MPC X, MPC Live, MPC One & MPC Key 61 Forum: Support and discussion for the MPC X, MPC Live, MPC Live II, MPC One & MPC Key 61; Akai's current generation of standalone MPCs.
By Sorcerio Wed May 05, 2021 2:32 am
Hey all. New here on this forum. Old MPC user (originally 2kXL and then later 1k-jjos) getting back in the MPC game with the One. Actually I got a couple of MPC Ones on the way. I plan on using them for performing with a DJ mixer in between them for cutting up the mix. I was wondering if the "LINK" RJ45 port on the back of the unit would provide some kind of pipeline connection between two of them for synchronization or some kind of digital system melding of two of them working in tandem. Let me know if that would work or if that's not a thing that they are designed for using the RJ45 ports. Thanks.
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By NearTao Wed May 05, 2021 11:51 am
You can do Ableton Link over ethernet... assuming you are not using a router... you'll need to setup a unique IP address for each device in the Ethernet menu.

You can setup the Midi to send/sync over Ableton Link, so I imagine this would work... but I don't have two MPCs to test with.
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By Ultros Wed May 05, 2021 2:41 pm
Haha! someone with the same idea as me. So here is my plan for a similar set up. Wicked.

I plan to slap an mpc on each side of a mixer, 3 foot midi cables between the two mpc units. In to out out to in as usual between the two. (the shorter the midi cable the better the lattency, also wired midi solution is the fastest / best lattency you can get for midi signal) yes you can use ableton sink as well but that isnt optimal for a mobile dj rig in a coffin is it? Dont worry about the clock issues you hear about on the forums... it's not gonna be an issue between two mpc units with two 3 foot cables between. $15 for a short set, well worth the money.

Extra rant:
Get a mixer that does XLR so you can buy XLR to TRS adaptors and run all your ballanced lines into it and keep the noise floor low low low (utmost importance). Or find a dj mixer that does ballanced TRS input / output.
By Sorcerio Wed May 05, 2021 7:37 pm
Right on. Glad to see someone else doing this. I will definitely be on the lookout for a mixer that can handle balanced connections. Though that seems like it'd be rare in the DJ mixer realm. Midi is fine between the MPCs, of course. I have a bunch of short cables. I live by the short cable code lol. I'll then use a usb hub to connect a couple of other pieces. Just thought it would be kind of cool to use those ethernet ports if possible, but if they are restricted to use with Ableton, then yeah that's not happening for my live PA. I probably will play around with it at home though. :)
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By NearTao Wed May 05, 2021 9:04 pm
Just to be clear, Ableton Link is a protocol that other things can honor if they have it. So you don't need Ableton "The Software" to keep supported "Ableton Link" gear in sync.

What I was trying to say above is that you should be able to give the MPCs unique IP addresses, and then they'll sync up over the Ableton Link protocol. This should sync your tempo, start/stop events... but it doesn't carry midi. So just depends on what you're looking to do, but it would also allow you to sync up other software devices if you had wanted to sync other Ableton Link enabled software.
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By Ultros Wed May 05, 2021 11:44 pm
Sorcerio wrote:Right on. Glad to see someone else doing this. I will definitely be on the lookout for a mixer that can handle balanced connections. Though that seems like it'd be rare in the DJ mixer realm. Midi is fine between the MPCs, of course. I have a bunch of short cables. I live by the short cable code lol. I'll then use a usb hub to connect a couple of other pieces. Just thought it would be kind of cool to use those ethernet ports if possible, but if they are restricted to use with Ableton, then yeah that's not happening for my live PA. I probably will play around with it at home though. :)


There is network midi, however theres nothing in the mpc to detect other units with network midi enabled as far as i know. No ones persued hacking the network midi protocol. yet.

Near tao has a good idea though thats really fun to mess with, worth poking at.
By renegadebliss Sun May 09, 2021 4:56 am
You know that you don't have to use Wifi for Ableton Link (on an MPC One that isn't even an option) ? Why would there be timing issues when using an ethernet cord? An ethernet cord can handle more data then a midi cable... the nice thing about Ableton Link is you can take the MPC in out out of being in sync without stopping and starting the master clock. So if you are talking about "DJ" style with MPC's, you can be on MPC 1 and load up a new track in MPC 2 and then Sync it back into Ableton link. If you use a Midi Cable you would need to stop and start the master clock to restart the slave device. Also, which one is slave and which one is master? With Ableton LInk the device can switch from slave to master and back again.

The concept behind Ableton Link is around the concept your trying to do, as it was trying to get around limitation of Midi.

Before Ableton link, I had to use my Sequentix P3 sequencer to send a Start command to a remote stopped slave, as it had that feature, but most devices do not.

Cheers,
Dave
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By Ultros Sun May 09, 2021 6:01 am
why even send and receive midi clock? i dont even know why i brought it up. disable that make none the slave. also my idea behind using midi cables is that you dont have to lug a router or a hub along. Or try to fabricate or buy then pray a cross over cable works. Syncing the units isnt an issue for dj stuff im pretty sure that as a dj he's aware he has to adjust the tempo and hit his cue points. Ultimately he doesnt even require any kind of midi between the two its just an added bonus.