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.
By sam morris Wed Mar 04, 2026 1:33 pm
hi, i was watching a malo beats video and he had a favourites tab for his insert effects alongside the reverb, eq etc tabs.
how do you achieve this? i’ve been googling for hours and cant find a single clue.
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By Lampdog Wed Mar 04, 2026 1:57 pm
Link to vid and time slot?
By Shift Gorden Wed Mar 04, 2026 2:11 pm
Few ways to do it (if this is it):

Mixer mode > Effects tab > click "Inserts" at the top of the track above the FX slots.

The FX screen will now appear. The three folder icons will allow you to access Akai's FX racks, load your own FX racks, or save your own racks (I'm guessing he saved his own he can recall his faves).

Maybe?
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By Lampdog Wed Mar 04, 2026 4:36 pm
Oh that, yeah, it's fx racks load/save, it was a highly requested feature a long while back and Akai made it happen, along with re-ordering fx in the 4 slot chain, it's great.

Download the v3 manual, do a search for "fx rack" and you'll find it. Stop following these vids and get into the manual and/or mpc bible more. Many vids create more questions than they answer.
By sam morris Wed Mar 04, 2026 6:46 pm
Lampdog wrote:Oh that, yeah, it's fx racks load/save, it was a highly requested feature a long while back and Akai made it happen, along with re-ordering fx in the 4 slot chain, it's great.

Download the v3 manual, do a search for "fx rack" and you'll find it. Stop following these vids and get into the manual and/or mpc bible more. Many vids create more questions than they answer.


i’ve searched the manual already and this website and reddit, no avail.
By sam morris Wed Mar 04, 2026 6:47 pm
Shift Gorden wrote:Few ways to do it (if this is it):

Mixer mode > Effects tab > click "Inserts" at the top of the track above the FX slots.

The FX screen will now appear. The three folder icons will allow you to access Akai's FX racks, load your own FX racks, or save your own racks (I'm guessing he saved his own he can recall his faves).

Maybe?


nah not quite i know how to save presets and effects racks im tryna find out how to make a favourites drop-down menu in the effects list
By Shift Gorden Wed Mar 04, 2026 7:16 pm
Sam - oh man - color me confused. Yeah, no idea. It does look like he's on 2.x OS, so maybe that's part of it? This is bugging!

Lampdog - yeah - super useful. I use this when I have processed external midi and don't want to bounce it with effects. I just save the rack, bounce to audio and then load that same rack onto the new audio track.
By Shift Gorden Wed Mar 04, 2026 7:20 pm
From the artificial intelligence machine (no idea if it works):

The "Favorites" folder you see in Malo Beats' videos is actually a custom category created within the MPC Software on a computer. Once you set it up there, the organization carries over to your standalone hardware (MPC One, Live, X, etc.).

How to Create the Favorites FX Tab
You cannot currently create this folder directly on the standalone touch screen; you must use the MPC Software (Desktop) to "tag" your plugins.

Open MPC Software on your computer.

Go to Preferences (Ctrl+, on PC / Cmd+, on Mac).

Select the Plugins tab.

You will see a list of all your scanned VST/AU and internal plugins.

Look for the "Fav" column (it’s a checkbox column on the right side of the list).

Check the box for every effect you want in your Favorites list.

Restart the MPC Software (and if you are using a standalone unit, make sure it is synced/connected).
By sam morris Wed Mar 04, 2026 7:29 pm
Shift Gorden wrote:From the artificial intelligence machine (no idea if it works):

The "Favorites" folder you see in Malo Beats' videos is actually a custom category created within the MPC Software on a computer. Once you set it up there, the organization carries over to your standalone hardware (MPC One, Live, X, etc.).

How to Create the Favorites FX Tab
You cannot currently create this folder directly on the standalone touch screen; you must use the MPC Software (Desktop) to "tag" your plugins.

Open MPC Software on your computer.

Go to Preferences (Ctrl+, on PC / Cmd+, on Mac).

Select the Plugins tab.

You will see a list of all your scanned VST/AU and internal plugins.

Look for the "Fav" column (it’s a checkbox column on the right side of the list).

Check the box for every effect you want in your Favorites list.

Restart the MPC Software (and if you are using a standalone unit, make sure it is synced/connected).


Yoooo thank you so much im gonna try this when i get home and report back
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By Lampdog Wed Mar 04, 2026 8:53 pm
I don't use the software so I can't help with this one.
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By Lampdog Thu Mar 05, 2026 1:18 am
Your screen, in controller mode, on mpc, is just a representation of the software.
By Shift Gorden Thu Mar 05, 2026 11:03 am
Ah man. So, there was another part to this I just spotted:

To make sure your new Favorites tab actually shows up on your MPC hardware without having to stay tethered to the computer, you'll need to "push" those settings to your standalone drive (SD Card or SSD).

How to Sync Favorites to Standalone
Connect your MPC to your computer in Controller Mode.

In the MPC Software, go to File > Export > Expansion... (Note: Even though these aren't "samples," this is the utility that syncs user data).

Alternatively, the more direct way to ensure the UI preferences carry over is to use the Library/Browser sync:

Ensure your SD card is inserted into the MPC.

In the MPC Software, go to the Browser on the right side.

Select the Expansion Desktop (the icon that looks like a chip).

Drag your "User" folders or the updated plugin tags to your SD card listed under the Devices section.