Akai MPD 24 Operator's manual

MPD24 FACTORY PRESET LISTINGS
PRESET # PROGRAM
1 BFD Lite For use with the supplied BFD Lite software.
2 Reason Supports Reason Remote protocol with supplied codec files.
3 Guru Pads For use with Fxpansion’s Guru software.
4 Guru Patterns For use with Fxpansion’s Guru software.
5 Ableton Live For use with Ableton Live.
6 Stylus RMX For use with Stylus RMX in conjunction with the supplied “MIDI Learn” files.
7 Battery For use with Native Instruments Battery.
8 Arkaos VJ For use with Arkaos VJ. Controllers will need to be mapped within Arkaos VJ.
9 GM Drums Standard General MIDI drum and controller mapping. Good for general drum use.
10 GM Chromatic Standard General MIDI chromatic and controller mapping.
11 Cubase LE Use for mixing and panning channels in Cubase LE
12 MPC 2500 Pad mappings are set to the same note values as the MPC2500.
13-30 default
1. BFD Lite – See “Using the MPD24 with BFD Lite” section for mapping information and use.
2. Reason – To use Reason with the Remote protocol, you will need to install the supplied Reason codec
files. Each module in Reason will automatically map itself to the MPD24’s controllers. This is extremely
powerful as it allows you to use one MPD24 preset to control all of the modules in Reason. See “Using
the MPD24 with Propellerheads Reason” section for information on installing the Reason Remote codecs
and mappings.
3. Guru Pads – See “Using the MPD24 with FXpansion Guru” section for mapping information and use. As
of this writing, Guru does not respond to MMC controls.
4. Guru Patterns – See “Using the MPD24 with FXpansion Guru” section for mapping information and use.
As of this writing, Guru does not respond to MMC controls.
5. Ableton Live – This preset is intended to be used with the Live template included on the CD-ROM.
6. Stylus RMX – See the supplied document “Using the MPD24 with Spectrasonics Stylus RMX” section for
mapping information and use.
7. Battery – This preset is laid out to make use of the default external modulation sources that are assigned
in Native Instruments Battery. Since there is no standard pad mapping in Battery, we have made a
simple chromatic map that works with most of the factory presets.
8. Arkaos VJ – This preset is laid out to make use of the Arkaos VJ software. The Arkaos VJ software
allows for triggering of video clips via MIDI note numbers and manipulating video FX via MIDI CC’s.
These mappings and FX need to be assigned specifically to each effect and video clip. Try using the
pads on the MPD24 in a Toggle mode. This will allow you to trigger multiple video clips straight from the
MPD24.
9. GM Drums – This mapping follows the General MIDI specification for notes and controllers. This preset
is a good starting point for setting up drum controls on software for which we have not supplied presets.
10. GM Chromatic – In this mapping, the pads are mapped chromatically and the controllers are set to some
of the more popular GM controllers. This preset is a good starting point for creating your own chromatic
presets.
11. Cubase LE – The pads in this preset are set up in a standard chromatic mapping. Faders 1-6 control
volume on channels 1-6 and knobs 1-8 control pan on channels 1-8.
12. MPC2500 – The Akai MPC2500 pad mapping is a standard unto itself. This mapping will allow the MPC
user to have the same pad layout as their MPC.
13. Default – This preset is a good generic chromatic mapping that is easily modified for whatever software
or module you want to control.
The presets included are only intended to be a starting point for your use. All of these software programs
allow incredible amounts of control and by using multiple MIDI channels, controllers, pad modes and
program changes, you can easily create some incredible music.
Enjoy.

USING THE MPD24 WITH BFD LITE
BFD is the premiere software drum module, featuring high-quality
drum samples for realistic drum performance. BFD Lite can be used
as a standalone computer application, or as a VST instrument which
can be dropped into your favorite host environment. BFD Lite
features the same great feel and functions as BFD and you can
upgrade to the full version of BFD by visiting their web page at
www.fxpansion.com.
We have included a default MIDI map for BFD Lite which gives you access to all the major
features of the software.
The MPD24 comes with a preset which is already set up to work with BFD or BFD Lite.
1. To load the preset in the MPD24, press the [PRESET] button and use the [VALUE] dial
to select preset number 1 – “BFD Lite”. Press the [VALUE] dial to load the preset.
!If you have edited MPD24’s presets and are unable to load the BFD, use the
supplied Uniquest Editor to load the Factory Preset Bank and “PUT” or download
the factory preset bank into the MPD24.
2. After installing the BFD Lite software on your computer, run BFD Lite in standalone mode
or as a VSTi in your host application.
BFD Lite should automatically load a default drum kit and the MIDI CC mappings
needed to work with the MPD24.
We have laid out the pads, sliders and knobs in a way to make the most use out of the MPD24:
xYou can control the levels of the various mics, the master level and the hi-hat open/close
status via the MPD24 Faders.
xThe knobs are mapped to the tuning of the drums with the addition of K2 being mapped
to control the mic position on the kick drum and K4 being mapped to the mic position of
the snare drum.
xThe pads are mapped for playing the individual drum sounds as well as controlling
playback of the grooves and fills.
Pad Bank A is set up for playing the drum sounds.
Pad Bank B is set up to trigger the Grooves in Bank A.
Pad Bank C is set up to trigger the Grooves in Bank B.
Pad Bank D is set up to trigger the Grooves in the Fills bank.
Note that pads 13-16 in the B, C and D banks are not assigned to anything.

Controller Mapping Table
Fader 1 Direct Master
Fader 2 Overhead Mic Level
Fader 3 Room Mic Level
Fader 4 PZM Mic Level
Fader 5 Hi Hat control
Fader 6 Master Volume
Knob 1 Kick 1 Tuning
Knob 2 Kick 1 Mic In/Out
Knob 3 Snare 1 Tuning
Knob 4 Snare 1 Mic Top/Bottom
Knob 5 Hi Hat Tuning
Knob 6 Tom Floor Tuning
Knob 7 Tom Mid Tuning
Knob 8 Tom High Tuning
Below is a screen shot that shows the Pad Banks, Faders, and Knobs in relation to their mapping
within BFD.

USING THE MPD24 WITH PROPELLERHEADS REASON
Reason is a software program that allows for vast control of
its parameters. The problem with having a lot of controllable
items is the limit of physical space and the cost of building
hardware controllers that can accommodate hundreds or
thousands of controllers. The people at Propellerheads have developed a way to remap a single
control surface to each of the modules in Reason. This protocol is called Reason Remote.
We have included all the files necessary to enable Reason to find the MPD24 and map its
controls to whatever module you have selected in the sequencer.
To begin using the MPD24 with Reason, you will need to make sure that you have version 3.0.5
or greater for the Mac or version 3.0.4 or later for the PC.
1. To install the Reason Remote codecs and remote maps, run the Reason Remote installer
for your particular computer and it will auto-install the folders into the right locations.
2. After you have installed the Reason Remote codecs, select Preset number 2 – “Reason”
– on your MPD24. Press the [VALUE] dial to load the preset.
!If you have edited MPD24’s presets and are unable to load the Reason preset,
use the supplied Uniquest Editor to load the Factory Preset Bank and “PUT” or
download the factory preset bank into the MPD24.
3. Start up Reason and the software will automatically find the MPD24 controller. Within
Reason, click on [Preferences] and look under [Control Surfaces and Keyboards].
You should see the Akai MPD24 icon with a green check mark. If it is not checked, click
the “Use with Reason” button.

The MPD24 preset for Reason makes use of pad banks A, B and C for playing notes. With these
three pad banks you get a 4-octave range of pitch control.
Pad bank D is configured to be used as a control bank. This pad bank allows you to use the pads
as switches for certain features.
The mapped parameters are shown in the graphic above.
EXAMPLE:
When you are controlling Redrum or Matrix, pads D1-D4 correspond to the Bank A, B, C,
D buttons in the pattern section. Pads D9-12 will allow you to select between patterns 1-
4 and pads D5-8 allow you to select between patterns 5-8.
In modules that allow you to select the “PREVIOUS” or “Next” preset, you can use pad
D13 for “Previous Preset” and D14 for “Next Preset”.
Pads D15 and D16 are always assigned to target the next or previous sequence track.
This allows you to remotely select which module you are controlling.
The next few pages feature a full table of the mapping functions. Please refer to this table for
information on how the MPD24 controls map to each individual module in Reason. You can
always change how controllers are mapped by modifying the “MPD24.remotemap” file. This will
allow you to customize how Reason and your MPD24 work.