Tips for getting better results sonically in standalone?

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.
 Reply Share on Facebook

Tips for getting better results sonically in standalone?

By IvoryBlack589 Wed Jul 31, 2024 6:01 pm
Hey so I really like using the MPC as a sole song-finishing machine, however when I play back my tracks on a different device I get highly mixed results. Sometimes too loud, sometimes too quiet, often not glued and when it is 'good' sonically I can't pinpoint what I did to create that outcome.

What are some effects, techniques, approaches, processes etc that can be applied on the MPC standalone to improve your sonics (e.g. mixing and mastering)?

For what it's worth I have a Tascam mixer now and a SP404mkII that I use with the MPC as well.
User avatar

Re: Tips for getting better results sonically in standalone?

By Monotremata Wed Jul 31, 2024 6:37 pm
Welcome to the world of mixing..

Mixing techniques are all the same regardless of whether you're playing with a sampler, workstation, DAW, sitting in front of a 32 channel API, etc.. Your most important tool in any studio is a flat set of reference monitors, and you need to learn how they 'sound'. You need to learn what they hype, what they dont hype, and what they ruin or hide, and you need to do your best to make a compromise so your mix sounds as best as it can across whatever random sound system someone is going to throw it on.

(The same rule also applies to desktop speakers, headphones, etc.. You can mix on anything, once you know the speakers well enough)

Re: Tips for getting better results sonically in standalone?

By IvoryBlack589 Wed Jul 31, 2024 7:02 pm
Understood, however I feel like what I do other places (s2400, Reaper) translates more (e.g. sounds very close to what i heard while making it) or at least sounds decent mix-wise. The MPC has been another story for me, and I see people saying for example that you can't mix on the MPC. I have to wonder if I am missing something.

Re: Tips for getting better results sonically in standalone?

By IvoryBlack589 Wed Jul 31, 2024 8:33 pm
Headphones, speakers are out of the question in my living environment for various reasons. I've tried putting up a ton of acoustic treatment (Took it down because at the size of my room it didn't really help + made things depressingly dark) and mixing on speakers but mixing never 'clicked' and I always ended up paying people to mix my stuff regardless. I've tried to read different books on mixing as well
User avatar

Re: Tips for getting better results sonically in standalone?

By offline Wed Jul 31, 2024 8:34 pm
IvoryBlack589 wrote:The MPC has been another story for me, and I see people saying for example that you can't mix on the MPC. I have to wonder if I am missing something.



Bulls***, why one can't mix on mpc? it has program faders, pan, plugins etc etc, like any other DAW.

From my point of view, mixing beats on my live 2 is much more fun that mixing in Reaper

Re: Tips for getting better results sonically in standalone?

By B-Wise Wed Jul 31, 2024 8:41 pm
Monotremata wrote:Welcome to the world of mixing..

Mixing techniques are all the same regardless of whether you're playing with a sampler, workstation, DAW, sitting in front of a 32 channel API, etc.. Your most important tool in any studio is a flat set of reference monitors, and you need to learn how they 'sound'. You need to learn what they hype, what they dont hype, and what they ruin or hide, and you need to do your best to make a compromise so your mix sounds as best as it can across whatever random sound system someone is going to throw it on.

(The same rule also applies to desktop speakers, headphones, etc.. You can mix on anything, once you know the speakers well enough)

This^ & check out The Crates Motel on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@thecratesmotel?si=IsxPiVh9uaRohCn8

Also that darkness could've been a good thing as sign of making things more accurate.

Re: Tips for getting better results sonically in standalone?

By IvoryBlack589 Wed Jul 31, 2024 8:58 pm
offline wrote:
IvoryBlack589 wrote:The MPC has been another story for me, and I see people saying for example that you can't mix on the MPC. I have to wonder if I am missing something.



Bulls***, why one can't mix on mpc? it has program faders, pan, plugins etc etc, like any other DAW.

From my point of view, mixing beats on my live 2 is much more fun that mixing in Reaper

I agree that that mixing on MPCs is more fun tbh,

Re: Tips for getting better results sonically in standalone?

By IvoryBlack589 Wed Jul 31, 2024 8:59 pm
B-Wise wrote:
Monotremata wrote:Welcome to the world of mixing..

Mixing techniques are all the same regardless of whether you're playing with a sampler, workstation, DAW, sitting in front of a 32 channel API, etc.. Your most important tool in any studio is a flat set of reference monitors, and you need to learn how they 'sound'. You need to learn what they hype, what they dont hype, and what they ruin or hide, and you need to do your best to make a compromise so your mix sounds as best as it can across whatever random sound system someone is going to throw it on.

(The same rule also applies to desktop speakers, headphones, etc.. You can mix on anything, once you know the speakers well enough)

This^ & check out The Crates Motel on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@thecratesmotel?si=IsxPiVh9uaRohCn8

Also that darkness could've been a good thing as sign of making things more accurate.

Thanks!

Re: Tips for getting better results sonically in standalone?

By jpeg Wed Jul 31, 2024 10:22 pm
IvoryBlack589 wrote:Understood, however I feel like what I do other places (s2400, Reaper) translates more (e.g. sounds very close to what i heard while making it) or at least sounds decent mix-wise. The MPC has been another story for me, and I see people saying for example that you can't mix on the MPC. I have to wonder if I am missing something.


this is the point that EA-SKI was making about the converters; of the modern MPC's, whereas the 2400 has higher quality converters that make it easier to get that polished produced sound.

but ultimately u have to adapt to the MPC flat sounds and learn a mixing style that works for the MPC, but the typical mixing principles will apply to the MPC

Re: Tips for getting better results sonically in standalone?

By Dylan Wed Jul 31, 2024 10:53 pm
My experience of mixing on headphones was never great tbh. I would suggest doing a bunch of different versions to see which ones translate best in the car or on any speakers you have to hand. Compression helps glue stuff together so look that up on the master output (not the only thing but thats a start). Keep trying and learning. Buying a cheap small set of desktop speakers can tell you a lot about how a mix is sounding. Theyre small and tinny so if you can produce a good mix on them then your onto something. Not sure how easy it is to mix in the mpc but as ‘offline’ above suggested-its got faders, plugins etc so there shouldnt be an issue. Takes a while to nail it but if you keep pushing, youll get there.

Re: Tips for getting better results sonically in standalone?

By B-Wise Thu Aug 01, 2024 12:34 am
IvoryBlack589 wrote:Headphones, speakers are out of the question in my living environment for various reasons. I've tried putting up a ton of acoustic treatment (Took it down because at the size of my room it didn't really help + made things depressingly dark) and mixing on speakers but mixing never 'clicked' and I always ended up paying people to mix my stuff regardless. I've tried to read different books on mixing as well

What headphones do you use?
I'm in kinda the same situation where I gotta mix on headphones as well. I use the Shure-1540. Not popular & they costed about $500, but Iike them. I only found out about them because someone on YouTube gave them a bad review. But dude didn't know these were mixing headphones & all the reasons he said they were bad are reasons that make them great for mixing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=He-a-qK ... SzP3QJMqh0

You can check out some of my beats but these are just rough sketch-beat that weren’t really mixed:#Harlem-Instrumental's Jams: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P ... wd_RFxmFen
User avatar

Re: Tips for getting better results sonically in standalone?

By Lampdog Thu Aug 01, 2024 4:07 am
offline wrote:From my point of view, mixing beats on my live 2 is much more fun that mixing in Reaper

Yes it is!!!

When I DO decide to get a good mix on mpc x it sounds really good on all my systems, car, avr, headphones. No computer involved.

When I tried YA, I was even happier widdit. He’s done a damn good job. I use it maybe 80% of the time.
 Reply
Return to MPC X, MPC One, MPC Live & MPC Key