well im relatively new to the mpc but i feel like this is a good topic to discuss so i'll jump in. hopefully we get some stuff tossed around and everyone will get new ideas and inspiration.
i've been composing within a single sequence - starting with a sound or some drums, and then layering onto that with tracks until it gets unwieldy (when i start having a bunch of tracks that can only play when others are muted - or i have obvious hook and verse parts - or i start getting ideas for how an overall structure would go).
after that i'll usually copy the sequence a bunch of times, and each copy will have the next change (all done by changing track mutes) and build larger structures, and then use song mode to make new sequences. then i can use that longer loop length to try and build a couple longer and not so repetitious tracks on the new sequence to try and unify it as a whole.
but the problem with the longer arrangements is that you lose control over them, they are more or less written in stone, and after i'd made a few 180 bar sequences and played them for people by pressing start and then standing there, i felt like i was mising out on much of the possibilities of the mpc, and not really putting any energy out. especially in a live situation it doesnt seem like you want to use your mpc as a glorified cd player, especially when it plays so much like an instrument . . .
so what i've been trying to do now is make copies of the sequence only when there's more than one thing i want to change. or something like that. basically whenever theres something i want to do that requires too much timing (like say for example bringing in a new sample while mutiing and unmuting drum tracks to get neat fills or variations) i'll make a new sequence to bring the sample in and that way all i have to do is turn the wheel to switch to the next sequence at some point and then i can concentrate on the drums while the mpc switches to the next sequence automatically.
so thats kinda organically building the beat up in a way that allows every time i play it through to come out different. it takes more thought both in making the sequences and playing them which i think is a good thing.
one drawback of this method is you could easily forget what your ideas were if you havent come back to the beat in a while, but making sure you save all your sequences with the mutes set the way you want them when they first play can help alot. that way if you left your mutes in some wierd place after doing some crazy solo you can just reload the sequence and your mutes are set the way you want them. also having them named in order helps so you know the progression.
on a side note i've got this method of naming that works well for me. say i got a track called secrets, and its built from two main sequnces, called secret and secret2, and i make a bunch of copies in order using the method above (they are all called secret1 or secret2). what i'll do is go through and name them 1ecret, 2ecret, 3ecret2, 4ecret, 5ecret2 and so on. that way i know what sequnce it came from and what order they go in. and if i want to insert another sequence into my "plan" i can call it 15ecret and know it goes between 1 and 2.
so thats what i've been on lately. thats how i did (its probably obvious by now) secrets on my soundclick page and im digging it. the next step for me is figuring out how i can combine the track muting technique with the song mode to new sequence technique, because i like having longer melodic patterns that break up the shorter loops and create unexpected resonances. the idea i have right now is to make a longer arrangement for the purpose of adding those non repetive tracks, but then to take just those tracks and split them up along all the copies of sequences. but that leads to other technical problems. so im still trying to figure that out more or less.
the nice thing is that if you save all your sequences including the copies you end up with a few options of how you want to play out your beat at any time.
well thats my piece. now its time for me to be inspired by the ways of others
EDIT: see down there it already happened!!
