Gotta say something about the manual ...

... it really is very, very poorly written.

Man, the character that put the manual together has no idea how to draft an informative and helpful set of info at all - it's structure is entirely illogical and many of the base things you would need to learn to actually get to grips with the MPC workflow just aren't there ?

Luckily for me, before I moved across to Software, the virtual realm and linear recording, I used to use the odd drum machine or two back in the day ... and these units were all about pattern play and song modes, etc .... so, thankfully, certain aspects of the MPC function are not too confusing to comprehend. However, the very basics of pad assigning and loading full sets are covered in such piece-meal and haphazard ways that it makes getting the logical flow of things difficult to grasp. I don't know how many others of you had that same problem, but I am seriously thinking about paying for the manual that these guys here have put together - and I don't think I will be dwelling on this consideration for tpp long at all !!

Sorry for th gripe, but it just rankles me that such an involved and intricate little unit doesn;t have it's functions covered in an effective way at all ...... just an opinion of course.

inthemix wrote:of the base things you would need to learn to actually get to grips with the MPC workflow just aren't there?

It's a manual, not a tutorial.

IMO it's a clear, well written manual, where a lot of basic terms are well explained in the introduction.
For the rest it tells u what the functions are and what the buttons do. Everything isorganised well in a logical manner. How to chop in sample editing, how to sequence in the sequence chapter etc. I had never expected someone would have problems with it. Unless those who don't read it, but that's another story

Well, Menco, this is where we strongly disagree .... to me, it is not logically structured at all and definately not for the one that is approaching this process for the first time ! And, like I said in my post, I have spent time reading through the ENTIRE manual ( all 105 pages worth, plus the Quick Star Guide ) over this festive break ... I shall be turning to the matter of actually using the unit fully next week.


Any introduction to this type of process should of gone something like this, to my mind :

Intro to terminolgy used - Yep, covered on pages 6 and 7;

Overview of the buttons and functions of each - Yep, also covered on 2, 3 and 4 .. with some helpful suggestions of 'hook/physical set up' via diagram on page 5;

So far, so good ..... but then matters start jumping about in a rather illogical and unstructured manner.

You get an intro to basic operation with break down of screen display fields in turn on 9 through to 11 before going into the sequencer feature.

Now, to me, what should of come first here in order to make sense is for the program feature to be covered first. Afterall, if like me, you got a used 1000 with no internal sounds, what use is it going to a program that has nothing in it ? How are you supposed to knock up a groove with no samples loaded or assigned ? .... perhaps now you see where I am coming from ?! Even before the sequencer is approached itself, you should be introduced immediately to the process of getting the sounds into your sampler and how to assign and load full sets/ individual hits for use thererafter with your sequencer ...... Is it just me who thinks in this way, or is it that this is too simple an assumption to even make Even the Quick Start Guide makes jumps straight from a very, very brief flow concept at the top of page 2, then onto playing a program at the bottom of page 2 without any coverage of how on earth you are supposed to get those sounds into and setup for use to beging with ?!! THIS is why I say that it is poorly structred and I firmly stand by this view. Over the years in my employment, I have had to draft a fair number of 'How to' and 'Idiot guides' for new employees to use and learn from .... and I always approach this from the perspective of both the unfamiliar through to building on the last topic in a sturctured and progressive way.

If you are trying to tell me, Menco, that the way this manual was written had been approached in that way, I would adopt the view that we have very different perspectives on what is a 'logial progression' and how to write about such, truly ?
Still, if it worked for you as an introduction to a sampler/drum box, then all well and good. The guy I bought this unit from, gave me one bit of advice .. and that was to look at these forums over and above the manual. I must admit, I thought it a bit of an odd statement to make, but I fully see why now.

Peace.

I guess so. I would also start with the sampling part. Maybe ur right with the order of chapters.
But if I would need some info about let's say program, then it's easy to find what u need to find in that chapter.
Plus u used it in a different manner then I did. I just started making beats right away when I got the machine, and only looked into the manual when I couldn't find or operate a feature.

I think most of the users use it like that, so for a lot of users the manual is not a problem to go through.
Maybe I would have agreed with u if I had read the manual before I started to work with it.

But that's my opinion. Let's see how other members experienced the manual.

Yeh, I can understand your point of view also .... and I do agree that as regards the info in each chapter, it is pretty straight forward in terms of it's explanation, barr the odd singular/plural oddities here and there ( but that really is being overly picky ) ... I just felt that it really should move on from the angle of what most would do when they actually sit down in front of the unit, u know ?

Infact, I couldn't resist, I plugged the lil gem up this evening and got stuck in ! I got on pretty much ok, I think. For some odd reason, though, when I load my own wav samps into a new program, when I go back to the sequencer to record a pattern, it won;t allow me to use 'Full Levels' on the samps that I have loaded in ... yet, the internal samps are fine with the FL feature on ? Any ideas ??

I agree with you mix.
When i first picked up the thing it made NO sense to me. it was only after trawling through this forum that i figured out how to do the most basic ish, which is why RTFM really got on my nerves, and still does because to a noob the manual may as well be in an ancient lost language.
It makes sense to me now, almost like its written for somebody who already knows how to use the MPC.

So i say FTM.

Well, Peach, I am glad that it wasn't just me that was viewing it that way .... and you are entirly right : it iseems to be approached from the perspective of somebody who already knows how to use the unit to begin with ( a very, very bad mistake to make from the point of view of writing an introductory manual ! ).

Still, I am making my own progress now with the MPC .... loving it, although suffering certain frustrations due to my lack of knowledge on how to achieve that which I wish to achieve ( another 'story of life', I guess ).


Still, can't understand why my own wav files when loaded to a pad can't be 'Full Levelled' ... any helpful suggestions here, my friend ?

RTFM!!!

Jk. Don't know. Ur sure the samples are also 16bit 44.1khz?

And about the manual like it was written for someone who already knew how to operate it, maybe u have good point there too man. I already knew how to operate a 500. Never had problems with that manual. Maybe that one is easier to use when ur a newbie.

inthemix wrote:Still, can't understand why my own wav files when loaded to a pad can't be 'Full Levelled' ... any helpful suggestions here, my friend ?

If you're going to air quote something that may or may not be intended as a proper term, it might help if you explain what you're looking for.

Do you want a sample to play at maximum velocity all of the time? Try the "Full Level" Button.

If you want the ADSR amp envelope to just be maximum all of the time you can adjust the envelope as well as how much it kicks in.

Do you want to normalize your sample to maximum volume? You can do that in the trim mode.

Sorry, not quite sure what you're looking for.

Hi NearTao ....

You stated : "Do you want a sample to play at maximum velocity all of the time? Try the "Full Level" Button ".

That was the very point I made ... when I press the full level button, my own loaded wav hits don't sound at all ? They trigger fine when I don't have the FL button pressed/active/selected. The moment I press the FL button, then the sound vanishes altogether ?! yet, oddly, the few internal sound that came with the Akai Internal set, which are also form some of the hits in my program, are triggered fine and at the full level ....