Using Q-Links live / selecting tracks with Shift+Pad

Hi,

I have two questions regarding Q-Links and the new track-selection via Shift + Pad:

Q-Link only per track?

I was just trying to find out, how I can use the Q-Links in live situations. I encountered the following problem: The Q-Link controllers seem to be assignable for program parameters on a per track basis only. Changing a track means changing the whole Q-Link-setting and loosing control over the previously selected track. The Q-Links therefore can only control the parameters of one track at a time. So the Q-Links are useless in a live situation if you want to play the sounds of one track with the pads and change the filter cutoff of another track at the same time. Same problem if you want to change sequences or mute tracks and want to change filter or level parameters of several different tracks at the same time. That's not possible as far as I can see. Am I right or did I miss something?

The new Shift+Pad Track selection still playing sounds?

I was also trying the new method to select a track by pressing shift and a pad. Pressing shift + pad on my MPC will not only change the track but still play the pads sound. Given you have a track selected with an arpeggiator running on a keygroup program. Pressing Shift plus the pad of the track that you want to select, my MPC will select the track AND play the pad. The arpeggiator will then change to a note that I don't want to arpeggiate. Is that intended or is it a bug?

Thanks for your comments ...

unfortunately too true about the Q-links per Track...makes it almost impossible in a Live situation to use them (unless you remember the Q-links settings for every Track which is nearly impossible)

this has always been one of my requests, to make the q-links configureable 'globally' (so being able to define different parameters of different tracks in one q-link screen)

Hi Seiko,

I had a little hope that I missed something, but now it really seems to be the truth about the Q-Links. for me that's a serious drawback for the MPC as a live tool. Yes, a global Q-Link assignment would be a great advantage for live situations. I would prefer it every time to the track only assignment. Funny enough, it's already implemented for the FX Q-links in OS 2.0 ...

Is there someone else who thinks similar about the Q-Links?

Cheers

viewtopic.php?f=29&t=110179


i think it's a kind of bug cause you can change the q-link settings on the q-link page TO an dedicated program, but for what when it gets lost when you switch the track???

the 4k did this the way it should be... global assignment for all controllers.

OS2 is great but they have to rethink some features!!!

Grüße nach Germanien

Hi Dreadnutz,

thanks for the link! I'm happy not to be alone with that topic. So let's hope they will have an eye on that. It would be a little change with a big gain in usability for all those using the MPC live. Was your request really added to feature request list? Didn't check that ...

Beste Grüße in die Alpenrepublik

Hey Live Brothers - this is the Thread of Threads !

I registered in this forum because I stumbled across this problem today.
With os 2.0 it finally seems to makes sense to migrate my liveset fom 4k to 5k, and I haven´t encountered any problems beside this one.

Today I was trying to play around with the q-link and the current programming is just pointless. This is definitely not a setup for live use.
I am happy that I found out that you can assign one q-link to "ALL" pads/sounds of a program at least. The Manual does not mention this option.

I understand that the concept of the 5000 is different. You don´t have multis and therefore the q-link setup cannot be stored within a Multi. So what would be a solution that works? What´s the "shift & pad" thing - does that work in "track mute" mode? haven´t tried

Off topic: another live problem I found: In track mute mode the track on/off by pad has a significant delay when you press 4 pads at one.

best
Flo
Zombie Nation

Hi Flo,

Knowing how you do your live acts (I saw you live with MPC4000) indeed the current implementation of Q-links is not optimal (understatement).
Q-links are per track only. the 'shift-pad' option just allows you to 'select' a track easily/quickly (I mean : as an alternative to having to 'scroll' with he jog wheel to select the track you want to use the q-links for).
This might be a partial solution for you...but me too I want to able to control with one q-linkset, different parameters from different tracks at the same time.
The only solution I see is to organise all the sounds to be automated in one track (and the rest in other tracks)...but if you want to control a synth and sampleprogram at the same time, this will never be possible

Now that I see you here, I would like to know how you organize your live set in MPC. I heard quite some synthsounds when I saw you live and notced only an MPC4000 and Kaoss Pad. Do you sample synth lines or you sample 'notes' only and play them in MPC ? You make loops/sequence and pass on from one to the other muting tracks ?
Any explanation on how you organize your live sets would be nice.
I always used the RS7000 from yamaha which is the best sequencer in my opinion (for example one big pro is that all your tracks can have a different length , RS just loops them around) , only sample loading times are sooo long that it begins to put me off...I bought MPC5000 but due to issues like for example this q-link issue, I'm not really 'into' it yet as a live tool.
Was your last album (and the other ones) made with MPC ?
I have to say that I tend to work much faster and with better results in Ableton Live than with my hardware (which is pretty hands on RS7000, MPC5000, Machinedrum/monomachine, Blofeld, MS20, TR909 etc) which I tend to record in Ableton as loops and then cut it. I know I could do the same with MPC but it just takes so much more time...and automating -from a Daw- a parameter on MPC is not possible (no cc's). Recording automation in MPC is simple, but then editing this is so tedious (in step recording ??). I feel these things are so much quicker done in a DAW. How do you go about these things ?

Hi Flo,

great to have another mpc-live-user here in this thread!

As for your questions flo ...

Shift & pad in track mute mode:

The "shift & pad" thing does not work in track mute mode. Pressing shift & pad in track mute mode just mutes the tracks as usual. When I get you right, selecting tracks in track mute mode with shift & pad would be helpful in order to get along with that q-link issue. You might change tracks and use the track-assigned q-links while still in track mute mode. Could be a workaround but it isn't as it doesn't work.

Delay in track mute mode

The OS 2.0 has a new track mute quantization feature (see F5 in track mute mode). If it is active the MPC will mute the tracks corresponding to the given quantization. Maybe that's the reason for the "delay" you experience. If you don't like it you can turn it of pressing the window button and selecting the "Off" setting. Hope that's helpful ...

Cheers

@lobster:

"The "shift & pad" thing does not work in track mute mode."

AAAAAHHHH (scream of despair) -> that would actually be a smart solution, I could live with Shift & Pad(=track) in track mute mode

...new track mute quantization feature .....Maybe that's the reason for the "delay" you experience.

Nono, I mean the actual "live" act of pressing 4 pads at once [in track mute mode] while the machine is playing. And I mean it´s around one tenth of a secod delay, just not absolutely tight.


@seiko

Do you sample synth lines or you sample 'notes' only and play them in MPC ?

I mostly sample the single notes
A) because it saves RAM,
B) you can modify the synth line afterwards
C) to be able to q link the individual sound Envelopes to get more of a "live synth" setup.

You make loops/sequence and pass on from one to the other muting tracks?

Exactly. I have about 30 tracks in each sequence that I play in track mute mode. I play with one Sequence around 5 minutes. I go with all 10 single outs into a mackie desk, where I have connected A Kaoss Pad3, A Boss RE-20 space echo and a SND filterbank.

Was your last album (and the other ones) made with MPC?

Believe it or not, every single song I ever made was done on an MPC. starting with 2000 -> 2000xl -> 4000 (ok except for one that I made on monomachine)

I tend to work much faster and with better results in Ableton Live than with my hardware. How do you go about these things ?

I can´t compare that because I never created a song on the computer. Just some recoding in cubase and cuts in the end. Let me ask you something: have you ever danced while making music on your PC? have you ever danced while making music on your MPC? I think dancing wile making music gives the better results.

zzz wrote:Let me ask you something: have you ever danced while making music on your PC? have you ever danced while making music on your MPC? I think dancing wile making music gives the better results.

Great Quote.... People are even adding Fog Machines and Strobe lights in their studios more often now to help create the mood

Let me ask you something: have you ever danced while making music on your PC? have you ever danced while making music on your MPC?

1+++

besides the boredom when you shift your mouse/touchpad arround it's definitive the groove from the mpc's. you can't replace this with a computer daw...
and it's an instrument for me like a synth/guitar/keyboard whatever.... many people forgot this...

have used the 4k also for a long time, enjoyed it very much but i think the 5k has the potential to beat it...
esp. for live performances: synced trackmute, cool fx, useable synth and last but not least the sound(engine). for me at least way better than the sterile sounding 4k.

but it's a shame that these problems with q-links, shift/pad feature etc... were not solved in the OS2. numark comes from dj stuff (afaik) so they should have the knowledge.

one way would be to save the individual q-links settings like the fx-settings on harddisk/flash or assign them to program settings...

Guys, I am reading the thread with great interest and I am more than willing to enter feature requests for it. Let's see if I get it right here:

At the moment, Q link controllers are linked to the program used in the selected track. Changing a program in Q link edit mode, changes the program in the track. Actually the way it is now it should be called Track Q link Mode and not Program Q link Mode.
Advantage: you can assign the same controller to various parameters for various tracks
Disadvantage: you an only use the controller when being in the appropriate track

What you people want is a Global Q link controller mode.

You want to be able to assign a controller to a specific track and be able to use it no matter what track you have selected.
Advantage: you can be in one track playing notes, while using the controller to control something in another track.
Disadvantage: you can only program 1 controller for 1 track at the same time.

This is about it right? Let me know if I miss something.

So, there needs to be added an extra parameter in Q Link edit Mode called: Global on/off. And the Program parameter (at the top) should become a "Track" parameter, where you can set the track rather than the program.

If Global is set to Off it works like it is now: you can program the controller for various tracks with various parameters, but it will only work for the selected track you are in).
when Global is set to On you can only use the Q link controller for one track (so you can only select 1 track in the Track parameter) but you can use the controller for that parameter no matter what track you are in.

Actually it might well be that when you set a controller to Global ON, you will loose all programmed parameters for that controller. Not sure, but I can imagine that happening. But that's up to Akai.

Let me know if I should enter it like this in the feature request list.

Boele

lobster wrote:Shift & pad in track mute mode:

The "shift & pad" thing does not work in track mute mode. Pressing shift & pad in track mute mode just mutes the tracks as usual. When I get you right, selecting tracks in track mute mode with shift & pad would be helpful in order to get along with that q-link issue. You might change tracks and use the track-assigned q-links while still in track mute mode. Could be a workaround but it isn't as it doesn't work.

I will enter this one as feature request (if it isn't already in).

Boele

very well explained, scd!
and a good idea, too, with this global q-link setting.

let's hope...

On top of the global q-link mode It needs to be redesigned with a modulation matrix. You can't bypass having some type of modulation routing matrix in a sampler. There needs to be selectable modes for q-links. Global as you described of course but also a mode that routs to the programs modulation matrix on top of the track based q-link mode that is there. There should be two program based modes. Standard with default fixed assignments and assignable matrix. Global should be assignable for all tracks. Modes should be switchable from the front panel with shift shortcut.