If you own an MPE controller and a few Arturia instruments, you may be wondering why your slides and pressure are not doing anything. The usual answer is that MPE is not on by default. Arturia's own MPE compatibility guide explains what is supported and how to turn it on, and this article walks through it in plain terms.
What MPE does in an Arturia instrument
MPE, short for MIDI Polyphonic Expression, gives every note its own MIDI channel. That lets a multidimensional controller send individual pitch bend, pressure and slide per note, rather than one global value for the whole chord. Arturia describes it as a way for such controllers to control multiple parameters of every note inside compatible software.
Which instruments are compatible
Arturia lists 29 MPE-compatible software instruments. The families it names include:
- The Augmented series: Brass, Grand Piano, Mallets, Strings, Voices, Woodwinds and Yangtze.
- Classic synth emulations such as Prophet-5 V, CS-80 V4, Jup-8 V4, CZ V and SEM V3.
- Modern instruments including Pigments, Synthx V and Pure LoFi.
- Vintage sampler recreations such as Emulator II V, CMI V and OP-Xa V.
One detail catches people out. Analog Lab V itself is not MPE-compatible, although the individual instruments inside it are. If expression works in a standalone instrument but not in Analog Lab, that is the reason.
Four steps to enable MPE
- Open a compatible instrument.
- Click the settings wheel icon.
- Press the Enable MPE button.
- If you work in Ableton Live, also switch on Enable MPE Mode in the DAW settings.
Once MPE is active, you gain access to MPE-specific settings, including zone configuration, channel assignment and bend and slide parameters. These are where you tell the instrument how to interpret what your controller sends.
Troubleshooting checklist
Match the pitch bend range. Your controller and your instrument must agree on how far a bend travels. A mismatch makes glides sound wrong, with notes landing off pitch. Check the range on both ends before blaming anything else.
Confirm the zone. Most controllers use a lower zone with a master channel and a block of member channels. If the instrument's zone does not match, expression can disappear or leak onto the wrong notes.
Check the DAW. Some hosts need MPE enabled per track or per device. In Live, the step above is easy to forget, and it is separate from the instrument's own switch.
Test one instrument first. Before you load a big layered patch, try a simple one. If expression works there, the problem is usually the patch design, not the connection.
Making patches respond
Switching MPE on only opens the door. A patch still needs modulation routings that listen to pressure and slide. Pigments is a good place to start, because its modulation system lets you assign per-note sources to filter cutoff, wavetable position and effects. On the Augmented instruments, which model real acoustic behavior, pressure and slide feel natural almost immediately.
Quick recap
Arturia offers broad MPE coverage across 29 instruments, but you need to enable it yourself, and Analog Lab V is the exception to watch for. Follow the four steps, align bend ranges and zones, and you should have per-note expression flowing in minutes. For the full, current list and any later changes, always check the official Arturia support article.