Thoughts on Improvements for Live Looper Functionality

MPC X / LIVE Looper Improvements

Refine the way that Loops are transferred out of Loop Buffer into Programs. You can currently Export the Loop to a Pad, while the Looper is still running, which is nice, but then triggering that pad in time and moving onto the next Loop recording is very cludgy and pretty much impossible to pull off for versatile live looping purposes. In the Loop Export pop-up (Keep or Discard Sample), add two additional options:

a. Auto Trigger Pad
(ON | OFF) (default to last setting)
This will Add a 100% Velocity Note to the beginning of the track for the pad that the loop sample is being assigned to... so that once the sequence/track comes back around to 1.1 the Loop will be triggered, and each time thereafter, the loop will trigger again, keeping it looping.

b. End of Loop Action
(NONE | STOP | CLEAR LOOP and RECORD NEW | CLEAR LOOP and STOP | OVERDUB | PLAY) (default to last setting)
These End of Loop Actions will trigger a firmware event once the Loop hits its end the next time. The CLEAR LOOP and RECORD NEW would Clear the Loop Buffer and immediately start recording a new Loop at 1.1... optimal for live looping situations.

By making those changes, it would vastly improve the Live Looping capabilities of the MPC X and MPC Live, allowing it to be a very versatile looper... It would make it so you can easily record consecutive parts and export them to pads, all in real time, without stopping playback, or getting sections of doubled sounds or gaps.

As an extra option, this would be cool too:

Extra Option - Add an additional option in the Loop Export (Keep or Discard Sample) dialog to Export the Loop Buffer into multiple separate divisions, to consecutive pads (starting at whatever starting pad is selected)... for instance, you might have a 4 bar loop in the buffer, but you could select from a dropdown [Full, 2 bar, 1 bar, 2 beats, 1 beat] If you selected "1 bar" from the dropdown, then upon export, the Loop Buffer would be broken down into four 1-bar samples, and assigned to four consecutive pads, starting with whatever one is selected. This would be an extra option that would work well if you're using PAD Mutes Later, or give the ability to quickly switchover to the PAD program and do some live beat mashing with the export of the Loop buffer.

This is a good post. I think Akai should do what you're saying.

Yep, this is the type of functionality I wanted from the looper/clips when I got it.

I also requested for export directly to clips and/or audio tracks.

Currently Maschine's audio looper will let you automatically record a loop to the next open pad when you press record, it's a super smooth process for quickly capturing loops and building upon them. It's not a flexible as the MPC looper because you can't overdub the currently playing loop. It's more like an audio track in the MPC.

That would all be great.

I'd really like to see looping (and audio recording generally) enabled when Live is slaved to midi sync too.

Definitely more options for automatic processes e.g., convert to clip* and re-arm for next loop would be very welcome. I wonder if it could also work to have a looper as a Program or Track type so that multiple loopers could be used (I don't see that this is how the MPC looper works currently, but please correct me).

*Recording directly to clips (as in Ableton Live or even Maschine) would also be very welcome, which I also don't see as possible yet (again, please correct me).

Mr36 wrote:*Recording directly to clips (as in Ableton Live or even Maschine) would also be very welcome, which I also don't see as possible yet (again, please correct me).

May not be exactly what you mean, but there is a workflow (and YT video) for live- looping to a drum program. From memory: Set the program pref to poly, hit several empty pads to trigger at the start of a say 4 bar sequence, go into looper, record, export to one of the playing pads, clear loop, repeat to next pad etc.

Zack Zerox wrote:

Mr36 wrote:*Recording directly to clips (as in Ableton Live or even Maschine) would also be very welcome, which I also don't see as possible yet (again, please correct me).

May not be exactly what you mean, but there is a workflow (and YT video) for live- looping to a drum program. From memory: Set the program pref to poly, hit several empty pads to trigger at the start of a say 4 bar sequence, go into looper, record, export to one of the playing pads, clear loop, repeat to next pad etc.

Thanks for the suggestion.
I haven't delved far into how the looper actually behaves yet, but I'll now definitely look into that option.

100% AGREE.. its nearly there.

at the very least just a way to add a trigger event automatically like you say .. doing it manually right now and its a bit of a pain but the only way.

Great post.
I have been also asking to choose a different output for the looper.
So we could send some tracks or programs to 3\4 output and just loop what goes to 3/4 output for example.
Being stuck to use only inputs or master output makes the looper quite useless for me.

So, you can have a midi trigger already set up in a program with no samples. I will put a full bar trigger on one pad, and hi-hat triggers on other pads.

Then when you sample into the looper, you assign them to the pads that have these and there you go.

The improvements I am most concerned with are around using the looper hands-free, which would make it a 'live' looper. If you are playing guitar/drums, etc. you need both hands, so allowing footpedals to do a wider variety of functions would be better. The MPC 1000 had a footpedal, and you could set it to record, punch, over-dub. These are features - overdub isn't a standard midi-message, so you can't just program that into a midi pedal, Akai would have to implement something in the software.

It's a bit sad that these features of the MPC 1000 are not present on the Live.

To the OP I think you have some great ideas here!

Scott Righteous wrote:So, you can have a midi trigger already set up in a program with no samples. I will put a full bar trigger on one pad, and hi-hat triggers on other pads.

Then when you sample into the looper, you assign them to the pads that have these and there you go

This sounds dope. I like hearing about work arounds when dealing with limitations.

I do a lot of LIVE tutorials on YT. I'd like to try this and make a video out of it, if you don't mind. Are you on YT?

I have already seen videos on Youtube of this exact technique with the MPC. But you might do one that is more specific and detailed. Go ahead.

I had been doing this years ago with an Octatrack, and when I got the MPC it was one of the first things I tested. I think most people use this technique for full one (or four) bar loops, knowing they will trigger in sync. I like to use it with midi rhythms already set up and sample somewhat random radio snippets into it - which can have great results, but of course is hit and miss.

Scott Righteous wrote:I have already seen videos on Youtube of this exact technique with the MPC. But you might do one that is more specific and detailed. Go ahead.

I had been doing this years ago with an Octatrack, and when I got the MPC it was one of the first things I tested. I think most people use this technique for full one (or four) bar loops, knowing they will trigger in sync. I like to use it with midi rhythms already set up and sample somewhat random radio snippets into it - which can have great results, but of course is hit and miss.

Do you remember who made these videos, a link possibly? I'll put a video on my list, sure there are some more people out there that could benefit from it. Thanks for the idea.

This video takes a while to get into it, but it's eventually in there.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3ChXlQ2yLQ

I think there are others. Just search for live looper.