Akai MPC Live III firmware

MPC 3.9.1 combines the best parts of standalone and desktop music production in one powerful ecosystem, making it easy to move between environments without interrupting your creative flow. This update introduces new Arrange Mode editing tools, MPC Oscillators, Desktop Arrange Mode Beta, AU/VST3 support, expanded USB functionality for MPC One G2 and MPC Key 37 G2, workflow improvements, and more. Available now as a free update for MPC Standalone and MPC Desktop Beta.

Key Features Arrange Mode Editing Tools (Touch UI) We’ve introduced a new set of arranging tools in the Touch UI to streamline editing and song structure workflow. These tools are designed to work directly with the Loop Brace, allowing fast and intuitive arrangement editing. New Bottom Bar Arrange F Keys Four new function keys have been added along the bottom of the Touch UI when working in Arrange Mode: • Cut • Copy • Paste • Duplicate These functions operate using the Loop Brace as the selection range. How It Works 1. Position the Loop Brace around the section of the arrangement you want to edit. 2. Press one of the edit functions. Examples: • Copy o Copies the contents inside the Loop Brace. o Move the playhead to a new location. o Press Paste to insert the copied content at the playhead position. • Cut o Removes and copies the contents inside the Loop Brace. • Duplicate o Copies the contents inside the Loop Brace. o Pastes the copy immediately after the selection. o Automatically moves the Loop Brace to the duplicated region for quick repeated duplication. Example: If the Loop Brace covers bars 1–3, pressing Duplicate will create a copy from bars 3–5 and move the Loop Brace to bars 3–5. Loop Brace Advanced Edit Menu You can now access additional editing commands directly from the Toolbar Edit menu. You can also use Double Tap the Loop Brace to bring up the same Edit menu Available Commands • Cut • Copy • Paste • Duplicate • Clear • Delete • Insert Blank Bars • Insert Clip Row • More Options… o Legacy editing (popup-based) options are still available via the “More Options” entry Insert Clip Rows You can now insert Clip Matrix rows directly into the arrangement. How to Use From the Arrange Edit menu select Insert Clip Row to open the new Insert Clip Row pop-up. Insert Clip Row Options • Playhead Position o Determines where the Clip Row will be inserted in the arrangement. • Bars o Sets how many bars the Clip Row will be inserted for. [...]

MPC Live III Specific Updates The following section is only for MPC Live III hardware. MPCe Expressive Pads The MPC Live III introduces MPCe expressive pads, unlocking new levels of creative control on drum tracks. Key Features: • Multi-Dimensional Expression: MPCe expressive pads send X, Y, and Pressure (Aftertouch) modulation signals on drum tracks. • Dynamic Parameter Mapping: Assign pad movements to a vast array of parameters, enabling deeply expressive and inspiring drum kits. • Real-Time Sample Layer Crossfading: Seamlessly transition between sample layers per pad. • Advanced Synthesis Control: Modulate synthesis parameters like filter cutoff and resonance using the Track Edit Modulation Matrix. • Multi-Articulation Triggering: Assign up to four different drum articulations per pad— e.g., original hit, flam, paradiddle, and roll. Note, you can turn off the recording of Pad X Y messages in the Preferences > Sequencer “Record Pad XY Events” field. Expressive Pad Mod Matrix Sources On a Drum track, within the Track Edit > Mod Matrix tab, the Source field contains various MPCe expressive messages. These can be used as modulation sources to control targets like Filter Cutoff and more: • Pad X — The raw x-axis message sent from an MPCe pad. • Pad Y — The raw y-axis message sent from an MPCe pad. • Pad XY — Center Dist - The magnitude of the distance from the center of the pad. • Pad XY — Press Dist - The magnitude of the distance from the initial pad press. • Pad dX — The magnitude of the distance from the initial pad press on the horizontal axis. • Pad dY — The magnitude of the distance from the initial pad press on the vertical axis. How to Crossfade Sample Layers with MPCe Pads: 1. On a drum track, select a pad and add four samples to Layers 1-4. o Tip: Use variations of the same sample, such as a chord played by four different synth presets. 2. Navigate to the Track Edit > Global tab and set Layer Play to Crossfade. [...]

Key Features New Effects Added MPC now ships with five new effects from MPC Sample: • Color Compressor – Adds character and punch while controlling dynamics, inspired by classic hardware compression. • Trigger FX – A performance-focused multi-effect that can be triggered for stutter, filter, delay, and other creative effects. • Vintage – Adds warmth, saturation, and lo-fi character to emulate the sound of classic hardware samplers. • Vinyl Emulation – Recreates the sound of vinyl records, including noise, dust, wobble, and age-related character. • Tape Emulation - Recreates the sound of tape machines, including wow, noise and pitch. Activation: Go to Preferences > Activations to download these effects before using them. Once downloaded, the new effects are available in the Effects Browser and can be used on inserts, submixes, or the master channel. Export as MPC Sample File From MPC you can now export a drum track directly as an MPC Sample File from both the desktop software and standalone MPC hardware. From MPC Desktop Software 1. Go to File 2. Select Export 3. Choose As MPC Sample File From Standalone MPC / Force 1. On a Drum Track, open the Mode Menu 2. Select Save 3. From the selector choose Save Drum Track As MPC Sample File This allows drum tracks to be quickly saved and transferred as MPC Sample Files for use across MPC systems. MPC desktop and standalone can now load MPC Sample projects. Bug Fixes Arrange • Unquantized clips are no longer quantized automatically when recording a clip into Arrangement. CV Tracks • Advanced CV routing is now per track rather than global. • Duplicating or copying a CV track no longer causes 'settings replaced by Track Edit' message to appear. • CV Out now sends correctly when assigning a modifier to any other port. Edit - Track • Track and Pad automation is no longer removed from the current drum track when using Edit Pad MIDI Note Map. Drum Track Edit [...]

Bug Fixes Saving and Loading: • MPC will no longer crash when loading a project with corrupt samples • Cancelling MPC2 import no longer results in empty project with no Outputs • Loading Force projects with CV tracks will no longer cause an error message Sample Edit: • Sample Edit default tab has been corrected • Sample Edit Start and End markers no longer become unresponsive when slice is set to 'Pad' in Track Edit • Sample Edit Start and End markers no longer change after placing the sample on an Audio track MPCe: • Aftertouch and Pad X/Y Position automation events are now captured when recording Clips to Arrange • Fixed an issue that could cause the MPCe pads to not respond on the first boot after an update • MPC Live III and XL performance has been improved in projects containing high numbers of note events Track Mute: • Track Mute mode now edits the correct group after duplicating/deleting a track • MPC Live III and XL Step Sequencer Track Mute buttons now edit the correct track after duplicating/deleting a track Touch Strip/Q-Links: • Touch Strip Q-Link mode order is now correct • Current Track Q-Link no longer jumps to the first 2 tracks Playback: • Clips can now be retriggered after switching sequence during playback • Reduced cases of stutters and audio dropouts when changing clip or sequence Popups: • Added clarification to Eject error to state reason for drive being in use Grid View: • Holding Shift and pressing cursor buttons in Grid View now works for zoom in/out in Standalone Plugins: • Audio dropout no longer occurs when using certain internal plugin effects Drum Tracks: • Improved responsiveness of drum envelope attack and decay values Activations: • Reduced cases where products could deactivate at startup Known Issues • Ableton Live ALS imports project with the wrong clip lengths • Running status can cause certain third-party keyboards to have stuck notes when using MIDI DIN jacks [...]

Q-Link Mode: MPCe Pads The new MPCe Q-Link Mode transforms each MPCe pad into an expressive XY control surface, providing direct, hands-on modulation of synthesis and effects parameters. This feature bridges pad performance and real-time parameter control, offering a faster, more tactile alternative to traditional Q-Link knob mapping. XYPad Control Each MPCe pad can now function as a mini XY pad, transmitting X, Y, and Pressure data for real-time modulation of insert effects or synthesis parameters. You can: • Assign pad axis data to modulate filter cutoff, resonance, LFO depth, or any other assignable parameter. • Use empty pads within a Drum Track as dedicated modulation surfaces — similar to a Kaoss Pad — for controlling effects or automation. Q-Link Integration Using MPCe Q-Link Track Mode, you can map expressive pad data directly to Q-Link parameters. This enables seamless real-time control over insert effects, instrument parameters, or modulation routings directly from the pads. How to Assign Parameters 1. On a Drum Track 2. Open Q-Link Edit and navigate to the MPCe Pads tab. 3. Use the Pad field to choose the pad you wish to edit. o Tip: Setting Pad = All allows you to make assignments that apply globally to all pads. 4. Use the Control dropdown to specify whether you are editing the X-axis, Y-axis, Pressure, or Quadrant of a pad. 5. Assign parameters using the [+] button or [Learn] function, just like any other Q-Link assignment. Visual Feedback • The TUI Pad Component provides an on-screen visualization of each pad’s X/Y movement, allowing intuitive tracking of modulation gestures. • A Pressure Graph displays real-time pressure response, making it easy to see and fine-tune pad sensitivity and modulation range during performance. Notes • MPCe Q-Link Mode is only accessible from a Drum Track. • MPCe Q-Link Mode supports both Project and Track modes. MPCe Layer → Quadrant [...]