Ah that’s a bummer! Cheers for answering.
Ok, thanks a lot for the feedback on that! So if you’ve set it up prior to a live performance it’s going to work? Would be a nightmare to have it crash in the middle of a live set.
You can still use the Remote midi output thru ethernet to Live (or any DAW) to control synths via midi, but it would make more sense if the pads in controller mode could be used for notes and sequencing more like the push.
I’m unable to get the Force to send aftertouch to Digitone via the pads, but it works with an external controller keyboard.
Does anyone have aftertouch from the pads working properly with external synths?
I haven’t had it crash when launching clips (after setting everything up first). btw, enabling auto-save will result in more crashes.
Aftertouch from Force’s pads isn’t implemented yet. Not even for the internal AIR synths. Akai’s aware of it, but I don’t know why they haven’t fixed it yet.
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Yeah that’s kind of what I had been hoping for. I think without it is a bit of a deal breaker for me really.
Very rarely, but I usually use audio clips, a little midi and drum programs, even with effects it doesn’t seem to struggle. I use it daily, up to 2 hours. I save very often though.
Pretty much like this, press ‘record to sequencer’ and go! Just be aware it does record automation, but not on the master, hopefully they’ll sort this, I must admit that despite my initial distrust Akai’s engineers really made the Force a huge instrument.
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Only crash I’ve experienced happened when using an envelope follower to modulate the oscillators of a particular Hype Patch. Can’t remember which patch but it crash the Force every time.
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Thanks a lot, guys, much appreciated. 
I will mostly use it with audio clips, and I guess just supplement with some plugins here and there (and quite a few fx chains, I imagine) - so hopefully that will work well.
I think after the 3.03 firmware I could get it to crash by tweaking the wave table osc fast. It would lag first and crash. They made it better, but I think I still made it crash on the 3.04 and 3.05. Haven’t tried it in a while. It was a bit disappointing as I could get some cool sounds doing that.
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I still can’t get myself to use the internal synth, I don’t know why, I guess I just really dislike the gui.
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I’ve no problem with the gui. But In their initial state they just sound utterly shit to me. I sometimes wish they weren’t on there at all.
That said, using macros and automation do make things a little more interesting. But I find it extremely hard getting inspiration from them in their basic form. I’ve never been great at sound design from an init starting point. I’ve always liked to tweak sounds I like. I just can’t find any I like.
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I’ve been exploring the ‘Hype’ synth a bit. (Those 8x2 knobs come in handy). Strange how the configuration of the ‘oscillator-macros’ depends on the chosen preset. There are a lot of waveforms available in each, but different presets use a completely different set of waveforms (and parameters). It sounds like there are some Prophet VS waveforms in there, some unique formant and harmonic/additive waves (with a Formant parameter). In other presets, there are wavetables (with a Table-Position parameter). So it’s a simpified multi-synthesis engine, like an advanced version of the Korg Electribe EMX. I’d rather have multiple simplified machines like in the Monomachine.
But Hype is still a preset synth with a bit of ‘Macro-control’. If only they gave us 2 more sub-tabs for the Macro tab. But there’s plenty of waveforms and parameters for each preset to explore, it’s just a pain to have to go through many different presets to find the right set of waveforms and parameters. And we need more LFOs! (We can automate its parameters in the grid/step sequencer, or using one of the 16 Envelope Follower/LFOs, but I’d rather have LFOs right in the synth.)
Here’s a quick demo of one Hype synth on the Akai Force, using 2 LFOs (one Sine, one key-synced S&H, using Force’s Macro Env Followers), modulating the first 5 Hype parameters. Reminiscent of Ensoniq’s Transwaves/Korg Wavestation’s Wave-Sequencing.
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Overall the Force is Akai’s best sampler at the moment !
Nice pads -great sound card built in—and can import Ableton projects
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I think all synths should have a “randomize all” feature. It makes exploring so much more rewarding, and finding something odd that you can start as an init instead of just a blank boring slate.
I’m a bit confused about the track count on the Force. I’ve read somewhere that you can only have 8 audio tracks, yet in the manual it says you can have a total of 128 tracks. Is the only 8 audio tracks info outdated?
8 tracks in standalone?
8 stereo audio tracks. But 128 of the other tracks. It is just a few button presses to “convert” audio tracks into a drum group to free up audio tracks.
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ah, nice, thanks again! good to hear.
I jumped on board. Yesterday got my Force
Question1
The knobs do not automap at all? Like say volumes in mixer or whatever? I have to manually map them?
Question2
After I recorded clips in arranger how can I easiest delete some clip from the arrangement?
I am on the edge of keeping it vs returning it.
Theoretically I always wanted something like this.
I always wanted to work without computer(my main setup is analog, but sequencing and recording is done in Ableton)
I want to get on with the Force, but my main thing is to make my production workflow easier, not harder.
(that s the main reason I use the Mpc now mainly as a drum machine… before I tried to do everything in it… sequencing synths and rec)
Practically Force seems a little how should I say… strange compared to Ableton.
Of course it may be due to being new to it.
(Having the Mpc Live I thought I will manage easier… but seems quite different)
Whom of you come from Ableton, what would be the pro and cons of workflow moving to Force?
(I know you can do more in Ableton but question it s not about that)
Thanks a lot guys for all your inputs and advices!
They do. Hold down the ‘KNOBS’ button on the left.
Use Macros to set up custom mappings using the knobs, fader, pads, touchscreen as modulation sources. (Hold ‘EDIT’ & tap a knob, or Main Menu>Macros. ‘EDIT’ or ‘SHIFT’ plus another button reveals a lot.)
In Arrange mode, tap ‘Grid’ to get a better view for editing. There’s Undo History up top of the Main Menu.
It’s deep, but still missing a lot (time signature & tempo changes, Midi Learn, etc.) compared to desktop DAWS, but it’s nice to occasionally get away from the computer. For me, I need to focus on 1 thing at a time, rather than trying to learn it all at once. I’ve had it for ~1 year, and still have much to learn.
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I think the main drawback of the Force is how deep it is. It has a huge learning curve. Sure, getting a clip going and a song structured takes no time, that is just amazing but I still need to learn things like envelope follower, pad scenes, macros and I think arrangement editing could do with more love from Akai.
But there’s nothing like it in the hardware realm, while on software there’s Live. How will it work for you depends on why you want to leave Live in the first place.
I hardly use Live or a pc anymore, I just switch on the Force, which also powers my MicroFreak via midi and off I go…
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