that said im going to repurchase an Octatrack MK2 in black when it is released and pair it with Force
Yeah, Forceās converters sound really good. @d2ba Better than the SP-16?
In Force, all imported (or sampled/recorded) audio is converted (or recorded) to 32 bit, so I doubt if weāll ever get Octatrack-level sample-manipulation.
Iāll test modulating sample start or offset and post a Soundcloud demo. Sometime this week.
Edit: Hereās a test of modulating the sample start and offset position of a long wavetable from Galbanum; itās ducked by a ābass drumā from a sliced percussion kit made from a Morphagene āreelā (aka sample chain).
Act
Yes I think the Force convertors are better than both the SP-16 and MPC-X. The SP-16 obviously has analog filters but if you plug the Force outputs into a decent Eurorack stereo analog filter you can workaround the SP-16 advantage
Here is a pic of my Force and MPC-X and SP-16/DJS-1000 side by side
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Niiiice! Thanks a lot! Much appreciated. 
The Octatrack still wins in terms of Sequencer and hardcore sample manipulation, the Force doesnāt even have a pitch envelope. But having sold an Octatrack for a Live then a Force, I do not miss it one bit, I get so much more done with the Force. It has its quirks, assigning parameters to the cross fader, macro or pad scenes is a pain and it could do with a better reverb. But overall Iām super happy.
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Is any point in keeping Beatstep Pro if having the Force?
Thanks!
Also, for entering notes before pressing buttons in the Force step sequencer, can I use external midi keyboard instead of Forceās buttons-keyboard?
Beatstep will be a pretty different experience compared to the Forceās sequencer. I mostly record in real time on my Force. And edit the mistakes after i recorded. hehe.
Yeah, you can use external keyboards with the Force. But the Force has some clever implementation of chords and scales. So i also like selecting a key and scale, and play on the pads. Gives me different results than using a keyboard as i dont tend to fall into the familiar keys and scales as easily.
I am interested if I can use the Force as a Beatstep Pro too, and also if I can use the kbd to select the note to be inserted in the step on Force step sequencer.
@shinobi I believe as a āmain sequencerā Force is much more capable. If you need the extra Gate outputs, get a Mutant Brain, Poly 2, CV.OCD, etc. But the BSP is more focused, since itās simpler and easier to configure. And yes, you can use the BSP to input notes in the Forceās sequencers.
@d2ba Nice gear! Do you have the Maschine+?
Force looks svelte and modern next to the MPC-X. I keep repeating myself, but having the 8 Q-Links below the screen is useful when editing samples. Use the touchscreen for coarse moves/edits, and the Q-Links for fine editing, even at sample-level. I find it a lot quicker than the MPC Live and even Sound Forge (for basic editing). Auditor and Beatmaker 3 on the iPad is tougher to do precise edits, even with an Apple Pencil.
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I think I didnāt express clear enough my questionā¦:
My question is if the Force step sequencer can do all that the Beatstep Pro can do.
The 2nd question (unrelated to the 1st) is if I can select the certain note with an external keyboard(just like the Forceās internal one) --> before pressing the step button in Force melodic step sequencer.
(in basic use, Force step sequencer for melodies is choose the note with its internal keyboard-like buttons and then press the step in the step sequencer)
No.
BSP has playback direction.
No.
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So no way of using external keyboard for selecting the note in Force step sequencer?
Are you referring to step-recording? SH-101 sequencing? Where notes are recorded each time you press a key, and the sequencer increments to the next step with each key-press? If so, then no, Force canāt do that. The new Roland MC-101/707 does. So do the Elektrons, with a recent update. Didnāt you recently buy a Force?
Oh, lord, navigating parts of this thing is like bicycling in lava while on acid. How on earth do I apply beat repeat to a track? So far Iāve only found beat repeat in the xy-pad. So I assign the xy pad as an insert fx on a track, I try to modulate x and y and dry and wet with some macros - but nothing happens! Any clue on how to assign beat repeat to some macros and actually have it work, or is the only way to control and apply the beat repeat effect via the XY-mode and the touchscreen?
Itās just a matter of learning, obviously, and this thing is deep. Itās not super intuitive though! But I guess Iām too used to ableton live.
Ah, ok, so it seems like it only works if I use beat repeat on the master track. Bummer.
Beat Repeat = ARP button on the left (and SHIFT>ARP for config).
Yank on the Project Pull-Down Menu at the top of the touchscreen to quickly change the quantization value (also hold SHIFT>TC in the bottom-right).
XY Pad = I havenāt even used that yet. If itās on the Main Out Bus, then it cannot be automated, afaik. But you mentioned it was a track insert, hmmm.
Assign XY Pad to Beat Repeat using Macros = interesting, Iāll attempt this later.
Yeah, sometimes I get sick of it and save and power down.
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I am refering inputing notes on Force step sequencer using outboard keyboard.
Ah, you can use the arp for that? Nice! Itās so weird, beat repeat isnāt mentioned once in the manual, yet they refer to it a lot in the tutorial videos.
Anyways - thanks again, much appreciated!
Another thing you can try is the āTrack FX Rackā presets. When you are on the effects part of the mixer. Press the grey āinsertā button over the 4 slots. Then press the Akai ikon. Then navigate to performance presets. There is one called ārepeat stop washā and ārepeat stop delayā. Those are a setup of effects, and macroās for controlling them. To control them hold knobs button and select ātrack fx rackā.
Fun to play around with. And you can analyse how they work, and just make something similar to get your own twist on them.
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Ah, nice! Thanks. Still so much to learn with this thing. Got a bit of an Octatrack feeling navigating around on it - feels very convoluted at times, but once you get the muscle memory in, itās a lot easier.
I think the way to go with the Force is to find a workflow that you like. And stick to it. And if a new requirement is needed, just find a way to do that. I wouldnt want to use the Force for everything even if it is possible. Some things are better to do with other gear. But the Force brings everything very nicely together.
When the covid restrictions ease a bit, you could come up to my place and we could share some knowledge.
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