Other Features Explained; Step Sequencer - Akai MPC User Manual

Other Features Explained

This chapter describes various advanced features. These sections explain how to perform these
operations by using mostly the MPC hardware, but all of them are also possible in the software. For a
fuller explanation of these features, please refer to their corresponding sections in the Operation
(Software) chapter.

Step Sequencer

You've already learned how to record note events on a Track, but you can quickly enter note events in
Step Sequence Mode by using the pads as "step buttons," simulating the experience of a traditional step-
sequencer-style drum machine.
Hardware:
1. Press Step Seq to enter Step Sequence Mode.
2. Start a new Track by using the Cursor Buttons to select the Trk field and use the Data Dial or -/+
buttons to select an unused Track. Let's use Track 04.
3. Use the F2 (Bar-) and the F3 (Bar+) buttons to select the bar whose steps you want to create or
edit.
4. Use F5 (Pad-) and F6 (Pad+) to select the pad whose steps want to create or edit. The pad number
and its sample name will appear in the upper-right corner of the display. Alternatively, you can use
the Cursor Buttons to select the Pad field in the upper-right corner and use the Data Dial or -/+
buttons to select a pad.
5. Press the Play button to start your Sequence.
•
Each pad represents a step in the bar. If the pad already has note events on the selected Track, the
corresponding pads (steps) will be lit with colors corresponding to their velocities.
•
Hit an unlit pad to enter a note event at that step. The pad will light up with a color corresponding to
its velocity.
•
Click a lit pad to delete the note event from that step. The pad will be unlit.
See the Step Sequence Mode chapter to learn more about this feature.
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