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The rules should oblige the seller to give the purchaser an operating instrucion of Akai MPK, along with an item. The lack of an instruction or false information given to customer shall constitute grounds to apply for a complaint because of nonconformity of goods with the contract. In accordance with the law, a customer can receive an instruction in non-paper form; lately graphic and electronic forms of the manuals, as well as instructional videos have been majorly used. A necessary precondition for this is the unmistakable, legible character of an instruction.
What is an instruction?
The term originates from the Latin word „instructio”, which means organizing. Therefore, in an instruction of Akai MPK one could find a process description. An instruction's purpose is to teach, to ease the start-up and an item's use or performance of certain activities. An instruction is a compilation of information about an item/a service, it is a clue.
Unfortunately, only a few customers devote their time to read an instruction of Akai MPK. A good user manual introduces us to a number of additional functionalities of the purchased item, and also helps us to avoid the formation of most of the defects.
What should a perfect user manual contain?
First and foremost, an user manual of Akai MPK should contain:
- informations concerning technical data of Akai MPK
- name of the manufacturer and a year of construction of the Akai MPK item
- rules of operation, control and maintenance of the Akai MPK item
- safety signs and mark certificates which confirm compatibility with appropriate standards
Why don't we read the manuals?
Usually it results from the lack of time and certainty about functionalities of purchased items. Unfortunately, networking and start-up of Akai MPK alone are not enough. An instruction contains a number of clues concerning respective functionalities, safety rules, maintenance methods (what means should be used), eventual defects of Akai MPK, and methods of problem resolution. Eventually, when one still can't find the answer to his problems, he will be directed to the Akai service. Lately animated manuals and instructional videos are quite popular among customers. These kinds of user manuals are effective; they assure that a customer will familiarize himself with the whole material, and won't skip complicated, technical information of Akai MPK.
Why one should read the manuals?
It is mostly in the manuals where we will find the details concerning construction and possibility of the Akai MPK item, and its use of respective accessory, as well as information concerning all the functions and facilities.
After a successful purchase of an item one should find a moment and get to know with every part of an instruction. Currently the manuals are carefully prearranged and translated, so they could be fully understood by its users. The manuals will serve as an informational aid.
Table of contents for the manual
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Page 1
1 Akai MPD and MP K Series – S etup With Ableton Live Contents Configuring as a Control Surface ...................................................................... 2 Input Output Options ......................................................................................... 4 Custom Assigning Controls ........................................[...]
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Page 2
2 Note: These screenshots were taken on Ableton Live 7.0.15, while there are new features in 8 the selections that pertain to this setup should remain the same. Also note they were taken using the MPK on a Mac. All of the options are the same for the MPD short of the Arp option. So if you own an MP D follow these same steps. The only difference is [...]
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Page 3
3 3. After choosing the appropriate Control Surface , turn your attention to the Input and Output drop- d own menus . On the I nput drop-down choose the 1 st midi input. ( Note: on PC’s you may see USB Audio Device not MPD or MPK ) 4. After choosing the first input drop down the Output menu. On the Output drop-down menu choose the 1 st midi outpu[...]
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Page 4
4 Input Output Options The MPD or MPK should now be selected as the control surface. Now turn your attention to the MI DI Ports section below. Y ou will see 3 inputs and 2 outputs. You will also notice the Track , Sync , and Remote options. * Please ask download our MIDI IO Details Guide from any MPD or MPK controller ’ s product page for an expl[...]
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Page 5
5 2. The Sync option is specifically for routing Midi Clock between devices. This will come into play with Note Repeat and the Arp option. W hen usi n g the MPK you may want to use the Note Repeat function on the pads or the Arp with the keys. The MPD will also allow Note Repeat with the pads. Both of these options repeat notes at a speci f i c tim[...]
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Page 6
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Page 7
7 3. The Remote option is used to send/receive Control Surface commands. i.e, the transport controls, the knobs , and the faders . ( see Custom Assigning Controls for more on this ) To use the knobs, faders, and transport to control Ableton turn Remote On for the 1st input. This will route these messages into the so f tware enabling you to use the [...]
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Page 8
8 Custom A s signing C ontrols 1. It is also very easy to customize Ableton to respond in any way you’d like. On a Mac hit CMD + M to bring up the midi assignment options. On a PC press CTRL+M . You’ll see it puts a blue sheen over all assignable options. Any option you see highlighted can learn any knob, fader, or s-button on the MPD or MPK . [...]
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Page 9
9 3. After selecting the assignable option ( Send A in this ex am ple), simply move the knob or fader you would like to assign to it on the MPD or MPK . As you can see in the screen shot below it w i ll show a number for the assignment it learned. This is the CC ( Control Change ) number assigned to the particular knob or fader you moved. 4. Once y[...]
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Page 10
10 Value Scaling vs. Pick Up Mode There is one more thing to be aware of on the MIDI S y nc tab in your Preferences menu. You will see a Takeover Mode drop-down menu. Your two options are Pick Up and Value Scaling . 1. W hen set to Pick Up the knobs and f aders will only start moving there counterpart on screen when that particular knob or fader mo[...]
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Page 11
11 Using Note Rep eat / A r p w ith the MPD or MPK ’ s Internal MIDI Clock 1. First turn Sync On for the first input. You will see Sync Type . Drop down this menu and choose MIDI Clock . This is telling Ableton to listen to the tempo from your MPD or MPK . You choose this tempo by either tapping the Tap Tempo button or by pressing Edit and then T[...]
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Page 12
12 Using Note Rep eat / A r p w ith Ableton as Master 1. To set the MPD or MPK to listen to External clock press the Global button and then page right until you see MIDI/CLK . Set this option to Externa l. Make sure you are on the latest firmw a re to be able to save this change. The Tap Tempo light will stop blinking which confirms it is no longer[...]
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Page 13
13 Using a Virtual I nstrument in Ableton 1. To set up a Virtual Instrument in Ableton the first thing we need to do is choose one from the Ableton Device List. ( You can also use 3 rd party VST’s, consult Ableton’ s d ocumentation ) 2. Choose the option highlighted in the screen shot below to bring up a list of your Live Devices . In this exam[...]
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Page 14
14 3. You will see the track appear on the right. Notice at the bottom there is a red button. This is Record Enable , this must be activated to he ar what you are playing.[...]
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Page 15
15 4. Below you will see the drop down menu for the m idi input . It will be labeled MIDI From . Generally you can leave this set to All Ins, however if need be choose the specific input for the MPK49/MPD32 from the drop down menu. 5. If you have something set to a specific midi channel that you w o uld like only this instrument to respond to you c[...]
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Page 16
16 Now if you play the MPD or MPK you should hear the audio from this Virtual Instrument track. There is plenty to learn with Ableton as it is an advanced DAW(Digital Audio Workstation), so we still suggest reading the manual and going through the tutorial videos. You’re MPD or MPK should be configured and ready to use! Technical Support and War [...]