Akai MPC Keygroup Program guide for beginners - mpc Touch / Live / X

Listen to my music linktr.ee/marlowdigs
Weekly Samples / mpchead
Sample Packs mpchead.bandcamp.com
In studio sessions are available. Be with me in person in my studio and see how I put everything together. This is a great opportunity to understand how I craft my sound. Book a whole day with me and also have access to my records and gear in the studio. If you are a fan of my work and want to know more, email me at [e-mail]
Private online mpc lessons - email me for more info at [e-mail]
My Gear is here thmn.to/thocf/wlw2skcebo
I share loads of samples that you hear here on the channel to my Patreon / mpchead
Upload your music to the world distrokid.com/vip/seven/1270315
Social media:
/ marlowdigs
/ marlowdigs
Sub to my other channel please / llikido
#boombapbeat #beatmaking

[@elvinlewis4233]

Finally, someone who stays on point and doesn't stray off into the weeds! I learned more in 10 mins here, than in 10 hours of other videos.

[@profyle766]

Just got my MPC X...and your 100%, Marlow here broke it down neatly within 10mins, totally different from DAW's which i'm used to so Kudos to him.

[@drizzdanemesis3441]

MPC HEADZ I have the mpc touch nobody explains like you do,THANKS A LOT!!!

[@blocmusic8327]

hebert.travis.tah

[@blocmusic8327]

MBM Group

[@profyle766]

Marlow..you are on[point with this tutorial bro, nuff respect for breaking this down easy to understand. Just got my MPC X, and i'm not used to these programs and keygroups setup, used to using DAW's, so this helped out big time!!! Thanks.

[@nathanielhamilton5841]

Soo much knowledge! I'm addicted to this machine!

[@HouseJunk1e]

subbed. thank you for not going on a tangent about other shit. you stay on point. perfect!

[@jasoncolbey83]

SPECTACULAR video Bruhv! Thank you! You're very knowledgeable. I love your channel. A huge help!

[@Bricks_shakur]

This is gold! I don’t think I would’ve ran across this by myself thank you

[@DNorthPaintings]

I love your videos. You never go off into other bullshit. Always straight to the point. You talk when you need to and keep it moving when you don’t. Thanks my dude 👊🏼💯

[@mpchead]

🙏🏼 thanks for tuning in

[@diogosimoes2259]

Maaan, this video was good! just bought an akai One and this video helped a lot! Thanks mate for your time!

[@mrloosethegoose]

Wow. You have the best tutorials. I hope you keep teaching us

[@beatbass-sr9nl]

Hi, there. I'm new MPC Live II user and this video is a great help for me. It's easy to understand because it is perfect explained. Thank you very much. 👏👏👏👏👏👏👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@mpchead]

Glad it was helpful!

[@sierragold]

Excellent tutorial. You are a great teacher. Thank you!

[@Soullesschump]

Can't wait to try this out. Thanks!

[@DjRuBSP]

Great tutorial on keygroups. Thank you!

[@dustyrhodes1655]

I've only had my Live 2 for a few weeks and layering just blew my mind! ✌

[@claudiobaumgartner2760]

You are a legend! Thx for all the tutorials 👌🏻💪🏻

[@herb39hs]

Great the way you explained this is awesome I'm a beginner and its difficult to understand so this is simple for me to understand just have to look at it over and over to remember these things👍🏼

[@redlistics]

This was incredibly helpful. Thank you so much for the insight!

[@lindasson]

Bro.. I'm a emcee but a rookie at beat making, and I bought a MPC Live 3wks ago, and it's been frustrating trying to convey the sounds in my head through the MPC and I have days when I get stuck, but your channel has helped me a lot bro, and I just wanna say thank you! Your tutorials are awesome homie and I really appreciate it

[@mpchead]

Glad to hear that bro, innovate and try different stuff.

[@FlawdTV]

How you doing these days with the beat making bruv? @Linda's Son

[@lindasson]

@@FlawdTV Doing great Flawdzilla, how about you bro?

[@michaeltucker9350]

Thanks Bro , I needed this, I have had my mpc for years but have not used it to its potential

[@franciscocool7344]

finally an easy and thorough explanation. thank you

[@lawrencedavis2015]

So damn glad I found this channel. 🙌🏾

[@iam607]

Best key group video!!! Thanks

[@toomanyprojectstx]

Thank you!!! this video was great!

[@ukulelechriswilson]

Merci beaucoup. Excellent tuto.

[@RosssRoyce]

Super helpful! Thank you!

[@moniak59000]

Many thanks for all! you are the best teacher!!

[@mickhell1]

Thanks for this video now l know about keygroups helped me a lot

[@Trioptic3D]

Good explanation. Thanks

[@KevinJones-gv7dw]

awesome instructions 😎

[@welcomemcnall]

Thanks man!!!

[@mikedegrazia]

Thanks for this!

[@downer9098]

Really useful video m8, thank you

[@billbradleymusic]

Good discussion.

[@alyeska4226]

"Work the sound" yessss

[@theodorewilson6065]

THANK YOU!

[@godsiom]

Ty!

[@Roccetscience]

Thanks man. More creative options

[@beyallluv]

Thanks I was wondering what that was for.

[@stadtrandkollektiv7498]

Thanks for the great beginners guide. If I try to go into Sample edit the MPC software tells me "Sample edit not available for Keygroup program" how did you manage to get there? Many thanks for explaining the warp function! I was looking for this quite a while. Greetings from germany.

[@juniorjoseph003]

You're the best

[@KirklandWilliamsWorkout3000]

🔥🔥💯

[@blocmusic8327]

Thanks bro

[@keyboyrecords]

Good video.

[@Paytonwh]

How do you save a key group? Is it saved with the project? How would I be able to use it again in a separate project? And like I want to save one I made so I can sell it too haha

[@internalrefraction]

Can the MPC ONE warp the keygroup samples like the Live, I'm not seeing the warp button on the program edit page for me!!

[@FlngerDrums]

whats the difference between a keygroup program and putting a sample in 16 levels in drum program?

[@mpchead]

16 levels you only get 16 notes, a keygroup you get the full keyboard.

[@JohnMark61355]

Thank you for the video. Do you have a video that explains the “Root Note” function? Should the root note designated in the MPC match the root note of the key of the sample or does it just change where the note is played on the pads (or neither)?

[@mpchead]

Hi Mark, the root note in the sample edit screen should always match the note in the sample. The mpc doesn't recognise notes so you need to input the note yourself so the mpc places the sample correctly in the keygroup's key.

[@JohnMark61355]

Thank you. So I am clear, if the loop sample is in the key of D major, then the Root Note on the MPC Live would be set to "D?" Or would it be the first note of the sample regardless of the key (i.e., D major key but the the first note in the loop is F#)? (BTW: I just joined the MPC Headz Patreon group.)

[@mpchead]

I know, Thank you for the support, I am trying to post chops everyday now so everyone never runs out of sound. So, I regard to samples that are only one hit, like just a single note of a piano or guitar, etc. not whole loops. With loops it's a different game, if you have more than one note it's gonna be hard to always play the sample in the same key/scale. The root note refers only to the note of one key so I would do it like you said, input the first note of the loop. Makes sense? I am not the best at music theory. And this is all about keygroups, If I am using the sample as just a regular chop (not to play chromatically) I won't even bother about the root note.

[@JohnMark61355]

That helps...thank you.

[@alyeska4226]

If you assign 4 different samples to a Keygroup patch, you'll want to set complimenting note ranges with individual root notes.

[@Ancaja123]

Can you globally change the Start/End/Loop information for ALL samples in a Keygroup Program? Including layers? It's hard when you, for instance, get a seamless loop going for one sample in a keygroup and want those settings applied to all samples

[@mpchead]

First screen of the keygroup program set it to all

How many layers are in the program mode? I know on the 5k its 4 layers

[@cheodelpino581]

Should do another video of this now that the firmware is 2.10.1

[@danielwhetstone5632]

Can you play 2 sequences at the same time in song mode? Eg drums and vocal chops

[@mpchead]

No, song mode plays sequences in sequence. but you can play drums and vocals at the same time in a sequence

[@Voicewav]

Will the MPC Live send note specific key groups to an external keyboard??

[@mpchead]

Not sure if I understand the question. If you are trying to play an external synth from the Mpc just use midi tracks.

[@Voicewav]

mpc head no.... on my Maschine and some apps and MPC allows you to play in key. Only having the notes that sound good with other notes. lol. I know MPC live does that. Can it send those notes to a midi keyboard Bluetooth or wired.

[@SirMalikCobra]

Hey I'm inside program edit in the key group but my warp function is not visible. What do I have on that would cause my warp function not to be shown?

[@mpchead]

If you are in a keygroup the Warp function should always be available. I would need to look at the project to understand what you have wrong. You are free to email me the project @ [e-mail]

[@SirMalikCobra]

MPC HEADZ Ok cool it's like that for any project though. I only have the warp function if I'm on a drum program. If I switch to a key group program warp becomes unavailable as a option to me for some reason.

[@mpchead]

I just saw you email. I think you might need to update your MPC, no? Are you on 2.2?

[@SirMalikCobra]

MPC HEADZ I I think so. Let me check.

[@mpchead]

It's crazy, haven't seen anything like that. Firmware ok? Maybe check in with akai and ask them what is wrong?

[@chugnuts870]

And two years later I reach the key groups... obviously key groups are chromatic.. what are 16 levels of tuning then?

[@mpclive5693]

What if the layers share different lengths?

[@mpchead]

they'll work as two different samples. If you want them to have the same lentgh you'll need to chop them accordingly. You can trim the samples within the program edit.

How many pad banks and tracks in the sequences is on the new MPC?

[@mpchead]

Should be the same

@@mpchead No there are more on the newer models

[@cruepprich]

Thank you! I finally get it!

[@frankjuno8808]

This video helped me a lot to understand the structure of MPC. But you sometimes confused "layer" with "keygroup". Traditionally, a keygroup is a zone of keys that play a certain sample. And several keygroups is the technical way to use MULTISAMPLES, each keygroup representing one sample of the MULTISAMPLE. For playing instruments like a sampled piano, in order to avoid drastic pitching artifacts, you will use at least 2 samples per octave, so a 5 Octave piano would be a Multisample with 10 Samples, and so you need 10 keygroups (not layers!) in the keygroup program. Today, often each key gets its own sample in a multisample, so AKAI offers 128 keygroups. The layers inside a single keygroup then give you the possibility to do velocity switching, for example.

[@mpchead]

The program is called a keygroup program, inside a keygroup program you have keygroups and each keygroup inside a keygroup program has 4 layers. Thanks for whatching

[@17cortland74]

Frank Juno you’re correct but wrong at the same time. I’m guessing you’re not familiar with the MPC Live, X, One, Force because these key groups he’s speaking of are what Akai calls them. It’s Akai’s terminology, he’s not making things up and trying confuse people. You’re answer was informative but doesn’t apply to these machines.

[@allieboy181]

Yeah but aren’t those just different pitches of the sample? Sort of like doing 16 levels? It’s not actually different notes of the sample?

[@StexRioloDj]

That is so unfortunate they remove the warp option for keygroup in standalone mode, just controller. Really disappointed.

[@CharlieZelenoff]

LEYKIS 101

[@MrLongduckdoong]

All day!

[@yourmom9828]

Hell yes! Leykis is the man. @@MrLongduckdoong

[@poeticgeenetikstv4672]

you gotta tell all of the steps because the second sample step doesnt load that easy

[@foolhardby]

备用心脏病沉默

[@dearvice]

Thanks for this!