Tutorial: Using Logic Pro 8 With Your MPC4000

In response to questions from forum members I will explain here how you can add rewired Reason instruments to your session and trigger them from your MPC alongside your Logic and AU instruments as previously discussed in this tutorial.

This post is an addition to the original tutorial and continues where that left off.

To keep this simple, I will only create a single rewired instrument to be triggered from the MPC on midi channel 16. You could however use any or all of your MPC midi outputs to trigger any combination of up to 64 (16x4) Logic and rewired Reason instruments.

10. Launch Reason and set-up the instruments you wish to rewire, bypassing the Reason mixer. For this example, I have used Reason 4’s Thor synthesiser. Connect your instrument outputs directly to the Reason Hardware Device.

11. Back in Logic; create a new external midi track. It will appear on the arrange page. The library appears to the right of the arrange page. From the list of available ‘external’ midi ports select Reason, followed by the rewired instrument (Thor) that you want to use on the new track. Record enable the track (all tracks that you want to hear!).

12. Leave all the settings in the ‘inspector’ at their default positions. Change NOTHING. Go to the Logic mixer and create a new ‘auxillary channel strip’ which should then be assigned to the correct rewire channels as your Reason instrument. Raise the aux channel fader to 0.0.

13. In Reason’s ‘Advanced Control’ preferences make sure that the midi output of your MPC/ midi interface is selected in place of ‘No MIDI Input’ for Bus A. Go to the Reason hardware interface and click on the ‘advanced midi device’ button. This is the place to make your external midi settings. Select bus A, the name of your midi port should be displayed above the 16 midi input channel routing slots. Use these slots to route midi from your MPC to any Reason instruments you have created in the Reason rack. I put an instance of Thor on channel 16 where it now responds to midi sent from the MPC on that channel. Any midi activity from your MPC can be monitored here by observing the green lights flashing.

When using rewire, make sure that no instruments are selected (highlighted) to accept midi on the Reason arrange page by clicking on the ‘transport’ icon in the device list. We are controlling the midi routing from the Reason Hardware Device.

From the MPC you can now trigger pre-loaded samples plus any Logic/ AU instruments and any rewired Reason instruments all at the same time, with ease.

Thank you for taking the time to post.

I do use Reason's advanced hardware midi interface in my set up as you just explained.

You are correct, Reason will receive channel information directly from the mpc.

The problem is that Logic is still receiving midi information from the mpc at the same time that Reason is when you have a Reason instrument rewired into the arrange track.

This creates a doubled effect. Listen closely. It is easier to hear with drum sounds, and isn't so apparent with a synth like Thor.

Load up an NNXT sampler and load a drum kit (Dry Kit w/ Percussion for example). Drop it on channel 16 of Reason's midi interface. Make sure you used an external midi instrument in Logic that has been converted to a Reason instrument by accessing the library as both you and I have explained in previous posts.

Trigger your sounds. You will hear a phasey/doubled sound because Reason and Logic are both receiving midi channels independently yet simultaneously from the input on your midi interface.
Logic also merges all midi inputs on software instruments and external midi instruments that have been converted to Reason rewired instruments. It only gives you the option to select what port midi info will be received on if you use a an external midi instrument and leave it at that.

Now, delete the Reason NNXT instrument from Logic's arrange window, but leave it in the Reason rack and also keep it loaded in channel 16 of Reason's advanced midi device. You will hear a difference in sound because now Reason is only getting receive information from the mpc, and not Logic simultaneously anymore.

You can also test this phase issue by NOT deleting the Reason rewired instrument from Logic's arrange track window. Instead, simply change the mpc's midi track to a channel from 1-15 (not 16). Now Reason is not responding to the mpc. Instead Reason is ONLY receiving information from the Logic arrange track. Therefore the phasing goes away, as it does when you delete the Reason rewired NNXT from the Logic arrange track window.

**Did you also notice that even though you changed the midi channel on the mpc from 16 to another channel, NNXT rewired instrument in the Logic arranged track STILL triggers due to this phenomenon:

When Multiplayer Recording: Incoming MIDI events are distributed to the various record-enabled tracks, in accordance with transmitted MIDI channel numbers.
-The channel of the incoming event must correspond to the channel of a record-enabled track, in order for this functionality to work.
-If no track with a corresponding channel number is found, the event will be routed, and recorded, onto the selected track.

I suggest you also try this by actually loading a mix of Reason Rewired instruments in the arrange window along with Logic software instruments instead of just a single instrument. You will then see that the Reason Rewired Instrument's LACK of a midi receive channel in the inspector is a problem. Reason will respond to MPC channels when using the advanced midi device, but Logic will also be triggering the Reason Rewired instrument simultaneously and you have no control over what channel this Reason Rewired arrange track receives on.

this template works GREAT!!! Can someone help? Once I have created a song using this template, have sequenced all the parts with the MPC 4k, using logic 8 soft synths and outboard gear Fantom g etc.. whats the best way to record all parts into logic both hardware and software ?

Record midi data for plug in tracks.

You could route your plug ins to aux tracks and send these aux tracks to an audio track through the use of a bus and basically record your plug ins to audio as if they were hardware.

Record audio tracks for your hardware.

thanks JaeOne3345. question? are these two different methods.. recording the midi data as oppose to bussing the logic plug ins synths to an audio track? or all one function. if its not a problem can you give me the steps for this function. excuse me man im one of those Logic dummies as you can see from my earlier post i have no !#!@ idea of what im doing when it comes to this software.. Im coming straight from hardware and still use a lot of hardware.

Will you be using Reason? Or just Logic?

right now just Logic and some third party soft synths along with hardware Fantom etc.. , i have done several songs using Logic sounds. Im using the template that Clint shared (using logic as a sound module) so now im trying to record both the Logic synths and my keyboards that i have sequenced in the MPC 4k as audio and mix them.

Ok well you need to sync your MPC and Logic first of all. People will say sync is not needed. Technically true, but making sure all your bars/beats line up with the grid in Logic after recording is a blessing. Use it!

You need to read up on sync either using midi clock or MTC. I am not gonna explain all that as the manual does so perfectly.

Once you have done that, simply have your external analog hardware devices going to audio tracks and armed.

Arm the software instrument tracks you want to record.

Record Arm the Logic program itself, and either press play start on the mpc (if mpc is master) or press play in Logic (if Logic is the master).

This will record audio for hardware, and also record midi events from the MPC onto the software instrument track, all with the MPC's timing.

Once done recording, press play in Logic. Logic will play the audio that was recorded, and will also trigger the software instruments you have loaded, using the new midi events that were recorded from the mpc (even though the mpc is no longer in the equation).

If you don't wanna deal with midi event information, you can route your plug ins to an aux track using a bus, and route that bus into an audio track, and record your plug ins straight to audio in real time as if they were hardware.

Not to take anything from Clint, but as I have said before, unless you plan on using the instruments that are included in the Electronic Template, there is no need to use it.

What if you don't want those instruments, or you don't want all of those instruments? Sure you can modify what instruments are used, and even delete those not needed, but why not just start with what you need and add more "rack" instruments as you build the track?

What if I don't wanna start with 16 channels of Logic Instruments? What if I only want 3 instruments (Battery on 1, Lounge Lizard on 2, Minimonsta on 3). I don't wanna waste time and have to go delete 16 other instruments, or modify pre-existing ones.

Follow this simplified guide:
http://logicprohelp.com/viewtopic.php?t=32201

You have the freedom to add as many instruments as you want in addition to 3rd party instruments. Just follow the directions.

MAN GOOD LOOK!!!!!! im going to try them All including setting up a different templete, Ill let you know how this works out, but knowing me lol!!!!! again THANKS BIG TIME!!!!! Here i go......

If you guys want to start another topic feel free to create a thread here

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=93193

The double-post has been removed.

Let's try keep this thread vaguely 'on topic'.

Still getting loads of PM's on this so......

BUMP!

hey guys. this post has helped me out tons. i used to use the mpc to trigger sounds with a program called plogue bidule on the pc. but i just got a new macpro (napolean dynamity voice "lucky!") and i want to be able to fully utilize this beast. and i know and love the soft synths in logic. so my thing is i want to be able to use both midi outs of my mpc 2000xl with logic. the mpc and logic are working perfectly for midi out A channells 1-16, but how do i tell logic i want the sounds to go out on midi out b? hope this makes sense. and if this is possible i might invest in a 2500 so i can use all 4 midi outs with logic!!!!

thanks!!!

REO wrote:so my thing is i want to be able to use both midi outs of my mpc 2000xl with logic. the mpc and logic are working perfectly for midi out A channells 1-16, but how do i tell logic i want the sounds to go out on midi out b? hope this makes sense. and if this is possible i might invest in a 2500 so i can use all 4 midi outs with logic!!!!

Sure is possible, but it's never going to happen with a default Logic setup which limits you to one physical midi input port.

What you'll need to do is set up a custom Logic environment to suit your exact needs (2-4 midi ports). It's not something I do myself, but here's how to do it courtesy of Sound On Sound. It may take a while to set up initially, but once it has been done your custom environment can be used to create a template for repeated use.

For detail on the Environment, the paper manual is pretty good.

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jun04/a ... cnotes.htm

thanks bro.
is this similar to the guy on youtube trying to do it?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-GXwMUXeSM

he has a link on the side for the actual session but its a tad confusing.
it would be cool if someone posted a another topic on how to do this effectively seeing as how this guy ran thru it in 30 sec.