AKAI MPD32 Operating Manual
OPERATOR'S MANUAL
TABLE OF CONTENTS
FRONT PANEL OVERVIEW....................................................................................1
REAR PANEL OVERVIEW...................................................................................... 3
HOOKUP DIAGRAM ............................................................................................... 4
DISPLAYING INFORMATION .................................................................................6
NOTE................................................................................................................. 6
NOTE AFTERTOUCH (Channel Pressure) ........................................................ 6
CONTROL CHANGE ......................................................................................... 6
CONTROL AFTERTOUCH ................................................................................ 7
MIDI MACHINE CONTROL COMMAND (MMC) ................................................ 7
PREVIEWING .................................................................................................... 7
ABOUT MODES ...................................................................................................... 8
PRESET MODE....................................................................................................... 9
PAGE 1 – LOAD PRESET ................................................................................. 9
PAGE 2 – SAVE/COPY PRESET ...................................................................... 9
PAGE 3 – NAME PRESET................................................................................. 9
EDIT MODE ........................................................................................................... 10
EDIT MODE PARAMETERS...................................................................... 11
EDITING THE PADS........................................................................................ 12
NOTE PARAMETERS................................................................................13
PROGRAM CHANGE PARAMETERS....................................................... 14
EDITING KNOBS, FADERS AND EXPRESSION PEDAL................................ 15
CONTROL CHANGE PARAMETERS........................................................ 16
AFTERTOUCH PARAMETERS ................................................................. 17
INCREMENT/DECREMENT PARAMETERS (knobs only)......................... 18
EDITING BUTTONS.........................................................................................19
CONTROL CHANGE PARAMETERS........................................................ 19
PROGRAM CHANGE PARAMETERS....................................................... 20
EDITING NOTE REPEAT ................................................................................ 21
NOTE REPEAT BUTTON MODE............................................................... 22
NOTE REPEAT PARAMETERS – GATE, SWING..................................... 22
EDITING TIME DIVISION ................................................................................ 23
DEFAULT TIME DIVISION.........................................................................23
BUTTON MODE.........................................................................................23
EDITING TRANSPORT CONTROL .................................................................24
EDITING TAP TEMPO..................................................................................... 24
EDITING FOOTSWITCH INPUTS.................................................................... 25
CONTROL CHANGE PARAMETERS........................................................ 25
DRUM PAD PARAMETERS ...................................................................... 26
OTHER FUNCTIONS................................................................................. 26
GLOBAL MODE .................................................................................................... 27
KILL MIDI – Page1........................................................................................... 27
MIDI COMMON CHANNEL – Page 2............................................................... 27
LCD CONTRAST – Page 3.............................................................................. 28
PAD SENSITIVITY – Page 4............................................................................ 28
PAD VELOCITY CURVE – Page 5...................................................................28
PAD THRESHOLD – Page 6............................................................................29
MIDI CLOCK – Page 7..................................................................................... 29
TAP TEMPO AVERAGE – Page 8................................................................... 29
SAVE SETUP – Page 9 ................................................................................... 30
SYSEX TX – Page 10 ...................................................................................... 30
VERSION – Page 11........................................................................................ 30
PROGRAM CHANGE MODE ................................................................................ 31
PROG CHANGE (Program Change)................................................................ 31
PROG+BANK (Program Change with Bank Change)....................................... 31
RESETTING FACTORY DEFAULTS..................................................................... 32
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS.................................................................... 33
TROUBLESHOOTING........................................................................................... 34
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS............................................................................ 35
CONTACT INFORMATION.................................................................................... 35
FRONT PANEL OVERVIEW
1
11
5
16
4
17
12
19
13
15
20
6
2
3
7
8
18
14
1. LCD – The display is used for navigating
menus, displaying data, and affecting change
on MPD32’s options and parameters.
2. [VALUE] (Push to Enter) – This dial is used
for incrementing and decrementing Presets,
parameter values and settings. This dial also
functions as an [ENTER] button when it is
pressed down.
3. [<] AND [>] BUTTONS – These buttons are
used for navigating through fields of menus
and options. The [<] button also functions as
a [CANCEL] button.
4. [PRESET] – This button calls up Preset
Mode. You can select and recall different
Preset programs in this mode.
5. [EDIT] – This button calls up Edit Mode,
which allows you to edit the behavior of the
pads, knobs, buttons, faders and default
settings for each preset.
6. [GLOBAL] – This button calls up Global
Mode, where MIDI reset commands and
global system preferences are set.
10
9
7. [PROGRAM CHANGE] – Pressing this
button will enter Program Change mode. In
this mode, you can send a Program Change
or Program with Bank Change message to a
hardware or software module.
8. [PREVIEW] – This button allows you to see
what value will be sent by a controller, without
actually sending the value. This gives you
precise control over your parameters and
helps avoid erroneous controller data being
sent to your devices due to the physical
position of the controller. This is especially
useful when switching between control banks
where, for example, the physical position of a
fader may not correspond to the last value
sent by the controller. Holding down
[PREVIEW] allows you to view the original
value and adjust the physical position of the
fader as necessary before transmitting any
values.
1
9. TRANSPORT CONTROL BUTTONS –
These five buttons are dedicated buttons for
sending transport control commands. The
transport control buttons can be set to
transmit either MMC (MIDI Machine Control),
MMC/MIDI SysEx, MIDI START/STOP or
pre-assigned MIDI CC values.
10. 8 ASSIGNABLE KNOBS –Each 360-degree
knob can be used to send continuous control
data to a desktop audio workstation or
external MIDI device.
11. 8 ASSIGNABLE FADERS – Each fader can
be used to send continuous control data to a
desktop audio workstation or external MIDI
device.
12. 8 ASSIGNABLE BUTTONS – These buttons
can be used as MIDI CC switches or Program
Change switches. They can function in
momentary or toggle modes. When [TIME
DIVISION] has been activated, these 8
buttons are used to set the time division of
the Note Repeat feature.
13. [CONTROL BANK] – The MPD32 features 3
independent banks of continuous controllers.
Effectively, this allows you to control up to 72
independent parameters with the knobs,
faders and buttons on the MPD32. The
[CONTROL BANK] button is used to switch
among the 3 banks. The LEDs above the
button will reflect the currently selected
control bank.
14. 16 REAL MPC PRESSURE AND VELOCITY
SENSITIVE PADS – The pads can be used
to trigger drum hits or samples or can be
configured to send Program Change
messages to your software or hardware
module. The pads are pressure and velocity
sensitive, which makes them very responsive
and intuitive to play.
15. PAD BANK buttons – These 4 buttons
switch among pad banks A, B, C, D. Each
bank can address a unique set of 16 sounds,
giving you access of up to 64 different
sounds you can trigger with the pads.
The currently selected pad bank will
be indicated on the LCD display
16. [FULL LEVEL] – When [FULL LEVEL] is
activated, the pads always play back at a
maximum velocity (127), no matter how hard
or soft you hit them.
17. [16 LEVEL] – When [16 LEVEL] is activated,
you can use the 16 pads to change a
selected sound’s velocity in 16 steps. When
you press the [16 LEVEL] button, the last pad
that was hit gets mapped to all 16 pads. The
pads will now output the same note number
and pressure controller as the initial pad, but
the velocity is fixed
at the values shown
103
111
119
127
in the diagram on
the right, regardless
of how hard you hit
them. This allows
you to have more
control over the
velocity of a sound.
71
39
7
87 95
79
47
15
63
55
31
23
18. [NOTE REPEAT] – Holding this button while
striking a pad causes the pad to retrigger at a
rate based on the current Tempo and Time
Division settings. The Note Repeat feature
can be synced to an internal or external MIDI
Clock source. [NOTE REPEAT] can function
as a latching or momentary button
19. [TIME DIVISION] – This button is used to
specify the rate of the Note Repeat feature.
When [TIME DIVISION] is activated, you can
press one of the 8 switches to specify a time
division. [TIME DIVISION] can function as a
momentary or toggle button.
Please note that while [TIME DIVISION] is
active, the 8 assignable buttons will not
function as MIDI CC or Program Change
switches until [TIME DIVISION] has been deactivated.
20. [TAP TEMPO] – This button allows you to tap
in a new tempo. If the preset is reloaded, the
tempo will revert to the saved tempo value.
(Please note that a preset’s default tempo
can be set in Edit Mode). Tap Tempo does
not work when the MPD32 is set to External
sync.
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REAR PANEL OVERVIEW
1
2
4
3
7
6
5
8
1. DC POWER ADAPTER INPUT – Plug in a
6V–1A DC power adapter if you do not wish
to power the MPD32 through the USB
connection.
2. USB CONNECTION – Plug a standard USB
cable into this outlet and into the USB port of
your computer. The computer’s USB port will
provide power to the MPD32. This
connection is used to send and receive MIDI
data to and from your computer and may also
be used to send MIDI data from your
computer to a device attached to the MIDI
OUT port of the MPD32.
3. MIDI OUT – Use a five-pin MIDI cable to
connect the MIDI OUT of the MPD32 to the
MIDI IN of an external device.
4. MIDI IN – Use a five-pin MIDI cable to
connect the MIDI OUT of an external MIDI
device to the MIDI IN of the MPD32.
5. FOOT SWITCH 1 – Connect a ¼” TS
footswitch to this input. Footswitches can be
used as MIDI CC switches, or to remotely
control certain features on the MPD32, such
as pad triggering and button events.
6. FOOT SWITCH 2 – Connect a ¼” TS
footswitch to this input. Footswitches can be
used as MIDI CC switches, or to remotely
control certain features on the MPD32, such
as pad triggering and button events.
7. EXPRESSION PEDAL INPUT – Connect a
¼” TRS expression pedal to this input. We
recommend using the Alesis F2 expression
pedals.
8. KENSINGTON LOCK – The unit may be
secured to a table or surface using this
Kensington Lock slot.
3
HOOKUP DIAGRAM
Please refer to the following scenario for connecting the MPD32.
EXTERNAL SOUND MODULE
COMPUTER
POWER
ADAPTER
EXTERNAL
MIDI DEVICE
FOOTSWITCH
FOOTSWITCH EXPRESSION
PEDAL
MIDI from MPD32 to
computer
MIDI from external MIDI
device connected to MIDI IN
port of MPD32
MIDI from computer to
external sound module
connected to MIDI OUT port
of MPD32
1. Connect a USB cable from your computer to the MPD32. The unit will be powered through the
USB connection. Alternatively, if you do not wish to use a computer in your setup or if you wish
to power the MPD32 externally, please plug in the included 6V-1A DC power adapter.
2. If you would like to use an external sound module, connect a 5-pin MIDI cable from the MIDI OUT
of the MPD32 to the MIDI IN of the external device.
3. If you would like to use another MIDI controller in your setup, connect a 5-pin MIDI cable from the
MIDI OUT of the controller to the MIDI IN of the MPD32.
4. If you would like to use Footswitches or an Expression Pedal with the MPD32, connect the 1/4"
jack from the selected pedal in to the appropriate plug on the MPD32.
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ABOUT FOOTSWITCH TYPES
Since the Footswitch and Expression Pedal inputs detect whether the pedal is a "Normally
Open" or "Normally Closed" type on power-on, pedals should be plugged in prior to poweron.
A NOTE ABOUT USING THE MPD32 WITH SOFTWARE
1. Make sure that the MPD32 and all external devices are connected and that the USB
cable is connected to your computer before opening any software applications with
which you intend to use the MPD32. If the unit is not plugged in before, your software
application might not recognize the MPD32 as an available device.
2. In your software application, you will need to set the MPD32 as a default MIDI input
device. This is usually done in the MIDI section of the Preferences menu.
3. If you would like to use tempo-synced features, such as Note Repeat, you will also need
to slave the MPD32 to a MIDI Clock generated by your software DAW. Make sure that
your software is set up to send MIDI clock to the MPD32 and that the unit’s MIDI Clock
setting is set to “External” (see Global Mode). This will ensure that Note Repeat is
synchronized to the tempo selected in your software DAW.
The operation of the MIDI OUT port changes depending on whether or not a USB cable is
connected to the MPD32.
• USB cable connected:
MIDI data from your computer is passed to the MIDI OUT port. When a USB cable is
connected, you should activate "MIDI echo" in your sequencer if you want the MPD32 to
control another external device.
• USB cable not connected:
Whatever you play on the MPD32 is sent to the MIDI OUT port.
Note: If you have another device connected to the MPD32's MIDI IN port, that device's
MIDI information will be ignored.
IMPORTANT
5
DISPLAYING INFORMATION
As you are working with the MPD32, the LCD will help you keep track of what values are being sent to
external devices. There are several kinds of information that the MPD32 will display while in use: NOTE,
AFTERTOUCH (Channel Pressure), CONTROL CHANGE, MIDI MACHINE CONTROL (MMC), and
PREVIEW MODE information.
NOTE
When a PAD is hit, the MPD32 will output MIDI
MIDI PORT
AND CHANNEL
NOTE
INDICATOR
Note On messages to trigger sounds on your DAW
or external device. Each pad can have a MIDI Note
Number associated with it. When you hit a pad, the
screen will display the MIDI Note Number, the MIDI
Port and Channel which the pad is using, as well as
the pad bank and velocity (how hard you hit the
pad).
Please see ‘Editing Pads’( page 12) for more
information on MIDI Notes and Pads.
NOTE AFTERTOUCH (Channel Pressure)
PAD BANK
When enabled, AFTERTOUCH is MIDI data sent
when pressure is applied to one of the pads after it
MIDI NOTE
NUMBER
NOTE
VELOCITY
VELOCITY IS
ALSO DISPLAYED
WITH BAR METER.
AFTERTOUCH
VALUE
has been struck and while it is being held down.
Aftertouch will be displayed on the far right of the
display as you apply pressure to the pad.
CONTROL CHANGE
When a KNOB or FADER is used, the MPD32 will
output MIDI Control Change data. This data is used
to control parameters on your DAW or external
sound module. When you move a knob or fader,
the screen will indicate the Control Change (CC)
Number, value, and MIDI Channel.
Please see ‘Editing Knobs and Faders’ (page
15) for more information on Control Change.
MIDI PORT
AND CHANNEL
PAD BANK
CONTROL CHANGE
INDICATOR
CONTROL CHANGE
NUMBER
AFTERTOUCH
VALUE IS ALSO
DISPLAYED WITH
BAR METER
CONTROL CHANGE
VALUE
VALUE IS ALSO
DISPLAYED WITH
BAR METER.
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CONTROL AFTERTOUCH
The knobs and faders on the MPD32 can also be
set to transmit AFTERTOUCH information.
Please see ‘Editing Knobs and Faders’ (page
MIDI PORT
AND CHANNEL
AFTERTOUCH
INDICATOR
AFTERTOUCH
VALUE
15) for more information on setting knobs and
faders to transmit Aftertouch.
MIDI MACHINE CONTROL COMMAND (MMC)
PAD BANK
MIDI MACHINE CONTROL (MMC) is commonly
MMC
COMMAND
VALUE IS ALSO
DISPLAYED WITH
BAR METER.
used to send transport control messages to
hardware record or playback machines. For
example, pressing [PLAY] on the MPD32 sends an
MMCPLAY message to a connected multi-track
recorder, which begins playing. When you press
[STOP] on the MPD32, the deck also stops.
PREVIEWING
When the [PREVIEW] button is held down, and a
fader or knob is moved, the LCD displays the
screen on the right. The display shows the
assigned event and the last sent value of moved
knob or fader. While the [PREVIEW] button is held,
the fader of knob will not be transmitting any
information until [PREVIEW] is released and the
fader or knob is used again. At that point, the fader
or knob will begin transmitting from the value
selected in the New Value field while in Preview
mode.
THE ADVANTAGES OF PREVIEWING
The [PREVIEW] button allows you to see what value will be sent by a controller, without actually sending the
value. This gives you precise control over your parameters and helps avoid erroneous controller data being
sent to your devices due to the physical position of the controller. For example, imagine that fader S1 is
being used to send three different MIDI CC numbers, depending on the control bank which you are currently
in. Let’s assume that S1 is assigned to MIDI CC#10 in control bank A and MIDI CC#11 in control bank B.
While in control bank A, you adjust S1 (MIDI CC#10) to a value of 40. Now you switch over to control bank B
and adjust S1 (MIDI CC#11) to a value of 80. If you now switch back to control bank A and try to adjust S1
(MIDI CC#10), you will notice that the transmitted values will begin at 80 (instead of 40), due to the physical
location of the fader. To prevent these jumps in control values, you can hold down [PREVIEW] and move S1
back to a value of 40 (which will be shown in the “Last” value readout on the display). The fader will not be
transmitting information while the [PREVIEW] button is held down. Once you reset the fader back to its
“Last” value, you can release the [PREVIEW] button. Adjusting S1 (MIDI CC#10) will now give you a nice
starting point at a value of 40.
CONTROL
CHANGE NUMBER
LAST VALUE
SENT
LAST VALUE
SENT
NEW VALUE
NEW VALUE
7
ABOUT MODES
The MPD32 has four different modes of operation. Each mode can be accessed by pressing its
corresponding button. 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 information about how different faders, knobs, and pads will
behave. Using Presets allows you to save different configurations so you
can quickly load them when you need them, without having to reprogram the
MPD32 every time.
(page 9)
Edit Mode
This mode allows you to edit the configuration of the MPD32. Edit Mode is a
powerful tool for customizing your set-up. In this mode, you can make
changes to how the pads, knobs and faders are behaving. For example, you
may wish to have a fader or a knob transmit only a limited range of MIDI
data, or you may wish to have a pad that transmits on a different MIDI
Channel. You can change these and various other parameters in Edit Mode.
(page 10)
Global Mode
This mode allows you to set global parameters and make general changes to
how your MPD32 is functioning. The parameters that you can modify in
Global Mode include Controller Resets, Pad Velocity Curves, Pad Threshold,
MIDI Clock options, Display Brightness, and more.
(page 27)
Program Change Mode
This mode allows you to transmit various Program Change messages. In
this mode, you can remotely switch between different programs on your
DAW or external device directly from the MPD32.
(page 31)
8
PRESET MODE
What is a Preset?
A Preset is a collection of information about how the MPD32’s faders,
knobs and pads will behave. Using Presets allows you to save different
configurations so you can quickly load them when you need them, without
having to reprogram the MPD32 every time.
The MPD32 features different Preset banks which you can load and write to. When you turn on the MPD32,
PRESET NAME PRESET NUMBER
it will automatically go into Preset Mode and Preset 1 will be displayed on the screen. You can also press
the [PRESET] button at any time to call up this mode. In Preset Mode you can load, save/copy and rename
Presets – each of these functions can be accessed through the 3 different pages. You can navigate between
these pages with the [<] and [>] buttons.
PAGE 1 – LOAD PRESET
1. While you are in Preset Mode, you can change Presets with the [VALUE]
dial below the screen. Turning the dial increments or decrements the current
Preset number and displays the screen on the right:
When you do this, you will notice that ‘PRESS ENTER’ will begin to blink.
2. Pressing [ENTER] loads the selected Preset. Pressing [<] or [PRESET]
cancels the operation.
PAGE 2 – SAVE/COPY PRESET
In Preset Mode, you can save any changes that you have made to the current
Preset or copy the Preset to a new location.
Note that if you are saving the Preset to the same location (same preset number)
the screen will say ‘SAVE TO’ and if you are saving to a different location
(different preset number), the screen will display ‘COPY TO’.
1. While you are in
Preset Mode, press [>] until you see a screen similar to the one shown above.
DESTINATION
2. You can select the location where you wish to save the Preset by turning the [VALUE] knob.
When you do this, you will notice that the ‘PRESS ENTER’ segment will begin to blink.
3. Press [ENTER] to save the Preset to the selected destination. Pressing [<] or [PRESET] cancels the operation.
PAGE 3 – NAME PRESET
While you are in Preset Mode, you can also change the Preset name. This way
you can assign specific names to different Presets so you can quickly identify
and access different controller configurations.
1. To name or rename the Preset, press [>] until you see ‘Preset Name’
displayed on the screen.
You will notice that the first letter of the name will begin blinking.
2. Turn the [VALUE] dial to change the blinking character.
ENTER PRESET NAME IN
THIS FIELD
3. To move between the characters, use [<] and [>].
4. When done, press [PRESET] again to save.
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