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The MPC Bible
MPC 2 Edition: For the MPC X, MPC Live/Live II & MPC One

Written By Andy Avgousti

Copyright © Andy Avgousti 2017 - 2020.


Revision 11, published by MPC-Samples.com, June 2020
Compatibility: MPC Firmware 2.8

All rights reserved. No part of this book, nor any of its associated tutorial files
may be reproduced, resold, transferred or transmitted in any form or by any
means without prior written permission of the Publisher.

The Author and Publisher have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of the
information herein. However, the information contained in this book is sold
without warranty, either express or implied. Neither the Author nor Publisher, nor
its dealers or distributors will be held liable for any damages to be caused either
directly or indirectly by the instructions contained in this book, or by the software
or hardware products described herein.

The Author and Publisher are not endorsed by, nor affiliated to ‘inMusic Brands,
Inc’ nor any of its subsidiaries.

MPC-Samples.com is a trading name of Beat Box Digital LTD, a company


registered in England & Wales, Company No. 6810062.
Table of Contents
000 How to Use this Book .....................................11
Which MPCs are compatible with this book? ...............................................................11
Hardware UI Vs Computer UI ......................................................................................11
Recreating the Tutorial Examples ................................................................................11
Reading This Book On Mobile Devices .......................................................................11
Initial MPC Set Up .......................................................................................................11
Release Notes For This Edition ...................................................................................12

001 Understanding The MPC Workflow .................13


The MPC in a Nutshell.................................................................................................13
The Basic MPC Structure ............................................................................................13
Boot Up Options ..........................................................................................................14
Your First Project – A Simple Drum Beat .....................................................................15
Setting up an MPC Sequence .....................................................................................16
Sequence ‘Tracks’ .......................................................................................................21
Understanding DRUM programs .................................................................................22
Standalone Vs Controller Mode...................................................................................24

002 Building a Simple Drum Kit ...........................25


DRUM programs & Pads .............................................................................................25
Loading & Assigning Sounds .......................................................................................27
PAD + MENU Shortcuts...............................................................................................30
Navigating The File Browser .......................................................................................31
Loading sounds Into a Project .....................................................................................33
Loading & Assigning Sounds Via the Browser ............................................................36
Browser Filters.............................................................................................................42
Saving Your Project .....................................................................................................45
Project Filters...............................................................................................................49
Freeing Up System Memory (Purging) ........................................................................49
Auto Save ....................................................................................................................50
Saving Individual Programs .........................................................................................53
Default Project Settings & Project Templates ..............................................................54
Creating a New Project................................................................................................57

003 Recording Your First Beat ..............................61


Real Time Recording Configuration.............................................................................61
Metronome Settings ....................................................................................................61
Recording Your First Take ...........................................................................................63

004 First Look: Grid Edit Mode .............................66


Understanding the Sequencer Grid .............................................................................68
Using the Q-LINKS to Navigate The GRID ..................................................................73
Basic Sequence Editing...............................................................................................79
Overdubbing ................................................................................................................80
Understanding Sequence Resolution ..........................................................................82
Adding New Events Manually ......................................................................................86
Transposing Pad Events..............................................................................................87
Editing Velocity ............................................................................................................88

005 Quantising and Swing Essentials...................96


Applying Swing ..........................................................................................................100
Adding Live Feel to a Quantised Beat .......................................................................102
Moving Events When T.C. is Not ‘OFF’ .....................................................................102
Erasing Events ..........................................................................................................106
ERASE in Real Time .................................................................................................109
Recording Hi Hats With Note Repeat ........................................................................109
Correcting Mistakes with UNDO ................................................................................111
Methods For Copying Events ....................................................................................112
Double Length ...........................................................................................................112
Copying Bars .............................................................................................................113
Inserting Blank Bars ...................................................................................................114
Copying Events In GRID EDIT ..................................................................................116
Copying Events Via MAIN .........................................................................................123
Splitting Events ..........................................................................................................125

006 Drum Layering ...........................................131


What is Drum Layering? ............................................................................................131
Utilising Sample Layers .............................................................................................133
Changing the Pitch of a Drum Layer .........................................................................139
Creating A ‘Dragging’ Clap Sound .............................................................................141
Creating Stereo Width ...............................................................................................143
Creating a Deeper, Crunchier Kick ............................................................................145
Shaping Your Sounds with the Amp Envelope ..........................................................147
Adding Vinyl Crackle with Simultaneous Play ...........................................................151
Varying The Vinyl Crackle with Round Robins ..........................................................155

007 Drum Kit Essentials ....................................158


Using Mute Groups For Open Hats ...........................................................................158
Tuning the Whole Kit .................................................................................................159
Adding Some Internal Effects ....................................................................................160
The Pad Mixer ...........................................................................................................168
Setting Custom Pad Colours .....................................................................................174

008 Sampling 101 ..............................................180


Sampling Audio into the MPC ....................................................................................180
Sampling your Sound ................................................................................................185
Sample Edit Mode .....................................................................................................187
Waveform Editing ......................................................................................................189
Edit Points .................................................................................................................191
Adjusting the Start Point ............................................................................................193
Zooming In For Accuracy...........................................................................................198
Snap to Zero ..............................................................................................................200
Setting the START Point ............................................................................................201
Adjusting the End Point .............................................................................................202
The Discard Function ................................................................................................202
Normalizing................................................................................................................204
Renaming an Edited File ...........................................................................................206

009 Recording a Bass Line With 16 LEVELS ..........207


Setting Up The Bass Sample ....................................................................................207
Changing the Pitch of your Sample ...........................................................................210
Recording a Bass Line with 16 LEVELS ...................................................................212
Configuring Your Sequence .......................................................................................213
LIST EDIT Mode ........................................................................................................215
Inserting Events in LIST EDIT ...................................................................................217
Inserting Events With the INSERT Button .................................................................219
Inserting Events via OVERDUB ................................................................................222
Inserting 16 LEVEL Type Events ...............................................................................223
Moving Events In LIST EDIT .....................................................................................224
LIST EDIT vs GRID EDIT ..........................................................................................226

010 Introduction to Keygroup Programs ............227


Creating Keygroup Programs ....................................................................................227
Using Multisamples in a Keygroup program ..............................................................231
Fundamentals of ‘key ranges’....................................................................................231
Sourcing & Configuring Your Samples ......................................................................232
Setting Up Your First Keygroup .................................................................................235
Adding Keygroups .....................................................................................................239
Applying ADSR ..........................................................................................................243

011 Creating Instrument Melodies & Chords ......246


MIDI Instruments .......................................................................................................246
Using Standalone Plugin Instruments .......................................................................247
Finding the Key of Our Beat ......................................................................................254
Recording The Rhodes Track ....................................................................................255
Chord Progressions ...................................................................................................258
Tweaking Your Preset ................................................................................................261
Saving Your Custom Patch ........................................................................................267
Adding a Synth Lead Line With TubeSynth ...............................................................270
Using the Arpeggiator To Generate Lead Patterns ....................................................276
Rhythmic Arpeggios...................................................................................................279
Arpeggiator Patterns..................................................................................................280
Generating Random Notes ........................................................................................281
Using Pitch Quantise .................................................................................................287
Using Humanize For a More Natural Feel .................................................................290
Pad Perform ‘NOTES’ ...............................................................................................294
012 First Look: Audio Tracks ..............................297
Setting Up an Audio Track .........................................................................................297
Editing Audio Tracks ..................................................................................................301
Splitting Audio Tracks ................................................................................................304
Moving Regions .........................................................................................................307

013 Using The MPC Mixer ...................................310


MPC Mixing Options: An Overview............................................................................310
Track View Mode .......................................................................................................311
Adjusting Levels in Track View ..................................................................................314
The CHANNEL MIXER ..............................................................................................316
The Program Mixer Channel .....................................................................................321
Grouping Sounds With Submixes..............................................................................324
The MASTERS Channel............................................................................................330
Adjusting the EQ of a Mix ..........................................................................................331
Using an EQ Preset ...................................................................................................334
Applying Compression...............................................................................................335
Using The RETURNS ................................................................................................338

014 Working with Loops ....................................341


How Do Loops Work? ................................................................................................341
Setting Loop Tempo ...................................................................................................347
Using Loops in a Sequence.......................................................................................351
Re-Tuning The Loop ..................................................................................................351
Time Stretching a Loop..............................................................................................354
Using Loops in a DRUM program..............................................................................356
Using the Timestretched Loop ...................................................................................360
Looping Instrument Samples .....................................................................................362
How to Find a Good Sustain Loop Region ................................................................363
Sustain Looping Workflow .........................................................................................364
Sustain Looping Acoustic Samples ...........................................................................370
Fixing Clicks & Glitches With XFADE ........................................................................374

015 Chopping Drum Breaks Part 1 .....................376


Basic Chopping Using the Extract Function ..............................................................376
Using the Dedicated CHOP Mode .............................................................................379
Identifying ‘Problem’ Regions ...................................................................................382
Fixing the Regions - Speed Chopping Workflow .......................................................384
Shared Edit Points .....................................................................................................388
Exporting Your Regions .............................................................................................390

016 Chopping Drums Part 2 ...............................396


Chopping Down to Individual Hits..............................................................................396
Fixing Clicks & Pops ..................................................................................................402
Exporting Individual Hits ............................................................................................404
Real time Tempo Changes ........................................................................................405
Editing Existing Chop Events ....................................................................................406
Overdubbing Additional Chops ..................................................................................408
Applying a Quantize Template ...................................................................................409

017 Building Velocity Sensitive Kits & Sequences 412


Timbre Variation Using Multiple Drum Sounds ..........................................................413
Using Multisampled Drums........................................................................................413
Velocity Switching Pad Layers...................................................................................414
Setting Up the Velocity Switch Ranges .....................................................................417
Performing Velocity Switches ....................................................................................419
Layer Switching – Creating ‘Cycle Kits’ .....................................................................420
Muting the Open Hat with Mute Targets ....................................................................422
Velocity Sensitive Timbre Emulations ........................................................................423
Utilizing The LFO .......................................................................................................425
Extending the Open Hats ..........................................................................................426
A Practical Kit Set Up ................................................................................................432
Using ‘Humanize’ on Drum Performances.................................................................433
Generating Random Drum Events ............................................................................438
Randomly Generating Hi Hat Patterns ......................................................................440
Individually Generating All Drum Parts ......................................................................441
Drum Kit MIDI Note Mapping.....................................................................................443
Custom Note Mapping ...............................................................................................444
GM Mapping ..............................................................................................................446

018 Dynamic Tempo Manipulation ....................449


Problems When Changing Sequence Tempo ............................................................449
Warping Audio ...........................................................................................................449
Warping in DRUM Programs .....................................................................................453
Patched Phrase Loops ..............................................................................................455
Tuning (Pitch Shifting) a Patched Phrase ..................................................................458
Warping in CLIP Programs ........................................................................................459
Auditioning Looped Samples .....................................................................................466

019 Non Destructive Chopping Techniques ........471


Introduction to Non Destructive Chopping .................................................................471
Building a Non-Destructive Kit with 'Assign Slice to Pad' ..........................................472
Bug Alert - Temporary Workaround! ..........................................................................473
Assigning the Snare & Hat ........................................................................................474
Understanding Non Destructive Chop Slices ............................................................475
PROGRAM Chop Mode ............................................................................................478
NDC Over Multiple Layers .........................................................................................480
Editing Layers ............................................................................................................481
Alternative Slice Workflow .........................................................................................482
Chopping Using Pad Parameters ..............................................................................485
Experimenting With Your Initial Chops ......................................................................488
Tightening Your Chops ..............................................................................................490
Finishing Up...............................................................................................................493
020 Progressive Drum Layering Techniques .......495
‘Sculpting’ Together Sample Elements ......................................................................495
Layering With Pad Parameters..................................................................................500
Applying Filters to Individual Layers ..........................................................................503
Converting Your Layers Into Standalone/Portable Samples....................................505
Resampling Your Pad ................................................................................................505
Flatten Pad ................................................................................................................506

021 Sound Design & Production Tricks ...............511


Emulating Vintage Sampler ‘Crunch’ .........................................................................511
Increasing Grit While Sampling From Vinyl ...............................................................515
Using Sample Tune to add grit ..................................................................................516
Emulating Scratching With ‘Reverse’ ........................................................................517
Experimenting With LFOs..........................................................................................521
Emulating Vinyl Crackle .............................................................................................525
Wacky Bass ...............................................................................................................525
Bit Crushed Drums ....................................................................................................526
Effects to ‘Dirty Up’ Your Drums ................................................................................526
Using Effect Presets ..................................................................................................529
Loading 3rd Party Effect Presets ...............................................................................531
Saving User FX Presets ............................................................................................533
Vintage Effects...........................................................................................................536
Transient Shapers .....................................................................................................537
Compression .............................................................................................................538
Using EQ in Sound Design ........................................................................................541
Creating a More 'Open' Sounding Snare ...................................................................543
Creating a Tight & Crunchy Snare From a 'Live' Snare .............................................546
Side Chain Compression: Using the Mother Ducker .................................................550
Standard Compression vs Sidechain Compression ..................................................551
Setting Up the Mother Ducker ...................................................................................551
Tweaking The Mother Ducker ....................................................................................554

022 Advanced Keygroup Editing ........................559


Timbre Emulation Within a Keygroup ........................................................................559
Utilising the Root Note setting ...................................................................................560
‘Pseudo’ Stereo .........................................................................................................562
Filters and Effects ......................................................................................................564
Utilising the Filter Envelope .......................................................................................568
Applying LFO .............................................................................................................571

023 Build A Standalone Synth ............................573


Creating The Looped Waveform (the 'Oscillator') ......................................................573
Tuning Your Sound ....................................................................................................576
Building Your Keygroup Program ..............................................................................578
Creating a Bass Patch ...............................................................................................586
Forcing a Program to Always Play ‘Full Level’...........................................................588
024 Using Plugins in Controller Mode ................590
Using Third Party Plugins In ‘Controller Mode’ ..........................................................590
Working in Controller Mode .......................................................................................593
The Hybrid 3 Plugin GUI Interface.............................................................................600
Recording a Plugin Instrument ..................................................................................601
Bouncing Plugin Tracks To Audio ..............................................................................603
Bouncing External Hardware Synths & iPad Synths .................................................605
Disadvantages of Working with Bounced Tracks ......................................................609

025 Convert Plugins & Synths with Autosampler .610


Example Autosampling Workflow ..............................................................................610
Tweaking Your Autosampled Programs .....................................................................625
Adding a Velocity Sensitive Filter ..............................................................................629
Saving Your Program.................................................................................................630
Sustain Looping Your Samples?...............................................................................631
Example 2: Multi-Velocity, ’One Shot’ Style Patch .....................................................635
Configure The Patch ..................................................................................................635
Configure Recording Settings....................................................................................636
Configure The Program .............................................................................................640

026 Building Songs & Performances ..................645


Working on the Basic Song Structure ........................................................................645
Experimenting With Track Mutes ...............................................................................646
Creating The Structure ..............................................................................................649
Live Sweeps With XYFX Automation.........................................................................658
Recording Automation ...............................................................................................662
Fixing & Re-Recording XYFX Data ...........................................................................663
Managing Automation Events in the LIST EDITOR ...................................................665
Managing Automation Data in GRID EDIT ................................................................667
Creating the ‘Ending’ .................................................................................................671
Sequence Experimentation .......................................................................................671
Next Sequence ..........................................................................................................672
Song Mode ................................................................................................................674

027 Adding Vocals & Exporting Your Beats ..........679


Limitations of Song Mode ..........................................................................................679
Converting Your Song into a Sequence.....................................................................679
Recording a Vocal Over Your Song ...........................................................................680
Performing a Rough Mix of Your Song ......................................................................689
Recording Automation With the Q-Links....................................................................691
Editing & Re-Recording Automation ..........................................................................695
Adding Automation To Audio Tracks ..........................................................................696
Adding Some Scratching ...........................................................................................700
Using The Software COPY & PASTE Buttons ...........................................................712
Using the Marquee Tool .............................................................................................713
Adding a 'Tape Stop' Effect ........................................................................................717
Exporting Your Work ..................................................................................................719
Exporting Track Stems ..............................................................................................721
Ableton Live Set Export .............................................................................................722
Fading Out a Song? ..................................................................................................723

028 Final Words.................................................725

Appendix A: Setting Up Your MPC ........................726


Which Cables Should I Use? .....................................................................................726
MPC Outgoing Audio Connections ............................................................................729
Incoming Audio Connections .....................................................................................730
MIDI Connections ......................................................................................................735
Connecting Multiple MIDI Controllers ........................................................................736
Multitrack MIDI Recording .........................................................................................742
Triggering Synths......................................................................................................743
Audio Connections For External Synths ....................................................................746
Using an iPad as a Synth ..........................................................................................748
Sending MIDI From One Track to Another ................................................................751

Appendix B: MPC File Transfers .........................754


File Transfer Restrictions (Internal Drive) ..................................................................754
What is an ‘Attached Disk?........................................................................................754
File Transfer Methods ................................................................................................755
Transferring the 'Tutorial Files' Folder .......................................................................758
Transferring Kits, Instruments and Legacy Sample Packs ........................................759
Accessing Projects Saved to the Internal Drive.........................................................759
How Do I Continue Working on a ‘Standalone’ Project in Controller Mode? .............759
How Do I Backup My MPC Projects and Files? ........................................................760

Appendix C: MPC Expansion Guide ....................761


What Is an Expansion Pack?.....................................................................................761
Creating Your Own Sample Expansion Packs...........................................................761
Installing an Expansion Pack From an XPN File .......................................................766
The Hardware 'Expansion' Browser ..........................................................................768
Installing Expansions in Standalone Mode ................................................................768
Creating Program Previews.......................................................................................770
Using Name Separators (MPC Software)..................................................................772
Using Tags in the Media Browser ..............................................................................774
Demo Sequences ......................................................................................................778
Uninstalling/Removing Expansions ...........................................................................780

Appendix D: Creating Custom Progressions .......782

Appendix E: Essential MPC Resources ................785

Appendix F: Book Release History ......................786


000 How to Use this Book
Which MPCs are compatible with this book?

This edition of ‘The MPC Bible’ has been written to be compatible with the Akai
MPC Live, MPC Live II, Akai MPC X and Akai MPC One running MPC firmware
2.8.0.

Hardware UI Vs Computer UI

Perhaps the most fundamental concept behind the MPC is its legendary ‘in the
box’ workflow, so in this book I’ve set out to help you develop that unique and
creative way of producing. To do this I present all tutorials from the perspective of
the hardware controls and touchscreen, so whether you are working entirely in
‘standalone mode’ or if you are connected to your computer in ‘controller mode',
I’ll teach you how to work entirely from the MPC hardware itself using the dials,
buttons, pads and touchscreen for all functionality.

Recreating the Tutorial Examples

Every tutorial in this book comes complete with all the files you need to recreate
the tutorials as you read through them. All these files can be found in the
‘Tutorial Files’ folder which was included in the ‘zip’ archive you downloaded
after buying this ebook. To learn how to transfer this folder to your MPC, check
out Appendix B at the end of this book or my article here: https://www.mpc-
samples.com/article/using-mpc-ebook-tutorials

Reading This Book On Mobile Devices

If you want to read the book on a more portable device such as a tablet,
smartphone or ebook reader then I would suggest you use either the EPUB or
MOBI version of the book found in the ‘Ebook Reader Versions’ folder
(contained within the original zip file you downloaded). For more how to transfer
an ebook to a mobile device, please refer to my article here: http://www.mpc-
samples.com/article/transferring-mpc-ebooks-mobile-device

Initial MPC Set Up

If you are having trouble setting up your MPC, check out Appendix A at the back
of the book which includes tips on general hardware configuration.
Release Notes For This Edition

If you would like to know what updates I have made to this book since the last
edition, please go to Appendix F at the end of the book where you'll find an
overview of the changes.

If you discover any problems or bugs in the book, please let me know via
support@mpc-samples.com and I’ll get them fixed as soon as possible.

So, fire up your MPC and let’s get cracking!


001 Understanding The
MPC Workflow
In this chapter we'll take a look at the core building blocks of the MPC workflow
and begin the journey of building our first MPC beat!

The MPC in a Nutshell

The MPC is a music making machine, some people call it a ‘groovebox’, others
see it as a fully fledged ‘DAW’ (digital audio workstation).

From the very outset (back in the days of the original MPC60), ‘MPC’ stood for
MIDI Production Center and at the heart of every ‘MPC’ to this very day is the
MIDI sequencer which is capable of recording and playing back MIDI and audio
performances over multiple tracks of information, allowing you to gradually build
and arrange complex songs that utilise an unlimited source of sounds and
instruments.

The Basic MPC Structure

When you begin to work on a new song idea, the starting point is always to begin
with a new blank canvas called a project. A project will contain all the sounds,
sequences, audio and settings for that entire song.

A project comprises of one or more sequences chained together to create


complete songs. Each sequence consists of one or more tracks, with each
track configured to record and play back a specific ‘type’ of data.

There are fundamentally two kinds of track in an MPC sequencer; a pure audio
track and a MIDI track. An audio track holds a complete audio performance,
often recorded from a live sound source or imported from a previously recorded
digital file and will typically contain vocals, acoustic instruments, scratching and
other ‘live’ performances.

A MIDI track lets us capture an MPC-based performance but not as ‘audio’ in the
traditional sense – instead a sequencer records your performances as a series of
electronic ‘events’ (or ‘instructions’). These instructions are recorded in a
standardised electronic data format called MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital
Interface).

The standard method of recording MIDI performances in an MPC is via the


sixteen built in rubber pads. Each time you press a pad during your performance,

13
001: Understanding The MPC Workflow

a unique ‘event’ is created which captures every aspect of that particular pad
press; the pad bank and number (e.g. A04), the velocity (how hard) it was hit, the
duration of the pad hit (i.e. how long you held down the pad), the sequence time
at which it was hit, as well as more obscure events as we’ll see later in this book.

These ‘instructions’ can then be played back to re-trigger your pads exactly as
they were originally played, thus re-generating the audio of your performance. A
MIDI sequence performance can therefore be very easily edited at any time; in
fact you can change every single aspect of each event, even changing what
sound is triggered by that event.

MIDI can be used to trigger sounds from any sound source that understands
MIDI data, such as piano, bass and synth sounds from externally connected
sound modules and synths, or from software instrument plugins installed in your
computer (such as VST instruments).

It’s important to note that a MIDI sequence itself does not contain any audio
whatsoever – it only plays back ‘instructions’ that will subsequently trigger audio
from other devices, be it MPC sample programs, instrument plugins or MIDI
sound modules and synths.

The MPC is actually a MIDI sound source itself as it features a built in audio
sampler that allows you to load or record your own unique sounds and loops
from vinyl, CDs, microphones etc. Once you have sampled or loaded sounds into
your MPC, they can be manipulated using the various built in processing and
editing tools and then assigned to a program which will allow you to apply further
processing and effects to your sounds and also to play back these sounds using
your MPC’s 16 rubber pads – these pad performances can also be recorded and
edited in your sequencer as MIDI data.

Sample programs are often used to play back drum sounds and drum kits, but
can also be used to play back instruments, loops and sound fx.

Boot Up Options

Every time you switch on your MPC you’ll be presented with the same initial
screen unless you change the configuration in MPC ‘Preferences’. To set your
preferred boot option, press the MENU button and then press the gear icon at the
top of the screen:

Alternatively in the MPC One, press SHIFT + MENU. This takes you to the
PREFERENCES page; from the left side of the screen, select PROJECT
DEFAULTS:

14
001: Understanding The MPC Workflow

At the top of the page is the NEW PROJECT DIALOG option. There are 3
options to choose here; Off, Demo or Demo/Template/Recent.

For the purposes of this tutorial I initially suggest you set this to ‘Off’ (I’ll talk
about the other two options in the next chapter). With this setting your MPC skips
the initial ‘landing page’ and goes directly into a new blank project.

Your First Project – A Simple Drum Beat

With NEW PROJECT DIALOG set to ‘Off’, a fresh boot up of your MPC will take
you directly into a fresh blank project; the first screen you see when you start
with a new project is MAIN mode.

There are many different ‘modes’ in the MPC Software which provide an
optimised environment for different tasks (e.g. ‘Sample Edit’ is for editing and
processing samples, ‘track view’ is optimised for mixing tracks etc). MAIN mode
serves as a ‘hub’, giving you a good overview of all your essential project
variables.

15
001: Understanding The MPC Workflow

As mentioned previously, at the heart of an MPC is its sequencer and MAIN


mode is the place where you’ll set up the first sequence for your new project. A
project can contain as many sequences as your song requires (even just one
very long sequence if you prefer!). Let’s set up an MPC sequence so we can
record a simple drum beat.

Setting up an MPC Sequence

The top row (SEQUENCE) has several parameters, so let’s look at the most
fundamental ones:

Sequence number & name


Each MPC project can contain up to 128 unique sequences, by default we start
with sequence number 1 which is blank, as indicated by the ‘(unused)’ label. To
rename this default sequence, click on the ‘A’ icon at the far right of the screen to
bring up the ‘Set Sequence Name’ screen.

16
001: Understanding The MPC Workflow

Use the onscreen keyboard to give this sequence the name ‘My First Sequence’
and hit DO IT.

A sequence also has a ‘length’, measured in ‘BARS’, which is a standard musical


measurement.

Leave this set to the default value of 2.

Bars, Beats & Time Signatures

17
001: Understanding The MPC Workflow

All music will have a time signature which dictates the way the music is
played and structured. 99.9% of hip hop and dance music is played in a ‘4/4’
time signature, which ultimately indicates that the music has 4 ‘beats’ in each
‘bar’ (and each beat is played as a quarter note).

Simply put, a bar of 4/4 music is an equal count of ‘1-2-3-4’, where each
count is a beat. Two bars of 4/4 music is a count of 8, or if you prefer, two
counts of ‘1-2-3-4’.

Sequence Tempo
A sequence also has a tempo, measured in ‘beats per minute’ (BPM) – this
controls how fast your sequence will play.

Let’s change the BPM from the default 120.00 BPM to 90.0 BPM. Tap the BPM
parameter with your finger to select and start turning the data wheel anti
clockwise until the parameter reads 90.00. Using the data wheel like this will
decrease the BPM in single units – if you ever need more accuracy, hold down
the SHIFT button while turning to move it 1/100th units.

Alternatively, you can double tap the BPM parameter to bring up the number pad:

18
001: Understanding The MPC Workflow

To set a tempo of 90.00 BPM, enter 9, 0, 0, 0 and hit DO IT.

Sequence Loop

By default (with LOOP set to ON) when a sequence reaches its end (in this case,
at the end of 2 bars) it will ‘loop’ back to the beginning of the sequence and carry
on playing in an endless loop until you press the STOP button. Alternatively, it
can simply carry on recording and just keep extending the length of the entire
sequence accordingly until you press STOP (LOOP setting to ‘OFF’) – for this
first example, I want you to record for as long as you wish, so tap the loop setting
to turn it OFF:

19
001: Understanding The MPC Workflow

Timing Correct
‘Timing Correct’ (TC) is the MPC’s method of trying to automatically fix sloppy
playing! This is something I want to look at in more detail later in the book, so for
the moment let’s make sure this feature is turned off. To do this, press the TC
icon at the top of the screen:

This will bring up the TIMING CORRECT panel:

There’s lots of settings here, but to completely turn off timing correct and ignore
all other timing correct settings you just need to set GLOBAL TIMING CORRECT
to OFF (top of the screen) – now press ‘CLOSE’.

In the MPC Live II there is a dedicated TC button - tap this to quickly toggle TC
on or off.

So let’s quickly recap. We’ve started with a new blank project and have set up
the first sequence (‘My First Sequence’) with a tempo of 90 BPM. Our
sequence is set to record everything exactly as we play it (Global Timing

20
001: Understanding The MPC Workflow

Correct:OFF) and as we’ve set the sequence loop to ‘off’, it will record our
entire performance until we press STOP.

Sequence ‘Tracks’

Each sequence in an MPC must contain at least one ‘track’ to which we will
record performance data. As mentioned previously, there are fundamentally two
types of sequencer track in an MPC; an audio track or a MIDI track. The default
display in MAIN is for handling MIDI tracks, as indicated by the MIDI tab/button at
the bottom of the screen (notice the red line at the top):

We’ll look at audio tracks later in the book, for the moment let’s stick with MIDI.
Take a look at the ‘Track Information’ panel:

This shows the currently active sequence track, which by default will be track 1.
As this is currently blank it is shown as ‘(unused)’.

Each MIDI track in an MPC must be configured to communicate with a specific


MIDI sound source; in standalone mode the MPC currently recognises six
different ‘types’ of MIDI device:

21
001: Understanding The MPC Workflow

• DRUM – this refers to the internal ‘DRUM’ sample program format, which
allows us to assign sounds to the MPC’s rubber pads (often drum sounds,
hence the name).
• KEYGROUP – this is another internal sample program format, but this is
designed specifically for playback of melodic, sample-based instruments
• CLIP – this is the third type of internal sample program, optimised for
triggering loops and phrases via the MPC pads.
• MIDI – use this type of track for triggering sounds from connected
‘hardware’ MIDI devices such as sound modules and synthesisers.
• PLUGIN - use this track type to trigger sounds from the internal plugin
instruments (Electric, Bassline, TubeSynth). In 'Controller Mode' you can
also trigger sounds from any installed software instrument (including third
party VST instruments).
• CV/GATE – designed specifically for controlling analog synths using control
voltage and gate signals (not available on the original MPC Live).

Let’s leave the track set to DRUM. This means we are going to record a
performance to this track using a standard MPC ‘DRUM’ sample program.

Understanding DRUM programs

At its most basic level, a DRUM program allows us to assign sounds to the
rubber pads in the MPC hardware. Once a sound is assigned to a pad, each time
you hit that pad you should hear that sound play back.

In addition to assigning specific sounds to specific pads, a DRUM program also


allows us to perform a number of different sonic manipulations to each pad which
change the way the sound on that pad plays back. Your project can contain any
number of DRUM programs, each one containing its own set of samples and pad
parameter configurations.

While the name ‘DRUM program’ may suggest that they are only suitable for
‘drum’ samples, this is definitely not the case, you can assign any type of sound
to a pad – drums, percussion, bass, piano, vocals, hits, sound effects, loops and

22
001: Understanding The MPC Workflow

so on. However, when it comes to building drum kits, the DRUM program is the
perfect choice.

When you start a new project in your MPC it creates a single blank DRUM
program automatically – check out the third row of data in MAIN:

This row confirms that we have assigned a DRUM PROGRAM to the currently
selected sequencer track (track 1). This DRUM program is called Program 001
(which is the default name for any newly created sample program).

If you click on the ‘A’ icon at the end of this DRUM PROGRAM row it will bring up
the ‘Set Program Name’ screen – rename Program 001 to ‘Shadow Kit’.

It’s a good idea to get into the habit of giving everything a name rather than using
the defaults. As we are going to record drums to this sequencer track, tap the ‘A’
icon at the end of the TRACK panel and rename this track to ‘Drums’. Hit DO IT.

23
001: Understanding The MPC Workflow

Standalone Vs Controller Mode

Your MPC is capable of operating in two distinct ‘modes’; standalone and


controller mode. In ‘standalone’ mode, your MPC runs from its own internal
installation of the MPC firmware using the CPU and memory available inside
your MPC itself. In controller mode your MPC is connected via USB to your
computer and ‘controls’ the MPC Software application installed inside your
computer. Here the MPC uses the CPU and memory of your computer.

When using the touchscreen interface, you will not really notice any differences
between running in standalone or controller mode. Throughout this book I tend to
assume you will be running your MPC in ‘standalone mode’ although nearly all
the tutorials will also work the same in controller mode. There are however a
couple of tutorials where I show you an advantage of working in controller mode
(for example, so you can use third party plugins).

24
002 Building a Simple
Drum Kit
Before we can record a drum beat, we’ll need to assign some drum samples to
the pads in our blank ‘Shadow Kit’ DRUM program. Let’s build our first drum kit!

Before going any further in this tutorial, please make sure that the ‘Tutorial Files’
folder that came with this book has been copied to a removable disk attached to
your MPC. More information on how to do this is included in Appendix B at the
end of this book.

DRUM programs & Pads

Each DRUM program in your MPC comprises of 128 pads - we can assign
samples to each of these pads so the pad will play back those sounds when the
pads are hit. Now, your MPC hardware has only 16 physical pads, so to access
these other 112 pads, we have the concept of pad banks.

The default pad bank selected upon boot up is BANK A. While you are in BANK
A, the bottom left pad on your MPC is referred to as pad A01, while the pad at
the top right is pad A16.
002: Building a Simple Drum Kit

To access the next 16 pads in the DRUM program (pads 17 to 32), we press the
BANK B button on the MPC hardware. Now the bottom left pad is B01, while the
top right pad is B16.

When we get to BANK E, you’ll notice there isn’t a dedicated BANK E button – to
access BANK E, simply ‘double tap’ BANK A – the button will illuminate in yellow
instead of pink, indicating it is now in the BANK indicated in the writing
underneath the button (E). Alternatively, instead of double tapping, hold down the
SHIFT button and press BANK A. Do the same with buttons B to D to access
banks F to H respectively.

Changing Pad Bank Behaviour

If you don’t like the double tapping or 'SHIFT + tap' options, there is a third
option at your disposal. Go to MENU > SETTINGS (the ‘gear’ icon, top
centre of screen) – in the PREFERENCES page, select GENERAL:

26
002: Building a Simple Drum Kit

Single tap BANK BUTTON PRESS and turn your data wheel to see the two
options; the first is Select A-D. This is the default action we’ve already
described. Now instead choose ‘Select/Toggle Bank’. With this option
selected, double tap BANK A so it lights yellow, indicating you are now in
BANK E - in fact all the pad bank buttons are now yellow.

Now press any pad bank buttons and you'll observe that the pads all remain
yellow, i.e. they are locked into selecting E - H. To unlock, double tap any
button and they'll be red again, now covering banks A - D.

While not a requirement, the standard convention when building a drum kit is to
begin assigning sounds in BANK A and start using other banks only once you run
out of available pads in BANK A.

Before we proceed, make sure BANK A is the currently selected BANK in your
MPC.

Loading & Assigning Sounds

Return to MAIN. To assign some drum samples to our kit we’ll first have to
source some drum samples!

1. Load them as digital audio files from disk


2. ‘Record’ them from an external audio source

27
002: Building a Simple Drum Kit

The process of recording the audio into the MPC (referred to as ‘sampling’) will
be covered in a later tutorial later in this book, so at this stage we’ll concentrate
on the loading option.

On the DRUM PROGRAM row, make sure the Shadow Kit is the currently
assigned program and tap the ASSIGN SAMPLES button at the far right of the
row:

This will take you to the SAMPLE ASSIGN screen:

Here you can assign a sound to any pad in your current program. Hit pad A01 –
you’ll see it becomes green, both on screen and the physical pad itself which
indicates that this is the pad we’re about to assign a sample to.

28
002: Building a Simple Drum Kit

The sounds you can assign are held in the SAMPLE POOL at the left side of the
screen. As you can see we currently do not have any sounds loaded into our
project, so let’s head over to the BROWSER and change all that.

Hit the BROWSE button at the left bottom of the screen. This will take you
directly to the MPC’s file BROWSER:

The File Browser is a dedicated, bespoke file loading system designed


specifically for the MPC. It can load any compatible file type into your project
including sounds (in WAV, AIFF, SND and MP3 format), programs, sequences,
and entire project files.

It’s often convenient to access the BROWSER from the ASSIGN SAMPLES
option from MAIN (as we just did), otherwise you can quickly get to the
BROWSER by pressing the dedicated BROWSE button (MPC X, MPC One), or
by quickly double tapping the MENU button (MPC Live I & II).

Another alternative is to go via the MENU screen – single tap the MENU button:

29
002: Building a Simple Drum Kit

MENU is the ‘central hub’ where you can access all the various editing and
performing modes of the MPC. Here you can tap on the icon for the preferred
mode.

PAD + MENU Shortcuts

Since MPC Firmware 2.3, there is an additional 'shortcut' option that I


recommend as it can be extended to quickly navigate many of the different MPC
modes. Take another look at the MENU screenshot above you can that it's a 4 x
4 grid, displaying 16 different modes.

While the MENU key is held down, these 16 modes are 'assigned' to your 16
pads and become shortcuts. So to access the BROWSER from any other screen
in the MPC firmware, hold down MENU and hit pad A16.

To access SAMPLER mode, you would hold down MENU and tap pad 9. SONG
mode is MENU + pad 8. And so on.

30
002: Building a Simple Drum Kit

So head over to the BROWSER using whichever method you prefer.

Navigating The File Browser

After launching the BROWSER, tap on the red Places tab near the top left of
your touchscreen. On the left hand side you’ll see a list of shortcuts to various
different disk locations available to your MPC. Tap on the entry for ‘Internal’:

31
002: Building a Simple Drum Kit

‘Internal’ refers to the internal 'factory' drive inside your MPC. When you tap on
an entry for any disk location, the right hand side of the screen shows its
contents. Here you can see that the Internal drive contains the pre-installed
demo projects (‘Demos’), a folder for the included Expansions content and an
‘MPC Documents’ folder (remember that the actual content you see might vary
depending on the specific MPC model you have).

Underneath ‘Internal’ you’ll see entries for any additional disks you may have
attached to your MPC. This can include an SD card and any USB drives attached
to the ports at the back of your MPC (you can see I have attached a disk called
‘MPC DATA’). And if you have installed an additional internal SATA drive, this will
appear here also.

Which Disk Format?

Most disks you purchase will already be formatted; your MPC should be able
to read most disk formats but for removable drives I’d recommend exFAT
format for optimal results (compared to the older FAT32). If you install an
internal SATA disk you could also use NTFS (HFS+ is read-only). Remember
the disk format you choose should be compatible with your computer to allow
easy file transfer. If in doubt, exFAT is a good choice.

You can re-format a previously formatted disk within the MPC itself; while in

32
002: Building a Simple Drum Kit

the BROWSER screen, select the disk you wish to format (from the Places
tab), hold down SHIFT and select FORMAT DRIVE. This will format the disk
in exFAT format. Remember formatting a disk will wipe all existing data!

If your disk is not yet 'initialised' the MPC cannot format it (or even recognise
it) so you will need to first initialise it in your computer using your computer
operating system's disk management tool.

Loading sounds Into a Project

Let’s navigate to the ‘Tutorial Files’ folder so we can load some sample content
into our project – this is the folder I included in the original ‘zip’ archive you
downloaded after purchasing the book which contains all the files you’ll need to
recreate all the step-by-step projects in this book. I’m assuming that this has
been copied to an external drive, such as a USB flash drive or SD card. If you
need step-by-step guidance on how to do this, please refer to Appendix B at the
end of this book.

Under the Places column, locate the entry for the removable disk containing the
‘Tutorial Files’ folder – in my example the disk is called ‘MPC DATA’. Tap on MPC
DATA to enter that disk. At this point you’ll see the contents of the MPC DATA
disk appear on the right hand side of the screen (the MPC will only display files
that it is able to read, e.g. sounds, MPC programs, MIDI sequences etc – but it
will also display folders regardless of their actual content).

33
002: Building a Simple Drum Kit

Scroll the data wheel or drag the files/folder list with your finger until you locate
the ‘Tutorial Files’ folder that you copied there previously (you can also use the
or use the +/- buttons). Enter the folder by double tapping its name, or single tap
to select it and then tap the ‘OPEN’ button at the bottom right of the touchscreen
- you are now inside the ‘Tutorial Files’ folder, which consists of a number of sub
folders for each chapter of the book:

Now, if you think you’ll be wanting to repeatedly visit a particular location on your
system, it’s probably a good idea to ‘bookmark’ this location, and luckily Akai
have provided five user-definable shortcut links.

To the right of the Folder Path you’ll see the ‘Folder Shortcuts’. Pressing these
will take you to a location on your computer that you’ve previously defined. By
default these shortcuts are initially pre-set for you, but all these can be
overridden with your own preferred location.

Let’s replace shortcut 5 with a shortcut to our ‘Tutorial Files’ folder. To do this,
make sure you are definitely inside the Tutorial Files folder, hold down the MPC's
SHIFT button and while it is still held down, tap the ‘5’ folder at the top right of
your screen. You should see it turn white:

34
002: Building a Simple Drum Kit

Now at any point you wish to navigate to the ‘Tutorial Files’ folder, you can
instantly access it by touching folder shortcut ‘5’. You can perform similar steps
to set up shortcuts on folders 1-4.

Safely Removing Disks From your MPC

Next to each USB drive or SD card entry in the BROWSER you’ll see an
eject icon:

Before removing this disk from your MPC, remember to press the eject icon
and select EJECT, otherwise it’s possible you could damage the disk. The
same is true if you connect your MPC to your computer via ‘controller mode’;
always use your computer’s ‘eject’ option before disconnecting your MPC.

35
002: Building a Simple Drum Kit

Loading & Assigning Sounds Via the Browser

If you are not in the ‘Tutorial Files’ folder, go straight to it by pressing the Folder
5 shortcut. From the folder list, double tap the ‘002 – Building a Simple Drum
Kit’ folder to enter it:

Here you can see a list of sub folders inside; double tap the ‘Kicks’ folder:

36
002: Building a Simple Drum Kit

Inside you’ll find two kick drum samples. To preview any sound in the list you can
single tap it and press the ‘Play’ button at the bottom of the screen:

Alternatively, you can set samples to AUTO PLAY. To do this, first press the
AUDITION button:

37
002: Building a Simple Drum Kit

Press the ‘AUTO’ button at the top of the pop up so it is selected as shown
above. Now each time a sample is selected, it will automatically play back for
you. You can also adjust the volume of the audition by dragging the provided
slider up or down. The AUDITION pop up remains visible until you press the
AUDITION button again. (We'll look at the 'WARP' and 'SYNC' options in more
detail at the end of chapter 18).

You can also stop a preview simply by selecting a new sound in the Browser; this
stops the previous sample playing and plays the new sound instead. You can
also manually stop an audition by pressing the STOP transport button twice on
your MPC hardware.

Controlling Audition Length

If you are previewing entire songs in a folder, you might want to limit the
length of the preview. You can configure this on the Preferences page. Go to
MENU and tap the Preferences ‘gear’ icon at the top right of the screen:

38
002: Building a Simple Drum Kit

Now go to GENERAL > AUDITION AUTO PLAY (you’ll need to scroll down
to see this):

To select a different audition length, single tap the default value and turn your
data wheel anti clockwise (up to 30 seconds).

You can also route the audition audio through its own dedicated outputs -
configure this under the AUDITION OUTPUTS setting.

Locate the file ‘CP_crunchy_kick.wav’ - let’s assign this kick sample directly to
pad A01. Do you remember we hit pad A01 previously to turn it green? This
means that pad A01 is currently our target pad. Now when you load your kick it’s
going to get assigned to pad A01 automatically. If A01 is not currently green, hit it
again to select it.

To load this kick you have a few options – choose any one of these:

39
002: Building a Simple Drum Kit

• Press the LOAD button (bottom right of touchscreen)


• Press the data wheel down so it ‘clicks’
• Double tap the file name on screen

After loading, hit the SAMPLE ASSIGN button at the bottom of the screen:

You can see that the kick sample is now assigned to pad A01 in our DRUM
program. Additionally you can see that the CP_crunchy_kick is now also added
to our project’s ‘SAMPLE POOL’ on the left hand side of the screen. Hit pad A01
to play your new kick drum pad!

Tap the BROWSE button - you should still be inside the Kicks folder. Press the
‘Up Directory’ icon to return to the Chapter 2 folder:

Now single tap the Snares folder to select it and hold down the SHIFT button.
You’ll see a new button appear at the bottom right of the screen; LOAD ALL.

40
002: Building a Simple Drum Kit

With SHIFT still held down, press LOAD ALL. Release SHIFT and head back to
the SAMPLE ASSIGN screen

41
002: Building a Simple Drum Kit

You’ll now see three new snares have appeared in your SAMPLE POOL. Tap
pad A02 to select it and use your data wheel to scroll and audition the new
samples we’ve added (or just single tap each one). Assign CP_snare1 to pad
A02 either by double tapping the sample name, or by pressing down on the data
wheel.

Play pads A01 and A02 to hear the foundations of your new drum kit forming.

Browser Filters

Back in the BROWSER, leave the ‘Snares’ folder and go back up to the root of
the ‘002’ folder; enter the Various subfolder.

42
002: Building a Simple Drum Kit

There’s a whole bunch of different file types here, but we’re only interested in
loading audio samples, which are indicated by the following icon:

To only view audio files we can make use of the File Type Filters at the top of
the file list.

With a filter selected, only that particular type of file is displayed in the
BROWSER. By default the filter is set to ‘ALL’ (notice how it has a grey box
around it), which means all files are shown. To view only samples, touch the
‘Samples’ filter. You should now see the following:

43
002: Building a Simple Drum Kit

This is a list of samples in the current folder; if there are more than eight samples
in a folder you’ll need to scroll downward to view them. This can be done with by
turning the data wheel clockwise, using the ‘+’ button, or dragging your finger
upwards on the touch screen. You can increase the dragging speed by placing
more than one finger on the screen as you drag. You can also skip quickly to the
top or bottom of a list by performing a 2-finger long ‘swipe’ to the left or right.

You can also filter the contents of a directory using the ‘Search directory’ box.
This will only show files whose name contains the search string you enter. In the
Search Directory box, enter ‘hat’ so only samples with the term ‘hat’ in their file
name appear:

44
002: Building a Simple Drum Kit

Hit pad A03 so it turns green. Double tap the CP_closed_hat sample to
simultaneously load and assign this closed hi hat to pad A03. Now hit pad A03 to
hear your hat within the kit.

Finally, assign the CP_open_hat sample to pad A04. You’ve now built a very
basic drum kit – give it try and ‘finger drum’ a beat!

Saving Your Project

It’s important that you save your work regularly. When you save your entire
project you save everything currently associated with that project, such as
programs, sequences, sounds, effect settings, mixer levels etc. A project file is a
‘snap shot’ of your entire project, so when you reload that project file, your entire
project is recreated exactly as it was when it was saved.

One way to save your project is to head over to the MENU screen and press the
DISK icon at the top of the screen:

45
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
perla de tan grande estima que no
le podían poner precio, y con él
se hizo una salsa de que comió
Marco Antonio. También es autor
Flavio Vopisco, que uno llamado
Phiago comía cien panes y una
ternera y un puerco á un comer,
aunque parece esto cosa que se
creerá de mala gana. Eracides,
griego, era tan gran comedor, que
convidaba á los que querían
comer con él á cualquiera hora
del día por tornar á comer con
ellos muchas veces. De los
pueblos de Asia y de los asirios,
muchos escriben que no
entendían sino en comer y beber,
y que en esto ponían su
bienaventuranza; y lo que más se
puede notar de todo es lo que
escribe Julio César en el libro
llamado Anticatones, que Marco
Catón uticense, con todas las
virtudes que dél se cuentan, era
tan destemplado en el comer y
beber, que muchas veces pasaba
toda una noche sin dormir por
estar en los banquetes. Quinto
Ortensio, orador, fué el primero
que hizo en Roma que los pavos
se comiessen, y Sergio Orata,
según dice Plinio, inventó
estanques en el lago bayano por
tener en él las ostras para vender
á la gula de los romanos, y Lúculo
rasgó una montaña sobre
Nápoles á grandísima costa para
hacer un estanque para tener
pescado con que satisfacer su
gula. Y porque me parece que
bastan los ejemplos que he
traído, oígan vuesas mercedes
las palabras de Macrobio en el
libro tercero de las Saturnales, las
cuales son éstas: Quién negará
haber sido grandíssima y indómita
gula entre los antiguos, los cuales
de mar tan largo traían
instrumentos á su desorden,
como son las lampreas que
echaban en los estanques, y sin
éstas, hay muchas cosas y
autoridades que podrían hacer al
caso para probar que los antiguos
no tuvieron la templanza que el
señor licenciado ha dicho; pero si
él me satisface á esto, yo me daré
por satisfecho en todo lo demás
que pudiere alegar.
Licenciado.—En trabajo me ha
puesto el señor Salazar, porque
no tienen tan poca fuerza sus
argumentos y razones que no
será dificultosa la respuesta; pero
yo espero en Dios de darle tan
buena salida que le contente y
confiesse ser verdad lo que yo he
dicho. Y digo que es assí, que
también entre los antiguos hubo
algunos golosos y desordenados,
tanto y más que agora lo son, y
que se hacían los banquetes y
gastos excesivos en muy gran
cantidad; pero esta desorden no
era general como agora lo es,
sino particular, y de manera que
generalmente parecía mal á
todos, porque no hay ciudad tan
bien ordenada donde no haya
algunos delitos, ni campo de
soldados tan bien concertado que
no haya en él algunos revoltosos,
ni aun monasterio, si es de
muchos frayles, que no esté en él
algún desasosegado, y así no es
mucho que entre tan gran multitud
de gentes como en los tiempos
antiguos había en el mundo,
hubiese algunos dados á la
desorden de la gula, así como el
señor Salazar lo ha dicho, que de
creer es que aún serán muchos
más de los que dice; pero éstos,
en comparación de los otros que
usaban de la templanza, es como
una estrella para todas las que
hay en el cielo, y una golondrina,
como suelen decir, no hace
verano, ni diez granos de neguilla
en un muelo de trigo no son
causa de que se haga mal pan, ni
es justo que por tan pocos
golosos condenemos á muchos
templados; y la mayor señal de
que lo eran es que luego se
conocían entre ellos los que se
desmandaban en el comer y
beber demasiadamente. Y los
poetas y oradores tratando de
este vicio lo traían por exemplo
para que los que después dellos
viniesen, pensando que las
gentes habían siempre de
permanecer en la templanza que
ellos comúnmente guardaban;
pero agora en nuestros tiempos
así podríamos notar un hombre
templado y tenerlo en mucho,
como si viésemos alguna cosa
muy nueva, y los que lo son es
porque no pueden más, que la
gula y la curiosidad del comer
está tan desenfrenada en todos,
que es cosa para espantar á los
que bien lo consideraren, y lo que
peor es que los pobres y los que
poco pueden muchas veces son
más golosos y destemplados que
los ricos, y no se contentan con
un manjar ni con dos ni con tres,
que querrían comer cincuenta si
pudiessen. Y entre los antiguos
no debían ser menos cinco que
agora ciento, porque así dice
Juvenal en la primera sátira
reprendiendo este vicio: ¿Quién
hubo entre los antiguos que en
los convites secretos comiesse
siete manjares? Como si dixese:
Gran desorden es la que agora
hay en Roma, pues que hay
banquetes en que se sirven siete
platos diferentes, lo cual nunca se
hizo entre los antiguos. Y pues
que Juvenal en su tiempo
reprendía este desconcierto, ¿qué
hiciera en el nuestro viendo los
grandes desconciertos que ya
vienen en dar en locura? En que,
como he dicho, no sería poco
necesario el remedio, como lo
pusieron los atenienses con los
criados y hijos de uno que se
llamaba Nosipio, que porque
supieron que comía y bebía
demasiadamente, mandaron que
no comiesen con él, porque no
quedasen avezados á aquella
mala costumbre. Agora hombres
hay que comen mucho; pero si lo
pide su estómago, no son tanto
de reprenderle como los que
quieren comer de muchos y
diferentes manjares, adobados
con mucha diversidad de cosas,
entre las cuales unas son
calientes, otras son frías, unas
templadas y otras sin ninguna
templanza; unas son duras y
pessadas y otras son fáciles de
gastar, de manera que la virtud
del estómago se embaraza con
ellas y no puede recebir tanto
provecho que no será mayor el
daño para no sé conservar la
salud ni la vida. Y torno á decir
que teniendo atención á la
moderación y buena regla que los
antiguos tenían en sus comidas,
que todos agora se habrían de
moderar en ellas, y
principalmente los grandes
señores, á lo menos en no hacer
gastos superfluos y sin provecho,
que después que se sirven lo que
se pueden comer, y hasta sin
hacer falta, no han de querer que
se sirva lo demás para sólo el
humo de la autoridad y de la
grandeza, pues se conoce el poco
provecho y el gran daño que se
recibe. Y aun el mundo y la gente
conocen dél tiene muy gran razón
de agraviarse, porque esto es
causa de que los mantenimientos
se hayan subido en precios tan
excesivos, porque saben que hay
muchos que los compren y gasten
y que han de hallar por ellos lo
que pidieren y quisieren llevar. Y
en verdad que no sería mal hecho
que en esto se pusiese algún
remedio y se hiciesse alguna ley
en que se diese orden para
remediarlo. Y porque me he
divertido de lo que queda con el
señor Salazar, que fué
satisfacerle á sus objeciones,
quiero saber si queda satisfecho
con lo que he respondido, porque
á no lo estar, yo me conformaré
con su buen parecer y juicio.
Salazar.—No faltará qué poder
replicar, pero yo sé que vuesa
merced me satisfará tan bien á
ello como á lo pasado, y assí lo
quiero dexar, aunque no fuera
malo que con reprender la
desorden y destemplanza de las
comidas se hubiera dicho algo de
la que se tiene en el tiempo
dellas, porque también se estima
por grandeza no tener orden ni
concierto en esto, haciendo del
día noche y de la noche día, y
caando han de comer á las diez
del día comen á las dos de la
tarde, y si han de cenar á las seis
de la tarde cenan á las once y á
las doce de la noche, assí que es
una confusión y desatino la que
ellos tienen por orden y concierto.
Ruiz.—Bien entendida está ya
esta materia, porque el señor
licenciado la ha tratado tan bien
en tan pocas palabras, que queda
poco por decir de lo dicho, y
paréceme que no habrá menos
que tratar de la desorden que se
tiene en los vestidos y gastos que
en ellos se hacen, porque no
tienen menos destruído el mundo
ni es menos el yerro que las
gentes cometen en este desatino.
Licenciado.—Essa es materia
más larga y para tratarse más
despacio que el que agora
tenemos, porque la noche se
viene acercando y el sereno, con
el frescor del río, podría hacernos
daño si más nos detuviésemos, y
si vuestras mercedes mandasen,
será bien que nos vamos.
Quiñones.—También el señor
licenciado se ha querido en esto
mostrar médico como en lo
pasado, y pues es su consejo tan
bueno, justo será que lo sigamos.
Ruiz.—Por entre las huertas
podremos ir, por no volver por
donde venimos.
Salazar.—Guíe vuestra merced
delante, que todos le seguiremos.

Finis.
COLLOQUIO

Que trata de la desorden que en


este tiempo se tiene en los
vestidos y cuán necesario
sería poner remedio en ello.

INTERLOCUTORES

Sarmiento.—Escobar.—Herrera.

Herrera.—¿No veis, señor


Sarmiento, qué galán y costoso
viene Escobar? Por Dios, que me
espanto de verle cada día salir
con un vestido de su manera, que
si tuviera un cuento de renta no
podría hacer más de lo que hace.
Sarmiento.—Passo que, según
es delicado, si nos oye pensará
que estamos murmurando dél.
Herrera.—Y aunque lo
hiciésemos sería pagarle de lo
que merece, porque jamás sabe
hacer otra cosa de todos cuantos
hay en el mundo.
Sarmiento.—No le arriendo la
ganancia, pues ha de pagar su
ánima lo que pecare su lengua.
Escobar.—¿Qué ociosidad es
esta tan grande? ¿Por ventura
tenéis, señores, tomado el paso á
las damas, que hoy andan en
visitaciones, para gozar de verlas
y juzgarlas? Pues á fe que no
tarden en venir dos dellas, que no
son de las más feas del pueblo.
Herrera.—Antes estamos para
juzgar los galanes, y vos sois el
primero, porque venís tan galán
que dais á entender á todos en
miraros.
Escobar.—¿Y qué gala halláis
que es ésta?
Herrera.—Si essa no lo es,
¿cuál queréis que lo sea? En
verdad que me parece á mí que
bastaría para un gran señor,
cuanto más para un pobre
caballero como vos. No fuera bien
que os contentárades con
tafetanes en esas calzas, sino
que por fuerza había de ser telilla
de oro, y aun no de la de Milán?
Escobar.—Hícelo porque dice
mejor con el terciopelo blanco.
Herrera.—Pues, la guarnición
de capa y sayo, ¿no es costosa?
Yo fiador que con lo que ella costó
se pudieran hacer bien dos sayos
y dos capas, sin que la capa está
toda aforrada en felpa para el
fresco que hace, y la hechura,
según lleva la obra, no debió de
ser muy barata.
Escobar.—No fué muy cara; en
ocho ducados sayo y capa.
Herrera.—Loado Dios que ocho
ducados os parecen poco. Agora
acabo de confirmar lo que
muchas veces he pensado, que
una de las cosas, y aun la más
principal, que el día de hoy trae la
gente pobre y perdida, sin
alcanzar con qué poder
sustentarse, es la costa grande
de los vestidos, los cuales
empobrecen harto más
dulcemente que no los edificios. Y
esta manera de empobrecer no la
puedo yo llamar por otro nombre
sino locura.
Escobar.—De essa manera todo
el mundo es loco, pues no hay
ninguno que podiendo no quisiese
andar muy bien vestido.
Herrera.—Confieso que,
generalmente, es assí; pero
muchos hay que no entran entre
los que decís.
Escobar.—Essos hacerlo han de
desventurados y mezquinos y que
tienen en poco la honra, porque
una de las cosas con que los
hombres andan más honrados es
con andar muy bien aderezados y
vestidos.
Herrera.—Bien habéis dicho, si
en ello no hubiese extremos, los
cuales son muy odiosos en
cualquiera cosa, y más en ésta
que forzosamente, tarde ó
temprano, se ha de dar señal de
un extremo á otro.
Escobar.—Yo os declaro que
hasta agora no os he entendido.
Herrera.—Pues yo haré que me
entendáis muy presto. Digo, que
los hombres habrían siempre de
tener respeto á su posibilidad y
mirar lo de adelante,
conformándose y contentándose
con lo que puedan para no caer
de aquello en que una vez se
pusieren, y si lo sustentaren, que
sea con no padecer trabajo por
otra vía. Que muy bien puede un
hombre vestirse de terciopelos,
rasos y gastar ciento ó doscientos
ducados si los tiene, y acabados
aquellos vestidos, como no tenga
con qué comprar otros, viene á
caer de un extremo en otro, que
es harto peor que si al principio se
contentara con un sayo y una
capa de paño, sin hacer tanta
costa, de manera que se hallan
los hombres sin la hacienda que
gastaron y no pueden sustentar la
honra que por ello decís que se
les sigue.
Escobar.—Muy gran seso sería
esse si los mancebos hubiesen
de contemplar essas cosas.
Herrera.—No pongo yo menos
culpa á los viejos que á los
mozos, porque también en esto
andan desordenados, aunque no
sea tanto como ellos.
Escobar.—Por vuestra vida,
señor Herrera, que dexéis estar el
mundo como lo hallasteis y como
siempre fue, porque excusado
será que por vuestro parecer
haya mudanza ni las gentes
dexen de vestirse costosamente
como lo hacen.
Herrera.—Engañado estáis,
señor Escobar, ni yo, aunque no
soy muy viejo, hallé en los
vestidos el mundo como agora le
vemos, ni fué siempre lo que
agora parece; antes hace en esto
tantas mudanzas, y más en
nuestros tiempos, que ya es
confusión pensar en ello.
Escobar.—Yo no las creo.
Herrera.—Es porque tenéis los
pensamientos embarazados, y
será bien que yo os diga algunas
para que os desengañéis y para
que veáis si se puede condenar
las de agora por una desatinada
locura.
Escobar.—Pues en verdad que
yo huelgo de oiros de muy buena
voluntad, y lo mismo hace, por
amor de mí, el señor Sarmiento,
que harto tiempo y espacio
tenemos para todo.
Herrera.—No ha muchos
tiempos que, en España, andaban
vestidas las gentes tan
llanamente que no traía un señor
de diez cuentos de renta lo que
agora trae un escudero de
quinientos ducados de hacienda,
porque estonces no había un
sayo entero de terciopelo, y el
que tenía un jubón, no hacía
poco, que éste era el hábito que
estonces se usaba, trayendo los
sayos sin mangas para que se
pareciesse, y algunos traían solas
las mangas con un collar postizo
de terciopelo que subía encima
del sayo para que se pareciese. Y
otros no ponían en las mangas
más de las puntas, que eran
cuatro ó cinco dedos de ancho,
que por mucha gala sacaban
fuera de las mangas del sayo
para que se pareciesse. El hábito
de encima eran capas castellanas
como agora se usan, ó capuces
cerrados de la manera que los
traen muchos portugueses, y por
guarnición un rebete de terciopelo
tan angosto que apenas podía
cobrir la orilla. Los sayos eran
largos y con girones; el que se
vestía de Londres no pensaba
que andaba poco costoso;
traíanlos escotados como
camisas de mujeres, y una puerta
muy pequeña delante de los
pechos puesta con cuatro cintas ó
agujetas y los musiquís de las
mangas muy anchos.
Sarmiento.—Bien extremado
está esto de lo de agora, porque
lo que estonces echaban en las
faldas y en las mangas echan
agora en los collares, que hacen
que suban encima de los cocotes
y ande el pescuezo metido en
ellos de manera que parecen los
que los traen mastines con
carrancas.
Herrera.—No quiero yo altercar
cuál es mejor uso en los trajes, el
de entonces ó el de agora; pero
solamente quiero que entendáis
que el de estonces era muy á la
llana y el de este tiempo muy
curioso, y cuanto al parecer bien,
aquello que se usa es lo que bien
parece, y si se usase traer los
zapatos de lana y las gorras de
cuero, á nadie le parecería mal;
pero dexando esto, el hábito de
encima era un capuz cerrado y el
que lo traía de contray de
Valencia no pensaba que era
poco costoso, y había de ser muy
rico para traerlo, y las calzas
todas eran llanas, que no sabían
qué cosa era otra hechura nueva;
usábanse estos bonetes que
agora se traen castellanos y unas
medias gorras con la vuelta
alzada ó caída atrás, y gorras de
grana grandes con unos tafetanes
de colores por debajo de la barba.
Escobar.—Debían de ser como
las que agora se pintan en las
mantas francesas.
Herrera.—Decís la verdad, y
aun hoy veréis muchos trajes
antiguos destos que digo. Los
señores por fiesta se vestían de
grana colorada ó morada, y era
tan grande la templanza que se
solía tener en los vestidos, que
andando yo buscando unas
escrituras de las de la casa de un
señor deste reino, vi entre ellas
una carta que el rey escrebía á
uno de sus pasados, por la cual le
rogaba y mandaba que se llegase
á la corte, que para el gasto que
se hiciese le ymbiaba once mil
maravedís de ayuda de costa, y
que lo que le encargaba era que
en ninguna dejase de llevar él su
jubón de puntas y collar de
brocado.
Sarmiento.—Gentil antigualla es
essa para lo que agora usamos;
cierto pocas acémilas debían de
ser menester en este tiempo para
llevar las recámaras de los
señores.
Herrera.—Lo que no llevaban
de recámara llevaban en la
mucha y muy lucida gente de que
andaban acompañados, que
parecía harto mejor que los cofres
en las acémilas, cargados de
plata y de oro y de vestidos
demasiados, y no por esso
dejaban de ir bien proveídos de lo
necesario para la calidad de sus
personas. Y con esto traían
también los señores una ropa de
martas que era la cosa de más
estima que estonces había, y
agora así Dios me salve que la he
yo visto traer á mercaderes y
personas que no valían otro tanto
su hacienda como el valor que
tiene la ropa. Pero esto no lo
tengo en tanto como ver que hoy
ha cuarenta años si vían á un
pobre hombre con un sayo de
terciopelo por rico que fuese, le
miraban como á cosa nueva y
desordenada, y en este tiempo
hasta los mozos y criados de los
caballos y aun los oficiales no lo
tienen en más que á un sayo
pardo, y pluguiese á Dios que se
contentasen con andar vestidos
de terciopelo y de las otras
maneras de sedas llanamente,
que lo que mayor daño hace es
las hechuras, las invenciones
nuevas y costosas que muchas
veces cuesta más lo acessorio
que lo principal, según las cosas
que piden los sastres y oficiales
de seda para pespuntar, para
hacer los torcidos, los caireles, los
grandujados, dando golpes y
cuchilladas en lo sano, deshilando
y desflorando, echando
pasamanos, cordones y trenzas,
botones, alamares; y lo que peor
es, que cuando un hombre piensa
que está vestido para diez años,
no es pasado uno cuando viene
otro uso nuevo que luego le pone
en cuidado, y lo que estaba muy
bien hecho se torna á deshacer y
remendar, quitando y poniendo; y
aun muchas veces no aprovecha
toda la industria que se pone, sino
que se ha de tornar á hacer de
nuevo, de manera que los usos é
invenciones nuevas de cada día
desasosiegan las gentes y
acaban las haciendas, porque
somos tan locos, que ninguno hay
que se conforme con lo que
puede, sino que el que tiene
veinte ducados los quiere también
echar en un sayo y en una capa,
como el que tiene dos mil, y no ha
sido esto poca parte para
encarecer los paños y sedas
hasta venir al precio que agora
piden y tienen, que si no hubiese
quien los comprase, gastándolos,
tan mal gastados, ellos vendrían á
valer harto más barato de lo que
valen.
Sarmiento.—Una cosa no puedo
yo acabar de entender, y es que
cuanto más encarecen los paños
y sedas y van subiendo en precio,
tanto se desordenan más las
gentes y procuran andar mejor
vestidos y más costosos.
Herrera.—Hacen como los
hombres beodos, que cuando hay
mayor carestía de vino les crece
más el apetito del beber, y no
tienen el real cuando lo ofrecen
en la taberna, aunque no les
quede otro ninguno; y pluguiese á
Dios que lo mismo hiciésemos
nosotros yendo con los dineros en
casa de los mercaderes, pero no
hacemos sino sacar fiado tan sin
medida como si nunca se hubiese
de pagar, y por esto sube cada
vara tres ó cuatro reales en
precio, y el pagar es muchas
veces con essecuciones, de
manera que por la mayor parte
viene á ser más el daño y las
costas que se pagan que lo
principal que se debe, y sin tener
respecto á ninguna cosa destas
no dejan de andar todos
desmedidos y desconcertados. Y
de lo que á mí me toma gana de
reir es de ver que los oficiales y
los hombres comunes andan tan
aderezados y puestos en orden
que no se diferencian en el hábito
de los caballeros y poderosos, y
topándolos en la calle quien no
los conozca, muchas veces
juzgará que cada uno dellos tiene
un cuento de renta.
Sarmiento.—Sabéis, señor
Herrera, que veo que esta
desorden y desconcierto que
decís de los vestidos solamente la
hay entre los cristianos. Y aun no
entre todos, porque dexando
aparte los que viven fuera del
conocimiento y sujeción de la
madre Iglesia romana, aun de los
que le son subjetos hay muchos
que no tienen esta curiosidad,
como son los húngaros, los
escoceses y otras gentes que
andan con hábitos humildes y
poco costosos; y lo que á mí me
parece que me da mayor causa
de murmurar es ver la templanza
de los infieles, moros, turcos y
gentiles. Porque á los moros y
turcos, que son los que confinan
con la christiandad y de quien
más noticia tenemos, vemos que
andan todos con hábitos y
aderezos casi comunes, y los que
son más ricos y poderosos,
cuando más se quieren
diferenciar en los vestidos, ponen
una almalafa ó capuz cerrado de
grana colorada ó de otro paño de
color, con unos borceguíes de
buen cuero. Todos ellos traen
zarahuelles sin gastar sus
haciendas en muslos de calzas, ni
en guarniciones, ni en otras cosas

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