Custom Mix on Headphone Output. Akai MPC Live 2

How do you not loose 2 audio tracks with an external mixer ?

If you're able to read previous comments, then go a bit backwards. You will see that I was talking about audio out (7/8).
Thanks

First your manual page didn't answer clearly to my question, from my point of view.
Second, it was hard to believe that there was no way to route the headphones output, and so loose two audio tracks.
And last but not least, english is not my language, I might miss some subtleties, reading or writing.
These machines are not easy to use, especially when you are over 60... and you weren't born with a computer in one hand and a games console in the other

The question remains. How do you lose two audio tracks if you use an external mixer? What audio track where? Who or what takes it away, when, how?

I thought what you'd do is, route your stuff into separate input channels in an external mixer, via USB (even 32 channels in 32 inputs/outputs mode) or individual analog cables (at most 6) and then create as many different mixes of those channels as you want, of course limited by how many separate mixes the mixer can do. You connect your headphones into the mixer, or a separate headphone amp. Right?

The number of audio tracks is 8 in all cases. What do audio tracks have to do with this anyway?

Dany06hd wrote:First your manual page didn't answer clearly to my question, from my point of view.
Second, it was hard to believe that there was no way to route the headphones output, and so loose two audio tracks.
And last but not least, english is not my language, I might miss some subtleties, reading or writing.
These machines are not easy to use, especially when you are over 60... and you weren't born with a computer in one hand and a games console in the other

well nobody has really laid this out yet, so here goes.

when you use an external USB audio interface, or a mixer that is a USB audio interface.. it *replaces* the inputs/outputs that are on the MPC.
so if you get an 8+ channel interface/mixer, you will get all the channels that the device can support.
you would just plug everything into the mixer instead of the MPC. you do not "lose" any channels.

the extra outputs that the MPC Live has (compared to the One) are just a convenience feature. you can expand any of the modern mpc's to use 32 channels with an external interface/mixer.

xantus wrote:when you use an external USB audio interface, or a mixer that is a USB audio interface.. it *replaces* the inputs/outputs that are on the MPC.
so if you get an 8+ channel interface/mixer, you will get all the channels that the device can support.
you would just plug everything into the mixer instead of the MPC. you do not "lose" any channels.

the extra outputs that the MPC Live has (compared to the One) are just a convenience feature. you can expand any of the modern mpc's to use 32 channels with an external interface/mixer.

Eureka !
That's the information I needed !
I wasn't aware of the USB mixing things... Thanks a lot for upgrading my knowledge

So any usb mixer with audio interface can replace an audio track mixer...
That's great
Am I being abusive if I ask you for further information and advice ?...
Could you advise me on an affordable, let say 12 track, usb audio interface mixer please ?
I have seen the tascam model 12, big and expensive. I play without fee...
I've seen many other cheap usb mixers on amazon, but I'm affraid they get 2 channels only by usb...

By the way..., with a MIDI (usb) mixer controller, can I mix midi and audio tracks with the mpc live, and be able to monitor each track with the headphones output without earing it on the main output ?
In this case, the final mix would be on the mpc output 1/2 without worries.
Some are cheap and small, very cool, but limited to 8 faders (akai midimix, novation launchcontrol).
The only thing that bother me, is that they've got multifonction knobs. You cannot know the previous position when you go back to it.
There are some with endless rotary encoders, that's much better. But again, you never know their position...
Until I found a Behringer mini midi mixer X TOUCH MINI, that seems to match my needs. The multifonction rotary encoders show their position with lights...
Unfortunately I don’t know it's limitations, and compatibility. The manual is very poor, and nobody seems to use it with mpc live.

It must say that I live in a small poor country, with very few and extremely limited music shops (they sell cheap made in china music instruments, like 100$ guitar is the most expensive...).
Impossible to ask anybody about what they don't even know it exists. There's neither a musician community to share informations. Here they only play latino music live.
Internet and amazon are for me the only links to the outer world...

jaymack wrote:https://www.mpc-forums.com/viewtopic.php?f=48&t=211654

Thanks a lot, but Behringer mini midi mixer X TOUCH MINI isn't on the list. Therefore I still don't know its compatibility.
In my country deliveries must go through a freight forwarder in Miami for me to receive them. Usually it takes a month to arrive. And if I have to return equipment, not only does it cost me a fortune, but the return deadlines are always exceeded. Which means I have no room for error.

Dany06hd wrote:

jaymack wrote:https://www.mpc-forums.com/viewtopic.php?f=48&t=211654

Thanks a lot, but Behringer mini midi mixer X TOUCH MINI isn't on the list. Therefore I still don't know its compatibility.
In my country deliveries must go through a freight forwarder in Miami for me to receive them. Usually it takes a month to arrive. And if I have to return equipment, not only does it cost me a fortune, but the return deadlines are always exceeded. Which means I have no room for error.

well, first of all. you have gone off the rails a bit.. every one of the devices you mentioned in your big post above is just a Midi Controller, which is completely different from a USB Audio Interface / Mixer.

you should look at the other thread which was linked above again. a Mixer that is 8 channels+ and is also USB Audio Class Compliant is going to be quite a bit more spendy than the devices you mentioned. try to think about how many channels you will really need if cost is an issue.

"Behringer mini midi mixer X TOUCH MINI" is a midi controller. similar to the akai midi mix.. it will work mapping transport controls such as the volume of each track on the mpc, or a plethora of other options. It will NOT route audio into or out of the MPC. It can only be used to map midi transport controls as a midi controller. NO sound.

LOL, this thread is running around in circles.

Dany06hd, you're not even listening to people's comments.

viewtopic.php?f=48&t=212058#p1870349

Jamos, one page earlier, already explained you how your reasoning is absurd.

Ultros wrote:"Behringer mini midi mixer X TOUCH MINI" is a midi controller. similar to the akai midi mix.. it will work mapping transport controls such as the volume of each track on the mpc, or a plethora of other options. It will NOT route audio into or out of the MPC. It can only be used to map midi transport controls as a midi controller. NO sound.

Yes I know they are midi controllers (it was an hypothesis to save on the price of a Tascam model 12, and have better portability), as I wrote I guess mpc will make the mix, and will route mpc audio outputs 1/2 (for example) for the main. Is it right or I miss something ?

My goal is to manage main mix and headphones monitoring separately.

mpc_fan_2022 wrote:LOL, this thread is running around in circles.

Dany06hd, you're not even listening to people's comments.

viewtopic.php?f=48&t=212058#p1870349

Jamos, one page earlier, already explained you how your reasoning is absurd.

Listening is not understanding...
I look for a solution to mange the things in accordance with a workflow that suits me better than mpc alone.

As I said english is not my language. I can misunderstand or express myself poorly. I apologies for that. I'm also old and not used to those modern things. I just try to take maximum advantage of the possibilities offered to me, which I do not necessarily master.