Following the release of the MPC 2.4 update for the MPC Live, Akai Professional has released a tutorial series centred around all the brand new features the 2.4 update has to offer. With this update, there is a wealth of exciting new effects to utilise in your performances and productions.
The 28 shiny new effects processors have been created by the DSP geniuses at AIR Music Technology, an industry-leading music software company who already create plug-ins for Pro Tools, and are used by some of the world’s most respected audio experts. All of the effects have been professionally and intuitively designed to offer ease of use. Additionally, the exciting new TUI layout takes using effects within MPC to a whole new level.
MPC 2.4 Overview
The first tutorial in the series provides you with tactile information surrounding the new effects and provides you with an in-depth insight into the inner workings. The 28 new effects include compressors, channel strips, phasers, flangers, delays, reverbs, and due to popular demand, a sidechain compressor. All effects feature brand new user interfaces with LED metering providing you with visual feedback. You’ll also notice the Q-link knobs are pre-mapped to each effect plug-in giving you hands-on control over your sound.
Adding an effect to a channel is an easy process. You simply open up a channel, press the inserts, then find an empty effect slot and choose an effect, once you’ve chosen press select to load. One of the most asked for effects to be added to the MPC range is a sidechain compressor/pumper effect, so AIR Music Technology created the ‘Mother Ducker’ effect as well as the ‘AIR Pumper’. Once loaded into a channel the pumper creates a ducking effect similar to a side-chain effect but it doesn’t require a trigger. Press the pencil icon to enter the effect and alter parameters using the graphical user interface, the pumper effect allows you to control the depth of the effect, the speed, release shape, and the trigger offset, while an envelope lets you adjust the attack, hold, and release of the pumping.
The ‘Filter Gate’ plug-in is perfect for drum channels allowing you to add movement and drop frequencies with ease, ideal for live performances. The ‘AIR Delay’ is a comprehensive delay effect which is great for synths and vocals. With the ‘AIR Reverb’ you can adjust parameters using the Q-link controls which are automatically assigned to the most used functions on the effects. A new ‘Clip Launch Mode’ lets you easily launch clips and stems; the update now allows you to move between tracks and programs while the clips will continue playing.
You can also add effects to the master output allowing you to create exciting effects as well as effectively master your tunes. Adding a compressor to the master channel will help beef up your tracks, simply add the ‘AIR Compressor’ to your master, turn it on and press the pencil icon to edit it as you please. Once inside the compressor, you’ll get a graphical UI with LED level metering, and the gain reduction meter that lets you visualise how much compression you’re adding.
Adding Sidechain Compression
Within this workflow tutorial, you’ll learn how to utilise the ’Mother Ducker’ sidechain compression effect. Firstly, select the channel you wish to add a side-chain effect to, such as a melodic loop, and load in the ‘Mother Ducker’ effect directly onto the channel, press the pencil icon to open up the graphical UI, and again all essential parameters will be automatically assigned to the Q-link controls.
Now you’ll need to send a trigger signal to the ducker, so it knows when to activate. To send a trigger signal simply select your trigger source (for this video the kick drum will be the trigger), and load in the ‘Mother Ducker Input’ effect. Now enter the effect and make sure the bus number is identical to the ‘Mother Ducker’ you’ve applied to your melodic loop.
Go back to your melodic loop channel and open up the ‘Mother Ducker’ effect and you’ll notice the loop sound ducks its volume whenever the kick drum hits, adjust the parameters to vary how much the channel is affected and how much volume the loop ducks by. Repeating this process with an 808 bassline will allow the kick drum to cut through your mix, just always remember to make sure the bus number on your trigger matches the ‘Mother Ducker’ bus number on your affected channel.
Electronic Pumper Effect
This tutorial shows you how to use the ‘AIR Pumper’ effect. The effect emulates sidechaining but doesn’t require a trigger to duck a channel's volume, and is perfect for live performances as well as your studio sessions. Insert the ‘AIR Pumper’ effect on to a channel of your choice and open up the effect via the pencil icon.
You can adjust various parameters such as depth, speed, release shape, and trigger offset, as well as the pumper envelope settings, attack, hold, and release. You can also load in and save various effect presets using the main rotary control; this allows you to get super creative with your sound as you can adjust preset settings.
TrapSoul Pumper FX
In this tutorial, the pumper effect will be affecting a TrapSoul melodic sample. Go to the channel, enter the insert effects, then select the ‘AIR Pumper’ and enter the UI using the pencil icon. You’ll see that the default setting runs on a quarter note, but for this effect, we’ll want to select eighth notes.
In the video, a preset is loaded, but you can easily do the same by adjusting the speed setting to 1/8. The effect will create a rhythmical pulsing sound that acts like a gate effect and really allows the drum to cut through the mix. Play with various speed, depth, and envelope settings to achieve creative rhythmical sounds that will make your productions and live performances bounce.
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