Thanks, I’ll try out all of the recommended approaches and let you know how I get on.
it’s pretty deep (but powerful as a result). i’ve only just begun to click with the workflow and that’s just basic sampling stuff. haven’t even gotten to FX and MIDI CC mapping etc. so far it’s rewarding the time it takes to dive deep into all the features, especially since i can run it all from Hapax and don’t have to bother with the whole sequencing side of things
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I’ll spend some 1 on 1 time with it this next week.
My problem is that I bought too many new pieces of kit in a short period and never got the chance to learn them all in isolation.
I’ve had Hapax for nearly 4 months and only just sat with it properly to figure it out. Now that I have, I can’t believe how easy it is to use. It really is an excellent centre piece - it’s bought all my kit together for the first time. It’s so good, I’m thinking of selling my Analog Rytm and Analog Four - synths I’ve used for 6+ years in mk1 and mk2 formats. I find that that the major plus points of the Elektron stuff are mainly the sequencers. In terms of synthesis sounds, I have better sounding synths that can work incredibly well with Hapax. I’m trying to simplify my setup for workflow and space reasons and Hapax is pushing me into new directions. The MPC was my answer to replacing the Octatrack, as that was too fiddly and tried to do too much in very complex manner. I’m hoping I made the right choice to partner the MPC sampling with Hapax
Tubedigga’s youtube videos are very helpful for the basics
Thanks, will take a look
Can the mpc power the hapax?
Sorry, not sure what you mean exactly. Are you suggesting MPC being the master midi controller? FYI, the USB B on Hapax is currently unused, as is the USB A on the MPC.
Currently I’m using Hapax as master, which connects to an MioXL midi hub via DIN and then all my hardware is connected to Mio, again via DIN.
Ok so I connected the Hapax to MPC via USB directly and it was easy to see the Hapax Midi 1 directly on the MPC.
When setting the midi channel for each pad in the Midi Control screen, this is working fine and Hapax messages are being seen by the midi monitor. Whilst in the midi control screen, I can press a pad on Hapax and the corresponding pad on the MPC will light up.
As soon as I change MPC back to track view the triggering doesn’t work. I’ve tried the various midi settings in the main preferences, and also change the MIDI settings in track view but no joy in triggering these MPC pads - except when in midi control screen.
Anyone know what simple thing I might be missing here?
UPDATE:
I got the same approach as above working via Midi IN DIN now and I’ve even got the input meter showing the midi coming in on the track view, but still no sounds/pads being triggered on MPC.
I attach a photo of this helps….
As soon as I change the track type to a plug-in the midi immediately triggers the plugin, but as soon as choose the drum program 4 squares icon it goes silent again, despite have samples loaded in. All midi notes are set perfectly fine, so I’m baffled here.
I wonder if the track needs to be set to a drum/sample trigger mode, or perhaps the drum pads can’t be triggered in this way 
PROBLEM SOLVED
So the midi note from Hapax needed to be some octaves higher than the MPC. Pad 1 on the MPC is Hapax note C3 (note 36), even though it is showing as -C2 on the MPC midi. So 5 Octaves out of sync for some reason!
Thanks @chrisroland for your suggestion, it just took a few hours of getting ‘triggered’ before I figured it out.
Cheers 
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The default pad layout on the mpc was recently changed from a wacky assortment of notes to just being chromatic. Any kits from before the latest update will typically have the old layout when you load them, unless you’ve already overwritten to the new pad mapping.
Iirc from track view > edit you can update the pad note mapping, and then it gives default options of chromatic from c1, from c3 or wacky OG MPC style. I’ve kept a list of the wacky mappings in the past, but now it’s easy to remap the MPC so I’m starting to do that more often than not since it’s generally more compatible with any given thing in chromatic layout anyway.
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Thanks. I’m mapping to the latest update approach, so all good
So I figured out yesterday that sending midi CC 7 turns that channel’s program volume up and down, and it makes me wonder what else the MPC responds to by default, without setting up a mapping.
I’m thinking of making an MPC template that has a lot of standard stuff mapped to a CC for every pad (vol, pan, filter cutoff and reso) and making that part of my MPC instrument definition.
I also learned that if you have drum programs set to “one shot” across multiple channels, they can all be on the same pad numbers and won’t get cut off. But once you put something in the ADSR style mode, it’ll get cut off if you play the same pad on a different program/different midi channel.
i was actually trying to create an Automation lane of CC7 on a pattern that sequences one of my MPC plugins, to basically fade up the volume slowly over the course of the pattern but it didn’t seem to be responding. is there anything i need to do beyond just drawing the velocity curve from 0-127 in Automation mode? i can always adjust velocity in Step mode, per step but would be nice to know what CCs are automatable (and how to actually implement).
also, is it possible to use automations at the Song level or just on Patterns?
that MIDI note bug is supposed to be solved by 2.11.7 but i’m still noticing occasional note drops in drum programs when i sequence the pads from Hapax (even when no other MPC tracks are being triggered). and sequencing more than one plugin at the same time also seems to have a similar choking effect so i’m still trying to sort out exactly where these polyphony issues are coming from, since it shouldn’t be a problem if you were doing it all within the MPC box
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Hmm, it worked for me with a drum program just by making an automation lane set to cc 7 and changing the values. I wonder if plug-ins and different types of programs don’t always respond the same way. Probably a good reason to just lock in exactly what you want with midi learn!
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if you get an MPC instrument definition fully sorted, would be grateful for the share
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Program > Global has 2 polyphony settings; far left bottom is the program’s labelled “poly” and middle bottom under the trig type is the pad’s polyphony, also … labelled “poly” -_- .
If you turn on ASHD envelope, then make sure both are not set to mono does it still choke?
Edit: Also, the midi listening inputs on both machines default to all incoming on a new track, and that is a real mess. I keep cross triggering various tracks and synths and drums and man I wish these all defaulted to holding their ears closed to midi.
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drum programs are generally set to poly unless i’m chopping up a breakbeat. it’s really just plugins that are cutting each other off but will def check the MIDI listening inputs
Hmm I’m not sure I’m following. would you mind sharing the steps to recreate it? I fought the midi for a couple hours then it locked in. I lost and found it since.
I can load a plug-in and play it from 2 diff Hapax channels without choking (both sending 2 MPC tracks and midi channels, or via 1 track and midi channel) , and I can trigger a second plug in from a 3rd track without any choking as well.
Automating CC7 on track 1 or 2 pointed to plug-in 1 reduces the plug-in volume, not the track. It doesn’t impact plug-in 2 volume. sending cc7 on Hapax track 3 to the second plug-in fades it down without affecting plug-in 1.
Important settings for me -
on the MPC MIDI in setting, I only have Track enabled.
Global enabled will mean whatever is selected is targeted by the incoming midi - “master” mode. This is a disaster, everything makes sound.
Control lets makes it show up in the list when you try to map midi to parts of the MPC. (This + a inst def is probably the super win. that might mean you need to load a default template with mappings. )
Disable “Enable Midi Ports When discovered” - I just learned this is doing the auto-enabling. They’ll be avail still, just not enable by default.
On a track -
In the channel strip, midi input set to Hapax, set the channel to your Hapax track
change the midi monitor button at the bottom from auto to Merge - this makes it so the MPC track only listens to its matching Hapax track, and doesn’t care if you’re record enabled and it plays the recorded clips too.
To the right of the merge is the outgoing midi routing channel point this to your own midi channel, so you don’t forward
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yeah plugin tracks (all tracks really) are set to Merge on their respective MIDI Ins. not in front of my gear at the moment but i may have Global MIDI In selected (but it doesn’t act like Omni On as long as the individual tracks are set to Merge – everything is only triggered on the MIDI channel it’s set to). i’ll try and recreate.
assigning CC7 to a given MPC track’s encoder does seem to work fine – I can tweak the volume up and down as needed. but since Hapax only automates on a pattern basis (afaik) probably doesn’t help me in song mode, where i want a longer fade-in while the half-bar pattern cycles repeatedly over a whole section
thanks for taking the time to troubleshoot though. like so much of the MPC, it may be something simple that you only realize is crucial after spending months learning the ins and outs
apologies for the sound quality from the phone mic but i think you can hear what i’m experiencing (MIDI settings should be correct for what i need Hapax and MPC to do) –
first plugin on channel 1 is a Fabric synth strings chord progression. everything sounds fine when it’s the only plugin being sequenced by Hapax:
but when i bring in an OPX-4 arp on channel 2 at the same time, you can hear note(s) dropping out of the Fabric pad on the first and third measures, but also playing fully again on the second and fourth:
so unless it’s the dreaded MIDI note bug i’m not seeing why they shouldn’t both be able to play simultaneously and independently
[update: yeah, it’s the MIDI note bug. if i transpose the arp up out of the same key range as the strings, no cutoff. but at least i know there’s a viable workaround, and actually better this way since i can map multiple plugins across the full key range on a single MPC track/MIDI channle.
anyway, FYI for anyone else sequencing MPC tracks with Hapax]
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