Akai MPC live 2 Manual

Introduction

The Akai MPC live 2 is a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) that includes a variety of amazing features. It's a fantastic tool for experts and beginners interested in music production and has a wide range of functionality. This tutorial is designed to introduce the basic functions of the MPC and utilize all the equipment in the music production kit.
New to MPC or music production? We highly recommend that beginners start with this video:
Akai Professional MPC Live II | Overviewby AkaiProVideo on YouTube
For a step-by-step guide through making a song, check out this video playlist:
MPC Beats Academy | MPC Live II by AkaiProVideo on YouTube

Equipment Set Up

Power On!

• Plug in and power on the MPC with the button on the back.
• Insert your SD card or flash drive. Save any projects to your SD card or flash drive.
• Any project saved to the internal MPC memory will be deleted.
• The MPC will ask you to save projects before shutting off.

Interface Set Up

• Plug the cable labeled Focusrite into input 1 on the back of the MPC.
  
• Plug the other end into the back of the Focusrite interface.
• Connect the mic to the interface with the XLR cable.
  

• Make sure that the interface has the following settings:
  Note that when the interface is connected to the MPC. The sound will run through the interface and connected headphone not through the MPC speakers or MPC headphones.
  
  • 48V on and lit up (This gets power to the interface.).
  • Direct monitor on and lit up (This allows you to monitor sound coming through the mics.).
  • Monitor and headphone knob turned up (if you don't hear sound coming through the headphones, check that this is turned up).
  • Gain knob turned up (This controls the input level of the mic.).

MPK Mini Set Up

• Plug the MPK mini into USB input 2 on the back of the MPC.
• No sound will come from the MPK until we are in the right settings for the MPC.

If you are using all the equipment from the music production kit, your set up may look like this picture: You could also bring your own equipment. For example, you could plug an electric guitar into the interface instead of the mic or bring your own midi keyboard.

Navigating the MPC

Navigate the MPC live by using the touch screen or scrolling through selections with the large dial on the bottom right and clicking to select options on the screen.

Project Selection Page:

1. The project page has the option to play around with premade demos or create your own project. Demos will already have drum kits, sounds, and samples loaded and are a great place to start.
2. Click on empty project to start from scratch.

Project Home Page, Top Bar:

1. Project title: to change the title, locate the row of buttons below the screen. Select menu > save > project as. Only save projects on your SD card. Any projects saved internally will be deleted.
2. Playback timing: This shows what measure and beat is being played during playback or editing.
3. Metronome: click on this to pull up the metronome menu. From there you can turn the metronome on or off, change the sound, rate, and recording settings.

Project Home Page, Sequences, and Tracks:

1. Sequence: Sequences make up the building blocks of a song. You could think of sequences as traditional parts of a song (i.e., verse, chorus, and outro). You can change the name of the sequence to the right and switch between sequences in the drop-down menu.
2. Tempo and Bars:
   1. Change the tempo by lowering or raising beats per minute. BPR is sequence specific, meaning that 2 sequences can have different tempos. You can also use the tap button on the MPC to "tap" out the tempo of a sequence. Press the button 3 times at your desired tempo, and it will set the BPM to match.
   2. Bars are the number of measures in a sequence. These are also sequence specific.
3. Tracks: Use this menu to move between tracks. Tracks with nothing recorded on them will be marked as unused. You can rename a track just like a sequence. Use the button at the bottom of the page to add new tracks. For more details on your recorded tracks select the track menu to the left.
4. Programs: Each track you create within a sequence is routed through a program. There are six types of programs, each of which determines how the track sounds or what it is used for. A single project can hold up to 128 programs. Check out the section on programs in the manual for more information.

Recording a Sequence with the MPC

Recording a Drum Track:

On the buttons below the screen hit Shift+Menu/browse Scroll through or search for different drum kits. Use the play button at the bottom to hear a kit sample. Press load to load that drum kit to your pads.
Click on the 4 intersecting lines on the side bar to enter grid mode. Press the tap button 3 times at your preferred tempo to set the bpm. Press the Rec button to record-arm the sequence. Press the Play button to start the actual recording. You will hear the count-in for one measure before the recording starts. You can add more drum parts to this track, so don't feel the need to get everything in one take. Use the Overdub button instead of record to add to the track instead of overwriting what was previously recorded. Overdub lets you record additional note events over the existing sequence.
While in grid mode, the colorful dashes represent notes. Use these tools in grid view to edit your drum track: The pencil icon adds notes. The eraser deletes notes. The select box allows you to select a single note or a group of notes and move them up or down to change the sound or left or right to change the rhythm. The magnifying glass allows you to zoom in and out.

Recording with the MPK Mini:

Recording Vocals with the Mic:

Checking the MPC audio settings: Make sure the Focusrite interface is plugged into input 1 or 2 on the back of the MPC and that the settings specified in section 1 are applied. Go to Menu > preferences > audio device. Change the audio device from internal to the Focusrite Scarlett Solo. At this point, sound will run through the interface so make sure that your headphones are plugged into the Focusrite interface not the MPC.
Hit menu to return to the main view. Create a new track and select the Audio button at the bottom of the page. Make sure the settings below the inserts box match the picture. Record the audio track with record + play just like the previous tracks. Use the edit audio page to trim by changing when the recording starts and ends. Press the hide button at the top left to hide this menu. Press Midi in the bottom left to switch back to the drum and keyboard tracks. Use the track view on the left side to see all your tracks listed side by side.
Recording with the sampler (optional): Go to Menu > sampler. Click the arm button and then record to start recording. When you stop the recording, you will have the option to assign the sample to the drum pad by picking a program and a pad number to assign that sample to.
Each pad has a number below the bottom-left corner. To use the sample in your sequence, return to the main page add a new drum track and make sure the drum program matches the program you saved the sample to.

Save and Export

• To save your project to your SD card or flash drive go to menu > save.
• You can save the entire project, the program, or the sequence, but make sure that you only save things to your SD card or flash drive
• Any projects or samples saved to the internal drive will be deleted.

Troubleshooting

1. For more tutorials and FAQs, check out the Akai support website:https://support.akaipro.com/en/support/home
2. For community help and support check out the MPC forumshttps://www.mpc-forums.com/

Resources:

1. Want to learn more about DAWs and produce music at home? Check out our Synthesizer Maker Kits:https://friscolibrary.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S159C379777
2. Video Tutorials:
   1. MPC Beats Academy | MPC Live II by AkaiProVideo on YouTube
      
   2. MPC live for Beginners Playlistby Matthew Stratton on YouTube
      
   3. Akai MPC live 2 full workflow Instructional Videoby Sample kings on YouTube