MPC5000 Performance Effects
Streamlined Navigation on MPC5000
In this month’s MPC Corner we’ll give you a detailed breakdown of some of the SHIFT button functions that were added in v2.0 firmware update. In v2.0 we’ve added a number of functions tied to the SHIFT button that allows for faster navigation around menus and lists that greatly decreases the amount of time it takes to get where you need to be in your MPC5000.
Main Page-Sequence/Track Field Navigation
In the main page we wanted to give you a better way to get between the upper TRACK functions and the lower PROGRAM functions faster. We found that when making beats we were always going back and forth between choosing sequences and tracks, and the constant UP/DOWN cursor movements got to be a pain.
Now you can navigate directly to the SEQUENCE field by pressing SHIFT+UP. Navigate directly to the TRACK field by pressing SHIFT+DOWN.
Direct Track Selection
The ability to jump directly to the TRACK field via “SHIFT + cursor UP” is a great feature, but we wanted to empower you with an even quicker way to jump to tracks directly, so we added the “SHIFT+PAD” in MAIN mode. Now, if you press and hold SHIFT while pressing any pad you will jump instantly to the track number that corresponds to that pad.
Examples:- Pressing SHIFT and pad A16 will jump you to TRACK 16.
- Pressing SHIFT + pad 8 will jump you to TRACK 8.
- (Use the BANK buttons to access tracks 17-32, 33-48, 49-64.)
Note Repeat Latch
Inputting notes using the MPC5000’s NOTE REPEAT function is very common, so in v2.0 we’ve added the ability to latch the NOTE REPEAT button ON. Now, you’ll be able to use two hands for adding notes or navigating to other tracks. Pressing and holding SHIFT+NOTE REPEAT will latch NOTE REPEAT on. You will see FUNCTION buttons 1-6 change to show the NOTE REPEAT values when the NOTE REPEAT button is latched. To unlatch the NOTE REPEAT button, simply press either the SHIFT button or the NOTE REPEAT button.
Trim Mode
You can now easily assign whatever sample you are trimming to a specific pad of the current program. When you have a sample in TRIM mode, press the SHIFT button. You will see a menu that says, “Hit PAD to assign sample”. Simply press the pad that you want the sound to be assigned to, and then go back to MAIN and play the program to hear your sound assignment.
Navigating Long Lists
When you have a long list of samples in TRIM MODE, a list of programs in PROGRAM MODE or a list of files in the DISK MODE, there is now an easier way to navigate to the bottom or top of these lists via the SHIFT button:
- Pressing SHIFT+UP will return you to the top of the list.
- Pressing SHIFT+DOWN will take you to the last item in the list.
In DISK MODE, pressing, SHIFT+LEFT will take you out of all the folders and return you to the top level of the directory. This saves you from having to press the left cursor many times. In DISK MODE or in SAMPLE LISTS in TRIM MODE you can also navigate to items alphabetically by pressing the buttons in the 10-key pad:
- Pressing #2 (A), will take you to the first item that starts in A, pressing it again will take you to items that start in B.
- Pressing #5 once will take you to items that start in J; pressing twice will take you to K, and pressing three times will take you to L.
Mixers
Sometimes it makes sense to select multiple faders, mutes or sends in the mixers. To do this, go to MIXER MODE and select all the pads or tracks in the current bank by pressing SHIFT+PAD BANK A, B, C or D button. You will see a highlight bar across the top of the screen that shows all the pads or tracks in that bank are now selected. Move a Q-Link control or press one of the AFTER buttons to see how all the items move together. This is especially helpful for when you want to send all of the sounds of a program to the same effect buss or adjust all the send levels together.
Stopping All Sound
This shortcut doesn’t involve the SHIFT button but is very useful nonetheless:
- By pressing STOP three times you can shut off all of your audio.
This is very helpful if you press STOP and a long sample continues to play; simply press STOP 3 times and it will off all audio.
Utilizing these shortcuts will make your production time with MPC5000 efficient and smooth; you’ll spend less time searching menus and pressing buttons and more time producing and creating. Stay tuned the Akai Pro Newsletter for the next MPC Corner where we’ll continue to breakdown useful MPC features and unveil the sometimes-overlooked capabilities that may surprise you.
