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 froschroom Sun Aug 14, 2022 12:54 pm
Greetings all. I have recently taken delivery of a Live 2 (previously a 2500 user) and I'm stuck doing something very simple.
I am using the "pro ten" algorithm for sample warping and the results are pretty horrible. In a lot of cases I would actually prefer to just resample rather than apply a stretching algorithm (the equivalent of "Vinyl" mode on the SP404 Mk2 - just slow/speed the sample without preserving pitch). Is it possible to do this and maintain syncronisation to the project BPM?
Cheers
By 40Beatz Mon Aug 15, 2022 1:32 pm
You can do it with Warping(real time) but its not too great depending on how far you Stretch it....In Standalone.

Alternatively....You can time stretch it in the Sample Menu (Offlne) with better results
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By MPC-Tutor Mon Aug 15, 2022 2:03 pm
froschroom wrote: just slow/speed the sample without preserving pitch). Is it possible to do this and maintain syncronisation to the project BPM?


Changing tempo without preserving pitch is done by just adjusting the 'TUNE' parameter in SAMPLE EDIT, or the SEMI and FINE parameters in program edit > samples. In sample edit you can also hit the little white arrow on the right of the screen and hit FROM BPM to automatically tune the sample to fit the current sequence tempo.
By froschroom Mon Aug 15, 2022 3:05 pm
Firstly, thanks for the replies, they are much appreciated. I spent some time at the weekend working through my options and decided the Live 2 is not for me. There are elements which are definitely a step forward compared to the earlier era MPCs but connectivity and sample "warping" are two areas where I had mistakenly expected much more from using other equipment.
For now I'll stick with the 2500 and hopefully someone else can enjoy my Live 2
Cheers
By kaydigi Mon Aug 15, 2022 3:33 pm
froschroom wrote:Firstly, thanks for the replies, they are much appreciated. I spent some time at the weekend working through my options and decided the Live 2 is not for me. There are elements which are definitely a step forward compared to the earlier era MPCs but connectivity and sample "warping" are two areas where I had mistakenly expected much more from using other equipment.
For now I'll stick with the 2500 and hopefully someone else can enjoy my Live 2
Cheers


Did you try offline sample time stretching? The sound quality is good and it processes much faster than the 2500.
By froschroom Mon Aug 15, 2022 4:09 pm
kaydigi wrote:
froschroom wrote:Firstly, thanks for the replies, they are much appreciated. I spent some time at the weekend working through my options and decided the Live 2 is not for me. There are elements which are definitely a step forward compared to the earlier era MPCs but connectivity and sample "warping" are two areas where I had mistakenly expected much more from using other equipment.
For now I'll stick with the 2500 and hopefully someone else can enjoy my Live 2
Cheers


Did you try offline sample time stretching? The sound quality is good and it processes much faster than the 2500.


I did try that and it definitely works. My expectations were set too high for sample BPM matching and I expected a seamless experience similar to a DAW. I also expected a warping option without pitch preservation as it's the easiest and least CPU intensive option possible, and I prefer it for drum chops where small BPM discrepencies are involved. It seems odd to add a feature like "sample warp" and rigidly fix the algorithm across all samples, especially as pro ten is so CPU hungry.

I could probably live with the slightly disappointing sample BPM matching workflow (though the general quality of pro ten should be called out as it's shockingly poor), but this along with the PC connectivity which feels extremely dated means I'm happy to wait and see what the next generation Live brings.
By LivePsy Mon Aug 15, 2022 10:30 pm
OP: how do you find the touch interface? From the simplicity of the 2500, I couldn't take to it much. Its cluttered and confusing. Don't let it put you off. Took me a couple of months and I kinda avoided it for a while. While I still can't say I love it, I can work it confidently now. 2.11 helped with the more sensible saving pop up.
By froschroom Tue Aug 16, 2022 12:05 am
LivePsy wrote:OP: how do you find the touch interface? From the simplicity of the 2500, I couldn't take to it much. Its cluttered and confusing. Don't let it put you off. Took me a couple of months and I kinda avoided it for a while. While I still can't say I love it, I can work it confidently now. 2.11 helped with the more sensible saving pop up.


I'm still at the stage where it feels odd touching the screen, and everything seems cluttered compared to the 2500. There are probably a lot of places where I'm not making best use of the touch interface at the moment.

I've decided to keep it and live with the limitations around time stretching, On balance there are more pros than cons
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By EnochLight Wed Aug 17, 2022 10:25 pm
froschroom wrote:I've decided to keep it and live with the limitations around time stretching, On balance there are more pros than cons


Good choice! Live II is probably my favorite piece of gear next to my Force.