Akai Force!!!

VST2 will never drop. That is already a complete application for virtual instruments. What you need VST3 for? Unless you use hardware with software though.

 

So a funny thing happened with my Akai Force purchase. I made the mistake of listening to promises from Akai and bought the Force and eventually Ableton Live assuming these two will match well together. 6 months later and not only is there no Ableton integration but the Akai Force is still lacking a song mode. There are quite of few of us complaining because Akai has been quiet and not responding to customer inquiries on the subject. So since I already have Ableton, and the Force taught me the scene layout (didn't care for it in Maschine software) I decided to buy a Push 2. Wow, I never knew how amazing this Ableton controller is! So in hindsight, the Akai Force moved me away from Maschine only to entice me to use a Push 2?.......Akai, your marketing strategy is not working....... I'm still hopeful for the Force but it's not looking good.

 

Looks like the grass is the same green on the other side, heheh. Well... At least you found something you like, have you sold the Force or are you keeping it for now?

 

Yeah I like my push as well. I don’t think it can be a Maschine or MPC replacement for everyone though. The pads aren’t as good, some things with the layout can be a bit unintuitive and the integration with Ableton isn’t as tight.. but it would be kind of hard to make Ableton fully controllable via Push. It also doesn’t feel like something you’d carry around a lot.. where with the Maschine I have no problem chucking it in a backpack and don’t need the additional power supply.

 

I'm keeping it but I don't know for how long. Assuming an update will eventually come.

 

If you follow Dan from Akai, over on GearSlutz he announced the next update is next month. They announced it as coming and the next one is supposed to be a pretty significant update for both units.

 

How do the Encoder's Feel on the Force?

 

Arrangement/song mode





I’m more interested in this than the mpc one now , but I’d still rather have a maschine stand-alone

 

I've been testing arranger mode in the beta for a while so I'm not sure why it's still not available to everyone.

 

I'm looking forward to it, and the drum synth.

 

https://www.akaipro.com/force-forcexus

Just ...wow

 

I'm not saying it's distressing that it's interface has a fluidity that is sorely missing in Maschine, I'm saying it's tragic.............................................

 

Pretty impressed with the song arranger tbh. The way it overviews Audio and MIDI, the familiar tools we have in a DAW's toolbar, etc... The only thing I really dislike is the amount of screen tapping to navigate.

 

Yeah... I have no interest in a standalone but the new update for the Force has me interested. The song arranger looks great.




The Advanced 16 levels looks good too.



Like I said... I'm not looking for a standalone but I would buy this before I would buy the Maschine +.

The Force is going for $999 and with a 20% off coupon I can get it for $799.

I might just buy one. Which online retailer has the longest return policy? LOL

 

LOL. NI offers 14 days, and the shipping time counts I think. Most retailers offer 30 days but again, shipping counts.

 

I just got one today!

So far so good. I haven't had much of a chance to really dig in, spending most of my time updating the firmware, navigation, etc.

I've owned the MPC 2K, 4K, Maschine MK2, 3, and Studio, and immediately found it an extremely tactile experience. I think the MK3 is just about the pinnacle of form factor + functionality.

The Force is a bit odd from a muscle memory standpoint, since so much is done at the top of the unit. I do like the blend of button clicking, knob turning, and touchscreen for navigation. IMO there's a healthy amount of each, and that makes for a fun overall experience.

There's definitely a bit of a learning curve though.

Hype Synth is actually a solid romper, and feels very much created with the Korg Triton pallette in mind. In no way does it approach my MODX or my VST's, but it makes for a solid onboarding sound set. The only other synth I tried was Electric, and that's hot trash IMO. It's striking how bad it is. But that's me.

Generally, it will be paired with my MODX, but I'll also have it paired with Kushview Element, so I can make use of my cache of VST's while sequencing from Force.

While I'm still using a computer for the VST's, I'm untethered to a DAW and can still focus my sequencing needs on the hardware.

 

How are things going with the Force?