in over 10 years and I suspect the company's assets may have been largely bunk for some time:

http://www.wayoutware.com/index.php



Thanks for posting this, i've been searching around for info on what those instruments were. I wonder if any of those plugs become visible on other units like the live and the x. If anyone installs on one those units some feature feedback would be great. I only own the mpc one.