Notes on OS Update Vers 3.6

The feature I miss the most, flexible time signature settings, has unfortunately only been very incompletely implemented in version 3.6. Settings cannot be made per sequence but always apply to the entire project. This significantly limits creative use.
I am somewhat disappointed—there could have been more potential here. True flexibility, unfortunately, is not provided this way.
An alternative would have been to allow loop setting not only in relation to measures but also in relation to beats.

I make a mix of jazz and rock music with frequent changes in time signatures. Without the features mentioned above, this is only very cumbersome and time-consuming to achieve on MPC standalone devices. I had hoped to be able to completely avoid using computer DAWs. Unfortunately, that wish has not been fulfilled.

Other than that, the update to 3.6 is fine, and the update process went smoothly.


(translated by AI from German)

People keep bringing up the time signature issue...and I'm wondering...perhaps clip mode has something to do with this? Because let's say, you're trying to launch one clip that's 4 bars long and 5/4, and then another that's 3 bars long at 6/8, then maybe this just isn't something the MPC can handle. And then imagine not only launching these clips, but even without having to tempo match if you didn't feel like it (I kind of like more avant garde electronic music like this). Clips essentially cue your tracks up to trigger at certain intervals i.e. steps/measures...I would think triggering different clips of different time signatures would start to shift around the grid too much eventually.

I haven't bought the Pro Pack yet because it sounds like the transaction process still needs to be ironed out and I only got a Live 2 recently, so I'm not familiar with the clip mode in older versions, but I believe it matches every clip to tempo? I found this on the internet in regards to tempo/bpm: "For example 50 BPM at 4/4 = 75 BPM at 6/8"...so launching different clips of different time signatures is too intensive. If one clip is playing at 4/4...how does it know when to sync & launch a clip in 7/8? Which clip & time signature is the "master" clock that all other clips launch from? And I know older versions used to have clip mode, so maybe this was a problem that has been built in since then. You would think for a sequencer, especially if it's going to give you clip mode, would have the ability to launch clips of different bpms & time signatures.

In 3.6 clips, loops can now be set in beats or ticks. You can even run 3/4 and 5/4 loops at the same time, and unlike the pre-3.6 sequence workflow, clip triggers are no longer reset based on sequence length. A fantastic update!

We can adjust time signatures now, but I thought the time signature was universal i.e. you can't have different sequences of different time signatures and I figured if you can't have different sequences of different time signatures, then you couldn't launch clips of different time signatures either. Maybe I'm not understanding the clip-to-track/sequence relationship; I'm assuming clips aren't just audio information of several bars or "loops" triggered by a single note-on type event, but other actual data events being triggered in there as well.

The Jackal wrote:Maybe I'm not understanding the clip-to-track/sequence relationship; I'm assuming clips aren't just audio information of several bars or "loops" triggered by a single note-on type event, but other actual data events being triggered in there as well.

You got it.
Clips are like an MPC Track that can be play with or independent of the seq/row that's it in. Like a Track, clips stores the info based on the track type: Audio, Drum, MIDI, Plugin, CV. These are all the types the Force has but I think some are missing on the MPC. Also on the Force clips can range from 24 ticks to 12,600 bars & each track has 999 clips. you can also use clips to store different automation settings as the only info & MIDI send it to another Track. You can have it so a track is excluded from launch so none of the clips start when you press play, but you can play any clip on that track anytime & each one can have a different launch quantization time from 1/64 to up to 8 bars before it starts after you press it, or you can pick None & have that clip play as soon as you press it like sample on a pad. This can lead to off-beat looping madness!

Sometimes I wonder if there are any musicians involved in the development of this instrument, at all.

"You wanted time signatures, we gave you time signatures! Now you can do your waltz, or your jazz or whatever. Now you want to be able to change time signatures? Who does that?"

The Jackal wrote: I'm assuming clips aren't just audio information of several bars or "loops" triggered by a single note-on type event, but other actual data events being triggered in there as well.

Unlike MPC2 clips, MPC3 clips are not triggered by a sequence. Therefore, they are not retriggered based on the time signature or bar count of a sequence.

Elijah wrote:Unlike MPC2 clips, MPC3 clips are not triggered by a sequence. Therefore, they are not retriggered based on the time signature or bar count of a sequence.

Having never used MPC2 clips, I lack an essential perspective to comment, but... Is there anything that MPC2 clips did that is not possible with a drum program ? I've always put my samples in drum programs, so I can easily sequence them... Am I missing something ?

Jean-Marc Liotier wrote:

Elijah wrote:Unlike MPC2 clips, MPC3 clips are not triggered by a sequence. Therefore, they are not retriggered based on the time signature or bar count of a sequence.

Having never used MPC2 clips, I lack an essential perspective to comment, but... Is there anything that MPC2 clips did that is not possible with a drum program ? I've always put my samples in drum programs, so I can easily sequence them... Am I missing something ?

MPC2’s clip program was mostly just for looping sample files. The only really nice feature was that you could latch the loop state, which isn’t possible with a drum program.

MPC3’s clips are completely different: you can clip MIDI as well, set their length completely independently from the sequence, and have them loop at that length.

Elijah wrote:MPC2’s clip program was mostly just for looping sample files. The only really nice feature was that you could latch the loop state, which isn’t possible with a drum program.

MPC3’s clips are completely different: you can clip MIDI as well, set their length completely independently from the sequence, and have them loop at that length.

You can also turn each clip's Launch quantization to "None" so they play instantly even if the seq isn't running. You can have a bunch of clips just freely looping & adjust the loop range of clips in real-time in the Grid editor. If you set the clips to play mode to Trigger (instead of Toggle) & turn their clip loop off, you can play clips like samples on a drum pad set to One-Shot.

B-Wise wrote:

Elijah wrote:MPC2’s clip program was mostly just for looping sample files. The only really nice feature was that you could latch the loop state, which isn’t possible with a drum program.

MPC3’s clips are completely different: you can clip MIDI as well, set their length completely independently from the sequence, and have them loop at that length.

You can also turn each clip's Launch quantization to "None" so they play instantly even if the seq isn't running. You can have a bunch of clips just freely looping & adjust the loop range of clips in real-time in the Grid editor. If you set the clips to play mode to Trigger (instead of Toggle) & turn their clip loop off, you can play clips like samples on a drum pad set to One-Shot.

What do you mean by loop range?

HUBA wrote:What do you mean by loop range?

On the Force using the clip editor you can setup each clip loop range. If the clip is 8 bars, you can change it loop as small as 24 ticks or whatever in the the 8 limit like only bar 2 to 6 or 1 to 1.3.

If you use 1/8 or 1/4 as your project's time signature, then it's up to clips to use whatever lengths they want. "Bar" launch quantization then means the same as "beat" though. Disclaimer: I only have a Force.

Cool. Thanks

HouseWithoutMouse wrote:If you use 1/8 or 1/4 as your project's time signature, then it's up to clips to use whatever lengths they want. "Bar" launch quantization then means the same as "beat" though. Disclaimer: I only have a Force.

Thanks a lot to you you just opened to me a can of polymetric and rythmic paradise !!

This workaround is fantastic

made a template project with 1/8 time signature, using Clip matrix workflow it's just very easy and happy to :

- make any asymetric / odd/ coumpound bar / signature you would need on any clips. ( I'm in 1/8 so just as much bars as you need beats in your signature)

- make any polymetric interaction possible between each tracks by making different length clips.

- record this on the fly on any clip( I don't specify "max legnth" so it's up to you to stop recording), can also create a odd length and make it loop and overdub.. It's fluid.

-quickly change length of clips by going on main screen while a clip is selected , or to adjut loop brackets in grid. so easy and fast to get rid of your "too soon / too early" REC starts.

-make any row have its own tempo and therefore set of polyrythhmic, odd time signature

- make it possible to improvise on that kind of impossible to play rythmic structures (using press to empty clips to stop playing ones, building transition to the next hazardous polyshit clip set)

BONUS : you can still make quintuplets / septuplets etc.. by using the "Split events" function in grid/clip pencil menu . So polyrythm and polymeter is now absolutely free.

BONUS 2 : you can still play in 4/4 if you want

definitely better workflow with clips, and the ability to record a final sequence on the fly by jamming clips... Still work if you don't go below 999 bars ( in fact 999 beats), quite a long time.

MPC 3.6 allows you to finally JAM and CREATE on the fly .. .Was waiting for this since I've got my MPC live it in 2019.

And .. It's stable for the moment !

time to applause AKAI.
Pro Pack seems very expensive, but if clips fit to your workflow, it's not expensive

SHORTCUTS

I've put the "Clip Matrix" and "navigate " icons on first page of menu, so that i can press MENU + PAD 4 to get the matrix, and MENU + PAD 3 to go to NAvigate window. These are in the corner near the MENU button of my mpc one + , so one hand only.

CONS :
-you loose the 4 beat countdown at first rec : it's just 1 beat now, not easy .. but TC at rec or afterwards is here for something