Integrating the MPC Live 2 with Cubase/Groove Agent via MIDI

Hi all,

I know the MPC Live is primarily seen as a standalone device, however I also want to be able to integrate it with my DAW setup.

This turned out much more troublesome than expected.

I have connected the MPC Live 2 via Midi to my Audio Interface, and when I create a project with a Midi Track/Program on the MPC and configure the Channel accordingly, it does send out MIDI events when I press the pads.

The problem I am facing now is that Cubase/Groove Agent uses a different pad layout than the MPC. With PAD perform mode OFF in the MPC, it sends C1 when pressing the A1 pad instead of sending C2. E.g. the TOP and BOTTOM rows of the MPC pad layout is reversed. Triggering a pad on the bottom rows, triggers the top row and vice versa. I think the layout on the MPC is funky. The Pad 1 (A1) is assigned to C-2 and PAD 13 (A13) is assigned to C-1. It should start with C1 on the bottom Pad and then go up..



Groove Agent has a feature called "Use Hardware Controller Mapping", with the Options "Default", "E-Drum Controller 1" and "Yamaha DTX-900", but none of them work.

I could off course go through all the PADS in Groove Agent and MIDI-CC learn them to the pads of the MPC, but I am not sure this is the best approach. I would rather tell the MPC Live to remap itself to the way Cubase/Groove Agent is configured (e.g. see image above)

What is the best approach here? This seems way to uncesserarily complicated to me..

Thanks

Why should the MPC start on C1? In MIDI, plugin and keygroup programs the MPC pads cover the entire 128 note MIDI range and by default start on note C-2 (midi note 0) and go up to G8 (midi note 127). This is no different to a small MIDI keyboard where you just have to select the correct octave to suit where you want the notes to start.

In pad perform mode if you want to have the pads start on C1 and run chromatically, you can select 'NOTES' as the pad perform type and under 'scale & octave' select Chromatic and Octave 1.

Sorry, I did not explain the issue well enough.

I want to map the MPC pads to the Groove Agent layout:



So that pressing the A1 pad on the MPC triggers the C1 note, A2 triggers C#1 etc.., in order to seemlessly be able to play the groove agent with the MPC and also send MIDI from the groove agent to the MPC and the mapping works. E.g. Kick is on the lower left pad, etc..

When I enalbe Notes mode, for some reason I cannot select Chromatic scale:



It only lets me select Major, Natural Minor, Harmonic Minor, Pentatonic Major, Pentatonic Minor, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, Locrian, Blues, Flamenco, Gypse, Hungarian Gypsy, Person, Major Bebop and Whole Tone.

Thanks for your help!

Hmm, looks like there's a bug in standalone pad perform, chromatic scale should be there, it is in the MPC Software.

Okay another way to achieve this:

Turn off Pad Perform
Go to MAIN
Select your MIDI track
Hit the pencil icon on MIDI program row
Select Edit Note Map
Press the Chromatic C1 button

This will (should!) remap the MIDI program starting on C1, with the notes below C1 just placed on banks F-H. This new mapping should be permanently saved within the MIDI program. You could also save this 'groove agent' MIDI program separately along with all other preferred program config and load it when required, or add it to your default project template.

That did it! Thanks!

I think there was a chromatic scale once upon a time. Maybe they removed it because there is a chromatic button on the bottom and top of the page and serves the same function.

The notes setting locks the pads to a scale, and the chromatic setting will highlight the notes of the scale you are in but still allow you to play all notes.

It just dawned on me that as an alternative, you can create your mapping with a progression. This way you can recall it very easy. I think it'll probably be even easier to recall than loading a midi mapped program.

Now that I really think about it , for something like a external sampler, it should actually give you more flexibility. So for instance with midi mapping you can only map 1 note to one pad. But with progressions you can map multiple notes to a pad.

Theoretically you could assign a pad that plays a snare and a hihat at the same time. Maybe a kick and a crash or kick and a sample etc etc. If I were to do it this way I would set up chords 1-16 on bank A as single hits then on bank B I would do single hits and combos.

Very interesting possibilities here. The one drawback I see about this way instead of midi mapping is if you want to use another pad perform setting you'll have to switch and it's not just always there like a midi mapped program would be.