AKAI MPK 49 and FL STUDIO problem

So I have been mapping my new AKAI MPK 49 with FL studio for couple of hours. So far everything is OK, I have assigned knobs and faders to VST's etc. Now I am messing with Pads and I am trying to assign samples aka Kick under Pad 1, kick 2 under Pad 2, snare under Pad 3 hihat1 under Pad 4 and so on but I am totally **** confused because it is not as easy as mapping other things. I tried to map it with FPC but when I press PAD 2 on the keyboard for example, then in FPC it reacts to PAD 9 and so on and I don't know how to switch it so when I press PAD 3 then in FPC Pad 3 reacts etc. Does anyone have any kind of experience maping Pads and drum samples with AKAI MPK49 in FL Studio?

Cheers!

I never use the fpc.. cause I dont particularly like it... however cant you right click an fpc pad and do assign or link to controller and push the pad?

It's left click on the upper right of the FPC GUI in the latest FL 10. Individually select each pad with the mouse and choose "learn" from the menu then hit the pad, repeat 16x.

I guess just save that as a template in FL. I have an MPD and FL 10 in front of me now, I'll post a better solution if I come across one.

My preference for these things is to have the MIDI controller always send note numbers the VST will receive without resorting to saving blank songs with the MIDI mapped as a template. Related to that I used to just map the MPD using the edit button on the data knob on the unit itself. I had the MPD pads match the goofy FPC layout. It looks out of order due it being a GM drum mapping but it doesn't match any GM Drum maps on any of my controllers.

It's not possible to click on FPC pad and "link" because it doesn't matter if you right click or left click on the FPC pad, it just makes sound. I dont like FPC either but how can I assign one particular sample under PAD1 and other one under PAD2 etc? I dragged sample into sequencer, selected samples channel settings tab and tried to find a way how to assign it to certain PAD but did not succeed.

I don't know exactly what you mean by dragged sample to sequencer. You mean you put samples on the playlist and want the FPC's MIDI out directed at the sampler channels containing the sounds?

I would just load the sounds directly onto the FPC pads myself using each pads browser icon.

And again it's not right click/multi link to controllers on the FPC pads it's left click on the upper right of the FPC GUI and put each pad in learn mode, hitting a pad on the MPK as you go through all 16. (You have to individually set each FPC pad to learn, then press the MPK pad.)

Ok sweet, it's fixed. Now... if I could modify the pads sensitivity... atm it doesnt matter how hard or soft I press the pads, sound is still the same.

HPCL wrote:Ok sweet, it's fixed. Now... if I could modify the pads sensitivity... atm it doesnt matter how hard or soft I press the pads, sound is still the same.

I'm guessing it's a stock MPK as far as the pads. Without modding it or adding the Fat Pads it's pretty much put the full level on or you have to use ridiculously hard 2 and three finger bashes.

With full level turned off on the MPK the best you can do is go into the global setting on the MPK's LCD and set the sensitivity to 16 and the threshold to 1, personally I leave it on pad curve A.

To really see the improvement though you need to either, apply stickers or tape to the bottoms of the pads to close the gap, or look on this forum for Nym's silicone application to the underside of the pads (he's doing it on a MPC 1000, but the pad gap issue is the same here). Or buy a set of Fat Pads from MPCStuff.

On my Fat Padded MPD32 (and any other machine/MIDI controller in my house) the FPC responds fine to velocity. You just unfortunately are dealing with one of 8 separate units Akai made the same mistake on. (MPD 16,18,24,26,32, MPK 25,49,61)

I guess for one shots fpc might be the way to go.. or battery if you have that.

I personally tend to use wave traveler still... it does what it does.. I never use the scratch/time/reverse stuff on it... I like the mutes it has ... sort of. But I just use it as a plain old non destructive sampler.. load up any random recorded drum loop or recording off a record and assign start points to any key CC number and play away.

the only issue it has is it's constantly in note off pretty much.. but who cares.

Okay, I got assigned and so on, lol but now I have another problem. When I came home and started FL studio and were playing with pads, then everything that I arranged in FPC was messed up, I mean like it didn't save my parameters or shit because now its again like that - I press Pad 1, in FPC Pad 4 reacts etc.

HPCL wrote:Okay, I got assigned and so on, lol but now I have another problem. When I came home and started FL studio and were playing with pads, then everything that I arranged in FPC was messed up, I mean like it didn't save my parameters or shit because now its again like that - I press Pad 1, in FPC Pad 4 reacts etc.

you should have saved the template/preset in the fpc..

actually what you should have done is change the note number each pad outputs in the mpk. Read the manual for that to find out how... that is always the best way to do it IMO.

Dohh! my bad, I know why it happened, everything OK ! Now I only need to add some tape under pads and everything is fine .

Highly recommend the MPCStuff Fat Pads if you're gonna open up the anyway. If it's like an MPD be careful, the PCB is not that thick and the clips are small, plastic and easily breakable. There was also a short jumper cable that i had to temporarily unseat to get the two halves of the machine apart.

Again I'll mention Nym's silicone fix, probably superior to the tape method if you go the do it yourself route.

if you get stuck hit me up over PM, i have a solid FL template i made for when i was using a MPD32, including the FPC preset mapping.

edit: on opening the template has 8 tracks, 16 bars long and two blank FPC's.

Mixers and knobs id do as you need them, as loading and shit gets tedious without motorised faders / rotarys

Thanks everyone, every beginning is hard but I finally got it . Cheers.

Wtf. Now there is something else. Lets say that under Preset 1 I have Massive VST 1 - all knobs and sliders are linked with controllers in Massive. Under Preset 2 I have Massive VST 2 as-well but only because I need to create different sounds and modify them with Massive more than once - NOW when I have Massive 1 opened up in Preset 1, then it reacts to Massive 2 which is under Preset 2... I don't get it... I mean I modified Massive 1 under Preset 1 exactly for syntheziser but when I open up it up and play some notes and turn the knobs, then knobs in Massive 2 (which I use for Bass) are reacting.