Retro MPC X SE Beat Production: Tides of Neon
How I Turned a Spontaneous Jam Session into "Tides of Neon" on the MPC X SE
In this article and the video below, I describe how I took a simple beat composed on an Akai MPC Live II and transferred to the Akai MPC X SE to produce the beginnings of a new song I call Tides of Neon.
The unscripted video is relatively long form compared to the other videos I usually do. In all I probably spent a little more than 1 hour recording to get to the final product, which I was able to edit down to just under 25 minutes. I hope you enjoy the article and video.
For years, my friends and I have made it a tradition to get away for an annual beach house retreat. We started back in high school, and even though we paused during the pandemic, we were thrilled to restart the tradition last year.
This time, I decided to bring a little extra fun: my MPC Live 2. My goal? To make beats during the trip and even get my friends to join in the music-making action.
I packed up my MPC Live 2, tossed it in the minivan, and got ready to produce some beats during our downtime. It wasn’t just about me creating music, though—I also wanted to involve my friends in the process.
The MPC Live 2 is perfect for this kind of spontaneous jam session, thanks to its portability and intuitive interface. Let’s dive into what happened!
The Setup: Transferring Beats to the MCP X SE
Shortly after the trip to the beach house, I got to work. I had a few beats I’d been tinkering with, and I transferred them from the MPC Live 2’s internal storage to the SD card.
The next step was to move those beats over to my MPC X for some deeper editing and arranging. The plan was to take the raw beats, extend them a bit, and try to turn them into full songs or at least something more fleshed out.
It was a simple process—just saving the projects to the card, loading them into the MPC X, and continuing from where I left off.
Once I had the beats loaded, I started exploring some of the collaborations we had recorded, particularly one session with my friend Chris.
Jamming with Friends: A Fun Collaboration
One of the highlights of the trip was getting my friends involved in the jam sessions. We started by pulling up the beats we created together and exploring the sound.
The track with Chris, in particular, stood out—a chilled, laid-back vibe that I really liked as it was. It had that spontaneous feel you get when you're jamming with friends, and I wanted to preserve that authenticity while also building on it.
After listening to the raw beats, I decided to mute a few tracks to experiment with the arrangement. My goal was to bring in different instruments at just the right time, layering them in harmony.
It was a fun challenge figuring out how to give the track structure while keeping the spirit of our jam session intact.
Arranging the Track: From Jam to Song
As the session continued, I experimented with muting different channels, adjusting the timing of certain instruments, and nudging notes into place. It’s all part of the creative process—trying things out, seeing what works, and fine-tuning the groove. With each pass, the beat started to come together.
I also created another sequence, which ultimately became the chorus of the song.
Once I was happy with the foundation of the beat, it was time to arrange it into a song. I used the MPC’s song mode to sequence the different parts, starting with the main groove and gradually layering in additional elements. I played around with different sequences, repeating some sections to create a structured flow.
Listening back, I was really happy with how it turned out. The track had a cool progression—from a slightly spooky, eerie vibe in the verses to a more upbeat, happy sound in the chorus. It reminded me of how music can take you on a journey, changing moods as it evolves.
The Mixdown: Unexpected Success
One of the surprises of this trip was discovering just how capable the MPC X SE is for mixdowns. While it’s not primarily designed for this, it handled the audio tracks, effects, and everything else I threw at it like a champ.
I’m excited to dive deeper into this machine to see what else it can do and share in future articles and videos.
I’ve saved the track on SoundCloud and embedded below, so you can all hear how it turned out.
Tides of Neon:
I think this could be expanded to include vocals, and possibly other instruments like a synth pad and distorted guitar. What do you think?
Final Thoughts: A Workflow That Works
This trip to the beach house was more than just a relaxing getaway—it was a reminder of how fun and spontaneous music-making can be.
Whether it’s jamming with friends or working solo, the MPC Live 2 proved to be a versatile tool that’s perfect for creating on the go.
I’m looking forward to sharing more about this journey and continuing to explore what this powerful piece of gear can do.
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