The MPC Bible

000 How to Use this Book
Which MPCs are compatible with this book?
Recreating the Tutorial Examples
Reading This Book On Mobile Devices
Initial MPC Set Up
001 Understanding The MPC Workflow
The MPC in a Nutshell
The Basic MPC Structure
Getting Started
Your First Project – A Simple Drum Beat
Setting up an MPC Sequence
Sequence ‘Tracks’
Understanding DRUM programs
002 Building a Simple Drum Kit
DRUM programs & Pads
Loading & Assigning Sounds
PAD + MENU Shortcuts
Navigating The File Browser
Loading sounds into a project
Loading & Assigning Sounds Via the Browser
Browser Filters
Saving Your Project
The PROJECT Screen
Deleting Samples & Purging
Auto Save
Saving Individual Programs
Default Project Settings & Project Templates
New Project Options
Using MPC Expansions
003 Recording Your First Beat
Real Time Recording Configuration
Metronome Settings
Recording Your First Take
004 First Look: Grid Edit Mode
Understanding the Sequencer Grid
Using the Q-LINKS to Navigate The GRID
Basic Sequence Editing
Overdubbing
Understanding Sequence Resolution
Adding New Events Manually
Transposing Pad Events
Editing Velocity
005 Quantising and Swing Essentials
Applying Swing
Applying Swing With the Q-Links
Adding Live Feel to a Quantised Beat
Moving Events When T.C. is Not ‘OFF’
Erasing Events
ERASE in Real Time
Recording Hi Hats With Note Repeat
Correcting Mistakes with UNDO
Methods For Copying Events
Double Length
Copying Bars
Inserting Blank Bars
Copying Events In GRID EDIT
Copying Events Via MAIN
Splitting Events
Splitting With Ratchets
006 Drum Layering
What is Drum Layering?
Utilising Sample Layers
Changing the Pitch of a Drum Layer
Creating A ‘Dragging’ Clap Sound
Creating Stereo Width
Creating a Deeper, Crunchier Kick
Shaping Your Sounds with the Amp Envelope
Adding Vinyl Crackle with Simultaneous Play
Varying The Vinyl Crackle with Round Robins
007 Drum Kit Essentials
Using Mute Groups For Open Hats
Adding Some Internal Effects
The Pad Mixer
Increasing 'Perceived Loudness With the Maximizer'
Setting Custom Pad Colours
008 Sampling 101
Sampling Audio into the MPC
Sampling your Sound
Sample Edit Mode
Waveform Editing
Edit Points
Adjusting the Start Point
Zooming In For Accuracy
Snap to Zero
Setting the START Point
Adjusting the End Point
The Discard Function
Normalizing
Renaming an Edited File
009 Recording a Bass Line With 16 LEVELS
Setting Up The Bass Sample
Changing the Pitch of your Sample
Recording a Bass Line with 16 LEVELS
Configuring Your Sequence
LIST EDIT Mode
Inserting Events in LIST EDIT
Inserting Events With the INSERT Button
Inserting Events via OVERDUB
Inserting 16 LEVEL Type Events
Moving Events In LIST EDIT
Adding Ratchets In LIST EDIT
Methods For Selecting and Editing Multiple Events
LIST EDIT vs GRID EDIT
010 Creating Instrument Melodies & Chords
MIDI Instruments
Using Standalone Plugin Instruments
Finding the Key of Our Beat
Recording The Rhodes Track with Pad Perform
Chord Progressions
Creating 'Staggered' Chords
Tweaking Your Preset
Saving Your Custom Patch
Adding FX to a Plugin Program
Adding a Synth Lead via the Sounds Browser
Using the Arpeggiator To Generate Lead Patterns
Rhythmic Arpeggios
Arpeggiator Patterns
Setting 'Favorites'
011 Introduction to Keygroup Programs
Creating Keygroup Programs
Setting The Root Note
Adding FX to Keygroup Programs
Re-Shaping The Envelope To Create a 'Pulse'
Multi-Keygroup Instruments
Generating Random Notes
Creating Layered Programs
'Send To' Multi-Program Layering
Multi-Program Layering Using REC ARM
Keyboard Splits
Key Range Bugs
Drum Splits
Adding Custom Folder Locations to the Sounds Browser
012 First Look: Audio Tracks
Setting Up an Audio Track
Editing Audio Tracks
Splitting Audio Tracks
Moving Regions
013 MPC Channel Mixer Fundamentals
MPC Mixing Options: An Overview
Track View Mode
The CHANNEL MIXER
The Program Mixer Channel
Grouping Sounds With Submixes
Using The RETURNS
The Main Outputs Channel
014 Working with Loops
How Do Loops Work?
Setting Loop Tempo
Using Loops in a Sequence
Re-Tuning The Loop
Time Stretching a Loop
Using Loops in a DRUM program
Using the Timestretched Loop
Looping Instrument Samples
How to Find a Good Sustain Loop Region
Sustain Looping Workflow
Sustain Looping Acoustic Samples
015 Chopping Drum Breaks Part 1
Basic Chopping Using the Extract Function
Using the Dedicated CHOP Mode
Identifying ‘Problem’ Regions
Fixing the Regions - Speed Chopping Workflow
Shared Edit Points
Exporting Your Regions
016 Chopping Drums Part 2
Chopping Down to Individual Hits
Fixing Clicks & Pops
Exporting Individual Hits
Real time Tempo Changes
Editing Existing Chop Events
Overdubbing Additional Chops
Applying a Quantize Template
Adding Tail To Your Chops
Dealing With Clicks
017 Building Dynamic Kits & Sequences
Timbre Variation Using Multiple Drum Sounds
Using Multisampled Drums
Velocity Switching Pad Layers
Setting Up the Velocity Switch Ranges
Performing Velocity Switches
Layer Switching – Creating ‘Cycle Kits’
Adding Sample Tail
Muting the Open Hat with Mute Targets
Velocity Sensitive Timbre Emulations
Random Variation
Utilizing The LFO
Extending the Open Hats
Open Hat Muting with 'NOTE OFF'
Using ‘Humanize’ on Drum Performances
Creating Randomness In Your Sequences
Drum Kit MIDI Note Mapping
GM Mapping
018 Dynamic Tempo Manipulation
Problems When Changing Sequence Tempo
Warping Audio
Warping in DRUM Programs
Patched Phrase Loops
Tuning (Pitch Shifting) a Patched Phrase
Warping in CLIP Programs
Auditioning Looped Samples
019 Non Destructive Chopping Techniques
Introduction to Non Destructive Chopping
Building a Non-Destructive Kit with 'Assign Slice to Pad'
Assigning the Snare & Hat
Understanding Non Destructive Chop Slices
PROGRAM Chop Mode
NDC Over Multiple Layers
Editing Layers
Alternative Slice Workflow
Chopping Using Pad Parameters
Experimenting With Your Initial Chops
Tightening Your Chops
Adding TAIL
Finishing Up
020 Progressive Drum Layering Techniques
‘Sculpting’ Together Sample Elements
Layering With Pad Parameters
Applying Filters to Individual Layers
Converting Your Layers Into Standalone/Portable Samples
Flatten Pad
'Resampling' Your Pad
021 Sound Design & Production Tricks
Emulating Vintage Sampler ‘Crunch’
Increasing Grit While Sampling From Vinyl
Using Sample Tune to add grit
Emulating Scratching With ‘Reverse’
Experimenting With LFOs
Emulating Vinyl Crackle
Wacky Bass
Bit Crushed Drums
Effects to ‘Dirty Up’ Your Drums
Using Effect Presets
Loading 3rd Party Effect Presets
Vintage Effects
Transient Shapers
Compression
Using EQ in Sound Design
Creating a More 'Open' Sounding Snare
Creating a Tight & Crunchy Snare From a 'Live' Snare
Creating FX Racks
Side Chain Compression: Using the Mother Ducker
Standard Compression vs Sidechain Compression
Setting Up the Mother Ducker
Tweaking The Mother Ducker
022 Advanced Keygroup Building
Using Multisamples in a Keygroup program
Sourcing & Configuring Your Samples
Setting Up The Keygroups
Applying ADSR
Alternative Note Range Configuration
Dealing With Root Notes
‘Pseudo’ Stereo
Emulating an Electric Piano
'Pad To Keygroup' Conversion
023 Build A Standalone MPC Synth
Subtractive Synthesis Overview
The MPC Keygroup Program - Our Synth ‘Interface’
Setting Up The Oscillator
Beefing Up The Oscillator
Monitoring & Adjusting Levels with the Channel Strip
Creating a Bass Tone
Applying The Filter
The Amplitude Envelope
The LFO
Velocity Sensitive Parameters
Adding Portamento
Adding Pitch Bend & Modulation Wheel Control
Building a Pad Instrument
Synthesising a Kick Drum
024 Using Plugins in Controller Mode
Using Third Party Plugins In ‘Controller Mode’
Working in Controller Mode
The Hybrid 3 Plugin GUI Interface
Recording a Plugin Instrument
Bouncing Plugin Tracks To Audio
Bouncing External Hardware Synths & iPad Synths
Disadvantages of Working with Bounced Tracks
025 Convert VST Plugins with Autosampler
Example Autosampling Workflow
Tweaking Your Autosampled Programs
Adding a Velocity Sensitive Filter
Saving Your Program
Autosampling External Hardware Synths
Sustain Looping Your Samples?
Example 2: Multi-Velocity, ’One Shot’ Style Patch
Configure The Patch
Configure Recording Settings
Configure The Program
026 Building Songs & Performances
Working on the Basic Song Structure
Experimenting With Track Mutes
Creating The Structure
Live Sweeps With XYFX Automation
Recording Automation
Fixing & Re-Recording XYFX Data
Managing Automation Events in LIST EDIT
Managing Automation Data in GRID EDIT
Creating the ‘Ending’
Sequence Experimentation
Next Sequence
Song Mode
027 Adding Vocals & Exporting Your Beats
Limitations of Song Mode
Converting Your Song into a Sequence
Recording a Vocal Over Your Song
Performing a Rough Mix of Your Song
Recording Automation With the Q-Links
Editing & Re-Recording Automation
Adding Automation To Audio Tracks
Adding Some Scratching
Using The Software COPY & PASTE Buttons
Using the Marquee Tool
Adding a 'Tape Stop' Effect
Adding Pad Mutes
Exporting Your Work
Exporting Track Stems
Ableton Live Set Export
Fading Out a Song?
Creating Set Lists
028 Final Words
Appendix A: Setting Up Your MPC
Update Your Firmware
Installing The Optional Synth Content
Which Cables Should I Use?
MPC Outgoing Audio Connections
Incoming Audio Connections
Sampling From a Smartphone
MIDI Connections
Connecting Multiple MIDI Controllers
Triggering Synths
Audio Connections For External Synths
Using an iPad as a Synth
Sending MIDI From One Track to Another
Appendix B: MPC File Transfers
File Transfer Restrictions (Internal Drive)
What is an ‘Attached Disk?
File Transfer Methods
Transferring the 'Tutorial Files' Folder
Transferring Third Party Expansions
Transferring Kits, Instruments and Legacy Sample Packs
Accessing Projects Saved to the Internal Drive
How Do I Continue Working on a ‘Standalone’ Project in Controller Mode?
How Do I Backup My MPC Projects and Files?
Appendix C: A Guide for MPC Touch Owners
Setting Up an MPC Touch
Internal Synth Plugins
Audio Interface Set Up
Audio Connections
MIDI Connections
Appendix D: Essential MPC Resources
Appendix E: Revision 18 Update Summary