Chapter 14

Q-Links, pads & MIDI mapping

Put every parameter under your fingers.

0/11

In this chapter · 11

14.1Q-Link Edit
14.2Learning macro assignments
14.3Editing macro assignments
14.4Q-Links tab
14.5XY Pad
14.6Crossfader
14.7MIDI Learn
14.8Keyboard Control
14.9Key Ranges Mode
14.10MIDI Control Mode
14.11Pad Color Mode

14.1IntermediateManual Q-Link Edit p.304, Pad & Q-Link Controls p.361

Q-Link Edit

A macro ties several automation parameters to one control, even when those parameters live in different modes, so a single twist can move them all together. Q-Link Edit is where you create and manage macros, and where you map parameters to the XY Pad.

Three ways in

Press MENU | PREFS, then tap Q-Link Edit.
Hold Q-LINK | EDIT to bring up the Q-Links window, and choose Q-Link Edit from the foot of the screen (Q-Links tab).
Press SHIFT + Q-LINK | EDIT. This depends on Shift + Q-Link Press in the Preferences, which can make the same combo step backwards through the columns instead (Preferences: Hardware).

Key combinations

SHIFT + Q-LINK | EDIT: Opens Q-Link Edit Mode.With Shift + Q-Link Press set to open Q-Link Edit

Finding your way around the screen

The tabs along the bottom choose the control you are assigning to: Q-Links, XY Pad or Crossfader.
The Mode field switches between the modes that control offers. You can look at every mode’s assignments here, but some of them cannot be edited as macros.
The Control field picks, or shows, the individual control you are working on.
The parameter area lists what is assigned to the selected control, along with the tools to add and change those assignments.

From the community

MPC3: How to Master Performance Macros
Sineway
Building performance macros on the Q-Links in MPC 3, in the spirit of Elektron’s Control All.

How to Use MPC Q-Link Knobs for SP-404 & Gross Beat 'Half-Speed' Style FX! 🤯
Sarah2ill
Setting up Q-Links for SP-404 and Gross Beat-style half-speed effects, from Sarah2ill’s MPC 3 material.

14.2IntermediateManual Learning Macro Assignments p.305, Learning Macro Assignments p.306, Learning Macro Assignments p.309, Pull-Down Menu p.70

Learning macro assignments

The hands-on way to build a macro is to switch Learn on, go to the screen that holds a parameter, and move it: the MPC picks up whatever you touch. You can also choose parameters from a menu, or copy them from a macro you have already made.

Learn a parameter

In Q-Link Edit, use the tabs along the foot of the screen to choose your control type: Q-Links, XY Pad or Crossfader.
If that control has modes, choose one with the Mode field up top.
Pick the control with the Control field. In some modes, Q-Links among them, you can tap it below the field or just move it instead.
Check that you are in an editable mode: the yellow Learn button and the learn add (+) button only show up there. Tap Learn so it is highlighted.
Go to the mode showing the parameter you want, and adjust it. A message on the screen confirms what was learned.
To add more parameters to the same macro, go to them and adjust them too.
Return to Q-Link Edit and tap Learn again to lock everything in. Select the control and you will see its parameters listed.

Options under the arrow beside Learn

Add: Uncheck this and the next parameter you learn takes the place of the previous one rather than joining it.
Range: Check this, then with Learn on, move the parameter to the lowest and highest points you want. Once locked in, the macro works only inside that span.
Toggle: Check this and the learned parameter flips on and off each time the control is touched or moved. Useful for muting and unmuting several tracks in one go.
Trigger: Check this and the learned parameter jumps to its maximum whenever the control is touched or moved.

The same Learn controls are on the second page of the pull-down menu, so you can start a macro from any mode (The pull-down menu).

To choose from a list instead, tap the learn add (+) button and pick from the menu that appears. What it offers depends on the selected Mode and on the tracks in your project.

What the add menu offers

Selected	Mixer	Event	Edit or Track	Insert 1–4
Audio Track	Volume, Pan, Mute, Solo, Send 1–4	Mute	—	Depends on the effect
Drum Track, `Parameter` set to `Track`	Volume, Pan, Mute, Solo, Send 1–4	Mute	Edit: Global Semi Tune, Global Fine Tune	`Off`, plus whatever the effect offers
Drum Track, `Parameter` set to `Pad`	Pan, Level, Send 1–4, Pad Mute, Pad Solo	—	Edit: see the next table	`Off`, plus whatever the effect offers
Keygroup Track, `Parameter` set to `Track`	Volume, Pan, Mute, Solo, Send 1–4	Mute	Edit: Global Semi Tune, Global Fine Tune	Depends on the effect
Keygroup Track, `Parameter` set to `Keygroup`	Pan, Level, Send 1–4, Pad Mute, Pad Solo	—	Edit: see the next table	Depends on the effect
Plugin Track	Volume, Pan, Mute, Solo, Send 1–4	Mute	Track: depends on the plugin	Depends on the effect
MIDI Track	—	Mute	Edit: standard MIDI control change assignments	—
CV Track	—	Mute	Edit: CV Out 1–4	—
Return	Volume, Pan, Mute	Mute	—	Depends on the effect
Submix	Volume, Pan, Mute	Mute	—	Depends on the effect
Main Output	Volume, Pan, Mute	Mute	—	Depends on the effect

Edit parameters for a pad or a keygroup

Group	Parameters	Available on
Tuning and filter	Tuning, Filter Cutoff, Filter Resonance, Filter Type, Filter Env Amount	Drum pads and keygroups
Amp envelope	Amp Env Attack, Amp Env Hold, Amp Env Decay, Amp Env Sustain, Amp Env Release, Amp Env Attack Curve, Amp Env Decay Curve, Amp Env Release Curve	Drum pads and keygroups
Filter envelope	Filter Env Attack, Filter Env Hold, Filter Env Decay, Filter Env Sustain, Filter Env Release, Filter Env Attack Curve, Filter Env Decay Curve, Filter Env Release Curve	Drum pads and keygroups
Pitch envelope	Pitch Env Attack, Pitch Env Hold, Pitch Env Decay, Pitch Env Sustain, Pitch Env Release, Pitch Env Decay Mode, Pitch Env Attack Curve, Pitch Env Release Curve, Pitch Env Depth, Pitch Env Type	Drum pads and keygroups
LFO	LFO Wave, LFO Rate, LFO Sync, LFO to Pitch, LFO to Filter, LFO to Amp, LFO to Pan	Drum pads and keygroups
Velocity	Velocity to Pitch, Velocity to Amp Attack, Velocity to Amp, Velocity to Pan, Velocity to Start, Vel to Filter Attack, Velocity to Filter Depth, Vel to Filter Cutoff	Drum pads and keygroups
Random	Attack Random, Decay Random, Cutoff Random, Resonance Random, Total Random Amount	Drum pads and keygroups
Layers, each for layers 1–8	Layer Level, Layer Sample Pan, Layer Semi Tune, Layer Fine Tune, Layer Play Offset, Layer Offset, Layer Slice, Layer Reverse, Layer Loop Xfade, Layer Loop Xfade Type, Layer Slice Tail Length, Layer Slice Tail Start, Layer Pitch Random, Layer Level Random, Layer Pan Random, Layer Offset Random, Layer Osc Parameters	Drum pads and keygroups
Pad position	Pad X Position, Pad Y Position	Drum pads only
Second LFO	LFO 2 Wave, LFO 2 Rate, LFO 2 Sync, LFO 2 Reset	Drum pads only
LFO shaping, each numbered 1–2	LFO Level, LFO Delay, LFO Delay Sync, LFO Fade In, LFO Fade In Sync	Drum pads only
Velocity scaling	Velocity Scaling	Drum pads only
Layer crossfade	Layer Crossfade Mode, Layer Crossfade X/Y	Drum pads only
Drift	Global Drift Speed, Voice Drift Speed	Drum pads only
Ramps and note counters	Ramp 1 Time, Ramp 2 Time, Note Counter 1 Size, Note Counter 2 Size	Drum pads only
DrumFX, each numbered 1–8	DrumFX, DrumFX Type	Drum pads only
Articulation, each numbered 1–4	Articulation Speed, Articulation Dynamics, Articulation Stereo, Articulation Speed Scale	Drum pads only

Copy a macro you have already made

Open the parameter menu with the learn add (+) button.
Select Copy Existing Macro.
Choose Replace to swap the current macro’s settings for the copied ones, or Merge to combine the two.
Pick the macro you want to copy from the menu.

When you let go of the control

Momentary: A button that decides what happens on release. On, the parameter moves only while you are turning the Q-Link, then returns to where it was when you switched Momentary on. Off, it stays wherever you leave it.Range On, Off
Go to Minimum: In the menu on the arrow beside Momentary. Check it to send the macro’s parameters to their minimum value on release.
Go to Previous: In the same menu. Check it to return to the last value held before the macro changed it.

The keyboard icon in the toolbar lets you type a new name for the macro.

From the community

14.3AdvancedManual Editing Macro Assignments p.310

Editing macro assignments

Learning a parameter is only the start. The collapsible parameter inspector, above the control tabs on the right of the screen, lets you decide how the macro drives each parameter it holds.

Tap the macro control on the screen, or touch or move it on the MPC, to select it.
Tap the learned parameter you want to change, so that it is highlighted grey.
Adjust it in the parameter inspector. Tap the inspector’s arrow to see the remaining settings.

Parameters

Flip: Reverses the knob’s polarity.
Parameter Range: Two knobs setting the lowest and highest values the control can send.
Control Input: Sets the macro’s response curve. The knobs next to this field decide what percentage of the control’s movement is active.Range Linear, Logarithmic, Exponential
Toggle: How the macro responds to movement. Off sends a continuous sweep of values, Toggle jumps between the minimum and maximum you set with Parameter Range, and Trigger Max sends the maximum every time.Range Off, Toggle, Trigger Max

To drop a parameter from a macro, tap the trash can icon. Remove the last one and the macro itself goes too.

From the community

14.4IntermediateManual Q-Links p.311, Q-Links p.313, Pad & Q-Link Controls p.361

Q-Links tab

This tab shows what the Q-LINKS are doing and, where the mode allows it, lets you change it. Some modes hold 16 assignments of your own; the rest are wired to a fixed job. The G2 has four knobs that work on one column at a time, so you reach all 16 by stepping through the columns with Q-LINK | EDIT (The Q-Link knobs).

To get here, tap Q-Links at the foot of Q-Link Edit Mode (Q-Link Edit). The Mode field up top then chooses what the knobs do.

Q-Link modes

Mode	What the knobs control	Assignments
`Screen`	A parameter or group of parameters belonging to whichever mode you are in, such as Pad Mixer or Sample Edit Mode.	Fixed
`Project 1–2`	16 parameters from anywhere in the project, whether on a track, pad, keygroup, insert, return, submix or the main output.	Editable
`Track`	16 parameters from the current track: the track itself, its pads or keygroups, or its inserts. Return, Submix and Main Output parameters are not available.	Editable
`Pad Scene`	16 parameters for the selected pad. Press a different pad and the same 16 now apply to that one. These assignments are kept with your user settings, so every project you load uses them.	Editable
`Pad Parameter`	One pad parameter across all 16 pads of the current bank. Set `Parameter` to Level and each knob sets one pad’s level; change it to Pan and the same knobs pan those pads.	Editable
`Track FX Rack`	16 parameters drawn only from the selected track’s Insert effects. You can save the assignments as part of an FX Rack preset.	Editable
`MIDI`	A set of MIDI performance controls such as modulation, pitch bend and sustain, to shape what you play as you play it.	Fixed
`Volume`	The level of the available tracks.	Fixed
`Pan`	The stereo position of the available tracks.	Fixed
`Send 1–4`	Each send on the available tracks.	Fixed

You do not have to leave what you are doing to switch modes. Holding Q-LINK | EDIT lays the Q-Links window over the current screen, wherever you are.

Key combinations

Hold Q-LINK | EDIT: Shows the Q-Links window until you let go.In any mode

In the Q-Links window

Tap an icon to choose a mode: Volume, Pan, Send 1–4, Project 1–2, Track, Track FX Rack, Pad Scene, Pad Parameter, MIDI or Screen.
Tap Q-Link Edit at the bottom to go straight to Q-Link Edit Mode.
Tap Q-Link Status to turn the pop-up of current assignments and values on or off. The same choice is in the Preferences as Show Q-Link Status When Touched (Preferences: General).
Release Q-LINK | EDIT to close the window.

From the community

MPC 3.0 EP-30 - Q Links Overview - Tutorial by NervousCook$
NervousCook$
A three-minute orientation to the Q-Links on MPC 3 before you start building macros.

14.5IntermediateManual XY Pad p.314

XY Pad

The XY Pad tab gives you four assignable XY Pads, and any automation parameter in your project can go on them. Each pad behaves like a collection of macros, because every part of its surface can carry its own assignments.

Tap the XY Pad tab to cycle through the four pads.
Use the Control field at the top left to choose the part you are assigning: either axis (X-Axis, Y-Axis), Columns 1–8, Rows 1–8, or the axes of the quadrants.
Tap Full Screen to spread the current XY Pad over the whole display.

Assigning works just as it does for a knob: see Learning macro assignments.

14.6AdvancedManual Crossfader p.315

Crossfader

Q-Link Edit has a Crossfader tab with 16 scenes, each able to hold one or more parameters. The manual presents it as the way to load up a touch strip’s crossfader mode. The G2 has no touch strip, and the manual names no other way to move the crossfader on this machine, so treat this as what the screen offers rather than as a control you can play.

Assign a parameter

Make sure the MPC is not playing back.
Choose a scene with the Control field, top left.
Select the parameter as described in Learning macro assignments. Track, Pad, Keygroup, Insert, Return, Submix and Main Output parameters all qualify.
Tap A or B to choose a side.

What each side does

Side	Left end of the crossfader	Right end of the crossfader
`A`	Minimum value	Maximum value
`B`	Maximum value	Minimum value

14.7IntermediateManual MIDI Learn p.318

MIDI Learn

MIDI Learn hands parameters in your project to an external MIDI controller. Move a control on the controller, tell the MPC what that control should drive, and the link is stored with the project.

What you can map

Mixer: volume, pan, mute, solo and similar settings on tracks, returns, submixes and main outputs.
Pads, on drum tracks only: tuning, filter and amp envelopes, layers, LFOs, velocity and the like.
Track parameters, which vary with the track type.
Insert effect parameters, which vary with the effect.

Assign a control

Press MENU | PREFS, then tap MIDI Learn.
Tap Learn in the upper-right corner to turn it on.
Tap + on the left of the touchscreen to make an empty assignment, with its Target menus reading None and Off. To change an existing assignment, tap it in the list instead.
Move or press the control on your MIDI controller. Type, Ch and Data fill themselves in.
Set Source to a track, return, submix or main output. On a drum track you can choose the whole track or one pad.
Choose the parameter from the Target menu. It also appears under Target in the list.
Repeat from step 3 for each further control, then tap Learn again to turn it off.

Each assignment’s settings

Source: Which track, return, submix or main output the control acts on, shown by name or number.
Target: The command or parameter being controlled.
Type: The kind of message, listed below. It is detected from Source and Target, and you can set it by hand if detection gets it wrong.
Ch: The MIDI channel the control uses.
Data: The MIDI note number or CC number.
Flip: Check the box to reverse the control’s polarity, so that a button’s off state becomes its on state and the other way round.

Type values

Type	For a	What it does
`Toggle Button`	Button	A press switches the command or parameter, and it stays that way until the next press.
`Momentary Button`	Button	Active only while you hold the button down.
`Fixed Button`	Button	Each press sends its command.
`Note`	Button	A press sends the MIDI note given in `Data`.
`Abs CC`	Knob	Sends the CC given in `Data` according to where the knob physically sits, so the value may leap when you start turning. Meant for knobs with end stops.
`Rel CC Offset`	Knob	Sends the CC given in `Data`, moving from the current value. Meant for 360° knobs on parameters that have a top and a bottom.
`Rel CC 2’s Complement`	Knob	Sends the CC given in `Data`, moving from the current value. Meant for 360° knobs on bipolar parameters with a centre position, such as panning.

Cleaning up

Clear one assignment: tap it in the list, then tap Clear in the bottom-left corner. Setting its Source to None and its Target to Off does the same thing.
Clear everything: tap Clear All in the upper-right corner.
Remove the slot altogether: tap it in the list, then tap Delete in the lower-right corner.

14.8BasicsManual Keyboard Control p.99

Keyboard Control

The manual’s Keyboard Control screen sets up a built-in keybed, along with its velocity response, pedal input and wheels. The G2 has no keybed, and the manual gives it no button or route to this screen, so the settings are left out of this guide.

What to use on the G2

Playing several tracks from an external keyboard: Key Ranges Mode sets a note range and MIDI filter for each track.
Deciding where a keyboard’s MIDI goes: the Global, Control and Track switches on each input port (Preferences: MIDI / Sync).
Pitch bend range: Global Pitch Bend, Range Down and Range Up in the Preferences (Preferences: Hardware).
Scales and chords on the pads: Pad Perform.

14.9IntermediateManual Key Ranges Mode p.329

Key Ranges Mode

Key Ranges Mode shows all your project’s MIDI tracks at a glance, each one a bar under a keyboard. It overlaps with Track View and Main Mode, but comes into its own when one large external keyboard has to play several instruments at once.

To open it, press MENU | PREFS, go to the second page of modes, and tap Key Ranges.

Key combinations

SHIFT + Drum Split: Maps drum tracks to the keyboard’s first 16 notes, lining them up with pads 1–16.In Key Ranges Mode

Setting ranges

Track: Selects a track. Tapping its bar under the keyboard does the same.
Min / Max: The lowest and highest MIDI note for the track. You can also drag either edge of a track bar to resize it, or drag from the middle to slide the whole range left or right.
Learn Min / Learn Max: Tap one of these buttons and play a key on your connected keyboard to make that note the bottom or top of the range.
New Track: Adds a track.
Pads: Mute/Solo: Cycles the pads between muting and soloing tracks for as long as you are in this mode.
Clear Solos: When you are soloing from the pads, unsolos every soloed track.
Solo Behavior: In the Key Ranges Settings window, behind the gear icon in the upper-right corner. Single allows one soloed track at a time, Multi allows several.Range Single, Multi

MIDI Filter

Note Min / Note Max: The lowest and highest MIDI note the track responds to.
Velocity Min / Velocity Max: The range of incoming velocity the track accepts.
MIDI CC Filter: A box for each message: checked lets it in, unchecked filters it out.
Reset: Resets every MIDI Filter setting.

The same XL Channel Strips you get in Main Mode are here too. Tap the icons above the condensed strips to show or hide them (Mixer strips).

14.10AdvancedManual MIDI Control Mode p.331

MIDI Control Mode

MIDI Control Mode lets you decide which MIDI messages certain controls send, so the MPC can play and control devices connected to its MIDI out. Your custom control map is live whenever you are in this mode, and your edits stay with the current project.

To open it, press MENU | PREFS, go to the second page of modes, and tap MIDI Control.

Pick a control to edit

Press or turn it. Then choose a tab at the lower left: Hardware for a pad, button or Q-Link, or XY for the XY pad.
Tap the Control field at the upper left, then turn DATA DIAL.
Double-tap the Control field and tap a name in the menu.

The I/O buttons along the top of the touchscreen open the MIDI Monitor, so you can see what is going out (The Toolbar). In Controller Mode, the desktop software also draws a picture of the hardware, showing each editable control’s current MIDI message, with the MIDI channel on pads and Q-Links.

Pads

Control: The pad being edited.Range Pad 1–Pad 16
Bank: The pad bank the pad belongs to.
Set All: Checked, the pad’s messages and parameters are the same across all eight banks. Unchecked, they apply to the current pad only.
Light LED: Never keeps the LEDs off. MIDI Input lights them when a matching MIDI message is received. Local lights them when you press the pad, when MIDI input arrives, or both.Range Never, MIDI Input, Local
MIDI Channel: The channel the pad sends on.Range 1–16
Note: The MIDI note the pad sends when pressed.Range 0–127 or C-2 to G8
Velocity: On makes the pad velocity-sensitive. Off sends every note at full level (127).Range On, Off
Aftertouch: What pressure after the first hit does. Off sends nothing. Channel means every pad set this way sends the same message when several are pressed. Poly gives each pad its own independent message.Range Off, Channel, Poly

Buttons: ERASE | CLEAR TRACK, TAP TEMPO | GLOBAL, UNDO | REDO and COPY | DELETE

Control: The button being edited.Range Erase, Tap, Undo, Copy
Light LED: Never keeps the LED or LEDs off. MIDI Input lights them when a matching MIDI message is received. Local lights them when you press the button, when MIDI input arrives, or both.Range Never, MIDI Input, Local
MIDI Channel: The channel the button sends on.Range 1–16
CC Number: The MIDI Control Change number the button sends.
Type: Whether the button acts as a Momentary switch or a latching Toggle switch.Range Momentary, Toggle

Q-Link knobs

Control: The Q-Link being edited.Range Q-Link 1–16
Light LED: You can change this field, but it does nothing on the hardware.Range Never, MIDI Input, Local
MIDI Channel: The channel the knob sends on.Range 1–16
CC Number: The MIDI Control Change number the knob sends.
Mode: Absolute ties the value to the knob’s position, so a parameter may snap to a new value when you use the knob across different modes. Relative nudges the value up or down wherever the knob happens to be.Range Absolute, Relative
Low Range: The lowest value the knob can reach.Range 0–127
High Range: The highest value the knob can reach.Range 0–127
Touch Sense: Switches the knob’s touch sensing. On, touching it sends a Note On, which is the normal behaviour. Off, it sends only CC messages when turned.Range On, Off
Note: The MIDI note sent on touch. Touch Sense has to be on.Range 0–127 or C-2 to G8

XY pad

Control: The axis being edited. The field is hidden if you came through the XY tab; tap the Hardware tab to bring it back.Range XYFX X-Axis, XYFX Y-Axis
Mute: Silences the axis’s MIDI output. You must be viewing the Settings to use this button.
MIDI Channel: The channel the axis sends on.Range 1–16
CC Number: The MIDI Control Change number the axis sends.
Low Range: The axis’s lowest value.Range 0–127
High Range: The axis’s highest value.Range 0–127

14.11BasicsManual Pad Color Mode p.336

Pad Color Mode

Pad Color Mode assigns colours to the pads of a track, so you can see at a glance what is where. It also decides how the pads light up as you play them, and how empty ones look.

Colour some pads

Press MENU | PREFS, go to the second page of modes, and tap Pad Color.
Choose the track with the Track field, and the bank of pads with the Bank field.
Use the Single Pad/All Pads selector to decide whether you are colouring one pad or all of them.
Tap a colour button.
Press a pad on the MPC, or tap it on the screen, to give it that colour.

Key combinations

SHIFT + tap a colour button: Gives that colour to every pad in the track.In Pad Color Mode
SHIFT + PAD: Selects the colour button matching that pad’s colour. Tapping the pad on the screen works too.In Pad Color Mode

How the pads light: the field in the lower-left corner

Setting	Not playing	When you press a pad
`Off`	Unlit	Unlit
`Classic Velocity`	Unlit	Coloured by velocity: yellow when low, red when high
`Fixed`	Lit in its assigned colour	Lit in its assigned colour
`Off->Velocity`	Unlit	Its assigned colour, as bright as the velocity is high
`Dim->Velocity`	Dimly lit	Its assigned colour, as bright as the velocity is high
`Bright->Velocity`	Brightly lit	Its assigned colour, as bright as the velocity is high

Empty pads: the Empty Pads field in the upper-left corner

Setting	Pads with no sound
`Empty pads off`	Stay off.
`Empty pads dim`	Stay more dimly lit than pads with sounds on them.
`Empty pads normal`	Look the same as pads with sounds on them.

Tap Make Default to make the current colours the starting point for every track of the same type. In the window that follows, tap Do It to confirm or Cancel to back out.