Hapax and MPC Key 61 owner here, running MPC OS 3.6, but not the Pro Pack.
Any Hapax/ MPC owners here tempted to go with the MPC Live III? Or maybe just the Pro Pack?
I am running under the assumption I want the Hapax to be my main composition tool and triggering tool. But AFAIK, the new Clips in MPC cannot be triggered.
Still, I’m thinking of getting the Pro Pack to check out the Clips, and see if it is worth it to do audio takes via MPC Clips. I can bounce those to samples for MPC Pads if I want to have Hapax trigger them.
Never had the MPC Live, and never got my hands on one.
will definitely get the pro pack for my MPC One for now. but holding off until they put out (hopefully) the “MPC Two” form factor. Live III is just too big a footprint for my setup
OG MPC Live had been in my set up for 7 (!!) years. Was(still maybe?) very disillusioned with OS3 from a live performance stand point so went Hapax + modular. MPC L3 and OS3.6 does … a lot. So will likely get an MPC L3 and make a couple of changes to the modular case. Still some hurdles for playing live fluidly, but I also remember it wasn’t until OS2.9 that things really ‘worked’ on the MPC.
Have no desire to depart with the Hapax, best sequencer I’ve ever had the privilege to own. But space restrictions mean it might be a studio/writing tool while the MPC goes out to shows.
Not a clip launch person, track mutes is my jam. Tracks/patterns on Hapax is implemented so well it might be a method ill employ on the MPC.
MPC owner and producer here, I work with the One (best form factor for my tiny place) and I bought myself the Propack. Clip launcher is somehow great and feels unfinished/limited at the same time. An Akai (pro) calssic running mode
Since I got myself the wonderful Hapax, I am not even sure I wont go to a SP404 and Hapax to do all the things MPC does and the ones it does not, so getting a Gen2 is quite unsure here. Even after all these years on MPCs, Hapax is checking my certainties bout MPCs. For now, the best of both world (sampling/sequencing seems to be a SP404 with Hapax, at least for my use.
I have an MPC One but I’ve basically turned it into a sampler and only use my Hapax as a sequencer. I’m not interested much in the III and the subscription basis for the pro pack features kinds of bothers me and the Hapax is really where the music gets made.
A long time ago I had an MPC 2000xl but I franken-steined it one too many times to try and pack more memory into it. I miss it now cause I think it would be great with the JJOS. I’ve never played with the SP 404 but I’m pretty tempted. Seems like a better sampler.
You’re bringing up an important workflow point. I’d love to hear from other Hapax / MPC users as well.
My approach is to start any compositions on the Hapax, and use MPC as a sound source for virtual instruments and audio recordings and samples.
When the Hapax composition is largely done, I might “record” it to one MPC sequence.
For any live performance (TBH, that hasn’t happened yet), I would perform with both. But in a pinch, I could see only using the MPC, which is why Live II or Live III at least seems appealing to me.
So can everyone confirm you’re using Hapax as your main composition tool? Not the MPC? And maybe it’s not that black-and-white for you.
i have never touched the MPC’s internal sequencer. and because i’m sequencing other gear with my Hapax, i only dedicate four tracks/channels to MPC. i’m sacrificing some utility from the MPC doing it this way but i can’t be bothered to try and sync up Hapax tracks with RD-9, Digitone, two RE-303s, and MPC each with their own internal sequencers.
i have an mpc 1000 with jjos2xl and love it. i also have a force now with v3.6 and will explore its new capabilities again. i hope its much better than it was. ill record hapax composed patterns to clips to see how it goes. im hoping ill start loving it again. it was on my purge pile but we will see!
I pulled my Force out of storage for this update, now that midi note off is fixed. I’ve been using my Live II as a sound module since the update (it was also out of use) but I want to try clip recording on the Force.
I’ve been looking for a sampler and a looper for a while now and I’m surprised to see how there is basically no decent options on the market. A looper must have more than one stereo input so that removes the majority of samplers, and loopers like ditto/rc505 doesn’t seem to work well as samplers.
I’ve tried ios but it’s a mess dealing with a phone + audio interface + usb hub + power and clock sync. I hated it. MPC doesn’t seem to fit hapax at all to me, I don’t see how those two would work well together.
So I ordered a 1010music bento. It has 3 stereo/6 mono in, 3 stereo/6 mono out, works as a looper, a sampler, a mixer, has a little granular synth and seems to be able to use inputs/outputs for external effects. Seems to be the perfect partner to my Hapax, hardware synths, and effects.
The bento is also a buggy mess from a small company, which seems to be my favourite kind of gear.
I’m coming from using the MPC for a few years. THE main reason I bought the Oxi One, and then the Hapax, was dissatisfaction with the nuances of MPC MIDI note editing while composing.
Generally, I’m happy with the world of MPC. But I’ve changed gear so much over the years, we’ll see what happens next.
I currently have a Hapax and an MPC One and plan on upgrading to a Live III but I use the MPC for more traditional songwriting with a guitar and sample manipulation. I generally don’t use it for more electronic based jamming.
Update: Last weekend, got the MPC Live II used, Retro look. (Traded in the Oxi One, hah!)
Solid beast of kit. Stretches the word “portable” a bit. But so far so good. Not too painful to get my permissions and software on it.
Haven’t used it with Hapax yet.
I do have to ask…. has anyone with an MPC made any Hapax Definition file? TBH, I wouldn’t even know where to start with the MPC. I don’t think there is any common MIDI mapping for virtual synths plugins like Jura or OP4. You can do MIDI Learn with the MPC, which helps, I guess.
i too don’t know where i would even start with an MPC definition file, beyond the (insane i think) basic mapping of all Program Edit parameters for a given drum program. in theory, each plugin also has a limited range of parameter controls that could get it’s own separate instrument definition?
where i could see hapax being more useful is mapping the q-link controls to its encoders, esp. since the MPC-One and MPC Live only have four q-links themselves
Hey! Longtime MPC user here (2000xl, MPC One +). I recently gave up sequencing on my MPC because of the issues with Rev 3 and couldn’t be happier with my choice. My setup now uses my Hapax as a sequencer and my MPC as a sampling beast. My only gripe is that it doesn’t do dynamic type stretching very well like the Roland SP-404.
I have created instrument definitions for my Nord Lead 2, Fizmo and Roland MC-505. I thought about building one for the MPC but realized it wasn’t very useful because:
The MPC doesn’t actually have a defined program and CC mapping. Basically, other than perhaps Velocity the CC messages over MIDI are not mapped anywhere on the MPC track your communicating with. For example I have a drum track on my MPC, I filled up the entire sample bank because I can have 128 drum notes (multiple drum kits) and never have to switch “programs” or “tracks” for the MIDI channel. Let’s say I wanted to use Send 1 on the track to send the audio to a Bus audio that had some delay fx. Then I want to control the amount of audio sent over Send 1 via MIDI from my Hapax. There is no defined CC message for that Send 1. So I have to go into MIDI learn on my mpc and map a CC message to the Send 1 value for Track 1 on my MPC Project.
Hopefully this helps. Cause with the MPC I could write a really nice instrument definition allocating CC messages to each track. But each track I have will be very different than your track. So I just couldn’t justify creating an Instrument Definition that wouldn’t be helpful to anyone else.
But I’m super open to ideas. I’d be happy to write up one if other MPC users had a different take.
my mpc 1000 with jjosxl has a definition but its a much simpler machine. although it hits all the classic mpc strengths but not so many of the ridiculous bells and whistles of the new machines. the sonic results never disappoint however! …as long as your expectations arent unrealistic! i personally use it for mainly drums only with some midi phrase delivery which is the other thing its good at. i think the simpler machine is much easier to keep track of. the new mpcs could be seen as a bit overwhelming depending on what your goals are. i mix in reaper with many fx and automation if i need it tho so i prefer it that way. i do think if you wanted a deepish sampler like the new mpcs you might not be happy with mpc 1000. the new ones sure do have a decent depth and more nuanced output potential. on the other hand it can be distracting! gear usually takes someone using it right for whatever it is to sound extraordinary.
on the force, akai midi network sure works well without the hassle of spaghetti! control plugins over cat5 with plenty of bandwidth and with a longer cable run. you can also send hapax through force 3.5mm input to the akai midi network to your computer without using the hapax device port, if thats attractive for some reason. it just means you can also hit some instruments on force with the same input from hapax. the midi fx in force might be a good reason for doing that! theres your extended chord interface with all sorts of scale locked fx. cc mod out too.
but its all a lot to keep track of if you intend to build a complete song structure in hardware only. if you just play with loops and youre a step sequencer hound like me, it should be super fun!
i will say the older mpcs are the reason in musc paid whatever and banked on the name and worth of the brand. new mpcs were quite a development investment so imagine the impact the gear that earned the status has! theres plenty of foundational features in the original concept of mpc that theyre worth a try. the new mpc models arent simple enough and stray significantly from famous mpc concepts. simple boundaries make the ingenuity of skilled musicians the focus of what youre hearing. i like when the ideas in a production trancend the equipment. to me older mpcs were easier to get furthurrrr
To make a Hapax Definition worthwhile, it would need to be something that is pretty common across the MPC experience. Drum tracks seem like a good candidate.
Virtual synths? I’d at least like the Mod wheel, filter, and resonance to be common across the virtual synths. Maybe they are, I’d have to take a good look.
i don’t know if those CC values actually correspond to the actual MPC parameters controls but . . .
the MPC X for example has 16 q-links so one would hope you could assign more to the Hapax than four if you wanted to. but then also the value of q-links is one-touch pot control for several of the other parameters you list so maybe it’s ultimately a wash?
on the plugin synths, i agree that filter, resonance, ASDR envelope are desirable. but on Iona and Jura, for example, there are other sliders on the modulation side and tone shaping side (brightness, PWM, etc) that also lend themselves to real time control. but all the plugin definitions are gonna be super specific to a given synth anyway
