Mpd 26 Questions

Just had a few questions for everyone. If you have a bit of time to reply it would be much appreciated!

I have really been wanting to get the MPD26 for a bit now. The only little road bump i have in the way is wondering what to use with it. I'm not too interested using fruity loops with it but had ideas of using Reason or Ableton. So far I am leaning towards Ableton but any good advice can steer me otherwise. So I ask which/what should I use with the Mpd26 and why if you could say. I am also looking for something that isnt too complicated because if I am going to spend money on one of them I would like to pick one I know I wouldn't regret purchasing.

Also what is needed with it? I hear some say it just needs to be plugged in and thats it. I read also about having an audio interface ? Feel free to correct me on ANY of those.


any suggestions or ideas would be really appreciated . Thanks

C-Slice wrote:I hear some say it just needs to be plugged in and thats it. I read also about having an audio interface ?

The MPD/MPK/LPD controllers are all class compliant USB/MIDI devices. That means that they do not require a driver to be installed. This is convenient for two reasons, one the obvious not having to install anything on the computer to run the devices but also so that devices can be used with a DC power pack to play external hardware like sound modules and synthesizers. So even if you're totally software it's still nice to know that an MPD/MPK/LPD will work in conjunction with any MIDI enabled device going back to 1983.

Built in PC motherboard audio, generally made by Realtek and Soundmax run on Direct X or WDM audio drivers. Both are fine to playback media players and video audio but are not up to the task of low latency audio/MIDI operation.

What that means is using standard Direct X/WDM drivers you will have a terrible delay from the time you press a pad/key to the time you actually hear a sound triggered. It is so bad it makes playing musically basically impossible.

Also depending on the CPU/RAM and possible background processes you may also have problems with scratchy/distorted audio or dropouts where the whole song stutters or cuts in out as the audio driver is taxed too hard to update the sample buffer for clean playback.

Years ago Steinberg created the ASIO driver protocol to use instead of Direct X/WDM. ASIO by design "skips" layers of the operating systems topography, the same layers that cause Direct X/WDM to be mostly useless for audio work. The ASIO driver protocol "talks" to the computer at a lower level than the other drivers and has a more direct line to the silicone, so to speak.

Most external interfaces and the less prevalent nowadays internal PCI/e cards include their own ASIO drivers. Usually the better the interface the more likely a custom ASIO driver was written for the interface, with performance increasing as you go up the price tiers.

If you have no interface there's still a solution. Michael Tippach wrote the free ASIO4All emulated driver for built in motherboard sound PC's.

http://www.asio4all.com/

It is not a true ASIO driver as there is no true ASIO compliant device involved, just your motherboard Direct X/WDM being "tricked" into using lower level instructions and then the performance gain in audio/MIDI latency that ASIO delivers.

On a Mac, Core audio numbers are better out the box as the driver was written with low latency in mind.

On to the MPD26. The first issue is that EVERY MPD ever released has the pads mounted too low. These units can not be played with reliable velocity variation like a real MPC or a better made MIDI controller. They all contain actual MPC pads, but again they are mounted wrong. You can engage the "Full Level" button but then every hit you trigger is at MIDI max velocity 127 and is robotic and devoid of any dynamics.

You have to either take apart the unit and apply silicone to the bottom of the pads, do a similar operation with small stickers stacked on the pads bottoms or buy these for $45.

http://www.mpcstuff.com/akmpcmpdthfa2.html

Once you do the silicone or buy the fatter pads the sensitivity is fine. But it's insane Akai used the same flawed mounting a total of 9 times on the MPD/MPK series.

If you still want an MPD after all that I would recommend spending extra and get the MPD32. It may look like you only get 2 more faders and 2 more knobs and 8 toggle buttons, but the most important thing is you get 3 bank switches for the faders/knobs. On an MPD26 you only can assign 12 controls per preset. On the MPD32 you can have 78 assigned controls per preset.

MPD's have good built in presets for Live/Drum Racks and Reason. (On Live Racks and Reason Combinators the 8 MPD32 knobs aotumatically go to 8 macro knobs on the devices for example).

Here's a list of tweaks to get a Windows computer more suited for audio. (Chart explains the various things you could disable that you may not need to slim down the OS processes and have more juice for audio work)

http://www.blackviper.com/2009/10/01/bl ... er-tweaks/

This is a good place to get more familiar with the basics of home audio. But having already asked about interfaces and USB plug and play it sounds like you're already off to a good start.

http://tweakheadz.com/guide.htm

I just bought a new mpd26, and was shocked to find that "gasp" the pads a very responsive. Best pads I have used....Now my experience is limited to the mpc2k,mpc500, and trigger finger, but it's better than those.
Good overall velocity response on my end.
Maybe the newer units are better than the 1rst few batches?

mattman121775 wrote:I just bought a new mpd26, and was shocked to find that "gasp" the pads a very responsive. Best pads I have used....Now my experience is limited to the mpc2k,mpc500, and trigger finger, but it's better than those.
Good overall velocity response on my end.
Maybe the newer units are better than the 1rst few batches?

Would have to be or have some mighty strong finger tips.

I've got a Trigger Finger too and while I never liked the overall "feel" of the pads I found getting desired velocities easier than any out the box MPD. MPC500 stock pads are kind of dismal, but I'm surprised you found an out the box MPD26 as good or superior to a 2000 classic.

It's the last one they made so maybe they used higher risers on the underside of the casing where the PCB/Sensor sheet was too low on the others. But the casing being essentially the same as the MPD24's with just 3 holes on the top of the casing differing I doubt it.

I'm glad to hear you're pleased with the MPD's velocity response, but honestly you're literally the first person I've come across saying this in 8 years of MPD's being manufactured. Countless people who said they had no issue when asked said they just left it on Full Level...obviously missing the whole point. But you said you "velocity response" so you must mean you can hit various values between 0-127 without it taking 2 and 3 finger bashes. Unfortunately that is 99% of people's experience with the MPD's if they aren't modded.

Yeah, that's all I've ever heard was how the sensitivity was not so good.
I still have the trigger finger, and 500. The 500 sensitivity is a joke. I really have to bang the pads to get much out of them unless ofcourse they are on full level.
This mpd26 is very good though.
Only a moderate tap yields 127, and barely tapping it I can even get lower velocities under 20.
They must have changed something on the sensors. I have no need to upgrade.
Akai does have a history of this type of thing. We all remember the mpc1k pad fiasco.