Arranger for the MPC-series sequencers: is there a place?

Caustic Yoda wrote:song mode on mpc has always been clunky at best

I think this is the important takeaway.

I think arranger has a place in the MPC paradigm if they develop song mode or make it a mode that is at the song level. I hope they can extend song mode to more than 32 songs (128 would be good) and allow for recording live track mutes or choose which tracks are muted when a step of the song plays during song mode.

Question...
When you guys say you want Arranger Mode...is this just in Standalone or in the Software as well?

I dont use the Software. Is there a DAW like Arranger in the current software?

40Beatz wrote:Question...
When you guys say you want Arranger Mode...is this just in Standalone or in the Software as well?

I dont use the Software. Is there a DAW like Arranger in the current software?

For me, I'm talking 100% standalone. I literally never use the desktop software (well, aside from managing Expansions).

EnochLight wrote:
For me, I'm talking 100% standalone. I literally never use the desktop software (well, aside from managing Expansions).

Dammmmmmm Enoch, I thought you used the software, was I thinking. So you have your synths and what not midied up to your MPC? I didn't feel like doing that when I had my live, I did that with the 2000xl, I didn't even midi it up, I put my keyboards straight into it and played and that's how I learned how to play on time. Bring what I played on the pads and laid it into the sequence. People were like midi your stuff up like a normal human being LOL The way I did it played a major role into playing, but the thing is I still made those tracks, the 2000xl was the center of my setup.

Being I'm inside the box strictly now so I am good, I love it.

Danoc wrote: Dammmmmmm Enoch, I thought you used the software, was I thinking. So you have your synths and what not midied up to your MPC? I didn't feel like doing that when I had my live, I did that with the 2000xl, I didn't even midi it up, I put my keyboards straight into it and played and that's how I learned how to play on time. Bring what I played on the pads and laid it into the sequence. People were like midi your stuff up like a normal human being LOL The way I did it played a major role into playing, but the thing is I still made those tracks, the 2000xl was the center of my setup.

Being I'm inside the box strictly now so I am good, I love it.

I use my Live 2 solely as a standalone box to get things started. In the end, I do end up bringing everything into Reason though - but I always do stems. I don't run the MPC Software as a plugin or anything (well, not usually). As for MIDI'ing all of my gear up, since 2.8 came along, I'm toying around with that a lot more. I usually keep my hardware seperate from my DAW work - I use my Roland gear as a standalone workstation. I've just started to bring my Live 2 more into that fold now that it can act as a proper master and control everything.

Eyalc wrote:The MPC is a great *beat* production platform. But as a *song* production platform it has fallen far behind. And IMO this is arguably the most important improvement they need to bring to the MPC, if they ever want the MPC to enter "big boy" status as a song production platform, and if they want people to take it more seriously in a professional setting. The way it is now, it's all about doing what needs done in the MPC, and exporting the stems as soon as possible to a more mature platform with mature song arrangement capabilities.

This!

I didn't read every post, but in the past, a lot of the MPC Heads wanted nothing to do with making the MPC anything like a DAW. But that's what this is, and it's exactly what's needed, along with some other efficiency updates. There are some legacy "features" holding the MPC back from being anything more than a beat machine. I hope this is the beginning to their end.

is wrong with me l thought you were an Ablive man dam.

Reason? what version are you on?
You have Roland also huh?

Oh so the MPC 2 can clock as a master? You could help a lot of guys who wanna have the MPC master all their gear.

Man l got the the Roland VST plugins. Its do seewt. But l hear you on that setup.

EnochLight wrote:
I use my Live 2 solely as a standalone box to get things started. In the end, I do end up bringing everything into Reason though - but I always do stems. I don't run the MPC Software as a plugin or anything (well, not usually). As for MIDI'ing all of my gear up, since 2.8 came along, I'm toying around with that a lot more. I usually keep my hardware seperate from my DAW work - I use my Roland gear as a standalone workstation. I've just started to bring my Live 2 more into that fold now that it can act as a proper master and control everything.

Akai needs to Drop a New Standalone DAW Unit. Kinda like the Roland MV's...minus the Pads. Or like the Yamaha AW4416 model from Wayyyy Back (I still have my Yamaha AW2816 )

Strictly Post Production. MPC's need to stay in their lane and produce music.

40Beatz wrote:Akai needs to Drop a New Standalone DAW Unit. Kinda like the Roland MV's...minus the Pads. Or like the Yamaha AW4416 model from Wayyyy Back (I still have my Yamaha AW2816 )

Strictly Post Production. MPC's need to stay in their lane and produce music.

Just build a modern MPC 4000 with the functions of modern DPS 24 with the functions a control surface.

CharlesRandolph wrote:

Off topic:
Is your Yamaha AW4416 fully expanded?

I have the AW2816. Nahhh Its not Fully expanded. I copped it back in 03. Shortly after that i began gravitating towards Software

Its still goin tho Only problem is...You Can't Export anything unless you get to Tracking it out or Burning to CD.

You nailed it!!! Akai should put HDMI instead of VGA on the back, like the MPC3000 and MV800. Put what you said also.

Now if they want to dive into software, revamp what they have and make a total dedicated software DAW. If they don't have the man power just leave it alone.

40Beatz wrote:Akai needs to Drop a New Standalone DAW Unit. Kinda like the Roland MV's...minus the Pads. Or like the Yamaha AW4416 model from Wayyyy Back (I still have my Yamaha AW2816 )

Strictly Post Production. MPC's need to stay in their lane and produce music.

I dunno.. they don't even have the manpower to provide concurrent firmware updates to the MPC and Force at the same time, and at reasonably regular intervals anymore. Moving into even more dev time needed for a niche product might not be a good move right now, IMHO.

Dammmmmm!

EnochLight wrote:I dunno.. they don't even have the manpower to provide concurrent firmware updates to the MPC and Force at the same time, and at reasonably regular intervals anymore. Moving into even more dev time needed for a niche product might not be a good move right now, IMHO.

I hope Akai will go this way, the current workflow is simply outdated and it was good in the 90's, not now.