I don't get it: sequences, tracks, song mode, mixer... wtf?

Hello,

First of all, thanks for this great forum. I've been checking out for months now and following several threads.
I decided to get back into music and got myself a MPC Renaissance since the idea of having a (very good) hardware controller with ability to lay down decent beats and having a computer as an add on looked appealing to me.
The main reason why I bought it: I created tracks long time ago with Cubase etc but solkd everything (stupid me ). I wanted to start again with music but NOT having to loose loads of time with incredibly complex stuff.

And here we are now... Some things are not clear to me. I mainly create dance (yes sorry not much hip hop here, but I do love it ) and ambient and electro stuff. I'm used to having a Cubase liek workflow meaning:

- tracks per instrument
- one big LONG sequence (project)

I can't seem to get my head around the whole MPC bars and sequence and tacks thing.
I'll explain:

- If I want a long intro, say 16 bars, where the drums fade in, etc... do I need to create a 16 bar sequence?
- What next, do I create a 4 bar sequence with the other stuff, create a break, ...
- Do I need to chain it together in song mode???

... or forget the whole idea and just use one big sequence with multiple tracks there?

Second thing: the mixer. What's with this program mixer, track mixer difference? Program mixer is for just ONE program, so I suppose you set your levels, fx etc there for just that one program, and never touch it again.

The initial track mixing is done in the track mixer?

What about a final mixer, does it exist, how does it fit in the thing I explained above? One sequence: lots of tracks, mixed in track mixer, or... ?

Well to make it even more complex: what's with the Pro Tools Express thing, why would I need it? Can someone explain it to me with an example?
I record all my MIDI and sampled drum groups etc in MPC, so why use Pro Tools?

To make it even worse: all my other MIDI gear is hooked to an analog mixing desk WHICH I ADORE, so how do I create a final mix on my mixing desk, and record that stuff back into the computer? Do I use the audio in o the MPC's or is this where the Pro Tools thing comes in handy and I bounce the audio in Pro Tools from the mixing desk?

Sorry if these are stupid questions (I think they are ) but I read the manual, know how to read notes and play music but it seems that I'm missing some vital basic things here.

Again my apologies if this sounds stupid!

Thanks and regards from Belgium!

D.

Ok, I'm about to run out and get some dinner but I'll give you a quick answer on how I use it to create electronic music (House/Techno)

I get a 4 or 8 bar loop going with all the main elements of sound I'm going to use within a song

I'll then copy that sequence and do a variation on that main loop.

I'll keep going with this until I have 10 or so varying 8 bar sequences.

Then in song mode I'll sequence/arrange these to follow each other going from quietest loop to the busiest loop and then back down again to the quitest.

Then I'll listen back to this and see what needs editing/tightening up and go back into the main track section and design a couple more sequences to fill in those gaps in the arrangement that I can hear.

I'll then slot these in to the song arrangement where I needed them (this is soooo easy in the MPC Ren) and further refine the process until I have 6 minutes of a song I'm reasonably happy with.

I'll then convert this song into a sequence and add further edits/automation/mutes until the song is complete.

Then I export and mixdown in Reaper or Cubase

Lampdog wrote:Classic MPC workflow (I hate that word).

Hi Lampdog,

Euh, what do you mean?

Cheers,

D.

Nubian Mindz wrote:Ok, I'm about to run out and get some dinner but I'll give you a quick answer on how I use it to create electronic music (House/Techno)

I get a 4 or 8 bar loop going with all the main elements of sound I'm going to use within a song

I'll then copy that sequence and do a variation on that main loop.

I'll keep going with this until I have 10 or so varying 8 bar sequences.

Then in song mode I'll sequence/arrange these to follow each other going from quietest loop to the busiest loop and then back down again to the quitest.

Then I'll listen back to this and see what needs editing/tightening up and go back into the main track section and design a couple more sequences to fill in those gaps in the arrangement that I can hear.

I'll then slot these in to the song arrangement where I needed them (this is soooo easy in the MPC Ren) and further refine the process until I have 6 minutes of a song I'm reasonably happy with.

I'll then convert this song into a sequence and add further edits/automation/mutes until the song is complete.

Then I export and mixdown in Reaper or Cubase

Ok so I think I get it:

- You create one main sequence as a start and create copies of that one to create variations
- Once you're statisfied, you chain them together in a classic intro break chorus verse jump whatever outro thing in song mode
- Once the song is what you want you create a new sequence and then finish all automation twiddling and stuff on that sequence
- Once this is ready: bounce everything in the favorite DAW and create a master?

Cheers a million already for the info!

D.

That's pretty much it in a nutshell man.