not diggin mpc

hey

I've been using ableton, an electribe sampler, and more recently plogue bidule for most of my music and got an mpc 1000 this summer with the intention of putting together some kind of live set without the computer. I feel like I've got the basics down and I can get some good shit going, especially if I sequence the electribe with the mpc, but I'm finding it really tedious to actually come up with anything new on the mpc... it takes way longer to load samples, set things up etc, and navigating and switching modes feels like using a microwave or something.

so my question is... what do you find is the fastest to work on? not neccessarily a sampler, could be a drum machine or synth - just want to get some kind of similar sequencer/sound generating box that can do more than an electribe but without having to plan out and work too much slower than I can think.

or am I being retarded and are there some tricks for working with an mpc faster that I should learn? cuz right now I can come up with things faster in bidule...

its a personal thing. you just have to try shit and find what works for you.

the best thing with the mpc is to kind of build up a library. samples, patterns, kits, etc. so you can just dial in what you have in mind real fast.

other thing is, of course, mpc is best for live playing, not sequencing. jam out on the pads. use it to record a loop of external midi from something like a novation controller, to muck around with a synth, then switch the output channel around live... there are nutty things you can do if you get ston- bored enough.

every time you dial up new sounds, or load in new samples, to a piece of hardware, you get a little bit faster at it

esp in menu-driven gear, I think... after doing it a bunch of times you won't even have to look at the screen, you'll know sequences of buttons to push to get to the deep functions. analog macros, if you catch my drift.

Anyone tried out an MV-8000/8800?

Machinedrum, Monomachine and a Kaoss pad 3

fuck the rest :wink2:

yet you have a FR revolution as your icon...

  hahathhat said:

yet you have a FR revolution as your icon...

Oh yeah that too!

FR Mobius?

Frostwave Fat Controller?

Oberkorns aplenty?

have you really tried all these, and can you genuinely say FUCK THEM?

p.s. i'm just being a jerk don't take me too seriously.

  hahathhat said:

the best thing with the mpc is to kind of build up a library. samples, patterns, kits, etc. so you can just dial in what you have in mind real fast.

 

other thing is, of course, mpc is best for live playing, not sequencing. jam out on the pads. use it to record a loop of external midi from something like a novation controller, to muck around with a synth, then switch the output channel around live... there are nutty things you can do if you get ston- bored enough.

yeah, playing stuff on it is tight, the 16 levels thing really suits me, it's just that building up a library part that takes me forever. it looks like there's program creating software out there but just for pc?

I just moved, I should find a gear shop and try things.

hah, nahh, a certain mac-loving musician friend of mine has an app he uses with his MPC. when i see him next i'll ask him what it is, post it here.

building up a library... well, people have different work styles, but typically what i'd do is come home from work, spark a j, fire up the mpc, and start fucking around. i'd save that to a project file, gradually work my way up to doing some live jams. out of this would usually come a drum kit or two, a good number of sequences, and possibly even new sampled shit. if i'm not feeling inspired, i may just make a drum kit or two. just kind of worked it into my daily cycle of life... eat, sleep, work, jam on the mpc. it was never something i had to force, i enjoy just fucking about with it!! that's how you get your library.

anyways, say you keep that sort of routine up for a few weeks... you come home from work and say, man, i want that kit i used from that track a few weeks ago... loaded. hey, what about that sequence from that other track? loaded.

in short, it's very easy to to take little bits of other things you've done and put them all together. lets you get something lined up post-haste once you've invested a little time. it also gets you thinking about common trends in your style!

however, this is not something to do on stage, which might be what you want. for live gigging, you have to get all your ducks in a row. program a bunch of tracks, sequences, etc... but it feels great to wind it all out once you've done that!!

a little nugget of potential inspiration for you: you can use the MPC to record stuff like the pitchbend wheel on a synth... so you create a pattern of slick bendy action, your most inspired pitchbend use, save it. now you can dial it up and apply it to any existing synth line, as you can have two tracks sending midi at once...

...generalize that to control channels, and there should be plenty to do.

i just got a new mixer with a limited degree of automation, i'm trying to get my head around having the MPC sequencing my mixer like an instrument!

it's almost like object-oriented programming, if you know comp sci stuff -- nouns and verbs are well separated.

p.s., i also like to record arp patterns from my favorite arping synths... the midi the arp generates, that is. then maybe pitch shift it, whatever else the mpc allows you to do...

wat, usually it just adds the posts together.

okay, that time it did. 3 POSTS IN A ROW GO ME I CAN'T STOP TYPIMNG hellow wodkas

awesome, this gives me some ideas. I don't have that many synths and things but I should try fucking around with some sequencing between the mpc and ableton, I've been doing stuff with arps lately to get a random variations in the rhythm. is there any way to automate the effects parameters? I tried putting an effects preset change in the step edit and got a system error.

i don't use ableton myself. what the MPC recognizes is MIDI, all of it - notes, CC (control change), etc.

essentially, most synths send out midi when you turn their knobs. the MPC can save this.

ableton can likely be configured to accept inputs to virtual knobs. see your user manual for details.

practical example: i have a novation remote SL 25, good lil' controller. my korg MS2000 accepts CC messages over MIDI for cutoff, res, etc. i program the MS2000's CC#s into my novation, then run the novation's midi out into the MPC. then i have it sending MIDI THRU to the MS2000. i start jamming around, and when i get it right, i hit record, jam around with my cutoff and res knobs. the MPC records the MIDI coming out of my novation controller, passes it onto my MS2000 so i hear it as i record... but whenever i play back the sequence on the MPC afterwards, it's like there's a virtual copy of me twiddling those cutoff and res knobs.

now imagine STACKING a series of motions like that... it gets pretty mental.

i'm sure ableton accepts MIDI CC just like my MS2000. in fact, it probably is all custom - you can say, i want CC#01 to control this level, CC#02 to control this synth's cutoff, whatever. maybe not, but if it doesn't it should.

if you don't have some sort of knob box, get one. the novation remote sl is my personal choice, but by no means does it have to be yours. the knob box will take the pain out of creating automation sequences with the MPC.

heh, I've got an evolution x-session but only one midi cable so I can do what you're talking about except not in real time. I got some good stuff going like that already though, by automating effects and gating on the electribe and sequencing midi on the mpc, so I get random lfo kinds of variations when I play them both at different tempos.

my question about effects automation was for the mpc though - the q-link sliders don't really cover all the parameters.

confession: i never use the q-sliders. maybe i should give that a shot

get more midi cables.

playing at different tempos can be rad, dig into that!

oh, also, you got the JJ OS? highly, highly recommended.

  hahathhat said:

FR Mobius?

Frostwave Fat Controller?

Oberkorns aplenty?

 

have you really tried all these, and can you genuinely say FUCK THEM?

 

 

p.s. i'm just being a jerk don't take me too seriously.

No worries dude, the Monomachines sequencer is the most powerful hardware sequencer made (especially the internal) the only thing that comes close is the P3 which has some pretty exotic playback features is nowhere near as fluid to use.

Elektron have done a great job of keeping things simple yet powerful which you only get you head around after spending time with one, it faster to use than anything else I've ever tried but most importantly its a lorra of fun too.

got it used with jj os... that pad program was actually in the manual >> http://www.mybunnyhug.com/software/ haven't got a chance to use it yet though.

monomachines do sound sweet... gotta meet some people who have them sometime.

  spraaaa said:

one midi cable

lol

  BCM said:

  spraaaa said:

one midi cable

 

lol

seriously!