MPC Firmware/Software Feature Requests & Suggestions

Support the DAWProject file format. Bigwig started it and Studio One is now supporting it since 6.5. If Akai would hop on this train, then the MPC would immediately be compatible with every other DAW supporting this open file format. https://bedroomproducersblog.com/2023/10/03/dawproject/

More advanced grid edit tools, hotkeys for coping, duplicating, creating, deleting events and notes, datawheel zoom, automation draw tool and custom curves and waveforms , fade in outs on audio track regions, more handful and flawless overall control of mpc and its edit functions, for example: quantized selection of events in grid and datawheel increase/ decrease selection based on TC, also more quicker way to TC change during grid edit.

Sorry, won't let me open the document, but here's my wants:

To be able to import a sequence including all programs from a saved project to a loaded one, without loading everything separately.

Would love an enhanced arpeggiator/sequencer to emulate ones found in eurorack, like make noise Rene or intellijel metropolix... Would be well worth a paid for add on

I just got an MPC one+ recently, my first mpc, absolutely loving it. The workflow jives with my brain. Rather than adding an arranger or reworking the software significantly I think there’s one fairly obvious thing that Akai could do to seriously upgrade the feel of getting musical ideas down and that is to give the user full control of the overdub function. There should be a toggle in the preferences menu: “auto (the way it switches on at the end of a loop currently) and manual which of course would require the user to tap the button to engage it whenever they want. This would allow a person to record into a loop for multiple cycles as long as they like until the perfect take is captured at which point they would disengage record. Would also allow for live erasing and replacing of previously recorded material, you could punch in and out live and at will to replace parts of a sequence. Now you can do this already, assuming you’re doing it in the middle of a loop and not near the beginning or end where the auto overdub is likely to ruin the party, but it can be a bit of a hassle to get it right. Often in the heat of the moment, it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that that auto overdub is about to switch on. Overall this seems like a legacy sort of behavior that is the way it is purely because it’s always been that way. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love the record vs overdub paradigm, more software and machines should have it (or something similar), but it’s an odd choice to force the user to overdub when the machine wants you to as opposed to allowing the user to make that choice. And with the way the record function replaces anything that was already there, I feel like we’re missing on a possibly significantly smoother jamming experience with this auto overdub the way it is

Bugs-
Exporting stems without exporting random stems that have no data or noise.
Resulting in deleting a bunch of nonsense.

When exploding tracks it doubles a track even if I mute that track. It still plays.

Cannot enter song mode from menu when unit is playing.

New futures-
Midi mouse capabilities.
Air graphic eq
More detailed step sequencer for arps.
Better editing tools in track view, ie the ability to label certain parts or color coat verse, chorus, bridge, ect for faster song organizing and production.

Now that I have been running IAMFORCE firmware on my MPC One for the last week or so, I can’t go back. Clip launching would be FANTASTIC to add as standard functionality in the MPC. It makes jamming so effortless, launching various clips against each other, some with diff. Lengths etc. Makes for really productive sessions IMHO.

Seaninnj wrote:Now that I have been running IAMFORCE firmware on my MPC One for the last week or so, I can’t go back. Clip launching would be FANTASTIC to add as standard functionality in the MPC. It makes jamming so effortless, launching various clips against each other, some with diff. Lengths etc. Makes for really productive sessions IMHO.

That's why I love the Force. After using the clip-matrix, the MPC sequencer feels real old.
The Mockba mod for the Force can use over 20 audio-tracks & plugins at once. I asks them yesterday if he could make it so we can use the pads as custom names for commonly used words to speed up naming stuff & this morning he had it almost done! Thanks to all the Hacker

One of my biggest request for a long time (and of many others) is a traditional mixer look in Standalone mode. I’ve been thinking about this quite a lot how it would and should look and operate. Because now the mixers and mixing on the MPC just doesn’t feel intuitive and efficient, and for a long time I was afraid adding the traditional style mixer will make this even more convoluted.

I think one of the solutions would be to expand and to improve the Subgroup mixer, and turning this into a Global Mixer which can be easily accessed from the Main screen and other Mixer screens. All pads and programs can be assigned to a Global Mixer channel to your liking, including Audio Tracks, similar to how you can route almost anything and multiple things to a Subgroup. This can be one single drum sound or multiple drumsounds, a plugin (or multiple plugins), program or a recorded vocal.

This should be relatively easy to implement, cause under the hood it still is very close to what we already have with Subgroups. A dedicated Subgroup mixer would be obsolete, each channel can also act like a Submix or Bus.
Once you have everything routed cleverly to the Global Mixer channel all things concerned mixing can be done on one single menu screen.

8 channels in Standalone would be a great start, but 12 or 16 would be preferred if the hardware is powerful enough to handle. A bigger number of channels in Controller mode.

For the layout I think it should be possible to have 4 channels displayed on screen, maybe even more with clever design. The 4 or 16 Q-links automatically mapped to 4 basic params per channel, like Volume, Pan, Mute, Solo or controlling the Send volume. (The option to Solo in the Mixer menus is what I miss the most!!!) Add an onscreen shortcut to the Return Channels, a Master volume channel and we’ll come quite close to the mixer the MPC deserves.

I would love to have a gain in the mixing effects. To be able to compensate for the volume shift when applying compression, maximiser, limmiter....
It's a suggestion that "The crates Motel" did on a video. And a good one.

Second suggestion is to have a stereo width effect.

Other than that, just fix the X-fade option in the sample edit that is not working with stereo samples (I dont know if its a bug fix or feature, since I never see it working)

I don't know if this has been posted, couldn't find it when I searched but I would like to see independant Audio input and output settings in the preferences screen, this would allow me to use a USB Condenser Mic for recording and be able to monitor the output at the same time.

I want to connect a USB mic to cut out the number of peripherals you need connected when using the MPC Live II on the go, saves lugging round extra gear.

I suppose I could use a dynamic mic plugged into input 1 but the condenser mic is so much nicer and cleaner sound.

I have raised a ticket with Akai support, hopefully they'll listen.

mf_blues wrote:I don't know if this has been posted (…) this would allow me to use a USB Condenser Mic for recording and be able to monitor the output at the same time.

You bet this issue has been raised.

Depends on your USB mic. If it has a built in HP out, you could still monitor with that.

# MPC standalone suggestions 2024

Akai hear me out...

My 2 cents collected over many jams...

1. Not being able to change/select effects when they are muted.

2. Changing effects place by pressing and swipe it up or down.

3. Name rename folders/ delete folders??? ( btw why are some icons in they keyboard greyed out?)

4. Better search system. For samples folder a bit like the everything app on Windows or mac's finder function.

5. Deleting a program should delete the sounds in that program, if as a drumprogram with samples loaded without having to use the purge function.

6. Button at programs section on the main Sequencer page to get into programs/plugin interface instead of going to menu and having to press the icon there to get into a vst program Juno etc...

7. When sending midi from one Track to another it should be able to record it.

8. Random should stay on the last thing you selected if melody melody or drum, drum random.
More, Functions in random if not melody maybe a bass section Euclidean sequencer modes...

9. Audition key group with keyboard in browser...

10. Keyboard control mode as on the MPC KEY 61

11. Random note length in randomizer

12. Being able to save tracks to import in other projects automatically synced to Bpm with pattern settings etc.

13. Copy bars in step sequencer
Step sequencer should have an option to choose the length of it as how on track you can choose ho many beats the length of that track is.
Also modulations in step sequencer control changes should be able of having their own lengths. Random function in step sequencer mode...

14. Velocity should be able to trigger full adsr in porta mod section

15. LFO in sample should have some delay so you can shift the wave… left or right

16. Assign page needs an option to create programs

17. Scale and octave
the pad perform doesn't show octave next to root note as before
you don't know if you press octave if it's 0 or +1 or -1

18. S-900 or 950 emulation

19. ARP should be assignable per track and should be able to be exported to a tracks Piano roll… having a ...bars length.
20. Arp random button based on midi pattern. ( If you already have a pattern with some random button turn it into an arp?

19. Some function to be able to write preset names assigned to a track for example if you need to remember an external synths preset name. Being able to save tracks and being able to load em... select em out of a map with a drop down function. Now my track names are saved per project. So I have to make a template with the track names... that's messed up.

20. Keyboard control feature!!! You cannot use the 1 note chord function with an external keyboard only with the pads.

21.Pitch quantize needs apply button/function.

22. being able to save midi programs

23.Dry wet for each FX

25.Midi learn On/off for inserts

26.Spectrum analyzer, Master bus fx?

27.Saving presets for connected controllers example Akai midiman. (better integration with other akai products I can see that Akai Fruityloops controller being super handy for the stepsequencer.)
It's pretty buggy when learn function is on it sometimes it changes settings to something else... Then you have to redo everything. And why do you have to turn it on every time in the menu?

28. Not being able to direct presets folder to plugins...
I save my presets in a folder on my hd...
I always can only load one preset instead of having that folder in the preset menu of the plugin...
That's messed up. (Why on an external hd just for easy backing up)

29.There's a bug that sometimes I cannot erase notes unless I just erase the whole track...

Etc...

I wish there was more space between the first 3 icons on the top of the Sample Edit window or at move the Delete icon over to the right. That extra space is the evil red ninja letting us know it's done on purpose & deal with!

Step sequencer doesn't work in odd time signatures. I've been messing around in 7/8 and want to use the step sequencer to program beats, however the step sequencer remains locked to 4/4 and doesn't map to the other time signature.
It would be super useful to be able to have the step sequencer work in complex time signatures