How I Use the MPC Live 3 and Xone DB4 for Seamless Live Drumfunk Sets
For my next live Drumfunk set, as usual I'm building the whole performance around the Akai MPC Live 3 and my Allen and Heath Xone DB4 mixer.
The MPC handles the projects, sequences, clips, breaks, bass, atmospheres and rough song structures. The DB4 handles the transitions, achieved via synchronised looping, plus flexible routing which the DB4 excels at.
Switching projects on an MPC during a live set is awkward bit, unless your entire set is programmed into one project which is entirely possible. Prior to the MPCs ability to stream audio from disk, you had to consider the RAM limitations and be very economical with your samples.
Using separate projects of course means a whole new chunk of RAM to play with - but poses another glaringly obvious issue - the MPC needs time to load the next project. So how do I achieve the transition?
The key is simple: use a 'transition machine. I personally use the Xone DB4 to capture loops from the current MPC project, let those loops keep playing, then load the next MPC project in the background.
Once the new project is ready, I bring it in by ear and by hand, using the same DJ skills as I would if using traditional DJ decks or turntables.
The setup is flexible and the DB4 looper is the secret weapon, but it does not remove the skill of human timing. I still have to hit play at the right moment when bringing the next track in after loading the next project. If I'm slightly out, I ride the tempo by nudging the MPC tempo up or down, to get it in phase with the looped audio from the DB4.
This keeps things organic, so I'm not accused of using the 'sync' button and cheat my way through a performance. I don't find any value, challenge or fun in that, as I'm sure my audience doesn't.
Why the DB4 is the centre of the transition system
The Allen and Heath Xone DB4 is not just a mixer in this setup. It acts like a live buffer between MPC projects.
Each of its four channels can loop incoming audio. That means I can grab a section of the current MPC output, keep it running on the mixer, then switch to a different project on the MPC without the main audio dropping out. I set the DB4 tempo detection to 85 BPM, half of my MPC projects usual BPM of 170. This allows me to double the length of the loops the DB4 can capture.
On a normal MPC-only setup, moving between full projects can be clunky. Even if loading is quick, it breaks the illusion of a continuous set and you need to have at least one other device to use for transitions, synchronised or not. With club music, there isn't any compromise and the DB4 was absolutely the best option, even though it was released all the way back in 2010.
With the DB4, I can capture:
a rolling break section
a bass and drums groove
a stripped-down percussion loop
a musical phrase or texture
a transition-friendly section from the main output
Once that loop is captured, the MPC is free to load the next project. The audience still hears a continuous loop, and I can interact with the DB4 effects, faders and crossfader to keep things varied.
Before I found the DB4, I considered using a Boss RC-505 or RC-505MK2 for this job. Both are strong loopers, and for some live electronic setups they make a lot of sense. For this particular use, though, the DB4 suits me better. It sounds excellent, sits naturally in a DJ-style performance layout, and gives me more flexibility with channel routing, filters, EQ, effects and input assignment.
I was lucky to find one a couple of years ago. They are rare now, and they still hold their value for good reason. It is one of those pieces of gear that makes total sense once it sits in the middle of a real live setup.
The live transition is still about timing
The part I enjoy most is that the DB4 does not make the performance automatic. It gives me a safe way to move between projects, but I still have to perform using traditional DJ skills.
The physical correction is important to me. A lot of live electronic rigs can drift into being too safe. Sync buttons can be useful, but I like having to listen and tweak. When the groove is slightly off I pull it back into phase, and it feels alive.
For fast break-based music, that can be the difference between playback and performance. Drumfunk has all those tiny timing details: edits, shuffles, displaced snares, chopped rides, sub movement. If the transition feels too grid-locked, some of the danger disappears.
This setup gives me room to be accurate without being sterile.
How I route the MPC outputs into the DB4
One of the biggest reasons the DB4 works so well here is its input matrix. Each of the four mixer channels can be assigned to any of the four stereo inputs. That makes routing much more open than a basic channel-per-input mixer.
Some of my MPC projects are simple. Everything goes out of the MPC main outputs 1/2. For those projects, the DB4 just receives a stereo feed. I can mirror this by setting the other channels to the same inputs, but use different effects or filter/eq settings to further enhance the performance.
Other projects need more separation. When I want that, I use the MPC’s extra outputs and split the material into stems.
MPC output | Typical material | DB4 input use |
1/2 | Drums, breaks, or full main mix | Main MPC feed and loop capture source |
3/4 | Bass | Separate control for weight and drops |
5/6 | Mids, melodic parts, atmospheres and effects | Extra movement and live arrangement control |
DB4 input 4 | Transition channel | Captures or receives the looped main feed |
The MPC Live 3 gives me enough output options to make this practical. I can either run a simple stereo project or spread the important parts across three stereo pairs, depending on how much control I want for that track.
In practice, I often use DB4 stereo inputs 1, 2 and 3 for the MPC. That leaves input 4 available for transition duties. Input 4 can be assigned to capture the same MPC main output from stereo input 1, so I can grab a loop of the outgoing project while keeping the rest of the mixer ready for the next project.
The input matrix keeps me from being locked into one fixed patching idea. If a project is simple, I can keep it simple. If a particular project has drums, bass and musical elements that need to be separated so the mix isn't crowded, I can treat them more like live stems.
For anyone building an Akai MPC rig for an MPC live set, this approach sits somewhere between DJ mixing and MPC live performance, with the Allen and Heath Xone DB4 acting as the bridge between projects.
Using MPC Sounds to keep projects ready
The other part of the system is project organisation. When playing live, I do not want to browse through folders on my MPC SSD drive while a loop is running and the next transition is approaching.
This is where the MPC Sounds feature is useful. I can assign different projects to slots on the on-screen matrix, which makes them much quicker to find and load during a set.
Treating unfinished tracks as 'digital dubplates'.
A lot of the projects I play live are not finished songs. I think of them as digital dubplates.
They might have a strong break, a bassline, a few edits, a pad, a rough arrangement idea and some effects. They might not be ready to release, but they are more than enough to perform and interact with.
That is one of my favourite things about using the MPC live. I do not need every track to be fully arranged from start to finish. I can build the arrangement in the moment by muting parts, triggering sections, bringing stems in and out, looping on the DB4, and shaping the transition into the next idea.
I have the MPC Pro pack which includes the Clip Matrix, a feature ported over to MPC from the Akai Force for the MPC 3 firmware. In my next blog post I will elaborate more on why I think this is a revolutionary way to both sequence and arrange in the studio and perform live.
Being free from the idea that each project needs to be a finshed 6 minute track allows me to create more material. If every idea had to become a polished song before it could enter the live set, the process would slow down. By treating projects as playable sketches, I can build a larger pool of music and then return to the strongest pieces afterwards to flesh them out.
The live set becomes part of the writing process.
Why this feels better than a fully arranged set
There is nothing wrong with preparing a fixed set. For some shows, that is the right call. But for the way I like to play Drumfunk, I want the set to breathe.
The MPC gives me the source material. The DB4 gives me the space between ideas. Together, they let me move through projects without muting the room or pretending the transitions are not happening.
The main benefits are clear:
I can switch MPC projects without silence.
I can keep manual timing and phase control.
I can separate drums, bass and musical parts when needed.
I can use unfinished tracks in a musical way.
I can test ideas live and develop them later.
I can perform transitions instead of just waiting for loading screens.
The takeaway for MPC live performance
The most useful live setups solve a real problem without removing the need to perform. For me, the problem is moving between MPC projects smoothly. The solution is using the Xone DB4 to loop the outgoing audio while the MPC loads the next idea.
From there, the set still depends on listening, timing and touch. I have to launch the next project in time. I have to ride the tempo if it drifts. I have to choose loops that leave space. I have to decide which elements deserve to stay and which ones need to drop out.
That is the balance I want - enough structure to avoid technical dead ends, but enough risk to keep it exciting.
The MPC holds the dubplates. The DB4 keeps the room moving. The performance happens in the gap between them.
Comments