REFERENCE MANUAL
10 2.4 MPC STUDIO: TOP PANEL 5123413121212121420462123322215161824 25 26 27 2833 34 35 36 3741 42 40 38 39434743 45 44 4419 29 30 3116 16 16 176666
100HP Shelving Filter This filter differs from the standard filter type, as it attenuates all frequencies after the cutoff point equally. Parameter
101Q4 0 - 100 5 Q8Gain 1 -18.0 - 18.0 dB 0.0 dB Q1Gain 1 -18.0 - 18.0 dB 0.0 dB Q2Gain 2 -18.0 - 18.0 dB 0.0 dB Q3Gain 4 -18.0 - 18.0 dB 0.0 dB
102Delay LP The LP and HP Delay is identical to the Mono Delay, but they use a resonant filter in the delay line. Parameter Value Range Default V
103 Delay Tape Sync Tape Delay emulates a delay system using an analog tape loop and a series of tape heads to produce an echo effect. This delay ty
104Pan 2 0 - 100 50 Q7 Pan 3 0 - 100 50 Q8 Damping 0 - 100 100 Q1 Gain 1 0 - 100 25 Q2 Gain 2 0 - 100 25 Q3 Gain 3 0 - 100 25 Q4
105 Distortion Custom This effect is a highly customized distortion, capable of a wide range of useable sounds. Parameter Value Range Default Valu
106 Compressor Opto A compressor is an effect that changes the dynamic range of a signal by automatically reducing its gain. The Opto Compressor is
107Compressor Master This is the most transparent compressor, able to perform substantial volume adjustments without artifacts. Parameter Value Ran
108Reverb Medium This is a spatial effect, designed to emulate a medium room. Parameter Value Range Default Value Q-Link No. Wet/Dry 0 (DRY) -
109Reverb Out Gate This is a hall reverb that has an additional control. The reverb effect is cut off when the output drops below the level set in t
117. CURSOR BUTTONS – Use these buttons to navigate through the fields of menus and options shown in the DISPLAY. 8. DATA DIAL – Use this dial to
110 Frequency Shifter A frequency shifter changes the frequencies of an input signal by a fixed amount and alters the relationship of the original
111 6.2 KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS Here you will find all computer keyboard shortcuts for the MPC software. Keyboard modifiers Function Command (CTRL) ALT
112 File Menu Function Command (PC) Command (Mac) New Project CTRL + N COMMAND + N New From Template CTRL + SHIFT + N COMMAND + SHIFT + N Sav
113 6.3 SPECIFICATIONS Technical overview and specifications of the MPC hardware and software. MPC Renaissance HARDWARE Display 360 x 96 dot graphic
114 MPC Software • Maximum events: unlimited (based on computer’s CPU) • Resolution: 960 pulses per 1/4-note • Sequences: 128 • Tracks per sequ
115 6.5 GLOSSARY To avoid confusion, the terminology in this manual is based on the MPC parameter names. In this glossary you will find the various
116Controllers can be used for effects such as slowly swelling vibrato, changing the stereo panning position and influencing filter frequency. Cuto
117MIDI Thru has a special function. It allows the sender to transmit to several receivers. It routes the incoming signal to the next device without
118There are two kinds of programs that use samples for their sound source: Drum Programs, mostly used for creating drum programs and easy and quic
119The length of a sequence can be set from 1 to 999 bars, which would be enough to create an entire song using only one sequence. However, the MPC
1219. 16 LEVEL – Press this button to activate/deactivate 16 Level. When activated, the last pad that was hit will be temporarily copied to all 16
120MPC SOFTWARE MANUAL ADDENDUM v1.1 We're always improving the MPC software! Version 1.1 includes the following features and improvements. Cl
121 USING MPC AS AN RTAS PLUGIN You can now use MPC software as an RTAS plugin in Pro Tools 9 and Pro Tools 10. When used as an RTAS plugin, MPC sof
122 USING BANK SELECT AND PROGRAM CHANGE MESSAGES The MPC software now lets you send Bank Select and Program Change messages. To set these message
123 USING YOUR KEYBOARD TO SWITCH BETWEEN THE SELECT AND DRAW TOOLS You can now use your keyboard to switch quickly between the Select (marquee) and
124 EDITING SEQUENCE LOOP PARAMETERS WITH HARDWARE You can now use the MPC hardware to set the Loop parameters of the sequencer. X To edit the se
125MPC SOFTWARE MANUAL ADDENDUM v1.3 We're always improving the MPC software! Version 1.3 includes the following features and improvements. Cl
126PLUGIN ARCHITECTURE REDESIGN Our plugin architecture now has several new enhancements: Ability to route multiple Tracks to the same plugin You c
127 After that, click the Track Mixer Mode icon. You will see channel strips for the Tracks on the left and for the Plugin Programs on the immediate
128Ability to sort plugins by name or manufacturer When selecting plugins, you can now click checkboxes to Sort by type or Sort by manufacturer. T
129 MODE SELECTION REDESIGN We redesigned the graphic UI of the section above the grid for more intuitive mode selection: When Hitting
1332. WINDOW / FULL SCREEN – When this button is lit, it means the selected field in the display contains additional functions; press this button t
130 Programs menu You can now easily create new Programs from the Program section of Main Mode by clicking the + icon next to the Program name.
131 TRACK MIXER MODE REDESIGN We redesigned some features of Track Mixer Mode window. Showing/hiding channel strips: You can now show or hide (1) u
132 PREFERENCES WINDOW REDESIGN We redesigned some features of the Preferences window. Access this window by doing the following: • Windows: Click
133 LOADING SAMPLES DIRECTLY IN THE GRID AND BATCH-LOADING You can now load samples directly onto a pad (row) on the grid to load it to that pad. T
134 MPC HARDWARE: ZOOM CONTROL You can now use your MPC hardware to zoom in and out of the grid. In the software, you would do this by adjusting th
135 MPC STUDIO Q-LINK KNOB INDICATOR X Because MPC Studio has 4 Q-Link knobs (whereas MPC Renaissance has 16), the SCROLL knob allows you to selec
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143. INSTALLING THE MPC SOFTWARE This chapter explains how to install the MPC software including the plugin version on your computer. It also guide
15 3.2 INSTALLATION UNDER WINDOWS How to install the MPC software. Installation from DVD: 1. Start your computer and launch your operating system. I
16 3.3 INSTALLATION UNDER MAC OS X How to install the MPC software: Installation from DVD: 1. Disable any system activity monitoring software or e
17 3.4 UNLOCKING THE MPC SOFTWARE You’ll need to unlock your MPC software before using it. Follow these steps to unlock it: 1. Connect your MPC h
184. QUICK START TUTORIAL This Quick Start Tutorial was written to help you to familiarize yourself with the MPC. In order to get the most out of t
19X To create a simple drum set, we repeat the steps described above for other pads. We recommend to load a snare drum on Pad 2, a closed hi-hat on
2 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Welcome to the MPC ... 3 1.1 About this Manual ... 3 1.2 Important Note
20CORRECT pop-up menu. We recommend to work with 8 or 16 values. Hold down your keyboard's SHIFT and use the ARROW keys to nudge events withou
214.6 THE BASSLINE TRACK To complete our musical experiment, we need a bassline. In this case, it is important to be able to play a bass sound chrom
22 Finally, let’s tweak the bassline sound. This can be done in the FILTER section of the Program Edit menu. Back to the MPC hardware! The Filter
23 4.7 WORKING WITH A DRUM LOOP Modern music producers often use drum loops to add grit and dimension to programmed beats. And this is exactly what
24 You can also edit the note events of the drum loop slices. Enter Main Mode to do this. A new Track with the note events playing their correspond
25 The Track Mute display of the MPC hardware X Press the TRACK MUTE button on your MPC hardware to enter Track Mute Mode. X You can now mute a Tr
26X Now press F6 (Record) and shout something like "Uhhh" or "Yeah!" into the microphone. The recording procedure starts immed
27 4.10 STEP-BY-STEP WITH STEP RECORDING You’ve already learned how to record note events on a track. But there’s an easier way to do it. The Step
28 4.12 CREATING A SONG In the last few chapters, we have learned how to record tracks. But how can we create a song from our track recordings? The
295. THE MPC SOFTWARE IN DETAIL The following chapters explain the MPC software in detail. Â Whenever the MPC hardware can be used to control a pa
31. WELCOME TO THE MPC Thank you for purchasing the MPC. Fusing Akai Professional’s legendary MPC layout and workflow with the power of your comput
30 Envelope Displays Click on the respective "handle" of an envelope and drag into the desired direction to change an envelope parameter.
31 5.0 DRUM PROGRAM VS. KEYGROUP PROGRAM A Program in the MPC is a file, which contains a list of all samples used, and settings for each sample (i.
32 How to set up a KEYGROUP Program Click on the Program Edit tab in the MPC software. Click on the PROG field to open a pop-up menu and choose Add
33 5.1 THE FILE BROWSER The File Browser lets you navigate through your computer’s internal and external hard disks to load samples, sequences, song
34 The Browser display of the MPC hardware With the Parent Directory arrow button (in the MPC software, to the right of the data path selector) you
35 5.2 THE UPPER SECTION The Upper section contains the MPC’s tabs as well as further control for selecting Programs, Sequences, Songs, etc. dependi
36 5.3 THE LOWER SECTION The Lower section contains the overall controls, such as the measure/tempo display and the transport controls. This sectio
37STOP will stop the playback. Quickly pressing STOP 3 times will act as a "MIDI panic" and shut off all voices and stop all audio process
38 5.4 THE GRID The Grid is the section where you can record, program and edit your sequences and arrange your songs. The Grid is always visible, i
39X On your MPC hardware, press the MAIN button to edit the described parameters. For selecting a track, use the cursors to navigate to the Trk par
42. OVERVIEW: MPC HARDWARE MPC Renaissance and MPC Studio are hardware specifically designed to control the MPC software. This section describes th
40 The Grid View for KEYGROUP Programs When a KEYGROUP Progam is selected, the grid looks as in the following picture. The only difference to the
41y Hold down CTRL (PC) or Command (Mac) and move a note to copy it. y Use the copy & paste function to copy a note in the clipboard (CTRL + C
42 5.5 MAIN MODE Main Mode gives you an overview of the most used functions. To enter Main Mode, press the MAIN/ TRACK button on your MPC hardware
43touch the top of one the Q-Link knobs, the corresponding parameters will jump to either its minimum (Min) or maximum (Max) value. • In the PAD po
44Link knobs, the corresponding parameters will jump to either its minimum (Min) or maximum (Max) value. • In the EFFECT pop-up menu. you can sele
45 TRACK Settings The Track section gives you an overview of various parameters regarding the selected track. X On the MPC hardware, move the curs
46Click on the MIDI CH pop-up menu to select the MIDI channel (from 1 to 16) you want to send data on. With the PROGRAM pop-up menu, you are able t
47X On the MPC hardware, click on the WINDOW button to open the Edit Current Program display page. Press F2 (Delete) to delete the selected Program
48 MASTER SECTION X To edit the Master section, press the F1 button on your MPC hardware. Use the Q13, Q14, and Q15 Q-Link knobs for direct acces
49 KEYGROUP PLAY MODES (Keygroup Programs only) Here you can set the behavior for keygroup samples for each pad. X To edit the KEYGROUP PLAY MODES
56. NUMERIC KEYPAD – If the selected field in the DISPLAY is a number, use these numbered buttons as a standard numeric keypad to enter a value. Pr
50PAN sets the overall stereo placement of the loaded sample(s). With NOTE RANGE, you can restrict the key range used for a sample’s playback. Only
51range which is input from the respective pad while, for example, a range from 100 to 127 lets the layer respond only to high velocity levels. By a
52 FILTER & ENVELOPES SECTION Select the pad you wish to filter by hitting it on your MPC hardware or by selecting it in Main Mode of the MPC s
53 The Filter Envelope Edit section in the display of the MPC hardware How does an envelope work? An Envelope creates a variable control signal. It
54 VELOCITY SENSITIVITY SECTION In this section, you set how much velocity effects various sound parameters. X To edit the Velocity Sensitivity p
55 CONTROLLER MOD SECTION (Keygroup Program only) In this section, you set the influence of additional play controllers on various sound parameters.
56 In the MPC software you can load an insert effect by clicking the button at the top of the panel so it reads "On," then clicking on th
57 5.7 PROGRAM MIXER MODE In Program Mixer Mode, you can set the levels, stereo panning and effects for of each individual pad of a program. If a vi
58In the MPC software, click on the desired channel fader and move your computer mouse up and down. Alternatively, you can use your mouse scroll wh
59 5.8 TRACK MIXER MODE In Track Mixer Mode, you can set the levels, stereo panning and effects for each track. X To enter Track Mixer Mode, press
617. MAIN / TRACK – Press this button to view the Main screen in the display and software. Hold down SHIFT and press this button to view the Track
60In the MPC software, click on the Mute button (M) of the desired channel. To view more mixer channels, use the scroll bar below the channel view.
61Next to the send effects, you have access to 8 submix dials which control the volume of the corresponding submix channel. In the Program Mixer, yo
62 5.9 TRACK VIEW MODE The Track View mode gives you an overview of the tracks of each sequence. Use this mode to edit tracks and sequences simulta
63 5.10 SONG MODE In Song Mode, you can arrange sequences to create songs. X To enter Song Mode, press the SONG button on your MPC hardware In the
64sequence to the playlist by dragging and dropping it from a pad onto the list. You can also drag and drop from the pads onto the workspace above
65 5.11 NEXT SEQUENCE MODE In Next Sequence Mode, you can select sequences to launch them with the pads. X To enter Next Sequence Mode, press the N
66 The Next Sequence section in the display of the MPC hardware In the MPC software, you will find all parameters to create a sequence playlist in
67 5.12 SAMPLE RECORD MODE In Sample Record Mode, you can record audio samples to use them in your tracks and sequences. X To enter Sample Record M
68 The Sample Record section in the display of the MPC hardware In the MPC software, the Sample Record section is divided in two main parts. The wa
69X To activate the monitor function on your MPC hardware, navigate to Monitor and switch it to ON. The SAMPLE LENGTH display shows you the length
7TRANSPORT / RECORDING CONTROLS 33. PLAY – Press this button to play the Sequence from the audio pointer's current position. 34. PLAY START –
70 5.13 SAMPLE EDIT MODE In Sample Edit Mode, you can edit samples using various sample editing functions. X To enter Sample Edit Mode, press the
71The Waveform Display The Waveform display shows the entire waveform of a sample, with a start and end point marked as a green line. If either of t
72 The Sample Edit Controls The lower section offer various controls for editing a selected sample. The EDIT Section This section offers control el
73The SETTINGS Here you can directly edit various parameters affecting playback and loop functions. X On the MPC hardware, you can edit the sample
74 The Process Sample display for Pitch Shift of the MPC hardware In the MPC software, click on the desired sample editing option. A new window wil
75Exp fades the audio out with an exponential curve. An exponential curve will fall quickly in the beginning, and then flatten out as it reaches the
76• Save saves the current sample on your hard disk. A dialog window opens automatically letting you choose a data path for saving. • Rename open
77The PAD Section in CHOP Mode In Chop mode you can use the pads for playing back certain portions of the selected sample. The following playback op
78• With LINK SLICES active, editing the start or end point of a slice will alter the start and end points of its adjacent slices respectively. Fo
79 The PROCESS section in CHOP mode offers an additional option which affects the whole sample regardless of the selected slice. • CONVERT offers t
82.2 MPC RENAISSANCE: FRONT PANEL 1 1 2 3 3 4 The front panel of the MPC Renaissance 1. FOOTSWITCH INPUTS – Connect optional 1/4” TS footswitches
80 5.14 PAD MUTE MODE In Pad Mute Mode, you can define pad mutes and mute groups for each pad. X To enter Pad Mute Mode, press SHIFT + TRACK MUTE/
81 The PAD GROUP Mode You can set up pad mute groups to mute or unmute multiple pads simultaneously. This is useful when you have several samples as
82 5.15 TRACK MUTE MODE In Track Mute Mode, you can define track mutes and track mute groups to use with the pads. X To enter Track Mute Mode, pre
83 The TRACK GROUP Mode You can set up track mute groups to mute or unmute multiple tracks simultaneously. This is useful when you wish to mute a gr
84 5.16 STEP SEQUENCE MODE In Step Sequence Mode you can create sequences from scratch as well as edit an existing sequence. It also includes furth
85X Press and hold the NOTE REPEAT button to change the time division of the sequence grid. The F-buttons allows you to select the desired value, e
86 5.17 SOFTWARE MENUS Some of the MPC software’s menu items let you access features that cannot be accessed with the MPC hardware. Â Keep in mind
87 If you choose As Audio Mixdown, a separate window opens which offers you the following options: • You can define the length of your audio file b
88The Paste command allows you to paste the contents of the clipboard by placing the position marker on a grid location of your choice and perform
89 Parameters of the MIDI Tab The Active Midi Inputs displays the active installed MIDI inputs on your computer system. When the MPC hardware is co
99. MIC IN – Connect an external sound source or microphone to these jacks using standard 1/4" TRS or XLR cables. Make sure to set the MIC/LIN
90Track Muting is activated, MIDI track volume is sent. This is useful when you want to have the track muted immediately. The advantage of this met
91 The Other section in the display of the MPC hardware Pad Curve determines how your playing is translated into velocity values, for example, start
92• Swing sets the amount of swing. Values range from 50% to 75% and let you shuffle your beats – from subtle to extreme. • Shift Timing will sh
936. APPENDIX In this section, you will find some additional tips and useful information regarding the MPC software. 6.1 EFFECTS & PARAMETERS Th
94Click on the SEND button of the desired channel. Click on one of the SEND knobs of the desired channel and edit its value with your computer mous
95Mixer, Submix 1 to 8, Out 1,2 to Out 15,16. The outputs that are not available in your audio hardware will show up as greyed out. If a loaded pr
96 The Effect Types: Â Some effects offer a "sync version", e.g. Flanger Sync, which enables the effect to synchronize to the tempo. Fla
97Chorus 2-voice Parameter Value Range Default Value Q-Link No. Wet/Dry 0 (DRY) - 100 (WET) 100 (WET) Q9 Delay 0 - 100 20 Q10 Amount 0 - 1
98Phaser 1 The Phaser is a classic effect, created by ganged multiple all-pass filters to create "notches", or sharp spikes in the freque
99HP Filter Sweep Parameter Value Range Default Value Q-Link No. Wet/Dry 0 (DRY) - 100 (WET) 80 Q9 Low Frequency 0 - 100 50 Q10 High Freque
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