Exchange tips and tricks for the Akai MPC4000
By dmajor100 Mon Oct 31, 2011 3:24 am
i was totally happy when i got the mpc and i knew there was gonna be a harder learning curve and workflow than maschine which i also have but i am willing to do tis for external sequencing but there are issues.

issues
- sounds i have came across over the years and maschines sounds i put them on a usb drive and loaded them but only some are loading in the mpc and a whole bunch are saying Not found(201) which im not sure what this means,
-when hitting the pads and playing the sounds it seems like every other time i hit the pad i am getting a double hit when i only hit it once
-not to sure if this is common but to get the total sound to play i have to hit the pad and hold it down or else ill just get the front attack of it and not the decay of the wave form

SO far these are the issues that are completely turning me off of even learning this machine and just resale it for more software or wait for the next mpc. Its os is 1.40 and not to sure were to even get the newer updates nor how to install them.
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By ArKyve-31 Mon Oct 31, 2011 4:44 am
ok, first off I'm not trying to be a dick here, but you are not trying to "learn" your machine. The manual solves many of these issues.

Lets start with pad issues, the reason you need to hold the pad down is because the parameter is by default set to "note on" you want it to be set to "one shot"

This is a video I did a while back that explains step by step how to change this setting
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcBCjuExfZM

As far as the double trigger of sounds, this can be because of pad sensitivity which can be adjusted from the pad assign screen,
issues #2

Are you sure the sounds your loading from the usb are not mp3? They must be wav. and I'm not sure what type of file the mashine sounds are coded in.
By dmajor100 Mon Oct 31, 2011 6:20 am
well thanks for being a dick cause it help that problem and i think the one shot helped that double hit issue with it but i still gotta do a whole session to see if it did. Ive only had the 4000 for 3 days now and have only gotten to the basics of the 4000 and right now im only on the insert,delete bars stuff but yes i will read the whole thing. Oh and by the way i would like to set the one shot setting and other settings as well like bars,sequence name,quantize to a defualt when i start up the mp. I did go to the sequence tab and hit window and hit defulat buton with all my settings but it just changed back to the original settings. Im sure ya know so if ya wouldnt mind helping a brotha out. Nice vid by the way i think ya should do alot more just because the 4000 is the hardest one to understand and plus you already have one on youtube, just next time get a better camera ha jk thanks.
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By ArKyve-31 Mon Oct 31, 2011 6:28 am
To have a default setup load every time you power up, just set everything the way you want it to be, then from the save screen create a folder titled "autoload" and select "save entire memory" to the folder, the 4k will load whatever is contained in the autoload folder every time you turn it on.
By Clint Mon Oct 31, 2011 2:26 pm
First thing you wanna do with any used MPC is to reset the machine to all the factory defaults, so you are not working with another persons settings.

Second thing you wanna do is break out the manual and familiarise yourself with the basic mode of operation, but you are doing this so keep it up.

The double triggering of pads has been well documented on these forums. Most often it is nothing to do with pad sensitivity, but in the way users hit the pads. Your hits need to be clean without allowing your finger to rest or bounce on the pads. To cure this problem you may need to adjust your playing style.

You will not get anywhere near learning the MPC4000 in three or four days. I've had mine for 6 years and there are still things I havent needed to use/ learn. Learn what you need to know to support your personal workflow and become expert in those aspects. Whenever you have time to spare dig deeper into the 4000's OS and try other features out just to see what the machine is capable of achieving.

There are many step-by-step tutorials provided in this forum and on YouTube which show off the MPC4000's capabilities to good effect, but to really benefit from these you need to develop an understanding of the machines architecture and with diligence that will come in time.

Just don't try to do too much too soon and be patient, many have fallen at the first hurdle with this machine because they seek instant gratification.

We don't call it 'The Beast' for no good reason.