A Really Quick Guide To Using The Akai APC40 MkII

In this video I give a quick overview of how I use the Akai APC40 MkII to create arrangements on the fly. I show you most of the functions of this simple but very effective MIDI controller for Ableton Live.
You may also like this video where I use the APC40 MkII in a "make a track in 10 minutes" production challenge • Making A Techno Track ...

[@angusarmy34]

This video answered so many of my questions on how to use the APC40 that I wasn't finding other places. Thanks!

[@Sultryhustler_music]

Great video. This is exactly how I used the launch control xl. But it just died. Bought the apc40 as a replacement. Very excited to dive in!

[@alx3902]

Nice machine, i usually do dj set with It and the 909, its so fun ableton with a controller. Greetings from Spain 🍻🙏

[@Tony_Tyson]

Sounds cool! Do you have audio/video of any of your sets?

[@waleedbanjar3050]

Coming from a DJ and a DAWless background, i tried to learn DAW ableton the past 1 year but at no success due to i got used to knobs and faders, i hate the Mouse and Keyboard idea as a whole, but after i discovered this controller my problem is fixed and finally found a controller wok for me. I wish i had it long time ago, and i cant wait for AKAI to make Mk3 of apc40.

[@marcosrotllan]

Ive been waitinga couple of years and now looking for an mkii

[@waleedbanjar3050]

@@marcosrotllan just get it, you won’t regret,

[@VictorHoffmann-n7x]

The Akai APC40 can be used as a sequencer or for playing notes when you install some custom software for it, which can be found online. I forgot the name of the software but I have used it a lot back in the days for live purposes.

[@chewlay111]

DrivenByMoss ?

[@AI1983-r1k]

Staight bouncer ! ..cool groove 😎

[@ImakIlaha]

wow!! thanks for this tutorial!

[@Tony_Tyson]

Glad it was helpful!

[@elbstrom7008]

Awesome!

[@jackdaddy9185]

Thanks!

[@Dj_Serotonin]

nice video X) wondering how i use what ive made in arrangement view and cut samples or loops from that to use in session view to play my track i have made live? just wanting to cut up my tracks to play live, i have made a few and now i would like to explore playing them live and launching clips that i have made in a live fassion if that makes sense lol im looking to get this controller and i like it but havent figured out how to play live yet in ableton. Thank you in advance ♠

[@Tony_Tyson]

You can just copy or drag parts of the audio or MIDI clips from the Arrangement to the Session view.. and make sure to turn Loop on.

[@Dj_Serotonin]

@@Tony_Tyson I tried that and couldn’t get it to work? Trimmed where I needed it and then I couldn’t paste it as a clip. Frustrated…..

[@morry13]

Great tutorial! Does the AKAI APC40 have the capability to give two output lines? Say one for backing tracks and another for click tracks and cues? That is for on-stage peformance?

[@Tony_Tyson]

Thanks! The APC40 is purely a MIDI controller, no audio functions. You can assign different tracks to different outputs on your audio interface if it supports it. Soon I will be doing some videos about building a live set with Live, the APC40 and a DJ mixer with an audio interface where I do that exact thing..

[@dreamcomposer]

Hey Tony :-) great video! but I have a question, is it possible to have several scenes (layers/knobs vertically) and switch them on and off? I am using ableton 11 suite, and when I try to control the vertical knobs weird stuff happens :p my whole project get's switched off and I have to manually (with my mouse) switch everything on again, do you maybe know what I'm doing wrong here? :-) help is much appreciated!

[@Tony_Tyson]

The 5 rows of buttons represent 5 scenes with the smaller buttons on the right to launch a whole scen at once rather than individual clips. The recessed button located below those stops all clips. As for the project switching off, do you mean the yellow track On/Off buttons in Live? Or the clips stopping?

[@dreamcomposer]

@@Tony_Tyson I contacted the support :p I was talking about audio tracks, midi tracks work normally :p sorry to bother you! great video dude :)

[@btdoubler1672]

Nice video. Thank you very much. Question. Do you know if you can switch back and forth from session to arrangement on APC40?

[@Tony_Tyson]

Not that I know of

[@eeddddddddd]

Remember there's the 'lock to device' button, so you don't have to keep returning to the channel your tweaking

[@Tony_Tyson]

Up until now I've somehow managed to ignore this button.. thank you this will make a big difference!

[@eeddddddddd]

@@Tony_Tyson Thanks for posting your video and review, another nice workflow idea... You could midi learn the top row of knobs, they come pre-set for pan/sends/ but the user button could be used to control the filter cut-off/decay/ effect and one they are nicely arranged for 1 per channel

[@Tony_Tyson]

@@eeddddddddd yup I do that sometimes

[@tmxtma909]

there's also "Select on Launch" option in Preferences/Record... great video :)

[@giovannitorricelli4214]

Do you know where i can find the apc 40 ? I don't find it anywhere :(

[@jodiescott01]

Great video bro, thank you. How do you get the controller to do absolutely nothing to customise it. I'm in user mode but there's some automatic assignments that is messing everything up?

[@djpoertsch]

Thank you for your great Video. I was purchased mine 1 week ago. I love it. But i need your help. I have a small problem with the volume of the faders if I have set them at track 1 to 8 and for example still use track 9 to 11. If I change the volume at 9 to 11 and switch back to 1 to 8 and would like to change the volume a bit here, the fader in Ableton only reacts when I approach the set db with it. Often, however, the volume jumps up, which doesn't sound nice. Is there a setting in Ableton that makes it possible for me to change this so that the volumes of the individual tracks are saved. Thank you so much

[@Tony_Tyson]

Yup that's an issue; I avoid it altogether by not using more than 8 tracks. That may seem limiting but one way to look at it, is that every track can be a group rather than a single track; either of actual tracks grouped together or using instrument racks and drum racks. For instance let's say you have a drum rack with 6 different percussion elements playing and you want to fade out one sound and not all of them. You could assign the volumes of the individual drum cells to macro-controls in the drum rack and control the volume of each one individually that way.

[@lesleyjones]

Isn't this to be solved by changing the "takeover mode" for knobs and faders in the midi settings...?

[@felipeReisfelipereis]

the knobs of mine is somehow wrong, not well calibrated, the 0 db of them are acctually -3db.. any tips how to fix??

[@Tony_Tyson]

To be honest I have no idea, sorry.

[@SIXELAUDIO]

Can the clip pads be assigned to drum pads?

[@Tony_Tyson]

As standard no, the clip pads are not assignable. There might be some M4L device that works around this though.

[@marcosrotllan]

Its so disgusting that you cant set the faders properly to 0dbs. Im regretting this buy just for that.

[@Dangerous-Kobe]

Just put all of them at Max on your apc and put the ones on Ableton at 0, not a big deal

[@ralphdeonarine9133]

Honestly I wouldn't call this a 'quick guide' video, so much as it is just an introductory user-oriented one. I thought you could have gone more into the evident features of the unit and how versatile it can be to midi map etc. But kudos on producing content, I guess.