Quick Start Tutorial; First Start; Feeding The Mpc Software - Akai MPC Reference Manual

4. 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 this tutorial, we recommend reproducing each of the described steps.
The MPC hardware display reflects what it's controlling in the software, but due to space and
character limitations, the hardware display is slightly different (e.g., parameter names may be
abbreviated, the layout may be different or spread across multiple tabs, etc.).
You can navigate through the MPC hardware display by using the MPC hardware's cursor
buttons. When a parameter is selected, you can change it by turning the hardware's data dial
or using the -/+ buttons.
When the MPC hardware screen shows a series of parameters that can't be selected with the
cursor buttons, that means it is showing you what the Q-Link knobs are controlling. Touch a Q-
Link knob, and the parameter's name and setting will appear in the upper right corner of the
hardware display. Turn the knob to adjust it (If the Q-Link knob does not control any parameter
in the display, this area will show the Q-Link knob number and no text).
MPC Studio users: MPC Studio's Q-Link knobs control one column of parameters at a time.
Whenever this manual instructs you to use the Q-Link knobs to adjust parameters, you can
use the SCROLL knob (above the Q-Link knobs) to move through the different columns.
On the following pages we will create a short song to show you important aspects of using the
MPC software in conjunction with the MPC hardware. Let's get started!

4.1 FIRST START

• Make sure that the MPC hardware driver and software are both properly installed on your
computer.
• Connect your MPC hardware to your computer with a suitable USB cable and switch it on.
After that, start the MPC software.
Now you're ready to go!

4.2 FEEDING THE MPC SOFTWARE

Let's start with a simple drum set.
Click on the BROWSER button of your MPC hardware and use the cursor down button to
navigate through your hard disk folders. To enter a selected folder, click on the right cursor
button to open it. Navigate to where your drum sounds are located.
To preview a selected sound, click on the F3 button (Play). You can also activate the Auto
Preview option with the F2 button (Auto).
First, let's load a bass drum. Hit Pad 1 to select it. The pad will be lit in green. Navigate to a
bass drum sample you like and click on the F6 button (Open) to assign it to the selected pad.
Now the bass drum sample can be played with Pad 1.
The Browser display of the MPC hardware
18