Akai MPC manual Grid View for Drum Programs

5.4 THE GRID

The Grid is the section where you can record, program and edit your sequences and arrange your songs.

The Grid is always visible, independently from the mode selected (except Sample Record Mode and Sample Edit mode).

XClick on the SHIFT + WINDOW/FULL SCREEN buttons of the MPC hardware to enlarge the grid. This is ideal for working on tracks and sequences in detail.

ÂDepending on which type of Program (DRUM or KEYGROUP) is selected, the grid can look different.

The Grid View for DRUM Programs

When a DRUM Progam is selected, the grid looks as in the following picture.

The left section shows you all available pads (A01 to H16) in a vertical view with their corresponding data. Use the vertical window scroll bar right of the grid windows to move up and down. Under the scroll bar is a slider that can adjust the "vertical zoom." Below the grid is a similar scroll bar and slider for horizontal scrolling and zooming. Click on the loudspeaker icon under a desired pad number to hear the sample(s) assigned to that pad. Each track also offers a mute (M) and solo (S) button.

In the top-left corner of the grid, you will find a mode button to toggle between Select and Draw mode. The Select mode is indicated by a small rectangular marquee tool and lets

you select one or more notes by drawing a frame around them. Selected notes will have a white border. When the Draw mode is active – indicated by a small pencil - you can draw notes by clicking on the corresponding position in the grid. You can also use it to draw

automation curves in the velocity/automation lane underneath the grid. The default setting is the Draw mode.

In the top-right corner there are several displays that let you edit the following

functions: Click on the TRACK pop-up display to select one of the 128 tracks. Click and vertically slide the TOTAL BARS field to change the length for the selected track. The default setting is 2 bars. The maximum length is 999 bars. In the TIME CORRECT pop-up menu you can set the note value to quantize to. Default is 1/16 (16th note). SWING sets the amount of swing with values ranging from 50% to 75% so you can shuffle your beats – from subtle to extreme.

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