i really wish the Force had the ability to easily copy pages of step sequencer data (while still in that view) on push 2 one of the layouts has squares representing the pages cycling at the top, can just duplicate these there directly, also to adjust clip start stop, so nice
on force you have to hold down the step sequencer button to get to this view and from there I am not aware of a way to copy/paste pages (LMK if I miss something tho, would love to be wrong here)
also the pad/pad automation sequencer, I donât want to have to go to a completely different view to copy pages of automation
and why do the automation presets change back to the first one when you change pages forcing you to cycle through the same ones again arrrg hehe
anyway rant over I know Akai are too busy releasing mysterious point stability releases
You can do that, but do the OP want to do that or even want to keep something that they could sell just so they can make beats that they donât plan to keep while smelling poop?
Let me ask. Hey @Novitchok do you want to make beats on the toilet?
The MPC has an program pool so that you can load up many drum & keygroup programs without even using them & set the same 1 to multiple tracks, which makes editing them easier across tracks.
On the Force you would have to make 1 drum track & multiple MIDI track the send it MIDI data to the 1 drum track. I like the MPC way better, but not by much.
A big part of it for me is that itâs distinctly its own style of sequencing thatâs enjoyable to work in and influences me to work in a different way.
My biggest problem with the Force over the 2 years Iâve had it is that I always get to a point of âI might as well just be doing this in Ableton, fasterâŚâ, so the Force struggles to coexist with Ableton for me, the MPC doesnât.
I think Iâd use the MPC a lot more than I do if Track layouts in Seq1 automatically translated to all other Seqs, unless I tell it otherwise. Iâm still hoping this comes at some point.
This is a part to way I donât like the MPC.
If you make a lot of difference sequences this can get extremely tedious. Then if you want to change something you like track order or name or if made an edit to one or more tracks seq data youâll have to make those changes on all the sequences. It kinda the samebon the Force but itâs a lot easier to deal with.
Iâve had both Force and Mpc and kept the Mpc. To my eyes the step sequencer are pretty much the same, only a different layout and I actually like the Mpc song mode. I do miss the clips thoughâŚ
Not enough to give up speakers and portability
I donât look at the MPCâs Program pool as being part of the Sequencer, which is why I didnât mention it. Iâll concede that I do miss this on my Force, but since Force has a true 1:1 track relation like a DAW, itâs just not something I ever see happening. And if 1:1 tracks do come to MPCâs, you can kiss that Program pool goodbye since you wonât be able to assign the same Program to multiple tracks. You all have been warned LOL!
Explode also isnât really a âsequencerâ feature IMHO. But if weâre just listing things that MPC can do that Force canât, then have at it. Thereâs more than a few things, for sure!
The arrangement in the Force is just a single sequence like on the MPC. The MPC Standalone just needs a view to oversea all the sequence data on the same page and allow the user to copy paste track chunks and move them around, just like on MPC Software with Select Alt+click. Again, itâs here in MPC Software but not standalone.
There was a video of somebody unlocking multiple arrangements for the same project on the Force, and an âarrangement chainâ view. So all the code is already in the device, itâs just undocumented.
Different clips and that is how I play live. I sample lots of loops (usually 4/8 per song) load them in a clip program, all to the same mute group and unquantised. Live I trigger them at the right time and tweak effects. But the Force clips are different altogether and definitely more flexible.
Technically, which is why projects can be moved between the devices. But this opens up significantly when you factor in the disk streaming on the Force, which allows for long audio tracks alongside MIDI sequences in the linear arranger timeline, which can be a huge advantage if youâre working in a way that benefits from it. The Force in this configuration, particularly when paired with a USB mixer, can be a very capable 8-track audio recorder / editor / mixer, with MIDI and sample tracks on top. Thatâs the Forceâs killer feature over the MPC, though the MPCâs traditional track setup can have its own advantages (itâs not much fun creating multiple Force MIDI tracks that use a single kit, for example).
I still think the Force is the most slept-on device of its time, which is certainly in part down to Akaiâs early handling of it, and perhaps also to its rather awkward approach to USB audio. Stuck record, I know, but the wealth of macro features alone is revolutionary. If you like the assignable LFOs of the Machinedrum, the crossfader of the Octatrack, and the pad performances of the Rytm - theyâre all here, with more besides.
Perhaps itâs an example of the whole being perceived as less than the sum of the parts⌠but itâs a shame.
track explode
bpm per sequence
time signature per sequence
midi merge
next sequence features
recordable mutes etcâŚ
midi skip-back feature
random event generator
individual track lengths (poly)
clip mode and many more
To be fair, Force doesnât need ânext sequenceâ due to itâs Clip Matrix, but I really wish I could add a follow action on the Clip Matrix. Also, you can record mutes on Force very easily. Random event generator? Please explain what you mean.
Iâm not really comparing the mpc to the force, just answering the op question of is there anything good about the mpc sequencer
as far as the force goes, I just wish it could do everything ableton can do and was a smaller form factor⌠but the fact that the mpc can do what it can do and is dead easy to use, not to mention fit all of that capability within something as small as an mpc one is amazing
