Akai MPD218

[ciacnorris]

EDIT: better instructions in the second post.
DON'T USE THE FILES ATTACHED TO THIS POST!


Hello. I'm sorry if I'm posting in the wrong place: this is not a fixture but I don't know where this post should go. Please move it wherever needed.

I have just tested an Akai MPD218 controller and I would like to share what I have found, in case it is useful for somebody else.

Short story: download QLC+RENAMEME.qxi, rename it to QLC+.mpd218 and load it to your MPD218; use Akai-MPD218.qxi as input profile in QLC+ and everything works.

Long story:

Caveat: I'm referring to the presets I have found in my MPD218. I don't know if others may be shipped with different presets preloaded.

1) By default, when you plug the MPD218 for the first time, it starts working with Preset 1. Preset 1 send messages on both MIDI channels 1 and 10. To make it work this way, you should configure QLC+ to receive all MIDI channels from the MPD218. Anyway, by pressing PROG SELECT + PAD 2 you can load a preset which send data only on channel 1.

2) The second problem is that the preset 2 sends aftertouch data, which makes quite impossible to auto-detect the desired pad input in virtual console's buttons settings. There is no preloaded preset with aftertouch turned off by default.

3) To solve this problem you must have access to Windows or OSX at least once. You need MPD218's editor, which you can download from here: https://www.akaipro.com/mpd218

4) With it you can modify any parameter of the presets. The quickest thing to do is loading the second preset ( File -> Load from hardware -> Preset Slot 2 GET ), turning off all the aftertouch ( Tools -> Auto Populate Tool -> check AFT -> select OFF -> select Apply to Banks A, B and C -> APPLY ), and then saving the modified preset in the controller ( File -> Send To Hardware -> SEND ). If you are too lazy, you can just open the attached QLC+ preset (QLC+RENAMEME.qxi), rename it to QLC+.mpd218 and load it to hardware.

5) If you use my attached QLC+ preset in your MPD218 (Akai-MPD218.qxi), you will be able to use my attached MPD218 profile for QLC+ (just put it in your InputProfiles folder).

Now you can use all the pads' and encoders' banks A, B and C.

[ciacnorris]

I found out that the previous setup gave me some problems with the knobs, so welcome to

How to make the Akai MPD218 work with QLC+
version 2

1) You need Windows or OSX. Install the MPD218 Editor. Currently, you can download it from https://www.akaipro.com/mpd218, Downloads tab.

2) If you want to check the installed presets to find one you want to overwrite, do it now. ( File -> Load From Hardware)

3) Use the Auto Populate Tool to create a preset with these settings. Don't forget to select banks A, B and C for both PADS and KNOBS, and to hit both the APPLY buttons.

4) Optionally, rename the preset you have just created.

mpd218 03.jpg (11.63 KiB) Viewed 2910 times

Continues...

[ciacnorris]

...follows


5) Send the preset to the MPD218. Remember the slot number you choose.

6) Close the MPD218 Editor. On the MPD218, hold PROG SELECT and press the pad with the same number as the slot you chose for this preset, to activate it.

7) Download the attached Akai-MPD218.qxi file and put it into you InputProfiles folder.

8) Have fun!

[mcallegari]

[moderator] moved to community. It had nothing to do with fixture definitions...

Thanks for sharing the info. I'll check if the input profile can be added in the next release.