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.
By fmq75 Sat Sep 04, 2021 12:49 pm
hi there,

i`m looking for tips regarding expansions.Coming from maschine i`m missing variaton in the akai lineup.Looking at their homepage it seems that 80% is focussed on hiphop/trap,which is not my cup of tea.At least not the"standard" stuff,i`m open for more abstract and lo-fi stuff as well (like the astral flutter NI expansion).Looking mainly for kits,not really keygroup instruments.

Any expansions that focus on electronic music like downbeat,ambient,dub techno,chicago/detroit house/techno?I`m NOT looking for EDM or any other"big room"techno.

I think the previews on the akai website are pretty bad/lazy as well.One and a half minute snippet is just not enough to make a descision.And the information of what to expect ,other than marketing speech,is also often lacking details.I.e. how many kits,is it only kits or keygroups as well etc.

And a question about loading a kit with pattern:is there no way to avoid loading a kit+pattern into a new sequence but instead loading it into the same sequence i`m working on?I hope i overlook something,cause it just doesn`t make sense if i have i.e.just ONE track playing and want to add a second track in the same sequence.
By HouseWithoutMouse Sat Sep 04, 2021 4:16 pm
There's nothing magical about expansions, they're basically a folder (structure) with samples, drum and keygroup programs, with preview clips and a JPEG picture. You can use any sample set from any company as long as the MPC can load the wave files, and think of it as an "expansion", it doesn't have to be bought from Akai.

According to the NI web site, the Astral Flutter expansion's samples are in standard WAV format, so if you have the expansion, you can use it in your MPC.

Myself, I would rename all the sample files in all folders with a script so that they all start with a prefix like NIAF for NI Astral Flutter, and maybe the folder name/path as well, so the MPC's find feature finds what I want.

How to Load the Contents of an NI Expansion in a Sequencer / DAW
https://support.native-instruments.com/ ... uencer-DAW

see the third chapter, 3. Loading Audio Samples and Loops
By fmq75 Sat Sep 04, 2021 6:11 pm
thanks,

it`s not only about simple sample collections but also the treatment (ready to go with internal EQ/FX etc..) and the pattern that come along with expansions.They can be a good starting point or source of inspiration.

I already converted all my NI expansions into mpc expansions using kitmaker and the expansion builder.Worked pretty well and was easy.But it`s just the raw samples of course.

Drag n drop the maschine midi files into a DAW is also easy,it even works drag n drop from maschine into mpc software but mpc does not seem to handle midi files that contain multiple tracks.Only one single track.
By SuperKonquer Sun Sep 05, 2021 8:29 pm
All you need to do is create a pattern with every note and then load your maschine kit and then export. You'll get all the samples with the efx applied. its a longer process than using something like kitmaker but then you get the maschine kits the same way they sound in maschine.
By fmq75 Mon Sep 06, 2021 8:22 pm
SuperKonquer wrote:All you need to do is create a pattern with every note and then load your maschine kit and then export. You'll get all the samples with the efx applied. its a longer process than using something like kitmaker but then you get the maschine kits the same way they sound in maschine.


I don`t know what you mean to be honest...how would it even possible to have the Maschine FX applied if the MPC has totally different fx?

But i know at least what`s going wrong with my midi file import...the MPC pads have a weird note allocation.For example pad nr 1 is C#1 and pad nr 2 is C1 :hmmm:
By SuperKonquer Wed Sep 08, 2021 1:56 am
You would export the samples with the fx applied from the maschine software not the MPC. Of course once you export you can't adjust the fx but you get the kits how the kit maker crafted them to sound instead of the raw samples. There are programs that can remap a midi file. You'll have to search around for one that works for you. It just move notes to other notes. I had one that that was free and can batch process after you set up your conversion template. I can't find it now and dont remember the name but some searching and a little trial and error you could find it or something similar.
By SuperKonquer Wed Sep 08, 2021 2:31 am
fmq75 wrote:
SuperKonquer wrote:All you need to do is create a pattern with every note and then load your maschine kit and then export. You'll get all the samples with the efx applied. its a longer process than using something like kitmaker but then you get the maschine kits the same way they sound in maschine.


I don`t know what you mean to be honest...how would it even possible to have the Maschine FX applied if the MPC has totally different fx?

But i know at least what`s going wrong with my midi file import...the MPC pads have a weird note allocation.For example pad nr 1 is C#1 and pad nr 2 is C1 :hmmm:


https://markheath.net/post/new-version- ... ile-mapper

i found the program I used to remap the maschine midi files to the mpc mapping. Works really well. You just need to take some time to set it up properly.