MPC 3 -- Let's GO!!

I had my doubts abut the new arranger on the MPC X but I'm actually really pleased with how well it works. No longer need to connect the X to my laptop in controller mode to make a proper arrangement.

One thing I'm doing is I have a separate midi controller, in this case a simple Arturia Beatstep, connected to the X and mapped to mute my drum pads with the Beatstep pads. This way I can record pad mutes live into the arranger. Works really well.

He guys, gonna get my first MPC soon. Definitely excited. Just wanna know. Is it possible to put multiple audios on one audio track? For example having two different rise sounds on one audio track and move them around freely in arrangement mode.

have to keep filing bugs until they fix it correctly.

On a side note, I have noticed behavior in MPC 3 that you can load up a new drum program into a track while the song is still running, it seems to mute the track that is loading but the rest of the track continues to play and when the drum kit is done loading, it starts playing the new kit. So that is helpful when "auditioning" new kits like we used to with the different program/track structure in MPC 2. But remember every once in a while, you will need to purge all unused Samples, as from what I can see, when you load a new Drum Program into a track, the old Program gets erased, but not the samples associated with the Drum Program. So you have to purge it later.

bab00n wrote:He guys, gonna get my first MPC soon. Definitely excited. Just wanna know. Is it possible to put multiple audios on one audio track? For example having two different rise sounds on one audio track and move them around freely in arrangement mode.

Yes, you can place multiple samples on an audio track just like in a DAW.

Just don't forget that we are limited in 8 audio tracks in the box.

Hi everyone!

I'm a bit late to this thread, and although I've read a lot of comments, i can't find anyone who has the same problem as me with MPC3.

I understand that the vast majority of users are happy with having a good machine for making beats, but MPC2 (2.15) was also a good machine for triggering independent patterns live in the style of (and synchronized with) other machines like Elektron and Roland, and now all that functionality is gone in MPC3.

I usually do Techno, and as I've already said, my flow consists of creating different sequences as patterns, each one with a different amount of tracks and sounds to the rest of the sequences.
Now In MPC3 what is in sequence 1 will be repeated in all sequences, and that makes my workflow impossible.
I also trigger audio loops with the Clip Programs tool, and of course i need track and pad mutes per sequence (audio and midi)

If all those functions disappear permanently, mainly the independence of content between sequences and Clip Programs, I'll have to stay on 2.15, and i won't be able to enjoy the rest of the new features, which i really love.

It seems like Akai is deliberately limiting the use of the MPC for live performances.

Does anyone share my workflow, and think the same?

Plenty of people. Your not alone.

I knew within the first hour of the beta I wouldn't be making the move to 3.4

I just hope that suitable updates are rolled out for both.

Especially the CV stuff.

Majority of the "improvements" are of little use to me. Dislike the new mixers. No need of disk streaming. The new UI is garish and cluttered for the little information it actually displays.

I was pretty miffed at first but no longer care. I don't want a substandard Daw in a box so 2.? Is for me.

eLuSiVeMiTe wrote:Plenty of people. Your not alone.

I knew within the first hour of the beta I wouldn't be making the move to 3.4

I just hope that suitable updates are rolled out for both.

Especially the CV stuff.

Majority of the "improvements" are of little use to me. Dislike the new mixers. No need of disk streaming. The new UI is garish and cluttered for the little information it actually displays.

I was pretty miffed at first but no longer care. I don't want a substandard Daw in a box so 2.? Is for me.

There will be many people like you say, but I'm still waiting to read a comment from someone who uses it exactly as i do, I've already communicated my suggestions to Akai, but i guess they won't listen, since i'm a "vast minority", and what i'm suggesting would mean throwing MPC3 into the trash.

For me, the perfect MPC3 would have been to add the new mixer to MPC2, as well as some improvements in Timestretch and slice editing, and in the Clip Programs tool, to have more flexibility when triggering audio loops in Live

I'm with you on that, i prefer an "old-fashioned" machine that does what i need, to a nice box that no longer does what it should.

I hope your requests are met, the CV part is perhaps the one I've tested the least, since i only have a semi-modular synth, which i don't use in Live.

I think i read in a previous post that the new feature of unifying the sequence tracks is the price to pay for having Disk Streaming and Arranger mode.
I really don't understand how people can need Disk Streaming to not take up all the RAM memory, I have a project with more than 60 sequences/patterns, without any relation between them, with Drum Programs, and at least 4 audio loops of 4 and 8 bars long, and the 2GB of RAM of my MPC One supports it without problem.
If you only use the MPC to make one song per project, 2GB of RAM is more than enough.

eLuSiVeMiTe wrote:Plenty of people. Your not alone.

I knew within the first hour of the beta I wouldn't be making the move to 3.4

I just hope that suitable updates are rolled out for both.

Especially the CV stuff.

Majority of the "improvements" are of little use to me. Dislike the new mixers. No need of disk streaming. The new UI is garish and cluttered for the little information it actually displays.

I was pretty miffed at first but no longer care. I don't want a substandard Daw in a box so 2.? Is for me.

This is exactly how I feel. I find it mind-boggling that people actually seem to prefer any of the new TUI, particularly the linear mixers, which no longer make sense against the hardware interface.

I’ve tried to get on with this update but it’s not happening. It’s slowed everything down for me and fundamentally broken some approaches to writing, recording, and playing live. If they even just allowed the option to switch between linear and grid mixer layouts I might actually stick with it. But as it is it’s a mess.

MGoolas wrote:Just don't forget that we are limited in 8 audio tracks in the box.

Unless you mod your MPC
I believe you can do the same as this with the MPC:
https://www.mpc-forums.com/viewtopic.php?t=217068

sparky wrote:[..]particularly the linear mixers, which no longer make sense against the hardware interface. [..] If they even just allowed the option to switch between linear and grid mixer layouts [..]

A toggle to switch between both would be nice but, in software, the proliferation of such configuration options is a path to hell.

so does MPC 3 need a legacy mode option?

whereby if u turn on legacy mode u still get programs unlinked from tracks and the multiple time signature options, etc? maybe also a leagcy GUI mode?

why cant akai offer both options; to enable people to keep their traditional legacy workflows?

Failing that; perhaps another Japanese Jenius will emerge

I dont see the problem, if one likes the old Legacy structure of the Firmware better with Programms etc, than just stay with that, its easy.
Dont mean anyone in specific, its just an observation because some people are really unhappy with the new update.
It would only be such a huge problem if we wouldnt be allowed to donwgrade.

JohnnyRayJr wrote:I dont see the problem, if one likes the old Legacy structure of the Firmware better with Programms etc, than just stay with that, its easy.
Dont mean anyone in specific, its just an observation because some people are really unhappy with the new update.
It would only be such a huge problem if we wouldnt be allowed to donwgrade.

Yes but that's a very short term option, the likely reality is that 2.15 is going to be abandoned by Akai once 3.4 goes officially live, it will probably no longer get support or bug fixes, and won't support any new plugins or other future features. And if they change the account activation system in the future then possibly legacy 2.15 users might have issues validating licenses of existing plugins.

It really is quite a drastic change for many people who use certain workflows. Far better they try to address the concerns that many people have, I'm sure there's a solution in there somewhere.