Long Linear automation line at high resolution.

Hi, is there any way to draw/input a long automation line across let's say 16 bars?
Step sequencer only shows 1 bar so that's a no go. I'd love open a filter smoothly across 16 bars, starting at 0 vcf cutoff, all the way to 127 without any stepping. Doing it manually isn't ideal as you'd never get it perfectly in time, e.g. At bar 4 you'd want to be at value 32, bar 8 at 64, bar 12 at value of 96 and finishing at the end of bar 16 at 127.

[email protected] wrote:Hi, is there any way to draw/input a long automation line across let's say 16 bars?
Step sequencer only shows 1 bar so that's a no go. I'd love open a filter smoothly across 16 bars, starting at 0 vcf cutoff, all the way to 127 without any stepping. Doing it manually isn't ideal as you'd never get it perfectly in time, e.g. At bar 4 you'd want to be at value 32, bar 8 at 64, bar 12 at value of 96 and finishing at the end of bar 16 at 127.

yes, but don't do it in the step sequencer, do it in Grid Edit mode, in the automation lane where you usually see Velocity, you can add automation for everything there. To have the best resolution, you have to turn OFF Timing Correct or your resolution will be equal to the timing correct settings. also i think the maximum resolution depends on the preference setting for PPQ (96 or 960) but i might be wrong. anyway, turn off TC, do it in grid edit mode with a tablet pen and you'll get the best automation you can get.

oh, I didn't realise a stylus would work on the MPC! That's a game changer actually...good tip re: the grid edit mode, I'll try that. thanks.

The PPQ is always 96 even in 960 mode, which just displays the sequencer steps in 960 mode but records everything in 96. At least, that's how I understand it.

Well out of the box I got a crazy suggestion for you. The Blokas MidiHub

I'm always randomly promoting this little box ....but I swear I don't work for them, I'm just a overly fanatic customer. It just blew my mind how useful it can be and I fell in love with it's ability to add capabilities to MIDI hardware that is only stifled by one's imagination . It's a bit pricey at $189 but it has been a problem solver for me like no other. You can program it to do your linear CC fade or wobbly LFOS if you like. What you would do is program it to respond to a CC(or note) from your MPC. Then it will trigger that linear fade and send it back to your MPC. You can have it timed or even momentary if you want to use it more real time effect like.

You'd have to record that in real time though but you get perfect fades. It could also be curves or saws or sines or an infinite combination of these. It's very flexible and you can create very exact controls. I like to use it as a way to control my effects with the Qlinks. It basically gives me some of the functionality of the Akai Forces macros and envelope followers. That's just a small part of what it can do which is why I always have it hooked to my MPC.

Would be nice if Akai improved step seq/arp so we can do things like this more easily but that may never happen. My wet dream is INMUSIC buys Blokas and puts the program in the MPC. It's just a little very low processing power computer running a lightweight low memory program that could probably run in a 1980s wristwatch.

I have a couple other boxes (Bome Box)(MIdi Solutions Event Processor) that can do midi processing but the programming on those is quite tedious. Each can do somethings the others can't. In Fact, they are actually way more powerful but that means little unless you are a midi programming genius. The MidiHub's programming is more visual and like putting together Lego blocks which makes creating and experimenting fairly easy.

Just to be clear why I am always trying to prothlesize so much like a little fanboy. It is literally the macros from the Akai Force on steroids. It smashes the weak sauce arp in the MPC and I can strum pad perform progression chords while controlling the strum with Qlinks. It's powered from the MPC and once you program it on a PC, it's plug and play for life until you change it. Everytime I run into a midi brick wall, solution MidiHub. Gushing Rant over.

SuperKonquer wrote:You can program it to do your linear CC fade or wobbly LFOS if you like. What you would do is program it to respond to a CC(or note) from your MPC. Then it will trigger that linear fade and send it back to your MPC.

Can it send out on a different channel than it receives from? Meaning can I send it a sequence with notes that will trigger a MIDI CC fade that can then be received back by the MPC without the original sequence of notes being added to what I want to modulate? Hope that made sense.

HUBA wrote:

SuperKonquer wrote:You can program it to do your linear CC fade or wobbly LFOS if you like. What you would do is program it to respond to a CC(or note) from your MPC. Then it will trigger that linear fade and send it back to your MPC.

Can it send out on a different channel than it receives from? Meaning can I send it a sequence with notes that will trigger a MIDI CC fade that can then be received back by the MPC without the original sequence of notes being added to what I want to modulate? Hope that made sense.

I bet you can offload automation and notes to a midi program by routing it to the "MPC" port on a chosen channel for both midi program and a 2nd program that's the target. it should be able to route midi internally if you set it up from the track view window.

Yes, yes and yes. No matter the midi info put in, you can transform it anyway you can think of and route it or multiply it or filter things out. You are mostly limited by your imagination and the time you are willing to put into programming it to suit your needs. Nothing that you send from the MPC has to come back in, or when it does come back in, it can be vastly to slightly different, both or none at all.

This thread has got me thinking about some new ideas I want to try. One is having a midi program that acts like an effects/articulation bank by pressing the pads. I'll use a sacrificial midi channel like ch16. Every note that goes in from ch16 I can transform it to trigger things like pitch bend and expression, fluid tempo changes. etc etc. I'll also have a bank for doing envelope/lfo type things by just pressing a pad.

There is a Blokas Midihub user forum where users are discussing and discovering if you want more insight. There is quite a few people using it with the Akai Force as it seems because there are a bunch of user patches created to work with the Force.

B-Wise wrote:The PPQ is always 96 even in 960 mode, which just displays the sequencer steps in 960 mode but records everything in 96. At least, that's how I understand it.

ah, thanks, didn't know that, so what the hell is it there for? i don't see the point in displaying an higher resolution grid if you can't use it!

You can if you turn off TC - then you can draw smooth lines

hyena wrote:

B-Wise wrote:The PPQ is always 96 even in 960 mode, which just displays the sequencer steps in 960 mode but records everything in 96. At least, that's how I understand it.

ah, thanks, didn't know that, so what the hell is it there for? i don't see the point in displaying an higher resolution grid if you can't use it!

Maybe it's for transferring seq data from a device that did support it & you're used to seeing it displayed in 960ppq & this option keep the seq step numbers the same, though you'll lose the timing benefits of 960ppq. That's the best I've got Hopefully someone knows & can offer a better reason.

FYI even Roger Linn said 96ppq is good enough. So whatever...

B-Wise wrote:
FYI even Roger Linn said 96ppq is good enough. So whatever...

4x

absolutely. midi is 24ppqn so....we get 4x , it's more than enough.

hyena wrote:

B-Wise wrote:
FYI even Roger Linn said 96ppq is good enough. So whatever...

4x

absolutely. midi is 24ppqn so....we get 4x , it's more than enough.

More than 96ppq may make sense if you're making music for videos & you need things to be extra precise to line up just right.

SuperKonquer wrote:Well out of the box I got a crazy suggestion for you. The Blokas MidiHub

I'm always randomly promoting this little box ....but I swear I don't work for them, I'm just a overly fanatic customer. It just blew my mind how useful it can be and I fell in love with it's ability to add capabilities to MIDI hardware that is only stifled by one's imagination . It's a bit pricey at $189 but it has been a problem solver for me like no other. You can program it to do your linear CC fade or wobbly LFOS if you like. What you would do is program it to respond to a CC(or note) from your MPC. Then it will trigger that linear fade and send it back to your MPC. You can have it timed or even momentary if you want to use it more real time effect like.

You'd have to record that in real time though but you get perfect fades. It could also be curves or saws or sines or an infinite combination of these. It's very flexible and you can create very exact controls. I like to use it as a way to control my effects with the Qlinks. It basically gives me some of the functionality of the Akai Forces macros and envelope followers. That's just a small part of what it can do which is why I always have it hooked to my MPC.

Would be nice if Akai improved step seq/arp so we can do things like this more easily but that may never happen. My wet dream is INMUSIC buys Blokas and puts the program in the MPC. It's just a little very low processing power computer running a lightweight low memory program that could probably run in a 1980s wristwatch.

I have a couple other boxes (Bome Box)(MIdi Solutions Event Processor) that can do midi processing but the programming on those is quite tedious. Each can do somethings the others can't. In Fact, they are actually way more powerful but that means little unless you are a midi programming genius. The MidiHub's programming is more visual and like putting together Lego blocks which makes creating and experimenting fairly easy.

Just to be clear why I am always trying to prothlesize so much like a little fanboy. It is literally the macros from the Akai Force on steroids. It smashes the weak sauce arp in the MPC and I can strum pad perform progression chords while controlling the strum with Qlinks. It's powered from the MPC and once you program it on a PC, it's plug and play for life until you change it. Everytime I run into a midi brick wall, solution MidiHub. Gushing Rant over.

He’s right you know, I have one too.

Regarding midi hub
I found that if I transform a note off to a cc (which I am able to map to change sequence. On a midi learn template setup in the Mpc software ) am able to record a performance/arrangement using the pads.