AKAI Force

The Lounge Other Gear
#204

it’s an outcome of the MPC legacy and therefore it totally makes sense in the genres that got built around this kind of machines, which are basically more loop-based styles like hip hop or house music.

so in that sense it’s a logical evolution to this contemporary product. but if you want more versatility in manipulating the arrangements and tweaking, then there are plenty of other brilliant solutions out there, such as OT, Deluge, eurorack-sequencers etc. etc…

i am just curious about its MIDI and CV functionalities: if it has something like MIDI-/CV- microtiming (-tuning), lfo’s, delays etc., plus P-Locks & timestretching, then it could be interesting for sequencing external gear with it, while still having the ability of launching “clips” (aka samples) besides it. which is, btw., what all the solutions that i have named above, can already do.

so if you have grown up with that push-play- / loop-based-dogma, then loading samplebanks and pressing play while noodling around and adding effects plus trying to look super serious at the same time is what you can definitely do with this 1,5+K shiny little box. and even though you still have to build up dramaturgy and progressions during the performance, i think that, for me personally, it would feel super-unsatisfying at the end of the day…

1 Like
#205

Looks awesome.

#206

I just dont get why a computer and DAW isnt better. It seems to me that thing forces you down a path of cheesey, lifeless, well traveled music with its scales and sample packs, chord progressions and perfectly measured clips. How easy is it to go off the rails and make organic music? My thoughts are that if you make remotely interesting music at all you wouldnt want one of these. You would want to steer clear. I just dont get it.

7 Likes
#207

I wonder if there’s some sort of arrangement mode for tracks. Like creating a whole song or is it all just clip based?

1 Like
#208

Basically we are looking at a company who trashed all their MPC5000 customers and then enticed them back with units that lack multitimbral functionality. No thanks.

Come on Roger Linn blast apart these macaroni’s

2 Likes
#209

i think it is because of the price (like someone has mentioned here before): somewhat around 1,5K is still cheaper than a powerful laptop (strong CPU & RAM), an audio-interface plus the license for a DAW (ableton, which is imo WAAAAAYY too overpriced bloatware, is quite expensive…).

#210

Yes but the Force is like using a phone app. If you ever want to so something serious you go to your laptop. This channels you down predetermined workflows and frameworks because of the difficult nature of its operation (dont get me started on the mess of buttons and menus this is). With a computer you can throw sound around, you can tear down all bars and chains.

Also most people own a laptop, you dont need an audio interface really and you can get ableton dor free if you want to. This is for rich people and imo it will be responsible for HEAPS of terrible music that all sounds the same

2 Likes
#211

:rofl: overreaction much?! Over time, I’m sure it’ll be far less responsible for all the EDM crap that’s come out of the States over the past decade!

1 Like
#212

not sure about that, because most of my favorite hip hop producers were using MPC’s as their main tool, and i think that producers in that line of genres will use it in interesting ways. it will depend on their choice of samples and usage of external gear/FX. but still, for me personally it is not really my :tea:

1 Like
#213

I was just gonna say that. A lot of great tracks were made and done by great producers on MPCs.

1 Like
#214

If someone can use a phone app to make a better beat than me more power to them but this is definitely considerably more than a phone app. The large majority of music fits within bars, what defines a “good” drummer in my opinion is mostly the ability to stay in time. Most people just aren’t jumping in and recording things at whatever length they want without keeping in time, even with DAWs. People set a loop and record. If you think that music being loop based makes it bad you are depriving yourself of a lot of experiences and you come across as elitist. Let people make music however they want, using a laptop doesn’t make you better than anyone

5 Likes
#215

Currently have a MPC Live which I just got (for the 2nd time, no regerts) however this acts as a MIDI host, so this plus a MPD controller (or the beatstep I already own) will probably be better than the Live and potentially replace my Deluge as well. I am kinda into this thing.

I just have to decide if I can live with the GIGANTIC EFFING FORM FACTOR on my desk, and still no frigging tilting screen.

What I would really prefer is if they would give me this type of clip launching functionality on my MPC Live using an external controller such as the Launchpad Pro I currently own, or a APC40 MK2 which I would gladly purchase.

2 Likes
#216

:joy:

#217

This looks ugly and also doesn’t interest me whatsoever.

#219

I had the same thoughts upon watching those tutorial videos, but then I found some really nice MPC Live techno tracks on YouTube (although they weren’t MPC-only - I saw some from a guy who uses it along a Volca FM, another guy with MPC+Blofeld… still pretty compact setups, and they sounded great).

So I guess in the right hands this might be a great creative tool

1 Like
#220

this entire post is gold :rofl:

2 Likes
#221

Looks dope, but probably unnecessary for most people already in this world. And if you’re new to this world, might be too much? I think this is for all the X/Live gassers. I still prefer the formfactor of the Touch/Live. I’m partial to rectangular boxes for some reason a la the OT. But this thing def has the bells and the whistles. $1500 seems appropriate considering what this does w/o a comp. Hell, the OT is 13…

#222

Something like the novation launchpad app on the iPhone, that seems boring to me too. Just playing premade clips, performing them.

But this lets you sample stuff and just seems way more engaging in every way. I dunno, this looks like a dream machine for some reason.

2 Likes
#223

I’m interested to an extent, it looks like they put a lot of thought into its workflow and I’m curious about how the synths and effects sound on it…

#224

it will sound like the mpc live. same code base.

2 Likes