How to Make your First Beat with the New MPC Studio

How to Make your First Beat with the New MPC Studio
Welcome to my guide for making your first beat with the new MPC Studio! This guide is intended to help beginners to the MPC Studio and MPC Software create their first simple beat, as well as get a handle on the basics of the MPC Software workflow. Ask questions if you have them, and enjoy the video :)
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Akai MPC Studio MK2: amzn.to/3oR0z25
Zoom Livetrak L-12 (audio recorder): amzn.to/3BwgwOJ
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[@jokangsu8296]

This was the best introduction I've seen by a good margin. I'd love to see a whole series that builds on this for the MPC Studio.

[@FreeBeat]

Thank you so much! There will definitely be more videos in the future :)

[@gertlm]

1 year later... This comment still true!!!

[@cristobalmontano8547]

Better than all those other guys which have everything prearranged; thus, leaving the viewer without basic information; also, they edit their stuff too much, and in the process they get good information into the wastebasket.

[@FreeBeat]

Thanks so much, I appreciate it!

[@stacystacksbeats999]

Your good! My brain ate every word you spoke. Best instruction video hands down! I even caught that grace note music theory lesson on the bass notes. Yummy! Thanks Dad! That track would be perfect for Riddick 4 with Van Diesel

[@FreeBeat]

Glad to help, thanks for watching!

[@pierrepierre175]

Thanks for making this tutorial so easy to understand. I like how you explain the step-by-step process to get me started. Great work!

[@dlauen]

Super helpful. Not too fast not too slow! You make it seem possible to do this unlike other tutorials that go into too much complexity.

[@FreeBeat]

Thank you so much, that's something I really strive for here on the channel. Glad you enjoyed it!

[@clay_freespirit]

Dude thank you SO MUCH for this!! I swear, no other tutorial explained it to me like I'm a kindergartener. :") As someone who has a hard time following things this helped me so much!! Keep doing what you do!

[@clay_freespirit]

still be strugglin' but we tryin'

[@franklinguy9117]

Same bro I be tight bro, can’t figure out shit

[@littleaminded940]

thanks appreciate this video keep on dropping them

[@_-Marcel-_]

Great teacher! 💯

[@FreeBeat]

Thank you!

[@digitalhillbilly8863]

Thank you for this. Just got my MPC Studio and watched a bunch of videos. They all rushed through so much information that I found myself getting frustrated when I would try to record something and nothing was recording. After watching this video I have it. Would love to see you do a video like this on the step sequencer.

[@Tony-Madisson]

Thank you for taking the time to make this video, very helpful 😊

[@FreeBeat]

Thank you so much for watching!

[@yuqadi]

Found this helpful and entertaining Thanks

[@TheMilosTOPIC]

Thanks! The best tutorial ive seen for mpc studio!

[@FreeBeat]

Thanks so much!

[@smooth7689]

This is the best tutorial on the mpc studio, thanks

[@djkayb1]

this is best to learning thank you

[@FreeBeat]

Absolutely, thanks for watching!

[@georgemapp2855]

Yes thank you just bought mine and you slowed things down a bit.

[@FreeBeat]

Glad you liked the video, thanks for watching!

[@expositiontvjm]

Great tutorial specially for people like me. My first MPC . I suppose to get mine tomorrow. If you can do more tutorials on this for beginners that will be awesome.

[@FreeBeat]

Thanks so much for watching!

[@notwasnot]

this is great , i'm thinking of getting the mpc studio , i'm on a budget , the mpc one seamed really awesome , but nop my finance can't do it . keep up the good work

[@FreeBeat]

Yeah, it's pretty solid if you're looking to get into the MPC workflow! I've got a full review on my channel as well, be sure to check it out if you haven't yet :)

[@georgemapp2855]

Had mine for about 11 months its been in storage just hooked it up. I’m so excited this video was excellent as the manual is hard to follow. Thanks.

[@FreeBeat]

Glad to help, have fun!

[@DavidDeLuge]

Very useful video. Thank you.

[@FreeBeat]

Thanks for watching!

[@trevormalcolm4328]

MPC studio for dummies, works for me! Thanks 🙏🏽👍🏽🇬🇧

[@FreeBeat]

Thanks for watching!

[@baltimega]

I think this is what I needed. Thanks

[@FreeBeat]

Happy to help!

[@drawlingstuff2457]

Dude this is exactly how I would like this explained 👏

[@FreeBeat]

Glad I could help, thanks for watching!

[@tfmaus]

AWESOME!!!

[@FreeBeat]

Thanks so much!

[@tfmaus]

​@@FreeBeat binge watching your playlist...so good! let me ask you, I noticed you did not cover yet any Maschine product, like the Mikro MK3... I'm just getting started and thought about getting the MPC Studio 2, but the Mikro MK3 has a similar approach I guess... Would you recommend the MPC Studio 2 over the Maschine? I did some research and it seems that the Maschine software delivers pre-made sounds, giving the illusion that everything will sound good... but the Akai offer is newer and perhaps an evolution... enlight me with your wise advise, please! keep up the excelent work!

[@normski262]

Nice, well put across

[@FreeBeat]

Thanks for watching!

[@micayiah1]

This was really great!! Appreciate it!!!

[@FreeBeat]

Thanks for watching!

[@micayiah1]

Do you have any more videos on the MPC Studio?

[@colinreese]

This is the best video that I've ever seen on beat making or just on how to use these various pads and drum machines. I have the MPC One, the Machine MK3, and the Ableton Push 2, and I've found that all of them are like piloting the space shuttle. I recently started using Logic with a keyboard, and I found the whole process to be so much easier. I've had success using the Push 2 in full pad mode to use the Latin and African drum kit in Logic, but when I'm using my keyboard instead, I can't roll drums or control the speed enough with the piano keys. I was thinking of getting this MPC Studio, and your video showed me how to actually use it. The other videos I saw about other controllers were too fast to follow.

[@FreeBeat]

I really appreciate that! One of the things I try to do with these is make them slow enough for anyone to follow, but are still short enough that it doesn't drag on. Thanks again!

[@colinreese]

@@FreeBeat It seems like a solid unit. Some of the reviews trashed it, but it looks nice.

[@wiggesobk]

Well explained👌

[@FreeBeat]

Thank you!

[@marcelocg]

Nice one! Thanks! Thinking of buying it… Please continue this tutorial in a series!

[@AutisticCuriosity]

Just bare in mind that studio won’t work with ANY other software - it’s not a general midi controller

[@marcelocg]

@@AutisticCuriosity do you know if it’s possible to export individual tracks as WAV files? That could be enough in the case I want to apply another process over the project in Reaper for example

[@FreeBeat]

The MPC software is fairly versatile in terms of what you can export, so exporting as individual wave files shouldn't be a problem at all. L R does bring up a good point about the MIDI controller compatibility though, hopefully they can fix that with a firmware update!

[@marcelocg]

@@FreeBeat what if you connect a MIDI keyboard directly into the computer? Can you use both at the same time with MPC software?

[@FreeBeat]

@@marcelocg Yes definitely. Assuming you mean the Keyboard and the Studio haha.

[@roweoneten8893]

This deserves more views

[@FreeBeat]

Thank you so much!

[@IsshmanGarcia]

The only thing I think is missing from it is a "general" controller mode. Like double tap the mode button to go into "general" mode. That way when you use mouse to click a parameter- you should be able to use Data wheel to control that parameter as well.

[@FreeBeat]

I would really like that as well. Being able to set the measure length from the studio would be really cool!

[@jeremywho2289]

1) Does the Studio + Beats workflow translate to the MPC One? I'm curious about the MPC world and would like to get started, eventually moving to the MPC One if I like it. 2) I love how simple/basic you start with your tutorials. This style would have been really helpful to a year or so ago when I started with groove-boxes.

[@ndguardian]

Just an FYI, the Studio does come with the full MPC software. As for how well it translates...software is the same so you get the full feature set of the MPC One. Controls aren't 1:1, but are close enough you should be able to adjust pretty quickly.

[@kernelpaniiic]

Jeremy you could also start with a cheaper alternative, to see if you like the MPC workflow : grab a used Akai MPD controller, download MPC Beats, which is the free version of the MPC software, with sufficient functionalities to start making beats (and exact same workflow). If you dig it, then go for the MPC One. It’s really worth it’s price.

[@_-Marcel-_]

@@kernelpaniiic Good idea! Even only downloading the free MPC Beats software would give you the whole workflow experience. Only without pushing the iconic MPC pads which is my most important reason to go with MPC to create music.

[@FreeBeat]

Looks like the free beat community got your back before I could hahaha. Thanks so much for your kind words!

[@Impulse_Photography]

I just found-out when I have a drumkit loaded, if I do not press any buttons and just slide my finger up & down the strip, it will play through all my pads of the kit. Pretty Cool.... also to work with other DAW it must be added as a plug-in to that DAW. A bit much for me right now .... so I'll stick with using the MPC software for now... sucks I have other Akai controllers that use Ableton .......

[@FreeBeat]

That's a pretty cool tip, thanks for sharing!

[@Mr.Tubster]

Hey 😊 thx like allways ✌

[@FreeBeat]

Thank YOU like always :)

[@ReligionAndMaterialismDebunked]

The camera zoomed in us bad at times, but outside of that, great video! Shalom.

[@cristobalbalenciaga7295]

My 9:13 notes played different keys as yours. I’m not musically schooled, so i don’t know the terms. But my unit playes the “black keys” on a piano as well, wile yours skipped it. So what your second pad played, plays on my third (after the black key note). How do i fix this?

[@FREEZER4000]

will you be doing more like this ? thx

[@FreeBeat]

More "How to Make your First Beat" tutorials? Or more MPC Studio videos? Thanks for watching!

[@FREEZER4000]

@@FreeBeat more studio video's , / I tried the touch and the one and nearly threw them across the room in frustration , but I kept my cool and sent them back . Then native instrumnets products ,same thing , I think their omnipotence really set me off. I'm thinking since most Akai user's have complaints about the studio that it might makes sense to me ,-lol . I gotta say I have so much respect for the user's who just glide through it . I've played in real bands my whole life I thought it would be fun , but I instantly knew what you were going through with your 'ONE' I was relieved that someone else didn't get it either.

[@djkayb1]

studie never give up

[@jjg1032]

Does anyone know how to record automation with the touchstrip? I've tried setting the automation to write and using the Q-Link setting for the touchstrip, but I'm still ending up with nothing recorded. I can tell whether the problem is the location of the touch fx plugin or some other nonsense, but I originally tried to figure out how to have touch fx record from the master and had no results. I also tried exporting the beat and automating it as a whole audio file, but that didn't work either. SOS

[@FreeBeat]

Hmm I'm not too sure on this one actually. Hopefully someone else can pop it in and help out, sorry!

[@eriqcoleman6119]

On the MPC studio how do I delete something I saved I don't won't it no more how do I get rid of it

[@hubertvancalenbergh9022]

Is it a stand alone device or is it necessary to use a computer and/or synth modules?

[@HammyHavoc]

It's a controller. You need to hook it up to something, it doesn't make any sound on its own, and doesn't sample without a computer.

[@normski262]

Trying my best to follow on, BUT!!! the first beat you put down, the bass drum. If I press play, 98% spot on all good. when you next say. play it again, instead hit the play start button next tiem. it starts to play, but after and 4th beat, when it cycles to the start it does odd stuff. Its goes way louder, the the beat sound become all destorted, acting a like feed back, but not. I have to hit the stop button ? any ideas. I have tried this about 6 times, everytime the same. weird or what! ? messing about a little, it seems to this sometimes and not others. Its a mess with your head thing going on here!

[@FreeBeat]

Interesting, might be an issue with your computer? I haven't heard of that happening. I might reach out to Akai and see what they say.

[@normski262]

@@FreeBeat Deleted the entire system, and re installed everythig, SO FAR, all working now as it should. Please God keep going as it should ... Drove me NUTS! NOW I can start to do stuff and learn!!

[@clay_freespirit]

Y'all if anyone is wondering he sets the tempo to 95 at 6:45 - I think that's what it said when I zoomed in. I was wondering because I didn't think he changed it in the video but when I got to add the baseline on note repeat it was way too fast haha

[@raymondcharles5580]

Wait you missed something..How do you arm a track for recording from the hardware?

[@FreeBeat]

By pressing the record button, it'll automatically arm whatever track you have selected for recording. You can go in and manually unarm individual tracks, but by default they are all pre-armed. Hopefully I explained that well enough lol.

[@raymondcharles5580]

@@FreeBeat just tried that it does not work and no tracks are not pre-armed.. If you don't know just say you don't know man Can anyone answer this question? quick test if you knw how please disarm a track and then try to arm it by pressing record if that works then I have a defective unit and I need to return it.

[@FreeBeat]

@@raymondcharles5580 Slight miscommunication about arming via the record button, my mistake. That being said, all of my MIDI and audio tracks are already armed by default. The little red circle indicator to the right of the track name is, by default, lit up. However, if clicked to unarm the track, I can't find away to rearm it from the hardware. There is a Q-link shortcut to rearm audio tracks for recording though. Hopefully this answer does not further upset you, apologies if my first one did.

[@raymondcharles5580]

@@FreeBeat Thanks very much for clearing the fog.. I am new to MPC still deciding if I want to keep the studio2 or not. I am learning that the studio2 does not completely operate like any of the previous MPC devices so it has been difficult to find help with the basics.. so thanks for your reply. I have been clicking on the Akai Masterclass project for MPC studio2 to launch the app which does not load with new tracks that are armed for record but you are also correct, if I start the MPC app as stand alone or as a plugin it does load with the tracks armed for record by default so thanks for that as well..

[@AutisticCuriosity]

Could you please tell me what a beat is and how that is different from a track/song/tune/etc … nobody ever actually says …I originally thought a beat is a maybe a looping drum section maybe but people add whole synth sections and call it a beat or is it just a short musical idea?. Is it just a new name for the same as always… just sounds cooler 🤣

[@FreeBeat]

That is a great video topic, writing that one down.

[@AutisticCuriosity]

@@FreeBeat great … I come from piano and classical guitar background people in bass ball caps kept going on about `dope ass beats’ … I just wanted to make an EDM track I had no idea what they were talking about.

[@krzysiekklb]

​@@AutisticCuriosity "In music and music theory, the beat is the basic unit of time, the pulse (regularly repeating event), of the mensural level (or beat level). The beat is often defined as the rhythm listeners would tap their toes to when listening to a piece of music, or the numbers a musician counts while performing, though in practice this may be technically incorrect (often the first multiple level). In popular use, beat can refer to a variety of related concepts, including pulse, tempo, meter, specific rhythms, and groove" I like to consider as a beat a general rhythm of the music creation. In casual meaning what could be considered as a beat is also a sole instrumental part of the song, also called instrumental 😇

[@cmad2345]

Will this work as a MIDI with fl studio?

[@FreeBeat]

To be honest I haven't really touched mine since I made this video. It wouldn't work well with FL studio back then, I'm not sure if it's been updated for better all around compatibility since then or not.

[@cmad2345]

@@FreeBeat I’m just trying to figure out if I can use this like I would the akai mini mk3. Can I use it with fpc or does it have to run through the mpc studio ?

[@FreeBeat]

@@cmad2345 When I originally made these videos with it, it basically only worked with MPC Studio. I don't know if that has chanced since.

[@cmad2345]

@@FreeBeat man that is so ridiculous.. thank you tho

[@g.o.9513]

Making a beat is cool and all.... so is exporting midi or audio mix downs.

[@FreeBeat]

Yup! This video is about making your first beat though :)

[@clay_freespirit]

6:45 Tempo segment

[@visionboard1783]

Can you sample on it?

[@FreeBeat]

You can sample on the MPC software, yes. The actual device itself is just a controller for the software, so you do need a computer to make it work.

[@2beablessing2012]

It’s better on a small stand btw....

[@FreeBeat]

I would use one if I had one haha.

[@beenay18]

It would have been so easier to use two hands if 8 pads were in a row.