song mode

goes for akai os aswell, i would guess, but

today i switched the first time ever to the song mode, just out of curiosity to see how it looks. but i was amazed how useless it is - i mean you can ONLY set the order of different sequences in a row. no different track mutings in each row, no setting different lenghts for sequences. mpc is mostly playing live for me, but thinking of composing a whole song using the song mode is more work than arranging the sequences live. anyone really use the song mode for anything?

well, i was mostly amazed that such great system as jj os is that song mode is very spartan. compared to for example elektro MD or monomachine, which allows you to set individually for each sequence row the lenght of a sequence by 16ths, set the starting point of a sequence, set tempo of a sequence, set track mutes of sequence... i haven't been missing these features on mpc but now thinking about it it could be useful in song mode. as it is i couldn't think of a situation i'd need the song mode.

well, enuf about it

peace

Mesak wrote:anyone really use the song mode for anything?

Yes, to arrange a finished song out of my sequences. That, of course, forces me to actually make different seq:s for each part of the song which is not inherently a bad thing, believe it or not.

Mesak wrote:but thinking of composing a whole song using the song mode is more work than arranging the sequences live.

My own experience has led me to believe that the more work I actually invest in my music, the more satisfying the final result will be.

I guess it´s all up to whoever is in front of the MPC which road one will take. Song mode (as it is) and I are just fine a the moment, although I found it a tad peculiar at a first glance.

^ same here on all points
i feel like song mode is no more complex or simple than it needs to be.

I think song mode is perfect the way it is. it's really just a way of concatinating sequences.

I create a sequence for the intro, one for the hook, one for the verse, and then I arrange them in song mode, convert that to a sequence and can make any change ups to that new sequence.

it makes sense to do it that way from a software standpoint as well... why waste codespace adding muting or effects automation to songmode when it's already available in sequence mode?

allows you to set individually for each sequence row the lenght of a sequence by 16ths, set the starting point of a sequence, set tempo of a sequence, set track mutes of sequence...

Well, these are all just fundamental aspects of the different sequences. If you want different bpms or lengths, you can set those within each given sequence; even different time signatures if you like. With all of those options available right there in the main window for each sequence, there really ain't much left for song mode to do EXCEPT string together different sequences.

I know a lot of people don't have much use for it song mode, but since I use my MPC as part of a full band, I can (for example) have the patch changes on my keyboards or guitar effects mapped out, MIDI'd, and automated as part of each sequence, so song mode lets me free up my time to focus on playing instruments when performing live.

i love song mode. wouldn't have bought the 1000 if it didn't have it.

i grew up using roland xox machines, where you chain patterns together. it's a simple, elegant and very powerful way to make tracks. you can quickly lay a solid foundation for your song, and then have great ability to build and develop very complex tracks with ease.

of course if you arrange in a DAW, you won't have much use for song mode.

I also had a first glance at song mode today, and my initial reaction was the same.... but then I thought back to when I still had my ASQ-10 (MPC-60 without the sampler) where song mode was basically the same as on the MPC 1000, and remembered that I used it extensively for finishing & recording tracks. I'd do pretty much the same as what ryssen describes: copy sequences & alter or delete tracks as needed to build up the song in the same way as I would perform it live.
I've been working with 2 Sequentix P3 sequencers for about 5 years until recently, where i'd just perform a song live a number of times while recording all the midi output to cubase, and then cut, paste & arrange the recorded midi data into the final song. For me this was a great method to have loads of control while still retaining that 'live'-feel, and i've become really comfortable with that way of working over the years so i'm kinda apprehensive about having to use the MPC's song mode again, but I guess if I used it succesfully on the ASQ before there's no reason it shouldn't work for me again. Just takes some effort to get my mind bent into the correct shape again.

i like this thread.

I do wish you could record track mutes, but other than that I love the way song mode works. Much like the way I learned on an Alesis MMT-8. Only you could record muted tracks on that one. I still miss that thing...

What is the diff between recording track mutes in seq mode versus song mode? Just curious if there is a different net effect I'm not seeing.

You may be able to do something like this, I'm not sure. But the idea being that you can list the same sequence repeadedly. Then just mute the parts you want in each case.

i use song mode for tracking in the tascam. as far as mutes go, i jus make several copies of a seq and mute as neccessary.

roll on hometime, think we may have a sunny weekend on the cards in the uk

Song mode is a beautiful thing