Exchange tips and tricks for the Akai MPC4000
By cleansocks Wed Feb 03, 2021 6:12 am
hey, having problems again and unfortunately there isn't a wealth of information on this stuff for the 4k online (yes I have read the manual and ctrl-f'd for portamento and legato and it does not help). I will point out this specific tidbit:

"
D Mono Legato field (Key group programs only)
Specifies what will happen when two notes are played legato.
PITCH ....................The program will operate in mono mode. When you play two notes
legato, the second note will not be triggered; only the pitch will change
"

:Sigh: :Sigh: :Sigh: https://i.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/ori ... 28/519.png

Why? Why do I say lie? Because its not true. Look at my youtube video its attached in this comment. I am unsure if there are hidden settings I am not aware of, but as far as I read into it I just needed the Mono Legate and the Portamento to glide and rn its not doing its job. For one thing, the note literally DOES trigger. It is not a smooth transition, It is like a bumpy 'bounce' type sound on that specific note and then nothing. No glide . I could go on but honestly the video will explain better, also within it is the reference video which I am basing on what it is supposed to sound like (shotout to fickus beats)

skip to 2:27 if you dont want a settings overview of the program

By CharlesRandolph Wed Feb 03, 2021 6:55 am
Try these setting they should push you in the right direction.

1. Make sure you turn off the 16 Levels button.
2. To get to Portamento Window. Move curse to the Portamento ON and click window.
3. For best results use 808/909 Kick with a long sustain or layer a Bass Line with 808/909 Kick Drum.
4. Once you get your desire settings, Take pictures and post it here for others. :nod:


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Last edited by CharlesRandolph on Wed Feb 03, 2021 7:54 am, edited 2 times in total.
By cleansocks Wed Feb 03, 2021 7:31 am
thanks boss. 16 levels OFF was the trick... lol. Not sure how i didnt figure that one sooner.. I wish I could have the 16 level tuning without the gunk clogging the glide up but eh o well
By CharlesRandolph Wed Feb 03, 2021 7:47 am
cleansocks wrote:thanks boss. 16 levels OFF was the trick... lol. Not sure how i didnt figure that one sooner.. I wish I could have the 16 level tuning without the gunk clogging the glide up but eh o well


You can kind of do it, using the q link fader and setting it to pitch. But the above way is the best results with more options.
By cleansocks Wed Feb 03, 2021 8:32 am
thanks lol, didn't realize i fked up the formatting . and yea, i got over it quick. The bend up / down thing is something I left unnoticed too that greatly helped alleviate that "bounce" sound . Overall my 808s sound much better thanks man.

That being said, I will say the MPC one seemed like it had more parameters and portamento modes that seemed cool, at least in that guys video
By CharlesRandolph Wed Feb 03, 2021 8:49 am
cleansocks wrote:
thanks lol, didn't realize i fked up the formatting . and yea, i got over it quick. The bend up / down thing is something I left unnoticed too that greatly helped alleviate that "bounce" sound . Overall my 808s sound much better thanks man.


Nice.. That's why I like the 4000 because it still can do lots of things.


cleansocks wrote:That being said, I will say the MPC one seemed like it had more parameters and portamento modes that seemed cool, at least in that guys video



It does, but I don't really use the technique very much with 808. I like it with instruments with a longer sustain.
Strings, Brass, Piano, etc.
By cleansocks Wed Feb 03, 2021 9:18 am
CharlesRandolph wrote:
cleansocks wrote:
thanks lol, didn't realize i fked up the formatting . and yea, i got over it quick. The bend up / down thing is something I left unnoticed too that greatly helped alleviate that "bounce" sound . Overall my 808s sound much better thanks man.


Nice.. That's why I like the 4000 because it still can do lots of things.


cleansocks wrote:That being said, I will say the MPC one seemed like it had more parameters and portamento modes that seemed cool, at least in that guys video



It does, but I don't really use the technique very much with 808. I like it with instruments with a longer sustain.
Strings, Brass, Piano, etc.


use the technique? portamento / mono legate? you use that for other instrument sounds?? tbh I didn't know portamento had an application outside of 808 glides
User avatar
By Sense-A Wed Feb 03, 2021 2:28 pm
Great answer Charles.

I was going to suggest attempting the glide with a Q-Link. But you guys apparently already experimented with that.

For F' sakes, does every MPC 4000 have horizontal lines going across the screen? This is the one part of the MPC 4000 that seems to ALWAYS fail. The 240x320 LCD's are garbage and the 5.1" diagonal size/screen is rare. I wonder if the more prevalent 5.7" displays can be shoved into the housing. I really wish the MPC 4000 had a vga output so I could just setup a huge monitor, even if it is low resolution 320x240 pixels on a large monitor (such as the MPC 3000 vga output and display).

I have two MPC 4000's and the lines appeared in both.
By CharlesRandolph Wed Feb 03, 2021 3:10 pm
Sense-A wrote:Great answer Charles.

I was going to suggest attempting the glide with a Q-Link. But you guys apparently already experimented with that.

For F' sakes, does every MPC 4000 have horizontal lines going across the screen? This is the one part of the MPC 4000 that seems to ALWAYS fail. The 240x320 LCD's are garbage and the 5.1" diagonal size/screen is rare. I wonder if the more prevalent 5.7" displays can be shoved into the housing. I really wish the MPC 4000 had a vga output so I could just setup a huge monitor, even if it is low resolution 320x240 pixels on a large monitor (such as the MPC 3000 vga output and display).

I have two MPC 4000's and the lines appeared in both.



I have a stock pile of new old stock replace monitors ready to go, but this screen only has 1 line so I'll just wait. Not bad for a 19 year old machine. :nod: The qlink pitch glide works, but the other way works is better because the Q-links can be assigned to doing other things.
By CharlesRandolph Wed Feb 03, 2021 3:19 pm
cleansocks wrote:
use the technique? portamento / mono legate? you use that for other instrument sounds?? tbh I didn't know portamento had an application outside of 808 glides



That's really what it's for bowed string instruments, pianos, and of coarse synths. It's great for Brass sounds like Trombones to get that natural glide sounds.
User avatar
By Sense-A Wed Feb 03, 2021 9:15 pm
I've taken the displays apart. The ribbon cable you speak of, going from the mainboard to the display housing, is usually not the cause. The ribbon cable from the LCD control board to the actual LCD is glued on (pictured below). Over time and after exposure to heat the glue eventually comes undone. The line you see across the screen is a bad connection on one of those very tiny leads

This is the sh!tty design:
Image

I've tried to unglue it and reglue it. You need a **** microscope to line it back up. Just a poor design.

I'm not going to pay $150 for a replacement off fleabay. But if you've got a line on a $50 replacement display out of Chi-Com country manufactured by chi-com slave labor then let me know.