MPC5000 reviews, bug reports and fellow user support on the most recent standalone, hardware MPC from Akai
By seiko Sat Mar 28, 2009 9:52 am
I read the manual 3 times but I still don't get it.

In Grid mode, to select an event (to edit it), your cursor has to be on top of it.
But to do that, either you have to be insanely quick while the sequencer is going OR you have to stop the sequencer.

What I would like is that the cursor is NOT moving while the sequencer is going (now it just moves along to the position in the sequence that is playing) .
The cursor should stay put (I don't need to see where in the sequence I am, who needs that info ?) so I can move it to the position I want WHILE the sequence is playing.

Having to stop MPC to update one note really puts me off.

Can this be done with a setting ? I hope I am overlooking something...
By oneday2one Sat Mar 28, 2009 2:21 pm
are you saying you would rather see the fruity loops version whether the same eight squares get looped over and over again and you can hover your mouse right over them?

because if you are talking about things like logic and cubase, ...there isn't this option of how to be.

and if you are doing it live while the sequencer is playing, wouldn't it be more beneficial to use your ears, select the correct level of quantization, and then simply push the pad when your heart and ears tell you to?

grid - "edit" was meant from the beginning to be a way to "edit" your samples, ...not a replacement for fruity loops, which is a great program in itself, but is simply not at all with the 'way' an akai music production center is used to create.

if you have the notes and places already memorized in your head, then go to grid edit and put them into place without having to play them.

....or do it the easier way, and simply record what is in your head by playing the pad with the correct quantization. ...if it is too hard for you, ...then once you have made your 'simple attempt' and found it lacking, ...that is the time to go into grid edit and correct/perfect your desired outcome.

a.k.a. people don't use soundforge as a daw, ...its an audio editor.

just like people don't really use grid edit as a sequencer, ...its a sequence editor.
By seiko Sat Mar 28, 2009 2:49 pm
strange you start talking about fruityloops and soundforge as if I mentioned those applications in my request for help...I don't use any of the two !!

I don't get what is so 'strange' about my request...I just want to be able to 'scroll' to any note in the grid to change any parameter of it without stopping the sequencer...what's the use of the timeline scrolling all the time !?
to update one note, I need to stop the sequencer , or play it in again...sorry but I want to be able to edit things while everything is looping...like I can do on my RS7000, Monomachine, Machinedrum, EMU XL7 ...so no, I'm not a lazy cracked software only user ...I am just trying to find out if MPC5000 can do what at least 4 of my other hardware sequencers can do without a problem
By dreadnutz Sat Mar 28, 2009 5:00 pm
the whole mpc series hasn't the possibility to shift events while the sequencer is running. believe me, i had the complete series.
(though i am not sure if jjos has this implemented already, but i think not)

the hardware sequencers you are speaking (yamaha rs, monomachine etc...) have all a different workflow like akais mpcs, more like the roland tr series.

as oneday sayed, most of us press rec, let a 2bar loop running and knocking the beat in realtime (w/ or w/o quantizing) and then change some mistakes, velocity parameters etc...

i am not sure what kind of music you are doing, but i guess it's more a techno (and all subgenres) style than a beat/groove style, correct?

the mpc series is not for everyone, i know a lot of people they sold it cause they didn't like the workflow/sequencer etc... and mostly these guys coming from a roland tr-style sequencer...

but my advise: go into the machine, change your workflow.
you will get a swissknife sequencer w/o any drifts, with musical quantizing etc...

to be honest: i never had the yamaha rs7000 (only some months the rm1x... and this sucks) or the monomachine, machinedrum....

but these are not the machines they standing for a rocksolid timing, are they?
Last edited by dreadnutz on Sun Mar 29, 2009 11:51 am, edited 1 time in total.
By seiko Sat Mar 28, 2009 8:02 pm
RS7000, Machinedrum,Monomachine are midiwise as rock solid as MPC...

but indeed, I am more on the Techno / dubstep side
and I use my hardware together (controlled by sometimes) software
and MPC is the only one that can not be controlled via Control Changes etc, all others have that possibility
By dreadnutz Sun Mar 29, 2009 12:05 pm
yeah, i like also this dubstep, grime stuff very much (but more for dancing than producing :wink: )


topic:
i never controlled the mpc with a other sequencer, i always used the mpc AS the sequencer. and i think that's the point...

the mpc want to be the master, not the slave :wink:

try it this way: controll all your other gear WITH the mpc: you can record midi, audio, cc, velo, aftertouch, pitchbending etc. etc..
-> the same events as you can record with any other software daw.

and then sync it to f.e. live, cubase, logic.... to record your finished shlt...
works very well for me...

the other side is: the sequencer from the mpc kicks ass and (for me at least) it's one of the main reason for using the mpc...

so when you control you mpc with an other sequencer you don't need a mpc with these limited functions... you could check a cheap hardware sampler (like emu 6400, ensoniq asr or whatever... )

but hey, that's me :mrgreen:
wish you good luck