Akai MPC Synth Workflow- 3 Ways to Use Synths in the Akai MPC Series Grooveboxes 

Here's more information about my studio routing and setup: altruwest.com/2020/09/24/using-the-uad-apollo-console-with-the-akai-mpc-and-hardware-synths/

I miss this sound In the music industry

Wow! Real old school classic workflow. Used this method for years. I may have to revisit this workflow

I just heard about the MPC today, kinda knew to the hardware world when it comes to making music. Thought this video was really great at showing how useful a tool the MPC can be.

Nice funky groove! I have an XL and this is pretty much how I work as well. The MPC's sequencing is so easy to get the original ideas down and groovin. I love it.

insanely informative. Also Big up 4k users!

Really liked what you by did recording a single note and then using it to play a tune. Lot of neat ideas on building up the pieces for the final track. Kudos

You're a gifted musician and an inspiring demonstrator. This one was definitely a beat for a sunny day:-) Peace from the U.K.

This has demonstrated some things that I did not think that the MPC could do. For example, sampling a note and re-triggering the note from the keyboard. I had seen this with NI Machine and I had thought that it was a unique feature. Thanks for the thought provoking demonstration.

Love your sound selection

Man! the best video you've done so far! I've never understood the MPC Synth workflow. Thanks

That bassline was pure funk 🙌🤤❤️!!! Then that lead sound in the end, damn...

I hear Bruno all over this. But love the work flow man, gave me some ideas to use with maschine and outboard gear. Thanks alot.

Altruwest you the man! Amazing track

really cool man.. i just got an Mpc 2 days ago and i want to resell it cause workflow is damn long.. i'm used to sp404 straight workflow but this video open up my mind with what u could do w this machine .. you are an amazing tutor.. very clear explanation how you do this full time

Much respect man. Just getting into producing and this helps a lot. Keep keepin it 100

Man those chords you were laying down are fire!!! 🔥🔥🔥 that beat knocks!!!

Great stuff as always! I bought a mpc 5000(that should arrive today or after the weekend) and planning to use it with ipad as a sound module(and likely for arranging loops and finishing tracks) with it(along with yamaha cs6x and minibrute). I have been trying to look for videos about this stuff for a few days and your videos were the most helpful and even this the workflow tip with recording chords from gadged was awesome, especially since im not very good with keys.

Excellent work and an inspiration.👌

This was classic all the way right here! Reminds me of my old set-up, which I will be putting back together with a modern twist. Gonna run my old 1K with my old skool Triton Extreme as a controller and module with a couple of other modules all in to Logic. If that set-up can't get it done, I need to quit! LOL!!! Nice video Bruh. 👍🏾

funky stuff baseline has that groove jamming . your workflow setup is dope as well. #KeepBangin!

This is a very well explained video, and I love that funky sound. I use an MPC1000XL and I use exactly this same workflow! Audio tracks are nice because I often use samples of my synths. God bless!

Awesome. Thanks so much for sharing. Love that G-Funk Feel.

Dope! Drums are knocking...

Now this video is right up my alley. You do the damn thang righteous.

Pure West Coast magic. I love it.

I love your setup, I hope to get my studio on the same level.

That program change is so cool. so is the beat and the bass. sounds like a Moog.

That is some professor level sorcery! Great vid man!

Great tutorial bro. Kia Ora from New Zealand.

Nothing like a beat with that G-Funk feel.

Thanks fam. Really help

excellent man, i like it !!!!!!!!!!!!

Great video!

And it was a great video you are very very talented Be blessed

Very Nice My Brother. Love your track. MPCX User

great video and awesome west beat 2 ride

That mopho 4x sounds soooo good! I remember playing one a while back and I really liked it even tho i wasn't a huge fan of the prophet 08

great video, thanx for sharing

Beast Mode!!!!

Dope beat ! Like the work flow .. More MPC 4000 using some of the dope features it has. PLZ

Man this is such a dope video! Your process is in depth! 🎹🎸🥁🎧💉👂🎼🎵🎶🔥💣🔥💣🧨👀. I was so used to sampling vinyl records. I recorded a few tracks with my drums sampling notes or chords for beats only. My friend has been using midi for years. I’m really trying to find the best way for me. I don’t like when I have my Mpc midi to a keyboard or sound module and I go to another sound and the previous one overlaps.

13:25 awwee maann dope! i wanna hear you drop VST effects on a mix of the motif and all! sick bro! i love doing this ish! lol

digging that west coast Bounce all the way to Bmore 😎

That bass line at 3:17 is funky as hell

Man this is phat crazy ice cold! I really wish presonus would allows us to control their software with the midi program, the workflow would be so much more doper, this got me understanding the workflow of the Akai Beast, the one thing I would like to have in my daw is that option of Midi Program because this would give me the ability to switch drop sounds at free will, which I feel that's the only pain in my workflow. I want a mpc live but I have decided to wait until all of their beta bugs are done and then cop it around the holiday hopefully you will have a course up because this workflow got me like I need in my life, come put it in my life, I'mah keep it in my life lol mann that fresh way

Nice sounds, reminds me of the early Street Sounds in the era of Captain Rock.

Damn Brah! I used to have the XV5050 back in the day. I was running it with an RS7000, I sold both to cop a Fantom-S.

Very nice

bang! nice work fam

sound are great and good job

You made a dope record is less than 15 minutes.. I'm here to learn that 4000 mane... lol just got mine yesterday with the Modx8

I used this type of set up all throughout the 90s. I found it really inspiring. I had a lot of keyboards many of them multi timbral that enabled me to do pretty complex arrangements with a lot of sounds. As i switched over to DAW during the 2000s it obviously became easier to edit and do larger scale projects but a few things always bugged me and took many years to understand. Basically looking at a screen all day just sucks. Its counterintuitive. Working with MPC has its limitations but its strengths are highly musical. Timing is fantastic. Less options than a DAW force you to think ahead more. Not looking at a screen for everything puts the emphasis on your ears over your eyes and overall the experience is more satisfying. In addition using all you analog keys by midi is enjoyable as well. Hands on tactile use of the keyboards and changing parameters gives u more control of your sounds and opens up more originality in sound design over just using presets. I was wondering if u have both MPC and your DAW set next to each other as a way of offsetting the monotony of looking at a screen all the time and injecting fresh energy into music making. I think I want to do that again. Thank you for your video. Not many people do this anymore.

Man they need to have you to do one of these for the mpc live.

Wow I really like your mpc work flow!!! I have a Mpc 4000 . I never thought of sampling from keyboard into the 4000. You share some really tight tips. Thank you. Can you make some more videos on producing with the mpc 4000? I have had the 4000 for a while. I still don't know how to use it fully. The 4000 is really really deep Thanks John Thanks John

Dope!

That whole iPad setup is a cool idea

wow this is so summer day out just enjoying it type of groove hey what minor scale are using "j"

Brother you cold on the setup.

I used to enjoy my hardware days...but honestly software is faster and can do everything hardware can do .I even have all my samples for reason from the motif,fantom, and Triton...so I'm super str8.

First of all great video - I have an mpc renaissance I have not gotten a chance to used yet - will able to use the JJOS feature? - and I just purchase 2 mpc 60ii a few day ago - you did not mention them on your list

Thank you for this video! I'd like to know more about the way your synths and MPC are connected to the sound card in order to track out, record and mix everything. The way I see it, all the synths line outs are routed to the sound card ins, same for the MPC outs. And then you've got the outs of your sound card routed to the ins of the MPC (to sample your synths as you show in the video) and of course to your speakers. Am I right?

Hay what's up this vid is great. If you have picked up on the new MPC X or Live, would you say it's close to unbeatable as a sequencer for a hardware synth collector? I'm almost full circle with my setup & looking for a solid sequencer.

I've be wanting that Studio Electronics ATC-1 since the mix 90's. That along with the Novation Super Bass Station. These keyboards seem to be a rarity these days. Which reminds me of how popular the Kurksweil 2000 was then and how I have yet to see one floating around anywhere anymore.

Dope

nice track, did you have quantize on or off on the synths? thanks

very cool ! now i want to do some beats west coast 😉

which device did you use to connect the iPad? nice video, great jam!

Can the mpc4000 record filter cutoff midi cc modulation from the ds x4 when u play it on its midi input? Thanx

@altruwest so where is the midi sound coming from? The DAW? How do you get the midi sound to sequence with the mpc help me out?

Altruwest- Which is your fav hardware synth for sounds, Especially dance music. I need a synth with a lot of sounds.

mpc4000 great!

Subscribed.

I appreciate you takin the time to respond,first of all ,i gotta give you your credit.You are simply a BEAST at your craft.I really like your videos and ordering your material.Im buying most of my hardware from Reverb.com[mpc 2000xl, motif,effects pedal for my fender].So you will be hearing from me,needing help.Thanks again.[Did you take piano lessons].

can you lay synth down when there are no drums in the track yet? Just like, tell the mpc the bpm or something and then have a little click in my headphones? I would prefer to put in the drums after the keys/synth and am wondering if that is doable.

Hey bro how did you link you iPad into you work flow

Great video! I had a question i was hoping you or someone else on here might be able to help me with. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Im trying to connect my JDXI to my akai force. I have all 4 tracks from the JDXI loaded as individual MIDI tracks on the force. The problem is that if i change the loaded program for one of the tracks, it changes the loaded program on all 4 tracks to different programs. Is there a way to change the loaded program on each individual track, without it changing the loaded programs of the other JDXI tracks? If that makes sense.... I know its probably a simple fix, but Im stumped at this point. thanks again in advance for the help

12:12 got that 90's type feel that I love...SBN RESONATE

man I'm trying so hard to use my mic 3000 and trigger some vst"s on my daw. I cant figure out how to connect it like it was triggering a old school sound module. Any idea how to achieve this? thx

Nice

dope

What are you running in that studio? I see the old Mac pro. Respect for keeping that computer going!

Hi Altruwest, do you use Maschine Jam?

Wow that's how i used to work I had the MSB and LSB codes to all my synths so when i load up a song like magic all my synths would go to the correct presets and i love the keygroup in the MPC4000 it was the only true sampler of the hardware line i never figured out the INT- functions tho I still use the 4000 at times i just hate that the up cursor button is dead so i have to page up just to navigate around it ( this the 2nd one it happened to EA ski said i have heavy hands lol )

hey Al I have the mph 49 keyboard.also Maschine, so the VST would be like the different sounds?? I ask because I don't understand how you get the different types of sound to plat that baseline you did On around the 3.1/2 minute mark. New to this all hope you reply. and Nice beat you made for real.

Al u are truewest!! haha

What tempo is the best for making Gfunk?

Can the old school MPC save all sequence midi notes and load them back into sequence midi notes workflow. Without turning on the analog synthesizer. The reason why I ask I'm considering getting the Dave smith ob6 desktop module and a used MPC 1000 with jjos. I have notice the analog hardware synth market is back!! like they say it's nothing like the sound of analog.

I'm learning the MPC Touch, I'm a turntablist of over 25 years. Trying to blend my knowledge of Tables, keyboard with sampling . I am a little intrigued over the iPad.. that's really cool What Gen do I need to run virtual synths like that? -- big question,.. how many ms is the lag thanks a bazillion

AKAI'S MPC 4000 IS THE ULTIMATE..

With the new MPC’s you can use key groups or the on board synths. The Akai Force will let you record audio in bars and loop them. I’ve been experimenting with my iPad and the Force where I just watched your video this morning?

f major you have know idea how i wish i could get that gfunk feel like you do dag!

nice

Dang, cool setup. I'm trying to get my mpc1000 to time sync with the korg ms2000r while being controlled by the arturia keystep. What you have setup seems attainable but I just vibed with the vid. haha.

Hey Altruwest, say that you record a synth sound from the Tubesynth in the MPC One...when you record a synth sound, can you switch to a different sound after you've recorded it? Or say that you have been working on shaping and molding a sound with eq and effects, Can you then switch to another sound, and will it still have the same parameters that you we're working on? I got a MPC One backordered, and I'm just curious before I get my hands on it. Thanks alot man. Appreciate it...SBN RESONATE

Hey Altruwest, I don't know if you can explain this to me on here, but how would I hook up my Roland JD-XI, via midi to the MPC One, and get it to record a bass let's say, and be able to switch it to another patch once it's recorded? I can't wrap my mind around on how that can be possible? I just can't see if I record a synth sound from the Roland synth into the MPC One, how I could change that synth sound once it's recorded? Maybe I didn't understand what you meant here? If you would want to verify that, it would be great. Thanks brother Altruwest...SBN

So if you don't record your synth with midi into the audio tracks, then you can't go into the grid mode to change notes or volume, etc? I'm trying to figure this out, so I guess I would record vocals through the sampler instead of audio tracks then, because without recording midi synth into the audio tracks, there's no way of changing anything or readjusting anything in the grid right? Or is that even possible? I don't know why it's taking me so long to get this right, but I never owned an MPC until about 3 months ago, and it's pretty much to learn at one time. Thanks for the feedback...SBN RESONATE

So when you recorded the initial midi part, will you have to have your synth module connected in the future to hear the sound? The midi is programmed in, but assigned to what sound..?

Track is so tuff at end

Snoop Dogg needs to hop on this track Asap!