Sampling & Time Slicing on the Akai MPC 4000

Summary: Hip-hop music has grown from rich roots: its lyrics record the struggles and joys of the everyday lives of everyday people. Its infectious beats and grooves lay down the framework for people to get together, dance, have a party, or just enjoy an afternoon. To create those funky sounds and beats, DJs, producers, rappers, and hip-hop artists have depended upon one machine in particular that has single-handedly changed the face of music for a generation of artists and listeners: the Akai Music/Midi Production Center (MPC).

The MPC is a sampler, sequencer, and drum machine all in one. Its basic functionality is designed around a system of buttons called pads. To create beats, the artist loads samples into the MPC, assigns them to pads, and plays his composition. The MPC can also be used to control or send information to other devices through a midi connection. Using these basic functions, literally hundreds of great songs have been, written, recorded, and enjoyed.

In this free tutorial video, learn how to use the audio sampling features of the Akai MPC 4000 drum machine. Our expert music producer will give you a tour of the basic interface for the MPC, and then show you how to load, chop, and slice samples, use the sequencer, and create your own samples and sequences for your music.