AKAI MPD226





for VirtualDJ 8.2+
Last Update : April 2017


 

SETUP


Drivers


No driver software is required for the AKAI MPD226 to be installed. The device is a USB class compliant and your Operating System will auto-install the necessary driver when connected with a USB cable. The unit offers external powering as well, but is not required for the unit to operate (USB bus powered)

VirtualDJ Setup


Download and install VirtualDJ from https://www.virtualdj.com/download/index.html (in case you have not done already)


Once VirtualDJ is launched, a Connect Window will appear. Login with your virtualdj.com account credentials. A Pro Infinity, a Home Plus or a Pro Subscription License is required to fully use the AKAI MPD226.

Without any of the above Licenses, the controller will operate for 10 minutes each time you restart VirtualDJ.
http://www.virtualdj.com/buy/index.html


A detection window will appear next, verifying that the device is properly connected.

Click to OK.


The unit is now ready to operate.


For further software settings please refer to the User Guide of VirtualDJ. http://www.virtualdj.com/manuals/virtualdj8/index.html
 

SOFTWARE CONTROLS





KEY

ACTION

SHIFT (SECONDARY) ACTION

S *SHIFT
Hold this button down to access secondary actions as described in the SHIFT ACTION column.
P **PROG SELECT
Use this encoder to select a Program (1-20). By default the unit initializes with Program 16 which is named as VirtualDJ and is pre-assigned with VirtualDJ actions. Push the encoder to load the selected Program. See Advanced Setup for further details related to the other Programs
M1 **PAD BANK
Cycles through the 4 available modes for the 16 PADS. Sampler mode (LED A is turned on), Effects mode (LED B is turned on) , Pads mode (both LED C is turned on and Transport mode (LED D is turned on)
M2 **CTRL BANK
Cycles through the 3 available modes for the 4 CTRL knobs, the 4 Faders and the 4 buttons.
Sampler mode (LED A is turned on), Effects mode (LED B is turned on) and Pads mode (LED C is turned on)
1 PADS 1-16
The 16 Pads offer different functionality depending on the selected PADS MODE. See Pads
2 STOP
If playing, stops the selected Deck to the previously used Cue point. If paused, sets the current position as a Temporary Cue point
3 PLAY
Plays/pauses selected Deck
4 REC
Starts/stops recording your mix
5 *BUT 1/8
Selects Left Deck
6 *BUT 1/16
Selects Right Deck
7 *BUT 1/32
Smart Mix between Left and Right Decks
8 *FADER 1
Adjust the Pitch of the Left Deck
9 *FADER 2
Adjust the Volume of the Left Deck
10 *FADER 3
Adjust the Volume of the Right Deck
11 *FADER 4
Adjust the Pitch of the Right Deck
12 CTRL 1
In Sampler mode : Select the previous/next available Sampler Bank

In Effects mode : Adjust the 1st Parameter of the selected Effect on Left Deck.

In Pads mode :Select the previous/next available page for the VirtualDJ Pads on the Left Deck.
In Single Effects mode : Adjust the 3rd Parameter of the selected Effect on Left Deck.
In Multi Effects mode : Adjust the 2nd Parameter of the selected FX1 Effect Slot on Left Deck.

In all other modes the Encoders offer the same functionality as without SHIFT
13 CTRL 2
In Sampler mode : Select the previous/next available Sampler Trigger mode (On/Off, Hold, Stutter & Un-mute)

In Single Effects mode : Adjust the 2nd Parameter of the selected Effect on Left Deck.
In Multi Effects mode : Adjust the 1st Parameter of the selected FX2 Effect Slot on Left Deck.

In Pads mode :Adjust the 1st Parameter of the selected page for the VirtualDJ Pads on the Left Deck.
In Sampler mode : Same functionality as without SHIFT pressed

In Single Effects mode : Adjust the 4th Parameter of the selected Effect on Left Deck.
In Multi Effects mode : Adjust the 2nd Parameter of the selected FX2 Effect Slot on Left Deck.

In Pads mode :Adjust the 2nd Parameter (if available) of the selected page for the VirtualDJ Pads on the Left Deck.
14 CTRL 3
In Sampler mode : No action assigned

In Effects mode : Adjust the 1st Parameter of the selected Effect on Right Deck.

In Pads mode :Select the previous/next available page for the VirtualDJ Pads on the Right Deck.
In Sampler mode : No functionality

In Single Effects mode : Adjust the 3rd Parameter of the selected Effect on Right Deck.
In Multi Effects mode : Adjust the 2nd Parameter of the selected FX1 Effect Slot on Right Deck.

In Pads mode :Same functionality as without SHIFT pressed.
15 CTRL 4
In Sampler mode : Adjust the Master Volume of the Sampler

In Single Effects mode : Adjust the 2nd Parameter of the selected Effect on Right Deck.
In Multi Effects mode : Adjust the 1st Parameter of the selected FX2 Effect Slot on Right Deck.

In Pads mode :Adjust the 1st Parameter of the selected page for the VirtualDJ Pads on the Right Deck.
In Sampler mode : Same functionality as without SHIFT pressed

In Single Effects mode : Adjust the 4th Parameter of the selected Effect on Right Deck.
In Multi Effects mode : Adjust the 2nd Parameter of the selected FX2 Effect Slot on Right Deck.

In Pads mode :Adjust the 2nd Parameter (if available) of the selected page for the VirtualDJ Pads on the Right Deck.



NOTES


* The 4 TIME DIV buttons 1/4 (SHIFT), 1/8, 1/16, 1/32 and the 4 FADERS, offer the same functionality regardless the selected CTRL BANK (A,B,C). However, these keys offer different MIDI value and are named differently in the default mapping, so those can be assigned with different actions depending on the selected CTRL BANK.

** The PROGRAM select knob and the PAD BANK and CTRL BANK buttons are hardware controls, they do not send any MIDI message, so cannot be assigned to a VirtualDJ action.

 

PADS



Sampler Mode



KEY

ACTION

SHIFT (SECONDARY) ACTION

1 PADS 1-16
The 16 Pads trigger Samples 1 to 16 of the selected Sampler Bank
Stop the playing sample 1-16 of the selected Sampler Bank. Useful when the Stutter or the Un-mute trigger mode are selected.



Effects Mode



KEY

ACTION

SHIFT (SECONDARY) ACTION

1 PADS 1-16
In Single Effects mode :
Pad 1/9 : Triggers the selected Effect on the Left/Right Deck. If FX Temp is enabled (Pad 8/16) the Effect will be activated while the Pad is pressed (temporary)
Pad 2/10 : Selects the previous available Effect of the Left/Right Deck.
Pad 3/11 : Selects the next available Effect of the Left/Right Deck.
Pad 4/12 : Toggles between the Single FX mode (LED Off) and the Multi FX mode (LED On) for the Left/Right Deck.
Pad 5/13 : Controls the 1st FX button (if available) of the selected Effect for the Left/Right Deck.
Pad 6/14 : Controls the 2nd FX button (if available) of the selected Effect for the Left/Right Deck.
Pad 7/15 : Controls the 3rd FX button (if available) of the selected Effect for the Left/Right Deck.
Pad 8/16 : Toggles FX Temp mode for the Left/Right Deck. Effects will be triggered temporary when enabled (LED On)

In Multi Effects mode :
Pad 1/9 : Triggers the selected Effect in FX Slot 1 on the Left/Right Deck. If FX Temp is enabled (Pad 8/16) the Effect will be activated while the Pad is pressed (temporary)
Pad 2/10 : Triggers the selected Effect in FX Slot 2 on the Left/Right Deck. If FX Temp is enabled (Pad 8/16) the Effect will be activated while the Pad is pressed (temporary)
Pad 3/11 : Triggers the selected Effect in FX Slot 3 on the Left/Right Deck. If FX Temp is enabled (Pad 8/16) the Effect will be activated while the Pad is pressed (temporary)
Pad 4/12 : Toggles between the Single FX mode (LED Off) and the Multi FX mode (LED On) for the Left/Right Deck.
Pad 5/13 : Selects the next available Effect in FX Slot 1 for the Left/Right Deck.
Pad 6/14 : Selects the next available Effect in FX Slot 2 for the Left/Right Deck.
Pad 7/15 : Selects the next available Effect in FX Slot 3 for the Left/Right Deck.
Pad 8/16 : Toggles FX Temp mode for the Left/Right Deck. Effects will be triggered temporary when enabled (LED On)
All PADS offer the same functionality as without SHIFT pressed




Pads Mode



KEY

ACTION

SHIFT (SECONDARY) ACTION

1 PADS 1-16
Trigger the Pads of the selected Pads page. Pads 1 to 8 trigger the Pads for Left Deck. Pads 9 to 16 trigger the Pads for Right Deck. See Pads in VirtualDJ Manual for further details
Trigger the action assigned to SHIFT+Pads of the selected Pads page. Pads 1 to 8 trigger the Shift Pad actions for Left Deck. Pads 9 to 16 trigger the Shift Pad actions for Right Deck. See Pads in VirtualDJ Manual for further details




Transport Mode



KEY

ACTION

SHIFT (SECONDARY) ACTION

1 PADS 1-16
Pad 1/9 : CUE button. When track is paused, sets a temporary CUE point at the current track's position. When track is playing the button stops the track at the stored CUE position and previews the track while pressed.
Pad 2/10 : STOP button. Stops track at the CUE point or the beginning of the track if not set. When paused, cycles through all the stored CUE points.
Pad 3/11 : PLAY. Play/pauses track
Pad 4/12 : SYNC. synchronizes tempo and phase with the ones from the opposite deck
Pad 5/13 : Selects the previous/next (smaller/greater) available Pitch range. Global setting - applies to both decks
Pad 6/14 : Pitch Bend - . Temporary (while pressed) decreases track's tempo. Tempo will resume to the value designated by the Pitch fader.
Pad 7/15 : Pitch Bend +. Temporary (while pressed) increases track's tempo. Tempo will resume to the value designated by the Pitch fader.
Pad 8/16 : Pitch reset. Smoothly resets Tempo to its original value.
The Pads offer the same functionality when SHIFT is pressed


 

HARDWARE CONTROLS





KEY

ACTION

H1 NAV
Use the Up/Down/Left/Right Navigation buttons to navigate through the Parameters and Pages when a Program is edited
H2 PRESET
Use this button to select the Preset mode. When selected, the LCD screen displays the properties of the selected Program when the NAV buttons are used
H3 EDIT
Use this button to select the Edit mode. When selected, the LCD screen displays the properties of the selected Program when the NAV buttons are used
H4 GLOBAL
Use this button to select the Global Edit mode. When selected, the LCD screen displays the properties of the selected Program when the NAV buttons are used
H5 FULL LEVEL
When enabled,
the 16 velocity PADS will send full velocity speed, regardless the pushing strength
H6 16 LEVEL
Press this button to activate/deactivate 16 Level mode. When activated, the last pad that was hit will be temporarily copied to all 16 pads. The pads will now output the same note number as the initial pad but at fixed velocity values that increase as the pad numbers increase (e.g., Pad 1 is the minimum, Pad 16 is the maximum), regardless of how hard you hit them
Note : Makes sense to use this mode in Sampler mode only
H7 TAP TEMPO
Press this button in time with the desired tempo to enter a new tempo (in BPM). This will affect the speed of the Note Repeat feature.
Note: This button is disabled by default since the external MIDI clock source is enabled. If you wish to disable external Midi Clock from VirtualDJ, right-click on the AKAI MPD226 entry in VirtualDJ Settings->Controllers tab.
H8 NOTE REPEAT
Press and hold this button while striking a pad to cause the pad to re-trigger at a rate based on the current tempo and Time Division settings



Note : All the above Hardware buttons do not send any MIDI message, so cannot be assigned to any VirtualDJ action.
 

ADVANCED SETUP



PROGRAMS & MIDI DEVICES





The MPD226 will be detected as 4 separate units in VirtualDJ Settings->Controllers tab as shown in the image above.

The 1st one (displayed as AKAI MPD226) is the one pre-defined in VirtualDJ (offers factory default mapping) and sends/receives MIDI/CC messages that use USBA1 to USBA16 MIDI Channels.
VirtualDJ reserves Program 16 and regardless of the changes you may do using the Editor or the EDIT mode of the unit, the MIDI Notes, Channels, Colors etc will not be changed and will be reloaded next time you start VirtualDJ.
You may use and program all other Programs (1 to 15 and 17 to 20), but make sure you don't use USBA16 MIDI Channel, or else operation issues may occur.
Since Programs 1 to 15 are pre-defined for other DAW applications, it is also suggested not to use any other Program except the Nr.16, unless you made sure that your preset Programs do not use USBA16 Midi channel.


The 2nd detected unit (MIDIIN2 or similar name on Mac OSX) holds the MIDI notes when USBB1 to USBB16 MIDI Channels are used.

The 3rd detected unit (MIDIIN3 or similar name on Mac OSX) holds the MIDI/CC messages sent when an external MIDI device is connected to the MIDI IN/OUT sockets at the rear panel of the unit.

The 4th detected unit (MIDIIN4 or similar name on Mac OSX) offers the MIDI/CC messages sent/received from the Remote application/device

The MIDIIN2,3,4 units can be mapped as "Simple Midi" in VirtualDJ.



The Programs can be defined and saved to the unit with the MPD226 Editor offered at http://www.akaipro.com/product/mpd226#downloads




RGB COLORS


Even though the unit offers the ability to color the PADS with different colors, those cannot be changed via MIDI. You can only change the On and Off state colors from the Editor.
The colors in the VirtualDJ Program 16 cannot be changed. The default preset will be re-loaded each time you open VirtualDJ.



VELOCITY


The 16 PADS offer Velocity and After-Touch Velocity and is pre-defined and used in Sampler mode to control the Volume of the triggered Sample.

In Velocity, the Volume of the Sample is determined by the initial pressure applied to the Pad when pushed.
In After-Touch Velocity, the Volume of the Sample is continuously affected by the applied pressure, as long as the Pad is pushed.

Both Velocity and After-Touch Velocity are disabled by default. Select the special AKAI MPD Pads Page (available only when the unit is connected) on any deck to enable/disable them. Use the 3rd Pad in the Page to reset the Volumes of all Samples to 100% (useful when Velocity is disabled and Volumes are left to 0% on release)


AKAI MPD - Pads Page






For further Technical features and specifications, visit

AKAI MPD-226
Product's Page






Hardware Integration Department
2017 - ATOMIX PRODUCTIONS



Reproduction of this manual in full or in part without written permission from Atomix Productions is prohibited.