Akai MPK 49 manual

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TABLE OF CONTENTS FRONT PANEL OVERVIEW ...........................................................................................1 REAR PANEL OVERVIEW ..............................................................................................3 HOOKUP DIAGRAM .......................................................................................[...]

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1 FRONT PANEL OVERVIEW 1. LCD – The display is used for navigating menus, displaying data, and affecting change on MPK49’s option s and parameters. 2. [VALUE] (Push to Enter) – This dial is used to increment and dec rement Presets, parameter values and sett ings. This dial also functions as an [ENTER ] button whe n it is pressed down. 3. [<[...]

2 14. 12 MPC PRESSURE AND VELOCITY SENSITIVE PADS – The pads can be used to trigger drum hits or samples o n your software or hardware module. The pads are pressure and velocity s ensitive, which makes them very responsive and i ntuitive to p lay. 15. PAD BANK buttons – These 4 buttons switch among pad banks A, B, C, D. Each bank can address a [...]

3 REAR PANEL OVERVIEW 1. DC POWER ADAPTER INPUT – Plug in a 6V–1A DC power adapter if you do n ot wish to power the MPK49 through the USB connection. 2. POWER ADAPTER RESTRAINT – You can secure the power adapter cord to this restraint to prevent accidental unplugging. 3. USB CONNECTION – Plug a standard USB cable into this outlet and into t[...]

4 HOOKUP DIAGRAM Please refer to the following scenar io for connecti ng the MPK49. EXTERNAL SOUND MODULE COMPUTER POWER ADAPTER E X T E R N A L MIDI DEVICE SUST AIN P E D A L EXPRESSION PEDAL 1. Connect a USB cable from your co m puter to the MPK49. The unit will be powered through the USB connection. Alternatively, if you do not wish to use a com[...]

5 A NOTE ABOUT USING THE MPK49 WITH SOFTWARE 1. Make sure that the MPK49 and all exter nal devices are connect ed and tha t the USB cable is connected to your computer before opening any software applications on your computer with which you might want to use the MPK49 . If the unit is no t plugged in before, your software application mi ght no t re[...]

6 MIDI PORT AND CHANNEL NOTE INDICATOR NOTE VELOCITY VELOCITY I S ALSO DISPLA YED WITH BAR METER. MIDI NOTE NUMBER PAD BANK AFTERTOUCH VALUE AFTERTOUCH VALUE IS ALSO DISPLAYED WITH BAR METER MIDI PORT AND CHANNEL CONTROL CHANGE INDICATOR CONTROL CHANGE VALUE VALUE IS ALSO DISPLAYED WITH BAR METER. CONTROL CHANGE NUMBER PAD BANK OCTAVE SHIFT TRANSPO[...]

7 AFTERTOUCH VALUE VALUE IS ALSO DISPLAYED WITH BAR METER. PAD BANK CONTROL CHANGE NUMBER NEW VALUE NEW VALUE LAST VALU E SENT LAST VALU E SENT CONTROL AFTERTOUCH The knobs and sliders on the MPK49 can also be set to transmit AFTERTOUCH information.  Please see ‘Editing Knobs a nd Sliders’ (page 16) for more information on setting knobs and [...]

8 ABOUT MODES The MPK49 has four di ffer ent modes of operation. Each m ode can be accessed by pressing the corresponding button on the MPK4 9. Following is a short description of each mode: Preset Mode This mode allows you to load, save and copy Presets. A Preset is a collection of inform ation about how diff er ent sliders, knobs, and pads will b[...]

9 PRESET NA ME PRESET N UMBER PRESET MODE The MPK49 features diffe rent Preset banks that you can l oad and write to . When you turn on the MPK49 , it will automatically go into Preset Mode and Preset 1 will be displayed on the screen. You can also press the [PRESET] bu tton at any time to call up this mode. In Preset Mode you can load, save/copy a[...]

10 NAVIGATING EDIT M ODE 1. Press the [EDIT] bu tton. 2. To select the controller you wish to e dit, simply engage it – this will prompt the scree n to display the prop erties of the particular contr oller (Page 1). 3. If there are mul tiple properti es for the selected contr oller, tur n the [VALUE] dial to s elect the proper ty you wish to edi [...]

11 EDIT MODE PARAMETERS CONTROLLER SELECTED PAGE 1 PAGE 2 OCTAVE KEYBOARD MIDI CHANNEL (field 1) UP/DOWN (field 4) AFTERTOUCH KEYBOARD MIDI CHANNEL (field 1) ON/OFF BEHAVIOR (field 4) KEYBOARD VELOCITY KEYBOARD MIDI CHANNEL (field 1) ON/OFF BEHAVIOR (field 4) NOTE MIDI CHANNEL (fie ld 1) NOTE NUMBER (field 2) ON/OFF BEHAVIOR (field 3) PRESSUR E BEH[...]

12 SELECT PRO PERTY PRESS ENT ER TO EDIT MIDI CHANNEL FIELD MIDI CHANNEL FIELD AFTERTOUCH FIELD MIDI CHANNEL FIELD OCTAVE SHIFT FIELD VELOCITY FIELD EDITING THE KEYBOARD When editing the keyboard, please note that the chan ges will affect all the keys on the M PK49. The keyboard properties you can edit inclu de MIDI Channel, Octave, Aftertouch, and[...]

13 What is a Note Message ? A Note Message is a MIDI message that tells an instrument to play a note. More gen erally, this means that Note Messages are used to start and stop sounds. When you press one of the pads, a ‘Note On’ message is sent t o your DAW or exter nal device. This toggles a note or sam ple. When you release the pad, a ‘Note [...]

14 MIDI PORT/CHANNEL FIELD NOTE FIELD NOTE FIELD PLAY MODE FIEL D PLAY MODE FIELD NOTE PAR AMETERS The following list of parameters can be accessed if the pad event type is set to Note . MIDI CHANNEL FIE LD This field sets the MIDI Port and Channel which the pa d will use to transmit messages. You can assign pads to one of two MIDI Ports, A or B, a[...]

15 MIDI PORT/CHANNEL FIELD PORGRAM CHANGE FIELD BANK M F IELD BANK L F IELD Note: You can also configu re pads to send Prog ram Change messages only, without specifying Bank M and Bank L. While editing Bank M and Bank L fields of a pad, use [VALUE] dial to set Bank M an d Bank L to ‘OFF’ (beyond 000). This will cause the pad to tran smit only a[...]

16 What is Control Change ? Control Change refers to the use of MIDI Continuous Controller data. Conti nuous Controller (CC) data are MIDI messages ca pable of transmitting a range of values, usually 0-1 27. CC's are commonly used for controllin g volume, pan, mod wheel (#1) and other variable para meters on your DAW or sound module. What is A[...]

17 MIDI PORT/CHANNEL FIELD CONTROL CHANGE FIELD MINIMUM RANGE F IELD MAXIMUM R ANGE FIELD CONTROL CHANGE PARA METERS The following list of parame ters can be acce ssed if the pad event ty pe is set to “Note”. MIDI CHANNEL FIE LD This field sets the MIDI Port and Chan nel which the knob or slider will use t o transmit messages. You can assign kn[...]

18 MINIMUM RANGE F IELD MAXIMUM R ANGE FIELD MIDI PORT/CHANNEL FIELD AFTERTOUCH PARAMETERS For some applications, you might wish to use the sliders or knobs as Afte rtouch controllers. In this scenario, the knob or slider will be transmitting A fter touch information which could be used to control, say, a vibrato of a device that the MPK49 is con t[...]

19 MIDI PORT/CHANNEL FIELD INCREMENT/DECREMENT PA RAMETERS (knobs only) The endless knobs on the MPK49 may also be used as an increment/decrement NRPN f unction. This allows you to use the knob to increment and decrement th rough parameters as opposed to sending an absolute value. Please note that th e implementation of NRPN f unctions depends stri[...]

20 MIDI PORT/CHANNEL FIELD CONTROL CHANGE FIELD PLAY MODE FIELD SELECT BUTTON EVEN T TYPE IN THIS FIELD. EDITING BUTTONS The buttons on the MPK49 can be used to transmit Control Change or Program Change information. 1. Press [EDIT] button to ente r EDIT MODE . 2. Press the button you w ould like to edit . 3. On Page 1, turn the [VAL UE] dial to sel[...]

21 MIDI PORT/CHANNEL FIELD PORGRAM CHANGE FIELD BANK M F IELD BANK L F IELD Note: You can also configu re buttons to send Pr ogram Change messages only, without specifying Bank M and Bank L. While editing Bank M and Bank L fields of a button, use [VALUE] dial to set Bank M and Bank L to ‘OFF’ (beyond 000 ). This will cause the butt on to transm[...]

22 PRESS E NTER TO EDIT SELECT PRO PERTY EDITING THE ARPEGGIATOR The built-in Arpeggiator is one of the fea tures which sets the MPK49 apart from o ther controllers. The Arpeggiator allows you to arpeggiate a sequence of not es by holding down a comb ination of keys. The Arpeggiator will be synced to the tempo parameter of t he MPK49. P lease note [...]

23 ARP TYPE ARP TYPE RANGE BUTTON MODE ARPEGGIO PARAME TERS – TYPE, RANGE, BUTTON MODE The following parameters ca n be edited by selectin g “TYP RNG TGL” on Pa ge 1. ARP TYPE Select one of the following arpeggio types in this field – Up, Down, Incl, Excl, Rand, Chrd. 1. While in Arp Type field, use [ VALUE] dial to select Arp Type. 2. Use [...]

24 GATE DURATION SWING ARPEGGIO PARAME TERS – GATE, SWING The following parameters ca n be edited by selectin g “GATE SWING” on Pag e 1. GATE Select the arpeggiator Gate i n this field. 1. While in Gate field, use [VAL UE] dial to select Gate dur ation. 2. Use the [>] button to select the next field. SWING Select the arpeggiator Swing in t[...]

25 PRESS E NTER TO EDIT SELECT PRO PERTY Please note: For the Gate effect to be per ceived, the sounds y ou are triggering need to have a long decay. EDITING NOTE REPEAT The MPK49 features the Note Repeat func tion , which can be found on our legendary Music Production Center (MPC) models. With No te Repeat enabled , you can repeatedly trigger a so[...]

26 BUTTON MODE GATE FIELD SWING FI ELD NOTE REPEA T BUTTON MODE The following screen will appear if you select “TOGGL-M OTRY” on Page 1. I n this field, you can select whe ther the [NOTE REPEAT] button will behave in a momentary (MT Y) fashion, where pressing the button turns on the No te Repeat function and releasing it turns it of f, or in a [...]

27 BUTTON MODE FIELD EDITING TIME DIVISION The Time Division feature works in conjunction wi th No te Repeat and the Arpeggiato r. When Note Repe at or the Arpeggiator is enabled, the MPK49 will output notes at a rate equivalent to the Time Division setting. To change to a new Time Division setting, press [TIME D IVISION] and select a new rate . Pl[...]

28 MIDI CHANNEL FIELD EDITING THE PITCH BEND WHEEL The Pitch Bend wheel can be assigned to transmit pitc h b end information on a specific MIDI Channel. 1. Press the [EDIT] button to ent er Edit Mode. 2. Now select the Pitch Bend wheel for editing by movi ng the wheel. 3. You will see Page 1 displayed on the screen (s hown on the left). 4. Press [E[...]

29 PRESS ENT ER TO EDIT MIDI CHANNEL FIELD MIDI CC FIELD EDITING THE MODULATION WHEEL The Modulation wheel can be e dited to transmit a ran ge of values on a s pecific MIDI Channel and MIDI CC. 1. To edit the Modulation wheel settings, press the [EDIT] button to enter Edit Mode. 2. Now select the Modulation w heel for editing by movin g the wheel. [...]

30 MAXIMUM VAL UE PRESS ENT ER TO EDIT TRANSPORT CONTROL MESSAGE F ORMAT PRESS ENT ER TO EDIT BPM FIELD PRESS E NTER TO EDIT EDITING TRANSPORT CONTROL The transport control section o n the MPK49 can be conf igure d to send tr ansport control information in a variety of ways: MMC (MIDI Machi ne Control), MMC/MIDI, MIDI , or CTRL. Some applications a[...]

31 MIDI COMMON CHANNEL FIELD GLOBAL MODE In Global Mode, you can send global messages and make general changes to the way that your MPK49 functions. Global Mode options are organized under different pages and include the list of options shown on the right: To enter Global Mode, pr ess the [GLOBAL] button. To scroll among the different pages, use th[...]

32 LCD CONTRAST PAD SENSITIVIT Y FIELD PAD VELOCI TY CURVE FIELD MIDI VELOCITY WEAK STRENGTH OF HITTING PAD STRONG LCD CONTRAST – Page 3 The contrast of the LCD can be adjusted for optimal viewing. 1. While in Global Mode, use [>] bu tton to scroll to LCD CONT (page 3). 2. Turn [VALUE] dial to se lect a contrast level. 3. Press [ENTER] to set [...]

33 KEYBOARD TRANSPO SITION FIELD MIDI CLOCK FI ELD TAP AVERAG E FIELD PAD THRE SHOLD FIE LD PAD THRESHOLD – Page 6 PAD THRESHOLD is the minimum force required to activate the pads. If you experience “ghost” triggering d ue to stage vibrations, you may wish to set this threshold higher. On the other hand, if you find it difficult to cause the [...]

34 PRESS ENT ER TO SAVE PRESS ENTER TO TRANFER SAVE GLOBAL – Page 10 SAVE GLOBAL allows you to save all of the global para meters on the MPK49, including MIDI Commo n Channel, LCD Contrast, Pad Sensitivity, Pad Velocity Curve, Keyboard Transpositio n, MIDI Clock, Tap Tempo Average, Preset and SysEx information. 1. While in Global Mode, use [> [...]

35 PROGRAM CHANGE MODE A Program Change , often re ferred to as a Patch Change , is a MID I message used for sending data to devices to cause them to change to a new program. This allows you to tell a hardware or s oftware device which sound to play. For example , if your MPK49 is controlling a pia no patch on your DAW or an external device, using [...]

36 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Question: Does the MPK49 have i nternal sounds ? Answer: No. The MPK49 is a MIDI- controller, w hich means that it does n ot contain any sounds i nside but is instead use d to control exter nal sound d evices, such as h ardware and so ftware synthesi zers, seque ncers and drum machines. Question: Can the MPK49 be synce[...]

37 TROUBLESHOOTING PROBLEM CAUSE SOLUTION Please make sure that the M PK49 is connected to your computer and that the computer is powered on. The display does not light up. No power. If using a power adapter, ple ase make sure that the adapter is plugged in to a live power outlet. Check your computer’s USB c onnection to confirm that the MPK49 is[...]

38 TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS GENERAL Display custom LCD w/ b acklight Dimensions (WxDxH) 730mm x 300mm x 100mm Weight 5.8kg Power ~100mA, 5V DC via USB ~1A, 6V DC via external adaptor Number of Presets 30 MIDI output channels over USB 48 (16 channels x 3 ports) MIDI output channels from 5-pin MIDI 16 Keyboard 49 Semi-Weighted keyboard (velocity and [...]

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