MPC Maid
Welcome to MPC Maid!
Get news, download versions and more at: http://mpcmaid.sourceforge.net/
MPC Maid ("MM") is a software editor for the Akai MPC 1000, MPC 2500, and MPC 500:
● Works on Mac, PC, and other platforms (Java) and makes the edition of MPC programs files easy.
● Switch between the MPC500 12-pads layout or the MPC1000 16-pads layout (also takes care of the correct number of filters and sliders thanks to the built-in machine profiles).
● Simply drag and drop your samples files onto the pads, and it automatically assigns them, one on each pad or one on each sample layer.
● Export the full program and every related sample file together to the target location of your choice.
● Also features a semi-automatic slicing tool: drop your loop file to have it chopped into slices based on a beat detection mechanism.
● Direct export of the chopped slices as multiple .WAV files, one corresponding .PGM program file and one MIDI groove .MID file.
● Multiple window, one window for one program, simply drag and drop a .PGM program file will open a new window for this program.
Download the unique .jar from https://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=252031
Double-click on it, MPC Maid must show.
In Windows, if Winzip or Winrar tries to decompress the file this probably means you do not have Java installed yet. Go to http://java.sun.com/javase/downloads/index.jsp and download the JRE (1.6 update 12 at the time of writing) then follow the very simple instructions. In 2mn you can be done.
On start-up the default view is an empty Program Editor (pictured below, on a Mac):
Below a view on Windows of a program that has already been created or opened:
On the left half of the window there are the four banks of pads. Each pad shows the names of the samples assigned to it (zero to four samples per pad).
On the right half every parameter for the currently selected pad is shown. They are separated into several tabs for convenience. Note that the slider tab is global to the full program, it does not depend on the currently selected pad.
Edition is straightforward: change a value and that's it. When the mouse stops on top of a field a tool tip tells the minimal and maximal value allowed. In case you entered a wrong value you cannot quit the field and you can hear a beep of warning.
Clicking on a pad plays the sound assigned to this pad. There are several audition modes:
Play first available sample
Do not audition samples
Play sample 1
Play sample 2
Play sample 3
Play sample 4
A the time of writing the Preferences dialog does not allow to select them.
The Options menu offers to toggle between the MPC 500 profile (12 pads, 1 slider, 1 filter) and the MPC 1000 profile (16 pads, 2 sliders, 2 filter2). This only takes effect for the next windows to be opened (new or open PGM files). This setting is remembered after you quit the program.
Here is a view of the pads layout for the MPC 500:
Simply drag and drop one or many .WAV file(s) from the Files Explorer (Windows) or from the Finder (Mac) into one pad in program editor area: you will be prompted whether you want to assign the files one on each pad (the PAD option) or one on each sample layer of each pad (the SAMPLE) option.
This feature allows for rapid creation of program by dropping up to 255 samples in one go.
To open you can select “Open” in the File meny or ctrl-O (Windows) / Command-O (Mac). The last opened directory is remembered after you quit the program. You can also simply drag and drop a .PGM file from the Files Explorer (Windows) or from the Finder (Mac) into the program editor area (but not straight on a pad).
To save a program you can select “Save” or “Save As...” in the File meny or ctrl-S (Windows) / Command-S (Mac). The last saved directory is remembered after you quit the program.
The MPC expects every sample used in a program to be in the same directory as the .PGM file. After you created your program in MPC Maid you can select “Export” in the File menu, or ctrl-E (Windows) / Command-E (Mac) to export the .PGM program file and each related .WAV file together into the same target directory.
MPC Maid offers a small slice editor to chop loops into their beats quickly: just drag and drop a loop in .WAV format (16 bits 44.1KHz preferably) into the center of the scren:
The editor seamlessly processes the file to detect every beat and marks them with red markers. The slider on the right is a sensitivity settings to help tweak the detection: just move it to see the changes.
Click the Export button, and the loop will be exported as several .WAV files (one for each slice), a MIDI groove .MID file (a chromatic sequence that has the same onset as the original loop), and of course the MPC program .PGM file that goes with the slices samples.
If you copy every exported file to your MPC, then open the .PGM, you have the loop chopped on each pad! If you also open the .MID sequence then you can replay the original loop, then vary its tempo in a REX-like fashion!
Pressing the space key plays the portion of the loop at the currently selected frame. Arrows up and down are used to navigate the markers, and the Backspace key can delete the marker. Shift + left/right arrow or Alt + left/right arrow can be used to nudge a marker.
Known issue: For the keys to work the focus must be on the center of the screen: if it is not, click the center of the screen, or use the Tab key to cycle through the items next to the top item.
Note: the tempo is estimated solely on the length of the loop, which is perfectly accurate for every commercial loop.
● On Vista the sound playback can be quite unreactive when multiple pads are pressed very quickly.
● In the chop slicing tab, the buttons to play, navigate markers etc. only work in the focus is on the center of the screen (click the center of the screen to be sure it will work).
MPC Maid ("MM") Copyright 2009 Cyrille Martraire
Project homepage: http://mpcmaid.sourceforge.net/
MPC Maid is strongly inspired by the excellent MPC Pad 187 by Stephen Norum, that is unfortunately not portable on other OS'es than Mac OS X.
MPC1000 File Format
Based on the extensive documentation provided by Stephen Norum:
http://mybunnyhug.com/fileformats/pgm/
Automatic Slicing
Beat detection follows the excellent guide "Beat Detection Algorithms" from Frédéric Patin: http://www.gamedev.net/reference/programming/features/beatdetection/
Portable browser launcher (help):http://www.centerkey.com/java/browser/
Bare Bones Browser Launch Version 1.5 (December 10, 2005)
By Dem Pilafian. Public Domain Software -- Free to Use as You Like
MPC Maid is offered for free for everyone so that you can get the best out of your MPC. You can use it forever without any limitation. If you feel like supporting this project then you can send feedback, contribute to the code and testing, and you can also donate what you want.
Copyright Cyrille Martraire 2009 – LGPL license