AKAI PROFESSIONAL APC mini Compact Controller

Introduction

Thank you for purchasing the APC mini mk2. At Akai Professional, we know how serious music is to you. That’s why we design our equipment with only one thing in mind—to make your performance the best it can be.

Box Contents

• APC mini mk2
• Ableton Live Lite (download) Software
• Download Cards
• US CableB
• User Guide
• Safety & Warranty Manual

Support

For the latest information about this product (documentation, technical specifications, system requirements, compatibility information, etc.) and product registration, visit akaipro.com.
For additional product support, visit akaipro.com/support.

Setup

1. On your computer, open Ableton Live.
2. Use the included USB cable to connect APC mini mk2’s USB port to an available USB port on your computer (powered on).
3. In Ableton Live, open the Preferences:
4. Windows: Options > Preferences
5. macOS: Live > Preferences
6. Click the Link/MIDI Tab.
7. Click an available Control Surface drop-down menu and select APC mini mk2.
8. Click an available Input drop-down menu and select APC mini mk2.
9. Click an available Output drop-down menu and select APC mini mk2.
10. Make sure that the Track option under MIDI Input is enabled for APC mini mk2 (Port 2).
11. Close the Preferences window.
12. You can now use APC mini mk2 with Ableton Live.

Features

1. USB Port: Use a standard USB cable to connect this port to a USB port on your computer. The computer’s USB port provides power to APC mini mk2. This connection is also used to send and receive MIDI data to and from your computer.
2. Kensington© Lock Slot: You may use this Kensington lock slot to secure the APC mini mk2 to a table or other surface.
3. Clip Stop Buttons : Normally, you can press one of these buttons to stop the clip in the corresponding track—represented by the column of eight Clip Buttons just above it. You can change their functions by pressing and holding Shift and then pressing one of the Scene Launch buttons labeled Soft Keys: Clip Stop, Solo, Mute, Rec Arm, or Select. Each button puts the Clip Stop Buttons in a different mode:

• Clip Stop Mode: The Clip Stop Buttons will stop their corresponding tracks (the default mode).
• Solo Mode: The Clip Stop Buttons will solo their corresponding tracks.
• Mute Mode: The Clip Stop Buttons will mute their corresponding tracks.
• Record-Arm Mode: The Clip Stop Buttons will record-arm their corresponding tracks.
• Select Mode : The Clip Stop Buttons will select their corresponding tracks.
• Press and hold Shift and press one of the right four Clip Stop Buttons ( ) to shift the viewable 8×8 matrix of clips. In Ableton Live’s Session View, this is indicated by a red rectangle around the clips.

1. Faders: Normally, you can use these faders to control various parameters in Ableton Live.
   Press and hold Shift and press one of the left four Clip Stop Buttons labeled Fader CTRL (Volume, Pan, Send, Device) to put APC mini mk2’s Faders in the corresponding mode:

2. Volume Mode: The eight faders will control the volume levels of the first eight tracks in Ableton Live.

3. Pan Mode: The eight faders will control the panning positions of the first eight tracks in Ableton Live.

4. Send Mode: The eight faders will control the levels of Send A for the first eight tracks in Ableton Live. Repeat this action to set the faders to control the levels of subsequent sends (e.g., Send B, Send C, etc.).

5. Device Mode: The eight faders will control the eight Macro Controls of the current device in Ableton Live.

6. Master Fader: Use this fader to control the Master track volume in Ableton Live.

7. Clip Buttons: While in Ableton Live’s Session View, use these buttons in this 8×8 matrix to launch clips. Each Clip Button represents a single clip slot. The eight columns represent eight tracks while the eight rows represent eight scenes. In Clip Launch Mode, the buttons’ colors will match the clip colors in Ableton Live. If there is nothing loaded to a clip slot in Ableton Live, the matching button will remain unlit. You can launch the entire scene by pressing the Scene Launch buttons to the right of the row of clips.

8. Scene Launch Buttons: Normally, you can press one of these buttons to launch the corresponding scene—represented by the row of eight Clip Buttons to its left.
   Press and hold Shift and then press one of the top five buttons labeled Soft Keys to change the function of the Clip Stop Buttons, which can then stop, solo, record-arm, mute, or select their corresponding tracks (see #3. Clip Stop Buttons above).
   Press and hold Shift and press the sixth or seventh buttons to enter Drum or Note modes for the Clip Buttons. See Advanced Operation to learn more about these modes.
   Press and hold Shift and then press the eighth (last) button (Stop All Clips) to stop all clips when they reach the end.

9. Shift: Press and hold this button and then press a Scene Launch button to change the function of the Clip Stop Buttons (see #3. Clip Stop Buttons above).
   Press and hold this button and then press one of the right four Clip Stop Buttons ( , ) to shift the viewable 8×8 matrix of clips. In Ableton Live’s Session View, this is indicated by a red rectangle around the clips.
   Press and hold Shift and press one of the left four Clip Stop Buttons (Volume, Pan, Send, Device) to put APC mini mk2’s Faders in the corresponding mode (see

   4. Faders above).

Basic Operation

Refer to this section to learn how to do basic tasks in Ableton Live using APC mini mk2.

• Important: Before doing any of the following, set up APC mini mk2 as a controller in Ableton Live (described in the Setup section above).
• To launch a clip, press one of the Clip Buttons (in the 8×8 matrix) that is dimly lit, which means there is a clip loaded to that slot but is not playing. The Clip Button will be brightly lit when it is playing.

To stop a clip:

1. Press and hold Shift and press the first Scene Launch Button (Clip Stop). This puts the Clip Stop Buttons at the bottom of the 8×8 matrix of Clip Buttons in Clip Stop Mode.
2. Press the Clip Stop Button in the same track (column) as the clip you want to stop.

• To launch a scene, press one of the eight Scene Launch Buttons to the right of the 8×8 matrix of Clip Buttons.
  To move around the matrix of clips, press and hold Shift and press one of the right four Clip Stop Buttons ( , ) to shift the viewable 8×8 matrix. In the software, this is represented by a red rectangle around the clips.

• To solo a track:

1. Press and hold Shift and press the second Scene Launch Button (Solo). This puts the Clip Stop Buttons at the bottom of the 8×8 matrix of Clip Buttons in Solo Mode.

2. Press the Clip Stop Button in the same column as the track you want to solo.

• To mute a track:

1. 1. Press and hold Shift and press the third Scene Launch Button (Mute). This puts the Clip Stop Buttons at the bottom of the 8×8 matrix of Clip Buttons in Mute Mode.

2. Press the Clip Stop Button in the same column as the track you want to mute.

• To record-arm a track:

1. Press and hold Shift and press the fourth Scene Launch Button (Rec Arm). This puts the Clip Stop Buttons at the bottom of the 8×8 matrix of Clip Buttons in Record-Arm Mode.
2. Press the Clip Stop Button in the same column as the track you want to record-arm.

• To select a track:

1. Press and hold Shift and press the fifth Scene Launch Button (Select). This puts the Clip Stop Buttons at the bottom of the 8×8 matrix of Clip Buttons in Select Mode.
2. Press the Clip Stop Button in the same column as the track you want to select.

• To stop all clips, press and hold Shift and press the eighth (last) Scene Launch Button (Stop All Clips).
• To adjust volumes, press and hold Shift and press the first Clip Stop Button (Volume) to put APC mini mk2’s Faders in Volume Mode. The first eight Faders will control the volume levels of the first eight tracks in Ableton Live.
• To adjust panning, press and hold Shift and press the second Clip Stop Button (Pan) to put APC mini mk2’s Faders in Pan Mode. The first eight Faders will control the panning positions of the first eight tracks in Ableton Live.
• To adjust send levels, press and hold Shift and press the third Clip Stop Button (Send) to put APC mini mk2’s Faders in Send Mode. The first eight Faders will control the levels of Send A for the first eight tracks in Ableton Live.
• Tip: Repeat this action to set the faders to control the levels of subsequent sends (e.g., Send B, Send C, etc.).
• To adjust devices, press and hold Shift and press the fourth Clip Stop Button (Device) to put APC mini mk2’s Faders in Device Mode. The first eight Faders will control the eight Macro Controls of the current device in Ableton Live.

Advanced Operation

Drum Mode

• APC mini mk2’s Drum Mode splits the matrix of Clip Buttons into 4×4 quadrants that align with Ableton’s 16 slot Drum Rack, starting with the lower-left quadrant.
• To enter Drum Mode, press and hold Shift and press the sixth Scene Launch Button.

Note Mode

• APC mini mk2’s Note Mode changes the layout of the Clip Button matrix to be used to play notes like a chromatic keyboard. The note scale, octave, and layout of the Clip Buttons can all be adjusted directly from APC mini mk2.
• To enter Note Mode, press and hold Shift and press the seventh Scene Launch Button (Note).
• While in Note Mode, the Clip Button colors will change to reflect the selected scale notes. Scale root notes will be lit red, while other notes in the scale will be lit amber.
• When a Clip Button is pressed, all Clip Buttons of the same note and octave will be lit bright green, while all Clip Buttons of the same note in other octaves will be lit light green.
• To edit the Note Mode settings, press and hold both Shift and the seventh Scene Launch Button (Note). The matrix of Clip Buttons will change to the following layout, which you can use to adjust various settings for Note Mode:

 | Db| Eb| | Gb| Ab| Bb|
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---
C| D| E| F| G| A| B|
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Separate Rows by 3rd| Separate Rows by 4th| Separate Rows by 5th| Separate Rows by 6th|  |  |  |
Separate Rows by 7th| Separate Rows by Octave|  | Show/Hide Non-Scale Notes| |  |  |
Chromatic| Major| Melodic Minor| Harmonic Minor| Major Pentatonic| Minor Pentatonic| Dorian| Phrygian
Lydian| Mixolydian| Aeolian| Locrian| Blues| Flamenco| Hungarian| Whole Tone
OCT -2| OCT -1| OCT 0| OCT 1| OCT 2| OCT 3| OCT 4| OCT 5

• When any parameter is changed, the Clip Buttons will display an animation to confirm the selected choice.
• Use the top two rows of Clip Buttons to change the desired root note of the scale. When pressed, the new selection will light green. Press and hold a root note button to see the name of the currently selected scale displayed in the matrix. For instance, if C is selected, the matrix would appear like the following:
• Use the first four columns in the fourth and fifth rows of Clip Buttons to change the note layout. Each row of notes can be separated by a 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, or an Octave. Press and hold one of these buttons to display the selected value in the matrix. For instance, if Separate Rows by 5th is selected, the pad matrix would appear like the following:
• Press the Show/Hide Non-Scale Notes Button to enable or disable notes not in the currently selected scale from appearing in the pad rows. When disabled, Clip Buttons for non-scale notes will be unlit.
• Use the sixth and seventh rows of Clip Buttons to select the scale type. Press and hold one of these buttons to display the scale name in the matrix as scrolling letters.
• Use the eighth row of Clip Buttons to set the base octave for the pads. Press and hold one of these buttons to display the current octave setting in the matrix. For instance, if -1 Octave is selected, the pad matrix would appear like the following:
• To exit Note Mode editing, release both Shift and the seventh Scene Launch Button (Note), and the Clip Buttons will change color to reflect the updated selections.

Technical Specifications

1 assignable main fader

Dimensions

(width x depth x height)

| 9.5” x 8.3” x 1.3”

240 x 210 x 32 mm

Weight| 1.79 lbs.

0.81 kg

Specifications are subject to change without notice.

Trademarks & Licenses

Akai Professional is a trademark of inMusic Brands, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Akai Professional and MPC are trademarks of inMusic Brands, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Ableton is a trademark of Ableton AG. Kensington and the K & Lock logo are registered trademarks of ACCO Brands. macOS is a trademark of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and other countries. All other product names, company names, trademarks, or trade names are those of their respective owners.

• akaipro.com

Documents / Resources

| AKAI PROFESSIONAL APC mini Compact Controller [pdf] User Guide
APC mini Compact Controller, APC mini, Compact Controller, Controller
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| AKAI PROFESSIONAL APC Mini Compact Controller [pdf] User Guide
APC Mini Compact Controller, APC Mini, Compact Controller, Controller

References

• Music Production Hardware & Software | Akai Pro
• MPC Plugin Instruments

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