As good luck would have it, there is only ONE dude dealing with the APC 40 and he is in my locality!!! Less than 3 kilometers away from where I live. Im going to meet him tomorrow. He will be ordering it and the wait time is one week. So i am SUPER EXCITED!!! The video is super basic, concise and to the point and does what it is supposed to o with lazer sharp accuracy. Thanks so much. What would I be without your videos. This is why you are my GURU. Thanks and God Bless you sir for all the time.
THX dude ! The best demo ever. English is not my first language but half an hour with you and then I know almost everything I wanted to know... Great job ;-)
Hi. Just want to say thanks for such a pleasant and comprehensive review of the baisc functions of the APC40. I just got one (for stupid cheap - $25!!!) and saw it as a sign that I should learn it. Your video was my first intro to the device, and now I know that I can use it for my work. You get a thumbs up and Cheers! I owe you a beer....
right off the bat. so you get an apc 40 in 2020 and you wanna just be sure yer gettin' it all right n' there's no more to it....then this is a good spot to be at...thanks...got mine operating just like i want it ...from watching this tutorial and some home grown ingenuity....
Dude you are mad informative and very well clearly understandably spoken. Thanks for the video I def learned quick and easy with your explanation! Good job DJBOLIVIA! You are an awesome teacher! Peace!
Do you mean on the actual APC-40? A yellow button means that there is a clip present in the slot, and a red button (rare) means that you are recording into that clip. Green is common though, it means that the clip is currently playing. I'm not sure if this is what you were asking about though.
ty for this nostalgia trip down memory lane looking at ableton 8.... ty again for this video, still helpful in 2020 when im blowing the dust off my old apc
Not yet, but I'd love to visit there. I was in Chile and Argentina last month, and have been in a few other South American countries in the past. My Spanish is far from perfect, so it would be good to visit there for a few months and learn to speak the language better.
Thank you for saving me a ton of time on midi mapping in ableton. If more videos were made by humans such as yourself, the communication and understanding of ableton and the apc40 would be better understood. I’m a communicator as well and I can honestly say your a genius litigator in terms of completely understanding somthing. So I thank you!
I just got one of these wasn't sure if it was still worth getting after all these years because it's kinda old but people are still using it I see how are you liking it I also got a novation impulse 25 plus a novation launchpad so with this I should be set right?just asking because I'm a noob and only just got the free 90 day trial of ableton
Yeah, I agree, but a couple people emailed me last month and asked for a review of the APC--40. This will be good though, because I'm going to try to review the Push shortly, as soon as I can get my hands on one. Looks like a 12-16 week delay for shipments to Canada right now though, from looking at the Ableton website last night.
Thanks for your run through with the APC40. If you have your 'Exclusive', 'Arm' & 'Solo' turned off in your preferences, you can solo & arm multiple tracks without having to push them simultaneously. Cheers.
I can't wait to purchase one of these super useful toys. I make beats and I am getting more and more into the performance aspect of the beat scene. This controller looks like it will perform the best for my playing style. Thank you djbolivia.
Thank you. I hope that by the time I start working on the "dance music production" tutorials a year from now, I'll have a better studio set-up for filming, and be able to use 4k resolution. But for now, hopefully the 1080p HD is good enough for people to see the software decently.
Great video DJ Bolivia, I always enjoy your videos, even when it's stuff about ableton that I already figured out on my own it's still very interesting & informative to see how somebody else does it & it can give me some new ideas. I've had Pro Tools for 5 year & although it's great @ recording & mixing it is not great for creating music... but I just got Ableton last year & wow is it amazing, great for creating music & mixtapes! Now I'm deciding between the Akai APC40 or the Novation Twitch.
Giordano Galileo Llorente-Cortez The APC40 is good to plug into a 220v power source. The default power supply (double-check) normally is good for 110-240, so with the correct physical adapter, it can be used anywhere in the world, including 50/60Hz systems. Straight out of the box, the unit is NOT bus powered because it has so many lights. But you can do a mod by taking power from a couple USB ports on your computer and combine them in order to power the APC40. But I think that idea is mostly useful for people who like to tinker. Just carrying a power supply is a better option than possibly overloading the power drain from your laptop.
Donna Kincaid I'd say that you need to be more comfortable with electronic technology for music than actually musically inclined. It's more for use when DJ'ing, or perhaps for music production, than it is for playing music as a pure musician.
Very nice review!! Just one very nice feature which was missing: You can use shift+clip/track or shift+divice on/off or shift+arrow left or shift+arrow right to assign the 8 device control encoders to 4 different sets of device parameters, i.e. you can overall control 32 device parameters instead of only 8.
very nice tutorial! stupid question.....if you are using the apc40 alone with a laptop can you still use the cue via headphones to preview clips? surely you can right? again....thanks for the video!
Does the APC40 have a "User 1" mode as is the case in Novation Launchpad? In user 1 mode you can drop in a drum kit or or any kind of 'sound' and hammer out a tune or a drum line. Thanks dude and great tutorial
Well, the second half of the video goes into some basic examples of that. I think once you get through that part, it'll all make sense for DJ'ing. I hope so! I'll probably do a recording of one of my radio shows in early April using this unit though, so look for that too ... thanks for your interest!
Haha, this is pretty funny. I just saw another comment on one of my other videos saying that I should have left out the part where I was unpacking it, and then some other people disagreed. Glad you got some benefit out of this.
Would have been way better if he fit the video of the APC40 was fitted inside the blank area for more samples on the computer screen video. AND if there was some actual music being played
So weird. I never have the green LED rings around knobs. Only the position light which is 1 or 2 LEDs in a certain position around the knob. What influences that?
It'll be a while before I get back to my studio, and I want to do a Push controller review first (which I should have done this past winter), but I definitely want to get my hands on an APC 40 mark II, so I'll see what I can do when I get home.
Hey man, I'm currently looking at getting my first controller. Would you recommend the APC 40 as a first time controller? Also, what else will I need to buy? Thanks man, see ya!
Can you give me more background? Are you looking at DJ'ing, or producing EDM, or producing/recording regular music? What kinds of equipment do you currently have? What kinds of software do you currently use for DJ'ing and/or audio production?
I have absolutely nothing, but a laptop and $500. I am looking at making some remixes at home, and then maybe in a year or so potentially doing parties, etc. Thanks man
Grass I don't know. I think if you're looking at doing music production, you might be Ok just getting a cheaper multi-purpose controller, or maybe a DJ-rig style of controller where you can also use some of the knobs and buttons as general MIDI controls when you're at home doing production work. The APC-40 is almost tailored more to live performances with Ableton, so while it isn't inappropriate for your situation, you can probably find something that works as well in a more generic package, and for a tiny bit less money.
I have a Korg Wavestation SR and wonder if the pads on this would be assignable to specific patches in the Wavestation so I could use it as a means of selecting and changing patches. If not, what would do this ?
I don't know if this will get a reply but I am considering buying this, my main concern is how to navigate around the ableton set with this? I see the up, down, left and right arrows and assume that is exactly what this does? I will be using this purely to trigger clips (as well as change parameters) and it is replacing my launchpad which allows you to navigate all around the project with the arrow buttons, can this do that?
Thanks for the awesome video, as always Jonathan. I just have one quick question. I've been looking at Ableton Controllers and I have yet to find an effective way to move clips from the browser to the actual audio channels without using the mouse. What method or device do you recommend? Is that even possible or do I have to have all tracks I wanna play within a set prior to performing? Cause that would kinda suck.
That's a good question. I haven't thought of a way. It's not a big deal for me because when I'm playing EDM, I already have all the tracks in my session, because I've warped them ahead of time. But very occasionally if I'm playing non-warped tracks, I'll end up going into the browser to grab something that wasn't already in my set, and that's something that I've always done with the mouse. Well, actually, I use my touch pad, because it's usually not a good idea to have a wireless mouse in a DJ booth in the dark. It tends to get lost in the chaos.
Agreed. I find it weird that I cannot find an effective way to browse for tracks, bring them to the session, or even move a clip from one slot to another one on session view without using the mouse/trackpad. I thought at this point some device would have included that. It's kinda annoying that I can't decide what to play on the fly and instead have to put everything on a set prior.
hi there. is there a way to control an three eq on the acp40? so i could increase the low end of one track and decrease the low end in another track as they are both playing out? thanks great tutorials
thanks! great tutorial and very informative as well. by the way, is it only capable of controlling midi files? how about Audio files, as most of my loops and samples are all in .wav format and not in .midi or .mid file.
As long as your audio software (ie. Ableton) can handle audio loops as well as MIDI loops, and most do, then you can definitely use your APC-40 to do all the triggering of audio loops, adjusting controls on the audio effect plug-ins, etc.
thank you, thank you and another million thank you! this really helped me a lot big time! am planning to buy one this coming april. : ) more power to you and your works!!
This is the most concise tutorial on the APC40 that TH-cam has to offer. Ableton owes you a pay check.
+Arené Lomax And I owe Ableton for probably saving me countless thousands of hours in my work flow over the past several years!
bvrulez.. in partnership with Ableton.
You're so right. Even Appleton staff can't explain it as usefully as this man.
As good luck would have it, there is only ONE dude dealing with the APC 40 and he is in my locality!!! Less than 3 kilometers away from where I live. Im going to meet him tomorrow. He will be ordering it and the wait time is one week. So i am SUPER EXCITED!!! The video is super basic, concise and to the point and does what it is supposed to o with lazer sharp accuracy. Thanks so much. What would I be without your videos. This is why you are my GURU. Thanks and God Bless you sir for all the time.
6 Years and your tutorial is the most clear for me in 2019, thank you so much.
9 years later these tutorials are still very relevant and usefull. Thanks @DJBolivia
THX dude ! The best demo ever.
English is not my first language but half an hour with you and then I know almost everything I wanted to know... Great job ;-)
Some people are absolute natural communicators. You are one of them, thank you!
Hi Dj Bolivia I told you once : You are a competent and responsible teacher, Happy New Year !!!
Happy New Year, Paulo.
The best review of the APC 40 I have seen. Perfectly explained and with all details. Congratulations!
I'm looking forward to reviewing the Push later this winter too.
Hi. Just want to say thanks for such a pleasant and comprehensive review of the baisc functions of the APC40. I just got one (for stupid cheap - $25!!!) and saw it as a sign that I should learn it. Your video was my first intro to the device, and now I know that I can use it for my work. You get a thumbs up and Cheers! I owe you a beer....
+stuart studebaker I like beer. I can't believe you got it that cheap! Amazing deal.
Your video and teaching style is BEAUTY.
It's what the title says and more. Perfectomondo.
A sincere THANK YOU.
That's the best tutorial video I've seen for the APC-40 Controller for Ableton and I've seen so many now. Great job man!
I just bought an APC40 and this video has been incredibly useful in my understanding of the product! Well done, and thank you!
Really glad to hear this ...
right off the bat. so you get an apc 40 in 2020 and you wanna just be sure yer gettin' it all right n' there's no more to it....then this is a good spot to be at...thanks...got mine operating just like i want it ...from watching this tutorial and some home grown ingenuity....
thanks djB. you are one of the absolute best dj tutorialists on the youtubes.
Very detailed and precised tutorial, thanks
Glad you found it to be helpful!
Dude you are mad informative and very well clearly understandably spoken. Thanks for the video I def learned quick and easy with your explanation! Good job DJBOLIVIA! You are an awesome teacher! Peace!
masterclass. I bought my APC40 in 2010 and never used it as I went over to Logic, I have dusted it down and about to use it with live 8 suite.
You can solo multiple tracks without holding ctrl aswell, just need to flick 1 button in the preferences. Very nice video :)
I know this video is quite old though I just got gifted an APC-40 and this tutorial was very informative! Thanks a lot!
Just got it now , so far this video made sense 😎
Do you mean on the actual APC-40? A yellow button means that there is a clip present in the slot, and a red button (rare) means that you are recording into that clip. Green is common though, it means that the clip is currently playing. I'm not sure if this is what you were asking about though.
ty for this nostalgia trip down memory lane looking at ableton 8.... ty again for this video, still helpful in 2020 when im blowing the dust off my old apc
Not yet, but I'd love to visit there. I was in Chile and Argentina last month, and have been in a few other South American countries in the past. My Spanish is far from perfect, so it would be good to visit there for a few months and learn to speak the language better.
Thank you for saving me a ton of time on midi mapping in ableton. If more videos were made by humans such as yourself, the communication and understanding of ableton and the apc40 would be better understood. I’m a communicator as well and I can honestly say your a genius litigator in terms of completely understanding somthing. So I thank you!
I just got one of these wasn't sure if it was still worth getting after all these years because it's kinda old but people are still using it I see how are you liking it I also got a novation impulse 25 plus a novation launchpad so with this I should be set right?just asking because I'm a noob and only just got the free 90 day trial of ableton
You do great videos and reviews. I just got my apc40 today. Haven't been able to leave it alone. So stoked...
Thanks, Terence ...
Yeah, I agree, but a couple people emailed me last month and asked for a review of the APC--40. This will be good though, because I'm going to try to review the Push shortly, as soon as I can get my hands on one. Looks like a 12-16 week delay for shipments to Canada right now though, from looking at the Ableton website last night.
Well explained. Thanks. Wished everyone did this for all new controllers that came out.
I wish I had more time, or I'd do it with a lot more products.
Thanks for your run through with the APC40. If you have your 'Exclusive', 'Arm' & 'Solo' turned off in your preferences, you can solo & arm multiple tracks without having to push them simultaneously. Cheers.
I can't wait to purchase one of these super useful toys. I make beats and I am getting more and more into the performance aspect of the beat scene. This controller looks like it will perform the best for my playing style. Thank you djbolivia.
You're welcome. It's a pretty solid piece of gear, good for live performance work.
Great to hear that you'll be able to get one...
Good point, sometimes I miss simple little tricks like this. Thanks for sharing it!
The Push is a much more complex piece of equipment. I hope to be able to video review it in January or February, once I'm back in my home studio.
Great clear tutorial !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How we can use Apc in User Mode, please ?!!
Fantastic informative video
Great intro! Now, I'm ready to get started with my new holiday toy!! Thanks!
Nice, I hope you'll enjoy playing with it.
De los mejores reviews del Akai apc40, gracias!
Thank you. I hope that by the time I start working on the "dance music production" tutorials a year from now, I'll have a better studio set-up for filming, and be able to use 4k resolution. But for now, hopefully the 1080p HD is good enough for people to see the software decently.
Great video DJ Bolivia, I always enjoy your videos, even when it's stuff about ableton that I already figured out on my own it's still very interesting & informative to see how somebody else does it & it can give me some new ideas.
I've had Pro Tools for 5 year & although it's great @ recording & mixing it is not great for creating music...
but I just got Ableton last year & wow is it amazing, great for creating music & mixtapes!
Now I'm deciding between the Akai APC40 or the Novation Twitch.
Giordano Galileo Llorente-Cortez The APC40 is good to plug into a 220v power source. The default power supply (double-check) normally is good for 110-240, so with the correct physical adapter, it can be used anywhere in the world, including 50/60Hz systems. Straight out of the box, the unit is NOT bus powered because it has so many lights. But you can do a mod by taking power from a couple USB ports on your computer and combine them in order to power the APC40. But I think that idea is mostly useful for people who like to tinker. Just carrying a power supply is a better option than possibly overloading the power drain from your laptop.
How musically enclined do I have to be to use this?
Donna Kincaid I'd say that you need to be more comfortable with electronic technology for music than actually musically inclined. It's more for use when DJ'ing, or perhaps for music production, than it is for playing music as a pure musician.
Donna Kincaid Think of it as a tool rather than as an instrument.
I use mine in 'performance mode' in FL Studio (12 now) .... I love this thing and works just great in FL Studio for whatever I want
Very nice review!! Just one very nice feature which was missing: You can use shift+clip/track or shift+divice on/off or shift+arrow left or shift+arrow right to assign the 8 device control encoders to 4 different sets of device parameters, i.e. you can overall control 32 device parameters instead of only 8.
in 2019 just started looping this tutorial is a life saver!! thank you!
Just discovered your channel. Im very grateful for all your work! :)
+Kira _ Thanks, Kira.
Thanks for the info. I'm about to get one for a bargain price.
Thanks for this Bolivia, this is the best explanation for this device and it got me finally using mine🎉
2020 and still clear and useful. Thanks Man!
Brilliant video. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
This man explains everthing realy good very helpful thank you.
You're welcome.
THANX A LOT FOR THIS TUTORIAL, keep on making it for dummies...whe got to start somewhere...thanx
No problem, no problem at all. Enjoy the holidays, if you get any.
Thank you for taking the time to explain everything for us, great and very informative tutorials!!
Great tutorial and great detailed description. Thank's alot! Congrats!
This was an incredible walkthrough, thanks for a great resource!
Thank you! Looking forward to the radio shows with this! :)
Thanks, really thorough basic overview - just what I needed. You're awesome
+Parker Edwards Thanks Parker, I appreciate you taking the time to write.
Awesome video man, you rock!
Thanks, and also for taking time to comment.
really good tutorial, thank you for posting this on youtube it was very helpful.
Excellent video. Thanks for doing this.
You're welcome!
very nice tutorial! stupid question.....if you are using the apc40 alone with a laptop can you still use the cue via headphones to preview clips? surely you can right?
again....thanks for the video!
Wow - When I looked at these controllers I was so overwhlemed. But they are so simple! hahah
Does the APC40 have a "User 1" mode as is the case in Novation Launchpad? In user 1 mode you can drop in a drum kit or or any kind of 'sound' and hammer out a tune or a drum line. Thanks dude and great tutorial
Great tutorial, SUPER DETAILED. Btw, what is "Q"ing?
Hey! Would you anytime be putting out a tutorial about some tips and tricks on how to DJ with this APC 40?:)
Really really really great video, I really appreciate it!
Thanks Mark.
Well, the second half of the video goes into some basic examples of that. I think once you get through that part, it'll all make sense for DJ'ing. I hope so! I'll probably do a recording of one of my radio shows in early April using this unit though, so look for that too ... thanks for your interest!
Thank you for not showing me how to open a box....Right On!!
Haha, this is pretty funny. I just saw another comment on one of my other videos saying that I should have left out the part where I was unpacking it, and then some other people disagreed. Glad you got some benefit out of this.
Hey man great video !!! Have you got a tutorial for apc 40 on traktor it would be useful
+Tasos L I don't yet, but it's on my long list of projects to tackle.
Thanks for taking the time to explain those things people like me completely ignore!! Love your attitude dude. Good karma is on your way :)
Thanks for the tut!
No problem.
Excellent review, thanks and God bless.
You're welcome!
thank you sir really nice of u to explain
classic producer, working at 2am to explain some stuff
Would have been way better if he fit the video of the APC40 was fitted inside the blank area for more samples on the computer screen video. AND if there was some actual music being played
You are great,for the video Thank you very much !
You're welcome, Antonio. Thanks for writing...
very nice review!! thanks!
You're welcome.
So weird. I never have the green LED rings around knobs. Only the position light which is 1 or 2 LEDs in a certain position around the knob. What influences that?
NO COFFEE NEAR OF THE PRECIOUS MACHINES !!
Nice review btw ;)
Haha, yes, so true. I'm terrible like that sometimes. And alcohol is even worse.
lol while you're worried about the coffee cup next to the computer, I'm a lot more worried about the coffee cup ON the turntable behind him! eek!
great tutorial!!
Usefull video, thank u mate
Cheers...
Man, I wish they still sell this, now I can only by 2nd hand
Really great tutorial! Thank you! :]
No problem, glad that it was useful...
So helpful, thank you.
Try to do a review on the APC 40 mrk 2
It'll be a while before I get back to my studio, and I want to do a Push controller review first (which I should have done this past winter), but I definitely want to get my hands on an APC 40 mark II, so I'll see what I can do when I get home.
I think that the push is more designed for studio work. what do you think about it?
I can see this dood as a dj
Hey man, I'm currently looking at getting my first controller. Would you recommend the APC 40 as a first time controller? Also, what else will I need to buy? Thanks man, see ya!
Can you give me more background? Are you looking at DJ'ing, or producing EDM, or producing/recording regular music? What kinds of equipment do you currently have? What kinds of software do you currently use for DJ'ing and/or audio production?
I have absolutely nothing, but a laptop and $500. I am looking at making some remixes at home, and then maybe in a year or so potentially doing parties, etc. Thanks man
Grass I don't know. I think if you're looking at doing music production, you might be Ok just getting a cheaper multi-purpose controller, or maybe a DJ-rig style of controller where you can also use some of the knobs and buttons as general MIDI controls when you're at home doing production work. The APC-40 is almost tailored more to live performances with Ableton, so while it isn't inappropriate for your situation, you can probably find something that works as well in a more generic package, and for a tiny bit less money.
Hi I just purchased an akai apc 40. Which version of ableton would I use? I tried 11 lite however it won't let me save nor export.
I have a Korg Wavestation SR and wonder if the pads on this would be assignable to specific patches in the Wavestation so I could use it as a means of selecting and changing patches. If not, what would do this ?
Hello DJB! Is apc40 using a switching adapter? Is it good to plug in a 220v power source? Can it be bus powered? Thanks a lot!
Will this work in reasons 11 as a midi controller. I would like to use it as a mixer using the buttons I sends
I don't know if this will get a reply but I am considering buying this, my main concern is how to navigate around the ableton set with this? I see the up, down, left and right arrows and assume that is exactly what this does? I will be using this purely to trigger clips (as well as change parameters) and it is replacing my launchpad which allows you to navigate all around the project with the arrow buttons, can this do that?
This vs a Novation launchpad, what would you reccomend?
Definitely the APC 40 over the Launchpad. The Launchpad is a much more basic unit that only incorporates some of the features of the APC 40.
THIS 100% best way to laydown the fundamentals for arrangment to save time vs using a mouse for arrangment alone
thanks a lot, I saved a lot of time :)
You're welcome, glad to hear.
How do I control a drum rack with the apc40?
Question :) What does it mean when the border around the clips is yellow instead of red? Thanks for your help..
Hello. Does apc40 MKI come with the registration code of the live suite?
Thanks for the awesome video, as always Jonathan. I just have one quick question. I've been looking at Ableton Controllers and I have yet to find an effective way to move clips from the browser to the actual audio channels without using the mouse. What method or device do you recommend? Is that even possible or do I have to have all tracks I wanna play within a set prior to performing? Cause that would kinda suck.
That's a good question. I haven't thought of a way. It's not a big deal for me because when I'm playing EDM, I already have all the tracks in my session, because I've warped them ahead of time. But very occasionally if I'm playing non-warped tracks, I'll end up going into the browser to grab something that wasn't already in my set, and that's something that I've always done with the mouse. Well, actually, I use my touch pad, because it's usually not a good idea to have a wireless mouse in a DJ booth in the dark. It tends to get lost in the chaos.
Agreed. I find it weird that I cannot find an effective way to browse for tracks, bring them to the session, or even move a clip from one slot to another one on session view without using the mouse/trackpad. I thought at this point some device would have included that. It's kinda annoying that I can't decide what to play on the fly and instead have to put everything on a set prior.
hi there. is there a way to control an three eq on the acp40? so i could increase the low end of one track and decrease the low end in another track as they are both playing out? thanks great tutorials
+Deathbells I would want to use a separate traditional MIDI controller of some sort for that. Doesn't have to be a big and fancy one.
Will it work with live 11 suite?
Does this integrate with Logic Pro at all?
thanks! great tutorial and very informative as well. by the way, is it only capable of controlling midi files? how about Audio files, as most of my loops and samples are all in .wav format and not in .midi or .mid file.
As long as your audio software (ie. Ableton) can handle audio loops as well as MIDI loops, and most do, then you can definitely use your APC-40 to do all the triggering of audio loops, adjusting controls on the audio effect plug-ins, etc.
thank you, thank you and another million thank you! this really helped me a lot big time!
am planning to buy one this coming april. : )
more power to you and your works!!