I introduce myself + a question ...

Hi guys, i've recently swapped my Octatrack for the Mpc X. So far, no regrets, the overall sound of the X is pretty impressive, very punchy etc etc & the summing is very good also ... I'm a complete noob with the Mpc architecture. I've gone trough, 20ish % of the machine ... but still, the architecture feels good anyway, so i'm not scared to work this beast, like i first was with the Octatrack. ( no elektron trolling here )
Today, i decided to get the Mpc Bible ... 760 pages !!! I hope the quarantine is gonna last a little more ...

I have a question, probably asked a million time, so excuse me if i do your headin' with my request.
I've red on the net that you can import midi files in the X.
I'd like to import my melodies, bass lines & such, as midi files in the X.
I 1st create those melodies, basslines, arpeggios etc etc in Live & export it as midi files.
So, i could drive my external midi gear ( plugged in the X of course ).
Do you just copy those midi files in the drive of the X, then browse & load it into a midi program ?
& also, do these midi files keep their own tempo & time signature information ?

If you guys could tell me more about it, i'll appreciate & sorry if it's been asked before.
All i find on the net is that, yes it's possible, but with no further information.
I'm a kind of guy who reads the manuals so i like to go deep in the informations of a machine.
I first read & follow a manual & then experiment & look for those happy accident.
Thanks to you all for your time, hope you all safe ...

Yeah you can import midi files... it will dump the data into track view.

If the midi is multiple midi channels I believe it explodes the information into multiple tracks if I remember correctly.

Thanks NT. I'll try A.S.A.P.

NearTao wrote:Yeah you can import midi files... it will dump the data into track view.

If the midi is multiple midi channels I believe it explodes the information into multiple tracks if I remember correctly.

what he said. And oh yea

Welcome to the club! And great choice with the Bible, can never go wrong with that tome of knowledge. And of course, you got plenty of Youtube tutorials to help you too. MPC workflow can be tricky at first cuz there can be several ways to do the same damn thing, but thats the beauty of it because as you develop a workflow it becomes your own personalized style of MPC'n which is cool in itself.

And of course you got a shit ton of knowledgable MPC'ers here in the forum that can help you with a bunch - even though the topic may go way off topic for a bit

D3V1L15H wrote:MPC workflow can be tricky at first cuz there can be several ways to do the same damn thing

That's exactly why i get lost sometimes, when going back & forth from 1 page to an other.
The X has loads of shortcuts ... the F-KEY function is great too, helps me to avoid the touchscreen & saves a lot a menu diving, for me anyway.

The answer to my question should be solved on the 14th of May with the 2.8 update

ACRE wrote:

D3V1L15H wrote:MPC workflow can be tricky at first cuz there can be several ways to do the same damn thing

That's exactly why i get lost sometimes, when going back & forth from 1 page to an other.
The X has loads of shortcuts ... the F-KEY function is great too, helps me to avoid the touchscreen & saves a lot a menu diving, for me anyway.

The answer to my question should be solved on the 14th of May with the 2.8 update

i got the Live, and the only thing i envy about the X is the shortcut buttons. But the smaller form factor and portability got me preferring the Live. But damn, the X is sexy AF and those shortcuts.... ugh. Id guesstimate 1/3rd of my production time would be cut with an X, for all the damn menu hoppin on the Live.

I had the Live and upgraded to the X. Probably no surprise to you but here's my thoughts

X
* Shortcuts are nice, and can make things a bit faster... but 1/3rd reduction in time is generous
* I prefer the expanded q-link bank... this (for me) is where I save some time bouncing between banks
* The bigger screen is quite nice... I don't have to be hunched over or need a stand to use the X
* The extra set of ins is *so* helpful... as is the 1/2 switch from front/back... saves a lot of time hooking up new devices... especially if it is just for temp work

Live
* Portability is really nice... though for me it was mostly so I could goof off while on the couch/bed.
* I found it to be just a bit too big for my portable tastes... would have liked to see it go on a diet
* I would have thought the lack of CVs would've been a bummer... but honestly I don't use CV on the X as much as I would have thought

Seriously though, both are great devices, and the differences are relatively minor. Personally I'm sticking to a 1-2 MPC household, and sold the Live because I thought I wanted to stick with the X and 1k. I'll probably sell the 1k and might consider getting a Live/One for the portability of it... but I dunno... one MPC is kind of enough

So quick refresher for myself by loading midi

When you load your first midi file, it'll try and do it into your current sequence (if it is empty)... if you have data, it will ask (well force) you to load your next midi file into a new midi track. So if you've got a lot of midi files to load you're going to have a bit work to do copying and pasting of your track data. Not impossible, but it'll probably lead you to think about how you want to load your content... as you're not going to be able to load a drum midi sequence, then a bass drum midi sequence... etc... easily.

If you're going to go through this work, it's probably worth exporting tracks into patterns, as this will make things easier for you (in the future).