MPC LIVE/X MIDI CC & NRPN AUTOMATION

Yo,

In this video I demonstrate how to set up your MPC Live or X to control, automate and record MIDI CC and NRPN messages for external MIDI devices such as synths.

CCs are pretty straightforward but NRPNs require additional data to be sent via an external MIDI controller that can handle NRPN messages.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQ35n7BZGJM

Peace!

Pretty dope.

Hi there,
Thank you for your post!

I see a lot about controlling external gear with the MPCX but nothing about controlling the X with external gear. So far I have plugged in a few different keyboards which all were plug and play no problem. However, I want to control the pads and Q-Link knobs with a Numark Orbit. So far I have plugged in the wireless receiver and mapped pads on the Orbit to the pads on the MPC with success. However, I cannot figure out how (or even if it's possible) to use the big knob to control a Q-link knob. I tried setting it to the same CC number as the X is outputting, but no joy. Any insight to this?

Thanks in advance

Not currently possible.

MPC-Tutor wrote:Not currently possible.

Disappointing. Thanks for your response though

Hey great video. !!!
Can you do me a favour?
Can you try this with a 14bit NRPN instead of a 7 bit.. (Is it even possible).
This would mean it's sending and MSB and LSB for data as well as bank.. giving 16384 possible steps rather than 128 ..
DSI and Moog use 14 bit to give greater resolution. (Although not always the full 16384)

I use in my setup a MPC Live in standalone (see an older post) with a DSI Prophet 6 and a Moog Sub37 (and a Novation Peak).
What I´ve tested so far all NRPN-Messages that both send are recorded by the MPC and can be send back to them.

Awesome,
Can you then assign a 14-bit controller to a Q-link (e.g. filter cutoff which DSI typically give a range of 0-163)

Sorry - can not answer this as my gear "communicates" bi-directionally (synth with MPC and vica versa), therefore no need for using the Q-Links for that. Big advantage for me: no need for me to identify the various CC-numbers and NRPN-numbers, I just tweak whatever synth-knob I need.....

Some clarity on NRPN..

additional reading for the enthralled insomniacs..
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NRPN
http://www.philrees.co.uk/nrpnq.htm

There is no reason why 14 bit NRPN cannot be sent from the MPC.. as the management of NRPN is "just" an exercise in bundling a number of CC., and the 14 bit data from the midi spec says that data can be MSB , LSB (at CCn , CCn+32) which in the case of NRPN should be CC06, CC38.

hence:
To select an NRPN send CC99 MSB, then CC98 LSB
Data for 7bit NRPN is solely CC06
Data for 14bit controllers should be CC06 MSB, followed by CC38 LSB ..

Issues
issues folk have with NRPN are usually either mathematical (working out the numbers from the device midi implementation), or procedural ie NRPN are selected by sending MSB, then LSB, then the data value is sent MSB, then LSB

an NRPN "should" remain selected until another NRPN is selected, so if you are only using one, then once selected you "should" only need to worry about sending the data element.

limitations or not
As the MPC sends CC, either via the sequencer or via qlinks, you are manually managing the data element so while it is possible to send 14bit data, it is MSB, LSB format so if you are imagining a 14bit sweep of a single parameter in real time with a single Qlink, then no, that wont happen (see below for when it may), but you CAN program it into the sequencer... as in make a 0-127 ramp of CC38, copy paste and insert CC32 n+1 prior to each ramp start.
or not:
Now, in saying that, IF the device supports NRPN increment/decrement (not a given) then the Qlinks set to CC96, CC97 "should" allow for a sweep through 14 bit data IF a) the device ignores the data value* and b) you rotate the qlink back and forth (as its implementation is 0-127 only),
*Note : devices with a built in increment value just see the CC96, ignore its data value and increment in line with its internal set value upon receipt of each and every CC96 and similarly with decrement CC97

hope this helps