Workflow DAW+MPC

Hi all,

First of, sorry for another sync/mpc/daw topic. I've read manuals, topics and googled.

I want to start to arrange beats using both my mpc1000 (jjos2xl) and a DAW. I'm trying to figure out what would be the best way to work this. I used presonus studio one, but i couldn't get it so sync properly so i found Reaper as a DAW. Just starting with Reaper.

Most threads I've read about syncing daw/mpc are about tracking out beats, not really about how to use it while arranging.

I was planning in setting up a 4 bar loop, in both daw and mpc and work from there. Building it up by loop. But how would i play an intire song without bouncing the audio?

Besides a small off set offset while recording, but that's not the biggest problem. When I press rec+play on the mpc, the daw start playing immediately, not waiting for the count off. The other way around also. Recording in the daw, the mpc start playing right away.

So, I was wondering how you guys do it? Do you use a daw as a soundmodule, and finally track out? Do any of you use it like a "parallel" recorder/editter?

Thanks

here's how i do.. though it doesn't answer anything about how to use it to arrange at the same time as you use the mpc... so this is more in general how i use the mpc and my daw together

i use an mpc4k and cubase 5

i start on the mpc, i try to get a solid idea or groove down first, then make variations.. some sequences being identical, just having certain tracks muted.. maybe i want an intro with just bass and hihats, so i might just mute everything but those tracks... anyway, i make some variations so i have something more than just a sequence being looped to make a full song

next step is to record in cubase, i always have cubase up in the background when i work on the mpc too, because that's where the sound comes through, and i can use plugins on the mpc channels and use them to mangle and mix any sound coming from the mpc, and i tend to mix as i go usually so i'm sure there are no big surprises to the final sound if i were needed to tweak things afterwards

there is nothing synced i suppose, just audio directly into the soundcard, i do use midi though, to trigger vst instruments on the mpc pads.. so here cubase works both as an external sound module/synth and an effects processor

once i got what i want on the mpc, then its really just nothing left to do but to hit record in cubase and record all channels at once, maybe i'll have set things up to have kicks on one channel, snares etc on another.. or just one single drum track

and whilst i record, i do the sequencing live, with a raw idea of what i want from the layout of sequence variations, then i improvise a bit and go on feeling, maybe i'll do some mutes and solo's of certain tracks as i go

and once it's all recorded, i save it right away.. by now i usually have a full song arranged, i might continue to work in cubase only from here on, maybe jam to the recordings on a keyboard, do edits, mix and process

and by "full song arranged" i don't necessarily mean complete, sometimes its nothing but a drum track with intro, and variations.. which i then just jam to with a keyboard..

and it might look something like this when its done, although this one is heavily edited when it comes to cuts

http://sphotos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-a ... 3000_n.jpg

so basically i use the mpc to get ideas down, and cubase to bring it all together

the mpc being more of an instrument, and cubase the editor that allows easy overview and arrangement, as well as processing and a source for sounds when it comes to working as a sound module

when i used to make beats with logic and mpc 500 at the same time i would use the mpc as the soundsource and logic as the sequencer.

and yes, you could hear all the mpc tracks at once when you pushed play on the DAW.

i never messed with the slave/master stuff, it was just strait soundsource to sequencer, so i didnt need it.

when i tracked out, i would create an audio file under each midi track and solo the midi track, and then record ready the audio track, and set a pre roll so the midi and audio would have time to sync up, then push record. (i didnt acutally ever use pre roll because i never needed to. in logic you can just skip ahead of the first bar and get into negative bars, if your daw cant do this though, you can create a pre-roll which will do a count in a set number of bars before it starts recording)

watch this video of pre roll in pro tools, it can explain it better than i can. i couldnt find a reaper version, but you can apply this technique to your DAW and it should work the same.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wmWa7X_PI8

i used to make all my beats like this.

i liked it because i could still load my sounds onto my mpc and i knew 100% that my sounds would be saved onto my cf card. saving into logics exs sampler was kind of confusing for me for awhile, so this was an advantage for me. another plus was that i could practice drumming my main melody idea without the computer even hooked up.
when i connect it to the computer and hook it up via midi, it was cool cause i could do point and click with the mouse while still utilizing the mpc.
sometimes i would make rough sketchpad ideas of how i liked the sample played on my mpc, then i would copy that over to the DAW later by clicking and dragging.

i know alot of people like the mpc to get away from the comptuer, but at the beginning i was the exact opposite; i needed the DAW's linear view of how my song was structured vs. the mpc pattern view.

nowadays i use the mpc1k with jjos 2xl, and it has "grid edit" feature. so its like i still have a piano roll inside it, thats one of my favorite features of the mpc 1k jjos2xl. that helped my transition from daw to mpc alot. but for the first few years i hated making beats only on my mpc. now i really like making beats on the mpc alone and it kind of boring for me to make computer beats.

sorry for rambling, hope this helps you a little bit though.

Thanks for the answers guys!

I screwed my head back on and figured out what I'll do.

I started with setting up a 48 bar blanc sequence. Adjusting the loop setting in to work in smalller loops, to 1-4 for example. Then build up copy-pasting, deleting. This way of working has a nice overal view. Also, the audiotracks are a good way to build a track. Found out how to set a sample per bar. And do fade ins and outs.

So, I set up my mpc to control synths, keyboards and vst plugins (maschine/reaper) with midi and sequence it all in there. I'll just step up my mpc sequencing game.

check this out:



this is an old version of what i'm doing now
REAPER is fully integrated into my JJ setup in a way that would make Maschine and Ren jealous

Nice Nym, looks good.

I've been testing Reaper for a couple of days. I like it a lot! Specially the pitching the item in semitones function, the tempo to item function and the scrub function. Works great. So now I'm recording the mpc as audio, instead of midi. Sequencing audio files only. Less cumbersome for me.

Hi Nym,
could you possibly repost that video ? It seems to be broken now, and Iwould be glad to understand what ty^pe of configuration you have between MPC and reaper.

Thanks!

What I used to do is using PC as soundmodule, and just recording stereo bounce directly in MPC = MPC's main out with input thru from PC where few tracks are merged into stereo also.