The Pro Pack · MPC One G2 guide

17.1BasicsManual MPC Pro Pack p.485, Activations p.58, Pro Pack Plugins p.508

What the Pro Pack is

The MPC Pro Pack is a paid upgrade, and it does not come with the G2: Akai’s MPC One G2 FAQ says so directly. This chapter is the only one in the guide that needs it. The other chapters don’t depend on it, apart from a few Pro Pack details flagged where they come up.

What it adds

Clip launching — Clip Matrix Mode, Navigate Mode, Clip Editor Mode and extra clip tools in Main Mode.
Advanced CV editing — modulators and utilities for controlling CV gear (Advanced CV track edit).
A Q-Link envelope follower and LFO — a control signal taken from audio or from an LFO (Q-Link Edit: envelope follower and LFO).
A new warp algorithm — FFT-based time stretching and pitch shifting (Super Warp algorithm).
Three insert effects — AIR Visual EQ4, AIR Reverb Pro and AIR Utility.
One instrument plugin — AIR Fabric Select.
Ableton Live project import — Import Ableton Live projects.

Akai’s FAQ says the G2 can buy the Pro Pack at a 50% discount, using an offer code. It doesn’t give a price, and neither does the manual, which just points you to thempcstore.com or akaipro.com.

Buy it with the discount

Install the inMusic Software Center and sign in with your Akai/inMusic account.
Open the My Offers tab, click Get Code, copy the code and click Redeem.
On the MPC Pro Pack page, click Buy.
Paste the code into the Coupon Code box, click Apply and check out.

Activate it on the G2

Connect the G2 to a Wi-Fi network (Preferences: Wi-Fi and Bluetooth).
Press SHIFT + MENU | PREFS to open the Preferences, and go to the Activations tab.
Tap Log In. Scan the QR code with a phone or open the URL shown in a browser, type in the code your device shows and log in to your inMusic Profile.
Tap Refresh to bring the list up to date, then tap Activate next to the item. If you have a serial number to register, enter it in Enter Serial and tap Register.
To download a purchase, tap Change to choose the Content Download Drive, then tap the download icon (Preferences: Info and Activations).

The Pro Pack can be unlocked on as many as three supported devices. Clip launching needs one more step after activation: turning on Use Clip Workflow in the Preferences (Clip launching and Clip Matrix Mode).

Pro Pack details in other chapters

The Envelope Follower / LFO tab appears in Q-Link Edit, but stays greyed out until the Pro Pack is activated.
With clip launching on, nudging steps in the Step Sequencer wraps within the clip rather than the sequence.

The same FAQ answer says Stems Separation isn’t included with the G2 either, and is sold separately.

From the community

ALL MPCs can do clip launching now (not just the MPC Live III)
Gabe Miller Music
The closest match to your machine: the Pro Pack on an original MPC One, with a Clip Matrix mini-tutorial and converting sequences to clips.

WATCH THIS before you buy the MPC Pro Pack. Update 3.6. Air Visual EQ, Reverb Pro & Utility Review.
The Crates Motel
A review aimed at the buying decision: AIR Visual EQ4, Reverb Pro and Utility, from the 3.6 launch.

17.2AdvancedMPC 3.9+Manual MPC Clip Launching p.485, Clip Matrix Mode p.486, Time Signature per Sequence and Clip (3.9 manual) p.12, Arrange Mode Editing Tools (3.9 manual) p.9

Clip launching and Clip Matrix Mode

Clip launching lets you start clips and whole rows of clips from a grid, rather than only playing one linear arrangement. It comes with the Pro Pack and adds three modes — Clip Matrix, Navigate and Clip Editor — plus extra clip tools in the Arrangement & Clip section of Main Mode.

Turn on Clip Workflow

Activate the Pro Pack (What the Pro Pack is).
Press MENU | PREFS and select Preferences.
In the Project Defaults tab, tick Use Clip Workflow.
Restart the MPC. Turning this setting on or off always needs a restart, and if your project has unsaved changes you’re asked to save first.

Clip Matrix Mode is the bird’s-eye view of your tracks and clips. To open it, press MENU | PREFS, go to the second page of modes and tap Clip Matrix. Tracks run across the top, clips fill the rows below, and each row has a scene launch icon at the far right. The manual uses “row” and “scene” for the same thing.

On the touchscreen

Double-tap an empty slot to create a clip, or tap and hold it and tap Create.
Tap a clip to launch it.
Tap a scene launch icon to launch that scene.
Tap the + icon at the top to add a track. If you already have 8 tracks, move the matrix to the right to reveal it.
Tap the Move buttons at the bottom to shift the view of the matrix.
Tap Buses to see the Submixes, Returns and Output tracks. You create and launch automation clips on these in the same way as on tracks.
Double-tap a track name at the top to edit the track’s settings (About tracks). Here you also get a Row Launch field: Include in row launch starts the track’s clips when you launch a scene, and Exclude from row launch stops them launching with it.

What the pads do: the Pads: button

Setting	What the pads do
`Notes`	Play notes or chords in Pad Perform mode (Pad Perform).
`Clip Launch`	Launch clips. Each pad is one clip in the focus view, the area outlined in white on the screen.
`Row Launch`	Launch a whole row. Row 1 starts at `PAD 13`, then the rows carry on left to right and downward.

Key combinations

BANK A | E, BANK B | F, BANK C | G or BANK D | H: Moves the focus view by one row or column.Clip Matrix Mode, pads on Clip Launch
Hold SHIFT + BANK A | E, BANK B | F, BANK C | G or BANK D | H: Moves the focus view by four rows or columns.Clip Matrix Mode, pads on Clip Launch
Hold SHIFT + tap Move: Moves the focus view by four rows or columns.Clip Matrix Mode, pads on Clip Launch
Hold SHIFT + tap Move 8: Moves the matrix display by eight rows or columns.Clip Matrix Mode
Hold SHIFT + PAD: Picks the clip that has focus.Clip Launch pads, Tapping a clip selects it unticked
Hold REC | RECALL + tap Settings: Opens the Record Configuration window.Clip Matrix Mode

What a clip’s appearance tells you

Appearance	Status
Full clip colour	Stopped, playback stopped
Dimmed clip colour	Stopped, playback active
White, flashing	Prepared to play
Dark, with a white strip at the left edge	Playing
Black, flashing	Prepared to stop
Labelled `PREPARE`	Prepared to record
Labelled `RECORD`	Recording
Labelled `OVERDUB`	Overdubbing
Labelled `EXIT`	Exiting recording

The Edit Row window: tap and hold a scene launch icon

Insert adds one new scene row, and Insert 8 adds eight.
Insert & Capture makes a new scene from the clips playing in other scenes.
Clear empties the selected scene.
Snapshot stores the state of all automation parameters in the row, and launching the row brings that state back with the row’s events. Clear Snapshot removes it.
Settings opens the Row Settings window, below.
Delete removes the selected scene and all its clips, and the scenes below it move up.
Copy copies the selected scene and its clips. Then open this window on another row and tap Paste to put them there.

The Edit Arrangement Row window: tap and hold the Arrangement row’s launch button

Clear empties the arrangement row.
Copy copies the arrangement row. Paste it onto a clip row from the Edit Row window, and any loop regions are matched in the new clips. This is a way to turn parts of your arrangement into clip rows.

Row Settings

Name: Tap to rename the row with the virtual keyboard.
Color: The row’s colour. Apply to Clips gives all the row’s clips the same colour.
Set Tempo: Tick to give this scene its own sequence tempo when it launches.
Tempo: That tempo, in beats per minute. When the tempo is set to GBL (global), the global setting stays and row tempos are ignored.
Follow Action: What happens after the row launches. The options are in the next table.
Action Time: When the Follow Action fires, in Bars:Beats:Ticks.
Apply to All Rows: Tap to use this Follow Action on every row in the matrix.
Clear All: Tap to clear every Follow Action you’ve set.

Follow Action options

Option	What happens when the Action Time is reached
`Go To Row`	Moves to the row set in the `Row` field.
`To Previous`	Moves to the row above. From the first row, playback stops.
`To Previous or Last`	Moves to the row above. From the first row, it goes to the last row in the matrix.
`To Next`	Moves to the row below. From the last row, playback stops.
`To Next or First`	Moves to the row below. From the last row, it goes back to the first.
`To Previously Playing`	Moves to the scene played last.
`To Random (Include This)`	Moves to a random scene, which could be the current one.
`To Random (Exclude This)`	Moves to a random scene other than the current one.
`Back to Arrange`	Returns to the arrangement.
`Stop`	Stops playback.

Launch Configuration: tap the BPM and launch quantisation at the top right

Tempo: The project tempo. Turn DATA DIAL, press – or +, or double-tap the field for the number pad. You can also set it with TAP TEMPO | GLOBAL.
Default Length: The default clip length for the project.
Quantization: The global quantisation for launching all clips.
Empty Slots: How clip launch pads with no clip look: dimly lit in the track colour, or completely dark.Range Dim, Off
Tapping a clip selects it: Ticked, launching a clip also selects it, so you can see it straight away in other modes. Unticked, focus stays on the selected pad, which you choose by holding SHIFT and tapping a clip launch pad.
Show arrangement in clip matrix: Shows the arrangement row in the matrix.
Label Transparency Level: Changes how the focus view looks when the pads are on Clip Launch.
Only show labels with ‘Shift’: Hides the focus view’s Bank button direction labels unless you’re holding SHIFT.

Tap and hold a clip slot

On a filled slot: Copy, Copy To Arrangement (copies the clip’s contents to the linear arrangement timeline), Delete, Edit Clip (opens the Clip Editor), Edit Event (opens Grid View) and Settings (opens Clip Settings, below).
On an empty slot: Create makes a new clip, and Paste pastes a copied one.

Clip Settings

Name: Tap to rename the clip with the virtual keyboard.
Color: The clip’s colour.
Launch Quantization: The quantisation for launching this clip.
Launch Mode: Toggle starts or stops the clip with each press. Trigger restarts it from the beginning with each press.Range Toggle, Trigger
Legato: Launching the clip picks up from the same position as the clip that was playing, subject to launch quantisation. For example, with launch quantisation at 1 bar: launch a legato clip during Bar 1, Beat 2 of the clip that’s playing, and it comes in at Bar 2, Beat 1. With legato off, it starts from the beginning.
Time Signature Numerator: The number of beats per bar in this clip.Range 1–16
Time Signature Denominator: The note value of each beat in this clip.Range 4, 8, 16, 32

The -/+ buttons at the bottom of the window step through the track’s clips. Close, the X or a tap outside closes the window.

Record Configuration

Write automation when recording: Tick to capture automation while you record.
Record Launch: How recording starts. Clip: with the track armed, tap any clip launch pad. Record or Clip: with the track armed, tap a clip launch pad, or press REC | RECALL to record on the highlighted slot. Record then Clip: press REC | RECALL, then tap a clip launch pad. Record to Selection: recording goes to whichever event list is selected, clip or Arrangement, when you press REC | RECALL and then PLAY. This last one is the mode the MPC powers on in.Range Clip, Record or Clip, Record then Clip, Record to Selection
Clip Record To: What the clip does when recording finishes.Range Overdub, Play
Record Arm: How Rec Arm behaves. Single arms the current track when you change tracks and disarms the others. Multi lets you arm several tracks at once. With Single, you can still arm several tracks in the Track Mixer or Track View Mode.Range Single, Multi
Fixed Length Recording: Ticked, recording stops at the length in Fixed Length (Bars). Unticked, you can record for as long as you like.

New in 3.9, you can also drop a whole clip row into the arrangement. In Arrange Mode, open the editing tools with the pencil edit button at the top of the screen, or double-tap the loop brace, then use the Insert Clip Row window (Editing arrangements).

Insert Clip Row

Clip Row: Which row of clips goes in.
Playhead Position: Where in the arrangement it goes.
Bars: How many bars it fills.
Bars follow longest Clip in Row: Ticked, the length comes from the longest clip in the row. Unticked, Bars decides, and clips longer than that get cut short.
Close popup on action: Tick to close the window automatically.
Replace: Tap to overwrite what’s in the arrangement with the row.
Insert: Tap to add the row at the playhead and push what’s already there forward.

From the community

With the Pro Pack, keep one block of rows as a store of clip variations and build your song in another. Jam combinations from the store, use Insert & Capture to copy what’s playing to a new row, and leave a row of empty clips as a divider. via Elektronauts: The all things MPC thread

Getting Started with MPC Live III | Clip Launching Deep Dive
Akai Professional
Tefty’s full breakdown of clip launching, filmed on a Live III, where the Pro Pack is included; on a G2 you need to buy it.

The all things MPC Thread (Part 4)Elektronauts — A long, active thread of owners reporting on each firmware as it lands, including the 3.10 Arranger changes.

17.3IntermediateManual Navigate Mode p.491

Navigate Mode

Navigate Mode lets you jump to the 8x8 group of clips you want in focus in Clip Matrix Mode, without stepping the view along row by row. It needs the Pro Pack, with Clip Workflow turned on.

Press MENU | PREFS, go to the second page of modes and tap Navigate.
Tap or drag with your finger to the place you want. The matrix view moves there.

From the community

17.4AdvancedMPC 3.9+Manual Clip Editor Mode p.492, Time Signature per Sequence and Clip (3.9 manual) p.12

Clip Editor Mode

The Clip Editor works on the clip as a container: its name, time signature, start and loop points, and how it launches. It needs the Pro Pack, with Clip Workflow turned on. New in 3.9, each clip can have its own time signature.

Open it

Press MENU | PREFS, go to the second page of modes and tap Clip Editor.
Or, from Arrange Mode, Grid View or List Edit Mode, tap Clip at the top of the screen.

What it shows

Track type	View
Audio	The clip’s waveform.
Drum	All available pads in a column on the left, with their events in the grid to the right.
Keygroup, plugin, MIDI and CV	A vertical piano-roll keyboard on the left, with the events in the grid to the right.

Key combinations

Hold SHIFT + tap << Loop or Loop >>: Shifts the whole loop area left or right.Clip Editor Mode
Hold SHIFT + tap /2 or 2X: Halves or doubles the loop size.Clip Editor Mode

Clip Editor controls

Clip Name: Tap at the top of the screen to rename the clip.
Time Signature: Tap to change the clip’s time signature. The first number is beats per bar, the second is the note value of each beat. Tap Do It to apply; Cancel, the X or a tap outside closes the window.Range Numerator 1–16; denominator 4, 8, 16, 32
Pencil icon: Opens the Clip Edit window (Main Mode: the arrangement and clips section).
Gear icon: Opens the Grid View Settings window, for some of the Grid View settings (Grid View).
Start: Where the clip starts when launched. You can also drag the start marker.
Loop Start: Where the clip’s loop begins. You can also drag the loop start marker.
Loop Length: The total length of the loop. You can also drag the loop end marker.
Launch Quantize: The quantisation for launching this clip, separate from the global launch quantisation.
Launch Mode: Toggle starts or stops the clip with each press. Trigger restarts it from the beginning with each press.Range Toggle, Trigger
TC: Opens the Timing Correct window. So does the clock icon beside the automation lane (Timing Correct).
Set Start, Set End: Tap while the clip plays to move its start or end point to the playhead.
Trim Clip: Set the length you want with Loop Length, then tap this to trim the whole clip to that size.
Legato: When on, the playhead carries on from the position it had in the previous clip on the same track when you switch clips. Good for seamless drum fills or when using an a cappella track.
Loop: Turns the clip’s loop on or off. In general, use on for complete phrases and off for one-shots.
Up arrow: In the lower-right corner, shows the velocity and automation lane. The down arrow hides it again. You edit velocity and automation in Grid View (Velocity and automation lane).
Follow Q-Links: Updates the automation parameter on show to match the selected Q-Link’s parameter.

From the community

17.5AdvancedMPC 3.9+Manual Main Mode – Arrangement & Clip Section p.495, Clips p.496, Time Signature per Sequence and Clip (3.9 manual) p.12

Main Mode: the arrangement and clips section

With the Pro Pack and Clip Workflow on, the section of Main Mode that normally shows the arrangement (Arrangement section) can also show a clip. Its header tells you which: the arrangement, or the selected clip’s number and name. Below it you see the recorded events and the editing tools for whichever is selected.

To change clips, tap the header and turn DATA DIAL or press – or +.

Key combinations

Hold SHIFT + tap Back to Arr: Returns the selected track to arrangement playback.Main Mode with Clip Workflow on
Hold SHIFT + tap All Track to Arr: Returns all tracks to arrangement playback.Main Mode with Clip Workflow on
Hold SHIFT + tap Clip -/+: Switches to the previous or next clip.Main Mode with Clip Workflow on
Hold SHIFT + tap Clip Stop: Stops the current clip playing.Main Mode with Clip Workflow on
Hold SHIFT + tap Stop All: Stops all clips playing.Main Mode with Clip Workflow on

Tap and hold the Arrangement icon

Copy Arrangement To Clip puts the current track’s part of the linear arrangement into a new clip. Choose the destination slot in the window that opens, then tap Do It, or Cancel to go back.
Launch selected clip during playback launches clips or the arrangement automatically as you select them. Combined with Legato, this lets you vary clips in real time with fills.

Tap the clip number in the header: filled slot

Copy copies the clip.
Copy To Arrangement copies the clip’s contents to the linear arrangement. Position Bar sets where. Replace overwrites what’s there, and Merge adds to it.
Delete removes the clip.
Edit Clip opens the Clip Editor.
Edit Event/Edit Region opens Grid View.
Settings opens Clip Settings, below.
Flatten Clip or Flatten Clip Elastique bakes an audio clip’s edits and regions into a single new audio file. Elastique Pro is there for time-stretching or pitch-shifting, with higher quality and fewer artefacts than the standard algorithm.

Tap the clip number in the header: empty slot

Create makes a new clip, and Paste pastes a copied one.
For filled and empty slots alike, Launch selected clip during playback launches clips automatically as you select them.

Clip Settings: tap and hold the clip name, then tap Settings

Name: Tap to rename the clip with the virtual keyboard.
Color: The clip’s colour.
Time Signature: The clip’s time signature: Numerator is beats per bar and Denominator is the note value of each beat.Range Numerator 1–16; Denominator 4, 8, 16, 32
Launch Quantization: The quantisation for launching this clip.
Launch Mode: Toggle starts or stops the clip with each press. Trigger restarts it from the beginning with each press.Range Toggle, Trigger
Legato: Launching the clip picks up from the same position as the clip that was playing, subject to launch quantisation. With it off, the clip starts from the beginning (Clip launching and Clip Matrix Mode has a worked example).

The clip area: filled slot

Tap the play icon to start the clip.
Set Start, Loop Start and Loop Length with their fields, or drag the start, loop start and loop end markers.
Tap Loop to turn the clip’s loop on or off: in general, on for complete phrases and off for one-shots.
Double-tap the clip timeline to open the clip in Grid View.
Tap the duplicate icon to copy the clip to the next empty slot on the track straight away.
On an audio track, the tuning fork icon opens the Tuner.

The clip area: empty slot

Tap the + icon in the header or Create Clip in the clip area to create an empty clip in the slot.
When Clip Recording is armed, that icon becomes a record icon. Tap it, or Record in the clip area, to record a new clip. Once recording starts, the area switches to the filled-slot view.
Fixed Length Recording: On stops recording at the length in Default Length (Bars), and Off lets you record for as long as you like.
Time Sig sets the new clip’s time signature: beats per bar (1–16) over beat value (4, 8, 16, 32).
On an audio track, the tuning fork icon opens the Tuner.

Clip Edit functions: tap the pencil icon

Function	What it does	Track types
`Clear`	Wipes every event from the clip. Confirm with `Clear`, or back out with `Cancel`.	All
`Half clip`	Cuts the clip’s length in half straight away.	All
`Double clip`	Doubles the clip’s length without doubling its events or regions.	All
`Double length with events`	Doubles the clip’s length and repeats its events or regions.	All
`Trim to length`	Removes events or regions that fall outside the clip’s length.	All
`Half-Speed`	Doubles the note lengths and the gaps between them, so the clip sounds half as fast. Pitch and tempo don’t change.	All except Audio
`Double-Speed`	Halves the note lengths and the gaps between them, so the clip sounds twice as fast. Pitch and tempo don’t change.	All except Audio
`Pitch Quantize`	Forces MIDI notes into a scale.	All except Audio
`Humanize`	Randomises the timing, length and velocity of notes, in any combination.	All except Audio
`Random Events`	Generates random melodic or drum patterns in the clip.	All except Audio
`Split Events`	Divides notes into equal parts.	All except Audio
`Convert to Progression`	Turns a melodic MIDI track into a custom Progression, for playing in Progressions Note mode (Pad Perform).	All except Audio
`Bounce to Sample`	Renders the `Selected Clip` or `All Clips` to a sample in the project’s sample pool, named `Bounce` plus the track name by default.	Drum, Keygroup, Plugin, Audio
`Bounce to Audio Track`	Renders the `Selected Clip` or `All Clips` to a new audio track, named `Bounce` plus the track name by default. Main Mode switches to the `Audio` tab.	Drum, Keygroup, Plugin, Audio
`Flatten`, `Flatten Elastique`	Renders the audio clip’s edits and regions to one new audio file.	Audio only

Pitch Quantize

Root Note: The root note of the scale.
Scale: The type of scale.
Only apply to selected events: Ticked, only the selected notes are quantised. Unticked, all pitches on the current track are.
Start Note, End Note: The lowest and highest pitches quantised notes can land on. A note outside this range moves to the nearest pitch in the scale inside it.

Humanize

Humanize Time: Tick to randomise the timing of notes.
Amount (Pulses): The furthest a note’s timing can move, in pulses.
Eagerness: How strongly timing is pushed. Negative values play ahead of the beat and positive values play behind it.
Humanize Note Length: Tick to randomise note lengths.
Length (%): How strongly note lengths are changed.
Humanize Velocity: Tick to randomise velocities.
Strength (%): How strongly velocities are changed.
Only Apply to Selected Events: Ticked, only the selected notes are humanised. Unticked, all notes are.

Random Events

Event Type: What kind of events to create.Range Drum Events, Melodic Events
Replace: Replace All Events swaps out everything. Replace Events in Note Range swaps only the events inside a note range: for drum events, set it with Start Pad and End Pad or with Bank; for melodic events, with Start Note and End Note. Add to Existing Events adds to what’s there without overwriting it.Range Replace All Events, Replace Events in Note Range, Add to Existing Events
Pattern Size (Bars): How many bars the events fill, up to the number of bars in the clip.
Note Length: How long the events are. This has no effect when generating melodic events with Legato on.

In the Humanize and Random Events windows, Apply does the job and keeps the window open, Do It does the job and closes it, and Close, the X or a tap outside closes it without changing anything.

Split Events

Into: How many parts each note is split into.
Only selected events: Ticked, only the selected notes are split. Unticked, all of them are.

Convert to Progression

NameProgression: The name of the progression.
Root NoteProgression: The root note.
Scale TypeProgression: The type of scale.
ChordChord: Picks a chord from the progression to edit.
NameChord: Renames the selected chord.
TypeChord: The type of chord.Range Root, Normal, Below Root
PlayChord: Plays the selected chord.
Do It: Converts the progression and closes the window. Close, the X or a tap outside goes back without converting.

Bounce to Sample and Bounce to Audio Track

Audio Tail: Seconds of extra time tacked on to the end of the audio file.

Create a clip with its own time signature

Go to the Arrangement & Clip section of Main Mode and select an empty clip slot.
Set it with the Time Signature fields.
Tap Create Clip.

From the community

17.6AdvancedManual Advanced CV Track Edit p.501, CV Enhancements p.9

Advanced CV track edit

The Pro Pack turns Track Edit on a CV track into a set of modulators and utilities for controlling CV-enabled devices (CV tracks, Track Edit for CV tracks). Six tabs run along the bottom of the screen: Routing, envelopes, LFOs, Stepper, Utilities and Matrix.

Routing

Routing: Tap the tab to cycle through CV outputs 1–8 and 9–16, as available. All 16 ports are shown on every MPC, and the ones your hardware doesn’t have are greyed out.
CV: Chooses a routing destination for each CV output.
Out: Knob that sets the output voltage.
Depth: Knob that adds further modulation depth to the output.

There are four envelopes. Tap the envelope tab repeatedly to cycle through them, or tap the Env 1–Env 4 headers. Each one is a changing control signal that you can use on a sound’s filter, amplitude or pitch over time (Anatomy of an envelope).

Env 1–4

Mode: How the envelope is triggered. Note On restarts it with each Note On message, Loop cycles it continuously, and One Shot plays it through once.Range Note On, Loop, One Shot
Sync: Ties the envelope’s timing tightly to the MPC sequence.
Delay, Attack, Hold, Decay, Sustain, Release: Shape the envelope. You can also drag the handles on the envelope itself.
Depth: Knob that sets how much envelope is applied, and in which direction.

There are four LFOs, which generate a repeating wave for modulation. Tap the LFO tab repeatedly to cycle through them, or tap the LFO 1–LFO 4 headers.

LFO 1–4

Type: The LFO’s waveform.Range Ramp Up, Ramp Down, Triangle, Sine, Square, Random 1, Random 2
Trigger: What resets the LFO’s phase. Free Running never resets, Play Start resets at the start of the sequence, and Note On resets with each note triggered in the CV track’s grid.Range Free Running, Play Start, Note On
Rate: Knob that sets the LFO’s frequency. At low values a cycle can take a while; at high values it gets close to the audible range.
Sync: Knob that locks the rate to the sequence tempo with a time division. A . marks a dotted note and a T a triplet. None turns sync off, so Rate decides.
Depth: Knob that sets how much modulation the LFO applies, from subtle at low values to extreme at high values.

Stepper: a step sequence for CV control

Steps: How long the sequence is.
Speed: How fast the sequence plays.
Speed Sync: Locks the speed to the sequence tempo with a time division. A . marks a dotted note and a T a triplet. None turns sync off, so Speed decides.
Step handles: Drag to set each step’s value.
Smoothing values: Above each step number. Drag to smooth that step.

Utilities

TimeRamp: The Ramp section makes rising or falling modulation signals. This sets how long a ramp lasts.
ShapeRamp: The curve of a ramp. Positive values rise or fall faster, and negative values slower.
Offsets: Knobs that set voltage levels for modulating external gear.
Clock Divider: Divides the incoming clock, which gives you slower modulation rates.
Step Time: Knobs that set step lengths for modulation.

The Matrix tab combines modulation sources into more complex signals by summing or multiplying them. Each Sum and Multiply slot has an A and a B input to fill in.

From the community

Getting Started with MPC Live III | CV Playground
Akai Professional
Tefty’s deep dive into modular and CV tips, filmed on a Live III; the G2 gets eight CV channels from its four 1/8-inch jacks.

MPC Advanced CV Tools // How I setup a session with multiple synths
Tefty Music Tech
A session with two synths on Advanced CV, monitored through the MPC; filmed on a Live III, and Tefty says any MPC with the Pro Pack can do the same.

17.7AdvancedManual Q-Link Edit – Envelope Follower / LFO p.506

Q-Link Edit: envelope follower and LFO

The Envelope Follower / LFO tab in Q-Link Edit turns audio, a kick drum for example, into a control signal, so you can build side-chain and modulation effects. There are 16 envelope followers to work with. The tab stays greyed out until the Pro Pack is activated.

Set up an envelope follower

Press SHIFT + Q-LINK | EDIT to open Q-Link Edit Mode and go to the Envelope Follower / LFO tab.
Pick one of the envelope followers in the Control field, at the top left of the screen.
Turn it on with the On button beside Envelope Source.
Use Envelope Source to choose the signal to follow: a track, a specific pad on a drum track or keygroup on a keygroup track, the Returns, Submixes or Main Output tracks, or a dedicated LFO shape.
Set up the follower or the LFO with the controls on the left of the screen.
On the right of the screen, choose the parameters it will modulate, in the same way as for a macro (Editing macro assignments).

Where the signal is taken: the selector below Envelope Source

Setting	Where the envelope applies	Available on
`Input`	At the audio input source.	MIDI and CV tracks only
`Pre-Inserts`	Before any insert effects.	All
`Post-Fader`	Last in the channel strip: after the insert effects and after the volume level.	All
`Playback`	On playback of the selected track.	MIDI and CV tracks only

With a track, pad or keygroup as the source

Gain (%): How much gain the envelope gets.
Delay (ms): How many milliseconds pass before the envelope triggers.
Gate (%): How much gate is applied to the envelope.
Hyst (%): The level the gate closes at after opening.
Attack: The attack of the envelope gate. You can also drag the A handle in the envelope display.
Decay: The decay of the envelope gate. You can also drag the D handle in the envelope display.

Tap the arrows to move between pages of knobs where there’s more than one.

With an LFO as the source

Free-Running, Reset On Play: The selector sets how the LFO applies. Free-Running keeps going even when not triggered. Reset On Play returns it to its starting configuration when triggered.Range Free-Running, Reset On Play
Freq (Hz): The LFO’s frequency in hertz.
Phase (º): The LFO’s starting phase.
Level (%): How much LFO is applied.

When the LFO is engaged, you see a picture of its signal.

17.8IntermediateManual Super Warp Algorithm p.507, Audio/Export p.60

Super Warp algorithm

Super is a warp algorithm that comes with the Pro Pack, offering high-quality time stretching and pitch shifting based on FFT. You can make it the default, or choose it for individual samples and audio tracks.

Make Super the default

Press SHIFT + MENU | PREFS to open the Preferences and go to the Audio/Export tab.
Set Default Audio Warp Algorithm to Super (Preferences: Audio Device and Audio/Export).

The project, track or program file remembers your choice.

Choose it individually

For drum tracks, in the Samples/Oscs tab of Track Edit Mode (Samples/Oscs tab).
For audio tracks, in Grid View (Grid View with audio tracks).

17.9IntermediateManual AIR Visual EQ4 p.508

AIR Visual EQ4

AIR Visual EQ4 is one of the Pro Pack’s three insert effects: a four-band EQ with a wide range of EQ types. Its spectrum analyser shows you what’s happening to the audio as you process it. Load it into an insert slot like any other insert effect (Insert effects).

PRO PACK · AIR Visual EQ4Load AIR Visual EQ4 into an insert slot and open its controls.

BandEach band

The power button next to a band turns it on or off.

Range Off, On

From the community

Getting Started with MPC Live III | Reverb Pro and Visual EQ
Akai Professional
Akai’s short look at shaping sound with two Pro Pack plugins, filmed on a Live III.

17.10IntermediateManual Pro Pack Plugins p.508, AIR Reverb Pro p.509

AIR Reverb Pro

AIR Reverb Pro is the Pro Pack’s realistic, dynamic reverb, and it can go anywhere from a subtle room to a rich, expansive modulated tail. The Main tab has the broad strokes, and the others let you build the early reflections and the tail separately, then shape the result with EQ and a compressor.

PRO PACK · AIR Reverb Pro: MainLoad AIR Reverb Pro into an insert slot, open its controls and tap Main.

Room Size

How big the simulated room is, which helps set how long the reverb lasts.

Range XXXS, XXS, XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL, XXXL

PRO PACK · AIR Reverb Pro: Early ReflectionsLoad AIR Reverb Pro into an insert slot, open its controls and tap Early Reflections.

Type

The physical space modelled for the early reflections. The table in this section describes each one.

Range Off, Booth, Club, Room, Small Chamber, Medium Chamber, Large Chamber, Small Studio, Large Studio, Scoring Stage, Philharmonic, Concert Hall, Church, Opera House, Vintage 1, Vintage 2

Early Reflections types

Type	What it simulates
`Off`	No early reflections.
`Booth`	A vocal recording booth.
`Club`	A small club, with a clear, natural ambience.
`Room`	The middle of a small room with few reflections.
`Small Chamber`	A bright, small room.
`Medium Chamber`	A bright, medium-sized room.
`Large Chamber`	A bright, large room.
`Small Studio`	A small, live, empty room.
`Large Studio`	A large, live, empty room.
`Scoring Stage`	A medium-sized hall used as a scoring stage.
`Philharmonic`	The space of a large symphonic concert hall.
`Concert Hall`	The space of a large concert hall.
`Church`	A medium-sized space with natural, clear reflections.
`Opera House`	The space of an opera house.
`Vintage 1`	A vintage digital reverb.
`Vintage 2`	Another vintage digital reverb.

PRO PACK · AIR Reverb Pro: TailLoad AIR Reverb Pro into an insert slot, open its controls and tap Tail.

DistanceTail

How far sound travels for reflections in the tail. The higher it is, the more clearly you hear separate reflections.

Range 0–100%

PRO PACK · AIR Reverb Pro: EQ/DynamicLoad AIR Reverb Pro into an insert slot, open its controls and tap EQ/Dynamic.

On/OffEQ

The switch next to the EQ heading turns the EQ on or off.

Range Off, On

From the community

17.11IntermediateManual Pro Pack Plugins p.508, AIR Utility p.513

AIR Utility

AIR Utility puts your basic gain, mono and stereo jobs in a single Pro Pack insert effect. The controls fall into an Input group, which handles phase and the stereo image, and an Output group, which handles mute, DC offset, gain and pan.

Stereo processing: the Mode menu

Mode	What you get
`L`	The left channel only.
`L+R (-3dB)`	The left and right channels summed, with a -3 dB pad.
`L+R (-6dB)`	The left and right channels summed, with a -6 dB pad.
`L-R (+3dB)`	The difference between the two channels.
`L-R (+6dB)`	The difference between the two channels.
`R`	The right channel only.
`Stereo`	The standard stereo image.
`Swapped`	The left and right channels reversed.

PRO PACK · AIR UtilityLoad AIR Utility into an insert slot and open its controls.

Left PhaseInput

Tap to flip the phase of the left channel.

Range Off, On

From the community

17.12AdvancedManual Pro Pack Plugins p.508, AIR Fabric Select p.514

AIR Fabric Select

AIR Fabric Select is a slimmed-down AIR Fabric: a hand-picked set of its most popular and versatile patches, covering everyday bread-and-butter sounds. You get fewer presets than the full version, but the same sound engine. It draws on Fabric XL, with fewer of its sample keymaps.

A sound is made of two layers, each with its own sample, amp, filter and pitch envelopes and LFO, plus an optional percussion sample. Load the plugin on a plugin track as usual (Plugin instruments overview), then press TRACK EDIT | TRACK SETTING.

The tabs

Main / Perc / Settings — pick and adjust layer sounds, add percussion and set global options. Repeated taps on the tab step through its three pages.
Layer 1 and Layer 2 — the same controls for each layer, on Sample, Amp, Filter, Pitch and LFO pages. Repeated taps on the tab step through them, or use the headers under the layer controls.
Chrs / Trem / Phsr, Flavor/EQ, Amp/Cab/Comp and Delay/Reverb — the built-in effects. Each has an on/off button at the bottom of the screen.
MIDI Settings — where the mod wheel, aftertouch and other controllers go, and the Control LFO.

PRO PACK · AIR Fabric Select: MainOn an AIR Fabric Select plugin track: TRACK EDIT | TRACK SETTING, then tap Main / Perc / Settings until Main shows.

PanLayer 1/2

Where the layer sits in the stereo field.

Range L64 -- C -- R64

PRO PACK · AIR Fabric Select: PercOn an AIR Fabric Select plugin track: TRACK EDIT | TRACK SETTING, then tap Main / Perc / Settings until Perc shows.

Percussion

Switches the percussion sample on or off.

Range Off, On

PRO PACK · AIR Fabric Select: SettingsOn an AIR Fabric Select plugin track: TRACK EDIT | TRACK SETTING, then tap Main / Perc / Settings until Settings shows.

Transpose

Shifts the plugin’s pitch in semitones.

Range -36 – 0 – +36

PRO PACK · AIR Fabric Select: Layer 1/2, SampleOn an AIR Fabric Select plugin track: TRACK EDIT | TRACK SETTING, then tap Layer 1 or Layer 2 until Sample shows.

Layer 1/2

Switches the selected layer on or off.

Range Off, On

PRO PACK · AIR Fabric Select: Layer 1/2, AmpOn an AIR Fabric Select plugin track: TRACK EDIT | TRACK SETTING, then tap Layer 1 or Layer 2 until Amp shows.

Spike

Adds extra velocity to the start of the amplitude attack.

Range 0–100%

PRO PACK · AIR Fabric Select: Layer 1/2, FilterOn an AIR Fabric Select plugin track: TRACK EDIT | TRACK SETTING, then tap Layer 1 or Layer 2 until Filter shows.

Mode

Which type of filter is used.

Range Off, Lowpass 24dB, Lowpass 12 dB, Band 18, Band 12, High 12, Peak EQ, Presence, Damper

PRO PACK · AIR Fabric Select: Layer 1/2, PitchOn an AIR Fabric Select plugin track: TRACK EDIT | TRACK SETTING, then tap Layer 1 or Layer 2 until Pitch shows.

Level 1

A pitch level at the start of the note, relative to Env Depth.

Range -100 – 0 – +100%

PRO PACK · AIR Fabric Select: Layer 1/2, LFOOn an AIR Fabric Select plugin track: TRACK EDIT | TRACK SETTING, then tap Layer 1 or Layer 2 until LFO shows.

Mode

The LFO’s waveshape.

Range Off, Constant, Sine, Triangle, Sawtooth, Square, S+H Random, S+H Alternate, Random Drift, Slow Drift

PRO PACK · AIR Fabric Select: Chrs / Trem / PhsrOn an AIR Fabric Select plugin track: TRACK EDIT | TRACK SETTING, then tap Chrs / Trem / Phsr.

Chorus

The button at the top left switches the chorus on or off.

Range Off, On

PRO PACK · AIR Fabric Select: Flavor/EQOn an AIR Fabric Select plugin track: TRACK EDIT | TRACK SETTING, then tap Flavor/EQ.

Flavor

The button at the top left switches the flavor effect on or off.

Range Off, On

PRO PACK · AIR Fabric Select: Amp/Cab/CompOn an AIR Fabric Select plugin track: TRACK EDIT | TRACK SETTING, then tap Amp/Cab/Comp.

Amp | Cab

The button at the top left switches the amp and cabinet effect on or off.

Range Off, On

PRO PACK · AIR Fabric Select: Delay/ReverbOn an AIR Fabric Select plugin track: TRACK EDIT | TRACK SETTING, then tap Delay/Reverb.

Delay

The button at the top left switches the delay on or off.

Range Off, On

PRO PACK · AIR Fabric Select: MIDI SettingsOn an AIR Fabric Select plugin track: TRACK EDIT | TRACK SETTING, then tap MIDI Settings.

DestinationModwheel

Where mod wheel data goes.

Range Pitch, Cutoff, Reso, Amp, Pan

17.13IntermediateManual Import Ableton Live Projects p.527

Import Ableton Live projects

With the Pro Pack, you can load an Ableton Live project straight into the MPC, which then tries to convert its clips, arrangement, audio, MIDI and some of its instruments. Treat it as a starting point: some of the conversions are described as basic, and plugin instruments come across as MIDI only.

Import a project

Press LOAD | SAVE, or open the Browser from the Menu (Browser).
Go to the drive that holds your Ableton Live projects.
Highlight the project’s .als file and tap Load.

What the MPC tries to convert

In Ableton Live	On the MPC	Details and limits
Launch Matrix tracks and clips	Tracks and clips
Arrangement View sequence	Arrange tracks
ALS colours	MPC colours for pads
Audio clips	Audio clips	Names, looping points, warp, volume, pan and pitch adjustment carry over.
MIDI notes	MIDI notes	Names and looping points carry over; notes are at 960 PPQ units.
ALS Drum Rack	XPJ Drum Kit	Basic conversion. Only one “Selection” is handled, with up to four velocity variations per instrument.
ALS Impulse Instrument	XPJ Drum Kit	Basic conversion.
ALS Sampler	XPJ Keygroup	Basic conversion, limited to 128 keygroups. Only one “Selection” is handled.
ALS Simpler	XPJ Keygroup	Basic conversion.
Plugin instrument tracks	MPC MIDI tracks

From the community

Ableton Projects run on Akai MPC Live III!?!
jtn.project
Dropping an Ableton project onto the MPC and having it work, tried on a Live III; on a G2, Ableton import is part of the Pro Pack.

MPC One G2 | Frequently Asked QuestionsAkai Professional — Akai’s answers on USB-C roles, drive formats, internal-drive access, plugin counts and Ableton import. Check here first.