Record audio to a song, not just to a sequence

Support and discussion for all of Akai’s modern standalone MPCs including the MPC X / X SE, MPC Live 1, 2 & 3, MPC One / One+, MPC Key 37/61.
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Record audio to a song, not just to a sequence

By Duch Suvá Tue Jun 25, 2019 1:20 pm
I just installed the mpc software and found out that if you put/record and audio track, it would be limited only to the sequence. I mean it plays as long as long the sequence is.
Is it possible to record a track over more than one sequence? Like... that seems so obvious, but I cant find how to do it.. i hope you guys get what i mean.
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Re: Record audio to a song, not just to a sequence

By DeaDeus Wed Jun 26, 2019 7:50 am
MPC-Tutor wrote:You'l need to join together multiple sequences in 'song mode', then hit 'Convert to Seq' to convert that song to a single sequence. You can then lay down an audio track across your entire song.

Not ideal IMO, but it's the only way the MPC currently allows.


True!
An audio track across a complete Song would be the solution.
But who is honestly still putting the complete vocal in one take across the complete song - this is very old school from tape recording times - the "sympathy for the devil"-way :-) . Nowadays vocals are usually recored sequence by sequence.....

Re: Record audio to a song, not just to a sequence

By kaydigi Wed Jun 26, 2019 11:48 am
DeaDeus wrote:
MPC-Tutor wrote:You'l need to join together multiple sequences in 'song mode', then hit 'Convert to Seq' to convert that song to a single sequence. You can then lay down an audio track across your entire song.

Not ideal IMO, but it's the only way the MPC currently allows.


True!
An audio track across a complete Song would be the solution.
But who is honestly still putting the complete vocal in one take across the complete song - this is very old school from tape recording times - the "sympathy for the devil"-way :-) . Nowadays vocals are usually recored sequence by sequence.....


Should just give us both sequence and linear options.... plus would like multi take options.

Re: Record audio to a song, not just to a sequence

By Fletchnyc Sun Dec 13, 2020 7:42 am
DeaDeus wrote:
MPC-Tutor wrote:You'l need to join together multiple sequences in 'song mode', then hit 'Convert to Seq' to convert that song to a single sequence. You can then lay down an audio track across your entire song.

Not ideal IMO, but it's the only way the MPC currently allows.


True!
An audio track across a complete Song would be the solution.
But who is honestly still putting the complete vocal in one take across the complete song - this is very old school from tape recording times - the "sympathy for the devil"-way :-) . Nowadays vocals are usually recored sequence by sequence.....


This wouldn’t only apply to vocals, it could be any instrument. I’m playing guitar on a track, and I don’t want the feedback to abruptly stop when the sequence ends. I want the feedback to naturally dissipate as the next sequence begins. Any instrument that has a tail, or long release, you wouldn’t want to just cutoff as the next sequence starts. It would be nice if there was a way to make audio tracks bleed into the next sequence, but it seems like the only way to make this work is to create one long sequence, and play the audio over that one long sequence.
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Re: Record audio to a song, not just to a sequence

By hyena Sun Dec 13, 2020 9:00 am
Duch Suvá wrote:quite inconvenient, i hope they will fix it in upcoming updates
thanks for the answer


if you get used to it its in fact pretty fast and also opens up your creativity in a way thats totally different from the DAW world.
joining sequences in song mode and converting to new sequences is key to interesting structures especially if you get fluent with it, do it multiple times till you have all sequences you need, make the final song, convert it to one sequence and make the final adjustments to it :) i for one really don't miss the arrangement view or linear timeline stuff.

of course if you dont like it you can always write the whole song in a single sequence!
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Re: Record audio to a song, not just to a sequence

By bitermc Sat Apr 17, 2021 6:43 am
DeaDeus wrote:
MPC-Tutor wrote:You'l need to join together multiple sequences in 'song mode', then hit 'Convert to Seq' to convert that song to a single sequence. You can then lay down an audio track across your entire song.

Not ideal IMO, but it's the only way the MPC currently allows.


True!
An audio track across a complete Song would be the solution.
But who is honestly still putting the complete vocal in one take across the complete song - this is very old school from tape recording times - the "sympathy for the devil"-way :-) . Nowadays vocals are usually recored sequence by sequence.....


Vocals recorded in different takes might have slight differences in tone or interpretation, and when putting it all together the result might sound inconsistent or unnatural.

IMHO, it's better for the singer to record everything in one take, in warm. The record-stop-wait-record approach penalizes the feel and emotion of the vocals.

Also, the vocals can start or end a bit before or after the exact measure of the sequence.

Also, we can lose precious vocal gems of spontaneity if we're not recording what happens between sequences.

I could go for hours... In short, I sadly start realizing the MPCs are far from ideal when it comes to multitrack recording :|

Re: Record audio to a song, not just to a sequence

By Parialated Sat Apr 17, 2021 4:04 pm
agreed i like one takes better as a producer and as an mc...
whatever works though, but yeah i like to put all the energy in one or a few takes, instead of doing 4 bars at a time... but thats personal i suppose, so yeah i ussualy convert it to a big sequences record and then create breaks etc..
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Re: Record audio to a song, not just to a sequence

By bitermc Sat Apr 17, 2021 5:34 pm
I'm going to try exporting the song as wav, loading it into my old school Zoom multitrack recorder, then recording multiple takes of vocals.

After that, I'll choose the best takes and load them back to the mpc as samples, and from the sample pool back to the audio tracks, sampling, etc... It's not ideal, but it's what best suits my way of doing things.

I guess the MPC is not a standard multitrack recorder, but a different kind of machine instead. I still have to get used to it.
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Re: Record audio to a song, not just to a sequence

By Lampdog Sat Apr 17, 2021 8:46 pm
Duch Suvá wrote:quite inconvenient, i hope they will fix it in upcoming updates
thanks for the answer

Nope. It’s normal for the machine it is. No fix.

That fact that you can do just a lil more of that in these newest mpc’s in incredible, but, it’s STILL not a time-based machine.

MPC’s were never a time-based recorder and using it in that way is a fail imo.

bitermc wrote:Vocals recorded in different takes might have slight differences in tone or interpretation, and when putting it all together the result might sound inconsistent or unnatural.

IMHO, it's better for the singer to record everything in one take, in warm. The record-stop-wait-record approach penalizes the feel and emotion of the vocals.


THIS!
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Re: Record audio to a song, not just to a sequence

By Ultros Sat Apr 17, 2021 10:13 pm
I like to bounce all my sequences to wav, then i open up another unused sequence and make it as long as I want the song to be and i sequence the bounced wav files in an audio track using the audio sequencer. After that i add another audio track for vocals and record. I think the song sequencer kinda sucks so i do it all in audio by loading samples and tuning it to the grid. Then i can do over all effects on the sequenced song's track as well like tape stop or whatever to give it the brake effect of a vinyl on the over all song or i can chop and flip things and reverse, warp etc. It also allows me to contain the sequenced track as well as the sequences in one project from start to finish. Lots of great advice in this thread btw.

another option is to export the finished beat, then import it to an audio track and record along side it as others mentioned. (if you sequence in an audio track with bounced wavs tho.. you can make the final edits easier being unjoined)
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