Mixing e Mastering

Support and discussion for all of Akai’s modern standalone MPCs including the MPC X / X SE, MPC Live 1, 2 & 3, MPC One / One+, MPC Key 37/61.
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Mixing e Mastering

By Lo Spesso Sat Apr 26, 2025 3:34 pm
Hi everyone on the forum... I wanted to start this post because I think it's interesting... I love working with mpc but to finalize the work I feel almost forced to export my work to daw. I wonder and I ask you if it is really possible to mix and master in our mpc 3.0 and then be able to get to the professional product to be published online and at distributors. If you also have links to courses or videos... I'm waiting for your help

Re: Mixing e Mastering

By DET1200 Sat Apr 26, 2025 5:18 pm
Absolutely it is. Most of the tools are there to create excellent mixes and masters.
The Crates Motel has some good videos... (Using MPC 2)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjnjfWz ... 9zWNLau1pc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWhSNSH ... xlaHdAXOv_

Bolo did a few videos too, but I can't find them right now.

Jae Freshman using MPC3...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JE65JPR ... 8quVtpDlrc


My own "traditional" mastering approach if I have to use only the MPC is to export the 2 track mixdown and load it back in on a new Audio track in a new project. This will give you up to 12 slots of effects to hone the master (4 inserts on the channel, output to a submix for another 4, and 4 on the master bus).
I do tend to prefer mastering on a pc though, purely for specific vsts that get quicker results.
There are standalone mastering softwares if you don't want to import to a DAW. T-racks etc..
Brainworx bx mastering studio is free and Masterknecht is a free browser based app where you upload a reference and it will try to match your track to it.

Re: Mixing e Mastering

By Straker Sat Apr 26, 2025 7:00 pm
Forget about mastering on MPC, it's just not made for that.
There is a limiter but a weird one, no multiband, no visual helps anywhere, no LUFS, nothing for a good mastering.
You can do a quite good premix though, there are good, eq, comp and the sort.
Best thing to do is to export stems or groups and finalize all on PC anyway.

Re: Mixing e Mastering

By J.O.BEATS Sat Apr 26, 2025 8:01 pm
Yes you can mix and master all in the mpc.

Its 100% doable in standalone but you also have the ability to use 3rd party plugs in controller mode

What type of music are you making?

Re: Mixing e Mastering

By Lo Spesso Sat Apr 26, 2025 10:55 pm
DET1200 wrote:Absolutely it is. Most of the tools are there to create excellent mixes and masters.
The Crates Motel has some good videos... (Using MPC 2)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjnjfWz ... 9zWNLau1pc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWhSNSH ... xlaHdAXOv_

Bolo did a few videos too, but I can't find them right now.

Jae Freshman using MPC3...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JE65JPR ... 8quVtpDlrc


My own "traditional" mastering approach if I have to use only the MPC is to export the 2 track mixdown and load it back in on a new Audio track in a new project. This will give you up to 12 slots of effects to hone the master (4 inserts on the channel, output to a submix for another 4, and 4 on the master bus).
I do tend to prefer mastering on a pc though, purely for specific vsts that get quicker results.
There are standalone mastering softwares if you don't want to import to a DAW. T-racks etc..
Brainworx bx mastering studio is free and Masterknecht is a free browser based app where you upload a reference and it will try to match your track to it.


Hi thank you very much for the answer... tomorrow morning I will deepen your workflow and I will take a look at the software you recommended.

Re: Mixing e Mastering

By Lo Spesso Sat Apr 26, 2025 10:59 pm
Straker wrote:Forget about mastering on MPC, it's just not made for that.
There is a limiter but a weird one, no multiband, no visual helps anywhere, no LUFS, nothing for a good mastering.
You can do a quite good premix though, there are good, eq, comp and the sort.
Best thing to do is to export stems or groups and finalize all on PC anyway.


Hi thank you very much ... in fact my workflow is like you said ... but I wanted to understand if there was a possibility of being totally standalone ... I hope that in the future there will be the possibility of having plugins inside our mpc that can take us away from the daw ...

Re: Mixing e Mastering

By Lo Spesso Sat Apr 26, 2025 11:03 pm
J.O.BEATS wrote:Yes you can mix and master all in the mpc.

Its 100% doable in standalone but you also have the ability to use 3rd party plugs in controller mode

What type of music are you making?


Hi and thanks for the answer... I do Boombap, Lofi... why did you ask me the musical genre? Can you help me and recommend something given the genre I produce?

Re: Mixing e Mastering

By J.O.BEATS Sun Apr 27, 2025 2:03 am
Lo Spesso wrote:
J.O.BEATS wrote:Yes you can mix and master all in the mpc.

Its 100% doable in standalone but you also have the ability to use 3rd party plugs in controller mode

What type of music are you making?


Hi and thanks for the answer... I do Boombap, Lofi... why did you ask me the musical genre? Can you help me and recommend something given the genre I produce?



I only asked because I assumed it was hip hop or EDM or similar. I was going to suggest a couple basic tips if so

-dont over think things. Your mix should come down to good sound selection, leveling, panning, and EQ (mostly just subtractive if you're using drum kits and one shots that have already been processed)

-For mastering definitely dont do much. If you have a good mix all you need to do is throw the air soft clipper on the master and increase drive to taste.

People will push back on this saying you need a bunch of different limiters, multiband compressors etc for mastering or to pay somebody else to do it. But I've worked with and met a lot of beat makers in the industry who have millions of streams and they just slap a clipper/limiter on the master.

Bottom line is work on your music, dont worry about having different tools to mix and master, you dont need it.

Re: Mixing e Mastering

By Yorgos Arabatzis Sun Apr 27, 2025 2:55 pm
Straker wrote:There is a limiter but a weird one, no multiband, no visual helps anywhere, no LUFS, nothing for a good mastering.
You can do a quite good premix though, there are good, eq, comp and the sort.
Best thing to do is to export stems or groups and finalize all on PC anyway.


Nop…

https://www.yorgosarabatzis.space/produ ... g-template

You thank me later :wink:
It’s made for the old 2.15 version but can easily translate into V3..I’m kinda disappointed that AKAI dropped clip programs support so i can do a V3 update along with a DJ template..Hopefully they bring it back again..
User avatar

Re: Mixing e Mastering

By Lampdog Sun Apr 27, 2025 3:11 pm
Yorgos Arabatzis wrote:It’s made for the old 2.15 version but can easily translate into V3...

VERY easily translates into V3!
User avatar

Re: Mixing e Mastering

By Jean-Marc Liotier Sun Apr 27, 2025 6:37 pm
Or go my lazy way... I'm using a Roland MX-1 as my USB audio interface and its mastering preset n°2 sounds nice to me - done.

My laziness apart, I find this table from Roland documentation interesting in illustrating a range of possible final mastering chains that are certainly viable on the MPC too.

Image

Re: Mixing e Mastering

By Lo Spesso Sun Apr 27, 2025 8:01 pm
Yorgos Arabatzis wrote:
Straker wrote:There is a limiter but a weird one, no multiband, no visual helps anywhere, no LUFS, nothing for a good mastering.
You can do a quite good premix though, there are good, eq, comp and the sort.
Best thing to do is to export stems or groups and finalize all on PC anyway.


Nop…

https://www.yorgosarabatzis.space/produ ... g-template

You thank me later :wink:
It’s made for the old 2.15 version but can easily translate into V3..I’m kinda disappointed that AKAI dropped clip programs support so i can do a V3 update along with a DJ template..Hopefully they bring it back again..


interesting... I have to translate into Italian...
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