Chapter 2

Panel & controls

Every button, knob and screen gesture — and what Shift adds.

0/10

In this chapter · 10

2.1The panel explorer
2.2Shift functions
2.3The touchscreen
2.4Pads and pad banks
2.5The Q-Link knobs
2.6Data entry and undo
2.7The Menu
2.8The Toolbar
2.9The pull-down menu
2.10The time counter and Locate

2.1BasicsManual Top Panel p.360, Mode & View Controls p.362, Transport & Recording Controls p.363, Rear Panel p.364

The panel explorer

The top of the G2 has a touchscreen, 16 pads, four Q-Link knobs, the DATA DIAL and 31 backlit buttons. The explorer below shows them all, plus the sockets around the edges, so you can look up any control in seconds.

Tap any button, knob, pad or port. Hold Shift to light up the words under the buttons.

Pick a control to see what it does.

All 45 controls and ports, from the pads to the rear panel. The word under a button is what it does while SHIFT is held.

Redrawn from the manual’s panel drawings (pp. 360–364) and Akai’s photos · not to exact scale

Using the explorer

Tap any button, knob, pad or port to see what it does and which sections explain it.
Hold Shift in the explorer to light up the word printed under each button. That’s its Shift function, and Shift functions lists them all.

How the panel is grouped

Navigation and data entry. The touchscreen, DATA DIAL, – and +, UNDO | REDO and SHIFT. See The touchscreen and Data entry and undo.
Pads and Q-Links. The 16 pads, the four bank buttons, FULL LEVEL | USER LEVEL, 16 LEVELS | NOTES, COPY | DELETE, NOTE REPEAT | LATCH, Q-LINKS and Q-LINK | EDIT. See Pads and pad banks and The Q-Link knobs.
Modes and views. MENU | PREFS, LOAD | SAVE, MIXER | PAD MIXER, TRACK MUTE | PAD MUTE, NEXT SEQ | XYFX, TC ON/OFF | CONFIG, MAIN | TRACK VIEW, ARRANGE | SOUNDS, GRID EDIT | STEP SEQ, TRACK EDIT | TRACK SETTING and SAMPLE EDIT | SAMPLER. See Shift functions and The Menu.
Transport and recording. REC | RECALL, OVERDUB, STOP | RETURN, PLAY, PLAY START | METRONOME, TAP TEMPO | GLOBAL and ERASE | CLEAR TRACK. See Recording sequences, Tempo and Erase and Clear Track.
Front edge and rear panel. The SD card slot, headphones, MAIN VOL, REC VOL and all the sockets. See Connections.

From the community

Getting Started on MPC One G2 | Getting Started
Akai Professional
Akai’s own first stop on the actual hardware: what’s new in the G2, the core controls and how to find your way round.

MPC ONE Gen 2 DEEP DIVE - Full Setup & Beat Making
Ave Mcree
A 37-minute beginner walkthrough on the G2 itself, from setup and menus to sequencing your first drums.

MPC One G2 versus MPC One Plus // The button layout 😬
Tefty Music Tech
If you’re moving from a One+: Tefty’s side-by-side focuses on what changed with the buttons.

2.2BasicsManual Navigation & Data Entry Controls p.360, Pad & Q-Link Controls p.361, Mode & View Controls p.362, Transport & Recording Controls p.363, Timing Correct (TC) p.72, Operation p.38

Shift functions

Most buttons on the G2 do two jobs. The word above a button is what a plain press does. The white word printed under it is what you get if you hold SHIFT while you press. Learn these early, because they’re the quickest way to the modes you’ll use most.

Every button with a Shift function

Button	Press it	With `SHIFT` held
`UNDO \| REDO`	Undoes your last action.	Redoes the last action you undid (Data entry and undo).
`BANK A \| E`	Selects Pad Bank A.	Selects Pad Bank E (Pads and pad banks).
`BANK B \| F`	Selects Pad Bank B.	Selects Pad Bank F.
`BANK C \| G`	Selects Pad Bank C.	Selects Pad Bank G.
`BANK D \| H`	Selects Pad Bank D.	Selects Pad Bank H.
`FULL LEVEL \| USER LEVEL`	Turns Full Level on or off.	Turns User Level velocity on or off (Full Level and User Level).
`16 LEVELS \| NOTES`	Turns 16 Level on or off (16 Level).	Enters Pad Perform (Notes) mode (Pad Perform).
`COPY \| DELETE`	Copies one pad to another.	Deletes instead of copying (Pads and pad banks).
`NOTE REPEAT \| LATCH`	Hold it and press a pad to repeat that pad.	Latches Note Repeat (Note Repeat).
`Q-LINK \| EDIT`	Moves the Q-Links to the next column.	Opens Q-Link Edit Mode (Q-Link Edit).
`MENU \| PREFS`	Opens the Menu.	Opens the Preferences (Preferences: Info and Activations).
`LOAD \| SAVE`	Opens the Browser.	Opens the Save window (The Save window).
`MIXER \| PAD MIXER`	Opens the Track Mixer.	Opens the Pad Mixer (Pad Mixer).
`TRACK MUTE \| PAD MUTE`	Opens Track Mute Mode.	Opens Pad Mute Mode (Pad Mute Mode).
`NEXT SEQ \| XYFX`	Opens Next Sequence Mode.	Opens XYFX Mode (XYFX Mode).
`TC ON/OFF \| CONFIG`	Opens the Timing Correct window.	Turns Timing Correct on and off. See the note below.
`MAIN \| TRACK VIEW`	Opens Main Mode.	Opens Track View (Track View).
`ARRANGE \| SOUNDS`	Opens Arrange Mode.	Opens Sounds Mode (Sounds Mode).
`GRID EDIT \| STEP SEQ`	Opens Grid View.	Opens the Step Sequencer (Step Sequencer).
`TRACK EDIT \| TRACK SETTING`	Opens Track Edit Mode.	Opens the Track Settings window for the selected track (About tracks).
`SAMPLE EDIT \| SAMPLER`	Opens Sample Edit Mode.	Opens the Sampler (The Sampler).
`REC \| RECALL`	Record-arms the sequence.	Recalls recently played notes (Recording sequences).
`STOP \| RETURN`	Stops playback.	Returns the playhead to 1:1:0.
`PLAY START \| METRONOME`	Plays the sequence from its start point.	Turns the metronome on or off (Metronome).
`TAP TEMPO \| GLOBAL`	Sets the tempo as you tap in time.	Switches between sequence tempo and global tempo (Tempo).
`ERASE \| CLEAR TRACK`	Erases notes: see Erase and Clear Track.	Clears the current track.

The combos

SHIFT + UNDO | REDO: Redoes the last action you undid.
SHIFT + BANK A | E: Selects Pad Bank E.
SHIFT + BANK B | F: Selects Pad Bank F.
SHIFT + BANK C | G: Selects Pad Bank G.
SHIFT + BANK D | H: Selects Pad Bank H.
SHIFT + FULL LEVEL | USER LEVEL: Turns User Level velocity on or off. It’s set to Half Level (64) by default.
SHIFT + 16 LEVELS | NOTES: Enters Pad Perform (Notes) mode, so the pads can play scales, modes, chords or progressions in any mode.
SHIFT + COPY | DELETE: Deletes instead of copying.
SHIFT + NOTE REPEAT | LATCH: Latches Note Repeat, so you don’t have to hold the button. Press NOTE REPEAT | LATCH again to unlatch.
SHIFT + Q-LINK | EDIT: Opens Q-Link Edit Mode, where you can assign other parameters to the Q-Links.
SHIFT + MENU | PREFS: Opens the Preferences page in the Menu.
SHIFT + LOAD | SAVE: Opens the Save window, for saving the current project with its samples, tracks, sequences and songs.
SHIFT + MIXER | PAD MIXER: Opens the Pad Mixer, for a track’s levels, stereo panning, routing and effects.
SHIFT + TRACK MUTE | PAD MUTE: Opens Pad Mute Mode, for muting pads within a track or setting their mute groups.
SHIFT + NEXT SEQ | XYFX: Opens XYFX Mode, which turns the touchscreen into an XY pad controlling two effect parameters.
SHIFT + TC ON/OFF | CONFIG: Turns Timing Correct on and off, according to the manual. The panel’s labels read the other way round: see Timing Correct.
SHIFT + MAIN | TRACK VIEW: Opens Track View.
SHIFT + ARRANGE | SOUNDS: Opens Sounds Mode, for browsing the built-in instruments and presets.
SHIFT + GRID EDIT | STEP SEQ: Opens the Step Sequencer, where the pads work as step buttons.
SHIFT + TRACK EDIT | TRACK SETTING: Opens the Track Settings window for the selected track.
SHIFT + SAMPLE EDIT | SAMPLER: Opens the Sampler, for recording audio samples.
SHIFT + REC | RECALL: Recalls MIDI notes you played recently with recording off, and inserts them into the current sequence.
SHIFT + STOP | RETURN: Returns the playhead to 1:1:0.
SHIFT + PLAY START | METRONOME: Turns the metronome on or off.
SHIFT + TAP TEMPO | GLOBAL: Sets whether the selected sequence follows its own tempo (button lit amber) or a global tempo (button lit red).
SHIFT + ERASE | CLEAR TRACK: Clears the current track. In the Clear Track window, tap Clear to go ahead or Cancel to back out.

Also worth knowing

OVERDUB and PLAY have no Shift function. – and + have none printed, but holding SHIFT with them can give smaller steps on some values (Data entry and undo).
Double-pressing a bank button is another way to reach Pad Banks E–H. The Bank Button Press setting changes how these buttons work (Pads and pad banks).
The Shift + Q-Link Press setting can make SHIFT + Q-LINK | EDIT cycle backwards through the Q-Link columns instead (Preferences: Hardware).
Holding SHIFT also changes some on-screen buttons (The touchscreen).

From the community

2.3BasicsManual Operation p.38, Control Types p.38, Audio Tracks p.44, Menu p.53, Pull-Down Menu p.69

The touchscreen

Almost everything on the G2 is shown on the touchscreen, and you work it together with the hardware controls. This guide mostly describes the touch controls, but you can set many of the control types below from the panel too, with DATA DIAL or – and +.

Four things that apply on every screen

A red outline means selected. Turn DATA DIAL or use – and + to change that parameter. If it’s a number, you can double-tap it for a keypad.
Pressing the dial is the same as double-tapping. Wherever you’d double-tap an item to enter it, you can press DATA DIAL instead.
The bottom of the screen changes with the mode. Many modes have 1–6 buttons there that select tabs or perform functions. If a mode has more than six tabs, use the < and > buttons to scroll.
An upward arrow on the left-most bottom button means more buttons. Hold SHIFT to show the extra ones, and release it to go back.

Key combinations

Hold SHIFT: Shows the secondary buttons at the bottom of the screen.Left-most on-screen button shows an upward arrow

Gestures

Gesture	What it does
Tap	Selects a field, knob or slider, or presses an on-screen button.
Double-tap	Enters an item: opens a larger knob or slider, a list or a number pad.
Tap and hold	On a parameter value, holding your finger for a second does the same as double-tapping. Some other controls use it to open extra settings, such as the `TC` icon in the pull-down menu.
Drag	Moves a knob, slider, value or envelope handle.
Swipe	Scrolls lists and other long content.
Spread or pinch	Zooms in or out where a mode allows it, such as Grid View (Your first edits).
Drag down from the middle of the top edge	Opens the pull-down menu (The pull-down menu).
Swipe right from the left edge	Opens the five shortcut modes, where available (The Menu).

Knobs

Drag the knob up or down.
Or tap it to select it, then use DATA DIAL or – and +.
Or double-tap it, or press DATA DIAL while it’s selected, to show a larger version. Drag that or use DATA DIAL or – and +. Tap anywhere else to go back.
If the knob is bipolar, with positive and negative values around a centre default, double-tap the larger version to reset it to the centre/0 position.
Hold SHIFT while turning DATA DIAL to adjust in smaller increments.

Parameter values

Tap the field, then use DATA DIAL or – and +. If the value has decimal places, you can sometimes hold SHIFT for smaller increments.
Or double-tap the field, or hold your finger on it for a second, to open a number pad. Type a value, use DATA DIAL or – and +, or drag the value up or down.
On the number pad, tap /2 to halve the value or x2 to double it.
Tap Apply to confirm and stay on this screen, or Do It to confirm and go back.
Tap the grey area in the upper-left corner to go back without confirming. What you typed on the number pad isn’t applied, but changes made any other way are kept.

Drop-down menus and lists

Tap the field, then use DATA DIAL or – and + to choose.
Or double-tap the field and tap an option in the list, or choose with DATA DIAL or – and +.
In some windows, a button at the bottom of the screen confirms your choice or cancels it.

Other controls

Selectors: Show every option, with the selected one highlighted and the others dark. One is always selected. Tap an option to choose it.
Buttons: Usually selected or deselected, though some have more than two states. Tap to switch or cycle. If one is outlined in red and isn’t a mute button, DATA DIAL or – and + work too.
Checkboxes: Checked or unchecked, meaning enabled or disabled. Tap to change.
Tabs: Some bottom-of-screen buttons cycle through several related tabs, such as Trim and Chop in Sample Edit Mode. Each tap moves to the next tab, and the squares underneath show which one you’re on.

Sliders

Drag the slider to the position you want.
On some sliders you can tap the position directly.
On some sliders you can tap to select, then use DATA DIAL or – and +.
Or double-tap the slider, then drag the larger version or use DATA DIAL or – and +. Tap anywhere else to go back.

Envelopes

Drag the handle of a stage in the direction you want.
Or set a stage’s number as a parameter value, as described above.
Tap the expand-rectangle icon above the envelope for a close-up view. There’s more in Anatomy of an envelope.

When you name something, a virtual keyboard appears. Tap Do It to confirm, or the grey bar at the top of the screen to cancel.

2.4BasicsManual Pad & Q-Link Controls p.361, Top Panel p.360, Drum Tracks p.46, Hardware p.62, Sequencer p.63, Pad & Q-Link Controls p.343

Pads and pad banks

The 16 pads are how you play the G2: they trigger drum hits and other samples. They’re velocity-sensitive and pressure-sensitive, and they light up as you play, from yellow when you play softly to red at the highest velocity. PAD 1 is at the bottom left and PAD 16 at the top right.

You can change the pad colours in Pad Color Mode. Whether pad pressure gets recorded is up to the Record Pad Aftertouch Events setting in Preferences: Sequencer.

You can reach 16 pads at a time. Eight banks, A to H, give a drum track 128 pads in total. The bank buttons select Pad Banks A–D, and holding SHIFT selects E–H (Shift functions).

Changing bank

BANK A | E: Selects Pad Bank A.
BANK B | F: Selects Pad Bank B.
BANK C | G: Selects Pad Bank C.
BANK D | H: Selects Pad Bank D.
Double-press BANK A | E: Selects Pad Bank E.
Double-press BANK B | F: Selects Pad Bank F.
Double-press BANK C | G: Selects Pad Bank G.
Double-press BANK D | H: Selects Pad Bank H.

The Bank Button Press setting

Option	What a bank button does
`Select A-D`	One press selects the matching bank from A–D. Hold `SHIFT` to select from E–H.
`Select/toggle bank`	Each press alternates between the matching banks in A–D and E–H, so you don’t need `SHIFT`.

Find this setting in Preferences: Hardware.

Buttons that change how the pads play

Full Level: Press FULL LEVEL | USER LEVEL. The pads always play at maximum velocity (127), however hard you hit them.
User Level: Press SHIFT + FULL LEVEL | USER LEVEL. The pads play at a fixed velocity, by default Half Level (64). Press and hold FULL LEVEL | USER LEVEL to set your own. See Full Level and User Level.
16 Level: Press 16 LEVELS | NOTES. The last pad you hit is temporarily copied to all 16 pads, with the same note number, and a parameter you choose with the Type selector rises from PAD 1 (minimum) to PAD 16 (maximum), however hard you press. See 16 Level.
Pad Perform (Notes): Press SHIFT + 16 LEVELS | NOTES. The pads play scales, modes, chords or progressions, in any mode. See Pad Perform.

Copy a pad

Press COPY | DELETE.
With the From Pad field selected, press the pad you want to copy.
With the To Pad graphic selected, press the destination pad. You can select several, including pads in other banks.
Tap Do It to go ahead, or Cancel to go back.

Key combinations

COPY | DELETE: Opens the copy window, to copy one pad to others.

From the community

2.5BasicsManual Q-Links p.25, Hardware p.62, General p.64, Q-Link Edit p.313, Pad & Q-Link Controls p.361, Technical Specifications p.475

The Q-Link knobs

The four Q-Link knobs let you grab parameters without touching the screen. They’re 360° and touch-sensitive, and they control one column of parameters at a time. There are four columns, which the manual also calls banks, and the lights on the panel show which one is selected.

Key combinations

Q-LINK | EDIT: Moves Q-LINKS to the next column. Each press selects the next one.
Hold Q-LINK | EDIT: Opens the Q-Links window over the current screen. Release the button to close it.

SHIFT + Q-LINK | EDIT opens Q-Link Edit Mode, where you assign other parameters to the knobs. That’s covered in depth in Q-Link Edit.

In the Q-Links window

Tap an icon to pick a Q-Link mode: Volume, Pan, Send 1–4, Project 1–2, Track, Track FX Rack, Pad Scene, Pad Parameter, MIDI or Screen.
Tap Q-Link Edit at the bottom of the window to open Q-Link Edit Mode.
Tap Q-Link Status to turn the pop-up on or off.

In some modes, a yellow box marked with a Q outlines the on-screen controls the knobs are controlling in Screen mode. The factory project starts with the knobs set up to control Main Mode (Powering up).

From the community

MPC 3.0 EP-30 - Q Links Overview - Tutorial by NervousCook$
NervousCook$
A three-minute orientation to the Q-Links on MPC 3 before you start building macros.

How to Use MPC Q-Link Knobs for SP-404 & Gross Beat 'Half-Speed' Style FX! 🤯
Sarah2ill
Setting up Q-Links for SP-404 and Gross Beat-style half-speed effects, from Sarah2ill’s MPC 3 material.

2.6BasicsManual Operation p.38, Control Types p.39, Toolbar p.54, Navigation & Data Entry Controls p.360

Data entry and undo

Whatever’s selected on the touchscreen, the controls beside it can change it. A selected field has a red outline: turn DATA DIAL or press – or + to change its value, and press the dial when you’d otherwise double-tap.

Key combinations

Turn DATA DIAL: Scrolls through menu options or changes the value of the selected field.
Press DATA DIAL: Works as an Enter button, the same as double-tapping the selected item.
SHIFT + DATA DIAL: Adjusts a value in smaller increments.
–: Decreases the value of the selected field.
+: Increases the value of the selected field.
UNDO | REDO: Undoes your last action.

Holding SHIFT with – or + can also give smaller steps on some values with decimal places. To type an exact number instead, double-tap the field for the number pad (The touchscreen).

SHIFT + UNDO | REDO redoes the last action you undid. If you want to go back further, the Undo History window lists your recent actions so you can undo or redo several at once (The Toolbar). What undo does during recording is explained in Recording sequences.

2.7BasicsManual Menu p.53, General p.64, Shortcuts p.107, Live Control Mode p.321, Mode & View Controls p.362, MPC Clip Launching p.485

The Menu shows every mode on the G2, along with project and hardware information, Preferences and save and load options. Many modes also have their own button on the panel. The ones that don’t, such as List Edit and Song, are the reason you’ll keep coming back here.

Key combinations

MENU | PREFS: Opens the Menu. If it’s already open, returns to the previous mode.

Getting around

In Main Mode, you can also open the Menu by tapping the icon in the upper-left corner of the screen.
Tap a mode to enter it.
Tap the back arrow in the upper-left corner to return to the previous mode.
Tap the < or > arrow to change menu page.

What’s on the Menu, as laid out in the manual’s pictures

Mode	Button on the panel	Learn more
`Browser`	`LOAD \| SAVE`	Browser
`Track Mixer`	`MIXER \| PAD MIXER`	Track Mixer
`Pad Mixer`	`SHIFT` + `MIXER \| PAD MIXER`	Pad Mixer
`Sounds`	`SHIFT` + `ARRANGE \| SOUNDS`	Sounds Mode
`XYFX`	`SHIFT` + `NEXT SEQ \| XYFX`	XYFX Mode
`Main Mode`	`MAIN \| TRACK VIEW`	Main Mode overview
`Arrange`	`ARRANGE \| SOUNDS`	Arrange Mode
`Grid View`	`GRID EDIT \| STEP SEQ`	Grid View
`Step Sequencer`	`SHIFT` + `GRID EDIT \| STEP SEQ`	Step Sequencer
`List Edit`	Menu only	List Edit Mode
`Track Edit`	`TRACK EDIT \| TRACK SETTING`	Track Edit Mode basics
`Track Mute`	`TRACK MUTE \| PAD MUTE`	Track Mute Mode
`Pad Mute`	`SHIFT` + `TRACK MUTE \| PAD MUTE`	Pad Mute Mode
`Track View`	`SHIFT` + `MAIN \| TRACK VIEW`	Track View
`Sample Edit`	`SAMPLE EDIT \| SAMPLER`	Sample Edit Mode
`Sampler`	`SHIFT` + `SAMPLE EDIT \| SAMPLER`	The Sampler
`Q-Link Edit`	`SHIFT` + `Q-LINK \| EDIT`	Q-Link Edit
`Next Sequence`	`NEXT SEQ \| XYFX`	Next Sequence Mode
`MIDI Learn`	Menu only	MIDI Learn
`Control`	Menu only	Live Control Mode
`Song`	Menu only	Song Mode
`Key Ranges` (second page)	Menu only	Key Ranges Mode
`MIDI Control` (second page)	Menu only	MIDI Control Mode
`Pad Color` (second page)	Menu only	Pad Color Mode
`Looper` (second page)	Menu only	Looper

Along the bottom of the Menu

Button	What it does
`New Project`	Opens a new project.
`Save`	Opens the Save window (The Save window).
`Project`	Opens the Project window (Project window).
`Preferences`	Opens the Preferences menu (Preferences: Info and Activations).

The strip across the top of the Menu is the The Toolbar. The Pro Pack’s clip workflow adds three more modes: Clip Matrix, Navigate and Clip Editor (Clip launching and Clip Matrix Mode).

Make it yours

Drag a mode icon to a new position to rearrange the Menu. The other icons shift to make room.
The five modes in the left-hand column are your shortcuts. By default they’re Browser, Track Mixer, Pad Mixer, Sounds and XYFX. They also appear in Main Mode.
In most screens you can reach those five by swiping the black touch handle to the right from the left edge of the touchscreen. The Show Mode Shortcut Panel setting controls this, and it’s off by default (Preferences: General).
To undo your changes, tap the three-dots icon next to Sync and tap Reset Mode Menu.

From the community

Turn on Show Mode Shortcut Panel in Menu > Preferences > General, then swipe in from the left edge of the screen. The first five modes in your Menu layout fill it, and you can press and hold an icon to drag it into place: ideal for modes with no button of their own, such as List Edit. via Elektronauts: The all things MPC thread

2.8BasicsManual Toolbar p.54, Tuner p.55, MIDI Monitor p.55, Mode p.55, System Resources p.56

Press MENU | PREFS and the strip across the top of the screen is the Toolbar. It holds the G2’s system tools: what the machine syncs to, the undo list, a tuner, a MIDI monitor and a readout of what’s using the processor and memory.

Sync sets what your MPC listens to for timing. Tap the Sync field in the centre of the top of the screen and turn DATA DIAL or use – and +, or double-tap it and tap an option. It’s the same setting as Receive in Preferences > MIDI / Sync (Preferences: MIDI / Sync).

Sync options

Option	What the G2 receives
`Off`	None of these.
`MIDI Clock`	MIDI Clock information.
`MTC`	MIDI Time Code information.
`Ableton Link`	Communication from Ableton Link, which synchronises beat, phase and tempo with Ableton Live and Link-enabled apps. Connect to a network first: see Preferences: Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

Help. Tap the ? icon and scan the QR code to open Akai’s user guide. Tap Close or the X to close it.

Undo History. Tap the clock icon at the top of the screen to see a list of your recent actions, with details where they’re available.

In the Undo History window

Tap Undo to undo an action, or Redo to redo one.
Drag the red line in the list to undo or redo several actions in one go. Actions below the line, in grey, have been undone.
Tap Close or the X to close the window.

Tuner. Tap the tuning fork at the top of the screen to tune any connected source, such as a guitar, bass or synth module. Play a note and use the indicator to adjust your instrument to the correct pitch. Tap Close, the X or anywhere outside the window to close it.

Tuner

Input Channel: The input your instrument is connected to.
Frequency of A: The base tuning frequency.

MIDI Monitor. Tap the I/O icons to view MIDI data coming from and going to connected devices.

In the MIDI Monitor

Tap In for incoming MIDI data, or Out for outgoing.
Tap Clear to clear the list.
Tap Close or the X to close the monitor.

Mode. Tap the chip icon to switch to Controller Mode, then choose to continue or Cancel. See Controller Mode.

System Resources. Tap the Mem and CPU indicators at the top right to open this window. Tap OK, the X or anywhere outside the window to close it.

What it shows

CPU: Current CPU usage, as a percentage.
Mem: Current RAM usage.
Drives: Available space on any detected external storage and on the internal drive.

Purge: free up memory for sampling and recording

Option	What it does
`Unused Samples`	Deletes all unused samples from the project.
`All Samples`	Deletes all samples from the project, from all tracks, sequences and audio or MIDI tracks.
`Cancel`	Returns to the previous screen.

If you get a “not enough memory” warning

Make sure none of the project’s audio tracks are record-armed.
Remove unused samples from the project’s sample pool that were there before the warning, and discard unused regions of loaded samples.
If the warning persists, manually undo the last action you performed. UNDO | REDO may not work for this, because of how the undo history is stored in RAM.
Save your project.
Clear the memory in one of the ways listed below.
Load your saved project again.

Ways to clear the memory

Press MENU | PREFS and tap New Project at the bottom of the screen.
Power the G2 off and on again.
Press SHIFT + MENU | PREFS, tap Reset at the bottom of the screen, tap OK and then tap Restart. This resets the Preferences.
Enter Controller Mode, then re-enter Standalone Mode.

2.9BasicsManual Pull-Down Menu p.69

The pull-down menu puts commonly used tools and information one swipe away from any mode. Drag down from the middle of the top of the screen to open it, and swipe it back up to close it. It has two pages: use the > and < buttons to move between them.

First page

Control	What it shows or does
Project Name	Shows the project’s name at the top-left corner of the menu.
Time counter	Shows the current playhead position. Tap it to open the Locate window (The time counter and Locate).
`BPM`	Shows the sequence’s tempo. Tap it to open the Tempo window (Tempo).
`Mem` and `CPU`	Show current RAM and CPU usage. Tap to open the System Resources window (The Toolbar).
`In` and `Out`	Show when the G2 is receiving or sending MIDI messages from or to your computer. Tap to open the MIDI Monitor (The Toolbar).
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth icons	Show the network and Bluetooth connection status. Tap each one to open its setup page in the Preferences (Preferences: Wi-Fi and Bluetooth).
Chip or computer icon	Shows whether you’re in Standalone or Controller Mode. Tap to switch (Controller Mode).
`TC` icon	Turns global Timing Correct on or off. Tap and hold it to open the Timing Correct window (Timing Correct).
`Loop`	Turns sequence looping on or off.
`Automation`	Shows the global Automation state. Tap to cycle between `Read` and `Write` (Automation).
`Metronome`	Turns the metronome on or off. Tap and hold it to open its settings window (Metronome).
`Ableton Link`	Shows the Ableton Link status. Tap to turn it on or off.
`Retro Rec`	Captures notes you played with recording off. The G2 records MIDI events in the background; select a track and tap this button to bring in what you just played.
`Tuner`	Opens the built-in tuner (The Toolbar).

Key combinations

SHIFT + tap Automation: Turns global automation off.Pull-down menu

The second page creates macro controls: assignments for parameters that a mode might not show, or that combine several parameters across different modes for expressive performances. The full story is in Learning macro assignments and Editing macro assignments.

Learn a parameter to a macro

Tap the Current Control field and choose the control you want to assign.
Tap Learn. The Q-Link Bank LED on the G2 blinks.
Go to the mode that shows the parameter, and adjust it. A message on screen confirms that it’s been learned.
To add more parameters to the same macro, go to them and adjust them while Learn is still on.
Tap Learn again to lock in the assignment.

Learn options: tap the down arrow next to the yellow Learn button

Add: Uncheck it to make a newly learned parameter replace the previous one, rather than joining it on the macro.
Range: Check it to learn a value range as well. While Learn is on, move the parameter to the low and high points you want. Once locked in, the macro controls the parameter across that range.
Toggle: Check it to make the parameter toggle on and off when the control is touched or moved, for example to mute or unmute several tracks with one macro.
Trigger: Check it to make the parameter send its maximum value when the control is touched or moved.

What happens when you let go

Momentary: When on, the parameter jumps back to where it was when you turned Momentary on as soon as you release the knob. When off, it stays at its new setting.
Go to Minimum: Tap the arrow next to Momentary and check this to send the macro’s parameters to their minimum value on release.
Go to Previous: Tap the arrow next to Momentary and check this to return to the last value before the macro was changed, on release.

2.10BasicsManual Time Counter / Locate p.71

The time counter and Locate

Many modes show a time counter in the toolbar, giving the playhead’s position in Bars:Beats:Ticks. Double-tap it to open the Locate window, where you can move the playhead, manage loop and record settings, and jump to specific points in your project. To close the window, tap Close, the X or anywhere outside it.

The Time tab

Bars:Beats:Ticks: Moves the playhead in the arrangement.
Step and Bars arrows: Move the playhead by the amount shown.
Loop: Turns the loop on in the arrangement.
Loop Start, Loop End: Set the length of the loop. The loop region is always shown in the arrangement’s timeline, whether the loop is on or not.
Set Loop Range By Locator: When On, the loop range adjusts automatically to the distance between the selected locator and the next one.
Auto Record: Starts recording automatically when the loop starts. When enabled, recording begins immediately as the arrangement loops.

The Locators tab edits the six markers you can place on the timeline.

The Locators tab

Tap Set to add a locator.
Tap the keyboard icon to rename it, using the on-screen keyboard.
Use the Bars:Beats:Ticks fields to move it.
Tap the eyedropper icon to pick a colour from the list.
Tap the X icon to delete it.