AKAI Force

[Suspect_Frequency]

AMFRS gives some thoughts

I almost sold this // Akai Force 2024 - Long Term Review

[Poetic-Noise]

Cool review video.

Re the lack of tilt-screen…
Anybody ever try this & was it worth it?
Any tips?

I’ll try after I’m done with moving the rest of my music from older machines to the Force & got the cash for a another one just in case I mess up.

By Dream Static Sounds

Akai Force Hardware Mods: #1 Disassembly

Akai Force Hardware Mods: #2 Reassembly

Akai Force Complete Disassembly in 1 Minute

[darenager]

I found these the other day from Tom nicethings

“Some tips & reminders:

• Octave Transpose = select notes, goto List Editor, shift + select pad/note column, then shift + data dial (or -/+)

• In STEP SEQ, using Grid Edit + select (or shift + select for multi) will select notes for nudging, etc (like PUSH but better!)

• Edit + Pad on a drum track = enters drum edit

• Edit + Knobs = Macro Edit pages

• Select + double-tap a blank launch pad = creates a blank clip - useful for automation clips, etc…

• Shift + Knob + Notes (or Launch) = Pad Grid + Notes (or Launch) e.g. 32 different macros while playing a plugin

• Hold-pressing any function switches temporarily. Letting go returns you back to your original status

• Observing the the green pads on a midi/plugin track when playing back chords will show you all the correct pad possibilities of basslines or melodies for that chard progression. THIS IS MASSIVE!!! - I really should’ve kept this one to myself. I won’t be explaining it.

• Almost everything can be assigned to macros, and all macro automation can be recorded.

• Return FX channels can be used as 4 Aux Outs instead of FX e.g. a customised mix for the drummer using a Return FX channel to OUT 1 and still have 3 Outs left for Keys, Vocal, and a Guitar

• Grid Edit - Split, and Paste functions can be done in real-time e.g split audio while the tracks playing to edit audio parts easier

• Pressing an audio clip when in sample edit, selects the first audio sample, also true for drum tracks too

• STEP SEQ using Grid Edit - Edit notes with different pitches? Use Melodic or Mono with select (or shift for multi)

• Clip Edit - Use shift for extra f-keys e.g. double and half length a clip

• Drum Edit - goto GLOBAL f-key and change Sample Play to Note On. In this mode you can switch loop modes on (above BPM SYNC button) for pads.

• Drum FX - the Bass FX is great for enhancing low frequencies in melodic samples e.g. you can hear the ‘bottom-end’ on crap speakers or cheap earphones!

• STEP SEQ + STEP SEQ (menu) - The scribble strips (mini screens) line up with the resolution (to a certain degree at present), this can be used to create specifically timed automation e.g. a reverb or echo stopping at an exact time.

• Akai Network Midi driver - IMO, the best way to midi connect to computer; it works with anything and needs not physical connections.

Those are just a few off the top of my head, hope it helps, have fun!”

[Poetic-Noise]

He dropped this on GearSpace right when I was in process of dropping my shortcut list. We were on the same Force vibe that day!
I also made a big-ass Force wishlist from my own & others ideas on the site that l’ll post here too after I find & edited it. Tom seen it & even added to it while being hired by Akai, so hopefully they’ll put some of those request in future updates or a mk2.

Thanks for posting this here.
Link to Tom’s original post: https://gearspace.com/board/showpost.php?p=16849338&postcount=11531

[Poetic-Noise]

This is an update to this version: Akai Pro Force
For links to where these idea came from: https://www.reddit.com/r/AkaiForce/c…eb2x&context=3

The Akai Force Big-Ass Wish List
Version-2024/01/22

FX
-Better Reverb.
-Graphic EQ.
-A frequency spectrum analyzer.
-Odyssey’s Echo delay as a standalone FX.
-JURA reverb as a standalone FX.
-Use our own samples for OPx-4.
-Since there’s no PC# for selecting FX Presets, let us add our custom presets in each synth that becomes a new Preset that always loads like the built-in Presets, so we can quickly scroll thru our own stuff without having to load each one first. So the custom sounds will start after the last Akai Preset & just keep going with no set limit to how many we can have.

MIDI
-MIDI clock latency compensation.
-Program Changes # for plugins.
-Copy & paste automation events.
-Make the activation (ON / OFF) of insert effects in the Looper accessible with MIDI CCs.
-Be able to use the full height of the screen when editing automation; as it stands, vertical accuracy is difficult to achieve.
-Smoothing and filtering functions for automation (filtering to remove the massive amounts of redundant events that are generated when drawing a curve).
-Option for master clock to run continuously, rather than only between the start and stop events. This is absolutely necessary for synchronizing to external devices.

-Option to set a MIDI clip’s output or channel per clip, instead of per track. This way, a small group of MIDI tracks could play many different sounds, and a single track could play a different sound or device in each launch scene, without having to use program changes. I’m thinking about having e.g. one “melody” track in a long set, and the same track would play different instruments in different parts of the set, on the same track column, without having to scroll left/right just because a different sound is used. If everything is audio, this works because audio clips and phrase samples can contain different sounds even on the same track. But with MIDI, no can do.

-Clean up the junk-MIDI that is sent out at various stages. For example, when the stop button is pressed, a whole lot of all notes-off and sustain pedal-off messages are sent. And *almost off (*Typo - I don’t know what was meant instead. If you do let me know & I’ll edit this part) and sustain-off messages also sent after every program change, which is absurd. And this is not documented, but apparently when a project is loaded, the initial program, bank, and of course the whole slew of sustain-off and all notes-off messages are sent for every sequence in the project that has an initial program. This is ridiculous. The program and bank should only be sent for the initial sequence, not all of them.

Track-Program/Mixer
-A better way to monitor levels.
-Gain compensation for FX like compressors.
-Polarity flip.
-More LFO’s (& free-running LFO’s) & destinations in Track Edit.
-Edit multiple keygroups together (not just one or ‘all’)
-More LFO waves (like Fabric, e.g. random drift)
-Randomize LFO parameters.
-Unique LFO, envelopes and filters per layer
-Customizable filters.
-Track mute groups= like pad mute groups.
-Send a submix to another submix.
-More audio tracks.
-Explode drum tracks.
-Bring back the 2nd filter for each pad.
-Groove extraction from audio clips.
-A Pad Mod Matrix that lets pads mess each other in all kinds of ways & that works with external gear as well.
-Allow audio tracks to be recorded when Force is slaved to an external clock.
-Shift lock feature for fine tuning.
-All layers parameter adjustments
-Negative phase for envelopes, amplifier as destination for key follow.
-Velocity sensitive decay (or v>custom).
-Custom program UI, to allow a plugin like experience for a program, with options to configure custom dials ‘EFFECTS > Keygroup FX’ (low CPU FX like ‘DRUM FX’, but optimized for use with instruments).
-Keygroups remembers the WHEEL>LFO modulation setting, so I wouldn’t have to do my own external bookkeeping of the correct values for each keygroup and set them every time after loading a project
-Track mute and Pad mute windows should have a button bottom left of and next to the division button to take you to the other mute window… So in track mute you see pad mute and in pad mute window the button says track mute and takes you to track mute window.
-When in Edit-All pad mode let these parameters be selectable so we could change all of them simultaneously: Sample pad layer, Slice number in track edit, Drum FX type, Drum FX parameter edit, Pad Insert FX type, Pad Send levels.
-Edit-Zone options icons (Current, Selected, All) to be displayed in that space where the E-Z tab is.
-While in Edit All mode a prompt displays on screen reminding us we’re in Edit-All mode.
Edit-All reset tab that reverts our settings back to what they were before & also let us pick the pads we want to include/exclude from the reset.

-SP404 style Pad-Looping: Toggle style: you hit a pad it loops indefinitely, you hit it again it stops.
-one shot playback of sample like in the sp404mk2 (you hit the pad, or the sequencer plays the pad, if you press the pad again OR the sequence loops before the sample has ended, the sample is not retriggered and new notes are ignored until the sample is over then it can be retriggered\played again).
-tune follows tempo option without warp: you use “from bpm” as it is now, hit “match” so the Force/MPC retunes the loop to be in time with sequence’s bpm, then you engage “bpm sync”. when you change tempo the Force/MPC automatically changes the tune of all samples with bpm sync engaged, vinyl style. (here too the sp404mk2 does it very well).-

-When we’re editing Track pad parameters, let say in the Filter page & we have Cutoff on pad 1 selected so it can be change with the data-wheel, after I pressing another pad, I want the data-wheel select highlighter that’s on the screen to stay on the CF parameter for that new pad & not switch to the top of the screen. I think it’s safety thing so that if we’re editing 1 pad & by mistake press another pad, we don’t just edit it without having to reselect the parameter first, which is cool too, but I wish it was optional as it would make editing many different pads less clunky.

Sampler
-MPC-Stems.
-Sample combine/amend: A+B=AB.
-Loop point recognition.
-Batch audio processing.
-Audio to MIDI
-Keygroup and layer crossfading.
-More than 4 layers per keygroup.
-Combining round robins and velocity switching per keygroup.
-Lossless compressed audio option (e.g. like KONTAKT ncw format).
-Loop Point Editing. As of now…the END Point becomes the Loop Point. Idiotic!!! (As a workaround you can split the sample on the end point and assign the remaining to a new layer that triggers on release).
-Real-time sample reverse like the SP-404 mk2.
-A better quality Warp (but keep the current 1 for nasty FXs).
-The ability to add samples to the looper screen for overdubbing.
-Sample edit to use any installed FX plugin (i.e. not just the ‘process’ options) - make this non-destructive with it’s own unique undo history.
-More time Stretching like PaulStretch or Variphrase.
-In sample edit mode, when zooming in and out, keep the position centered.
-Sample-Link: Change all the samples on multiple pads at the same time like on the JJOS.
-Sample-Pad Lock: Samples won’t changed until you unlock it. Prevents samples from being changed by mistake.
-Option to set all new samples to stream from disk & to change multiple samples to stream from disk at once.
-Change the stereo type (Stereo, L-mono, R-mono, L+R mono) of a stereo sample in real-time in the Track edit.
-Advance Sample edit mode that unlocks more nerdy editing tools that most don’t need, there for those that do.
-“Stop & Go Sampling” = Start sampling then pause it on the parts you don’t want & un-pause it to record the parts you do want all as 1 sample.
-When in sample edit, I wish the green S & red R icons were either more transparent or moved to the middle line because sometimes they block the sample waveform.

-Random’ slice parameter (in addition to ALL, pad, 1,2, etc) - can be utilized in combination with a sliced sample to address lack of round robin support per layer.
Allow separate loop end point, and thus be able to use the actual original release tail of a sample when releasing a note.

-Wavetables as new playback mode in the sampler engine. So you can load a wavetable as a sample and just set the playback engine to wavetable or granular mode. Or record a sample, set it to those modes and see what happens. It’s kind of already possible to do something similar to wavetables, but with a few tweaks and a dedicated modes this could work really well, without needing extra plugins.

Sequencer
-Euclidean sequencer.
-Tempo automation.
-More time-signatures.
-Real-time per track quantize.
-Real-time track delay, positive and negative values. In ticks and samples.
-Names for scenes.
-More track location tags in the arranger.
-Clip-Play options: Play clips normal, reverse, forward-reverse, % of forward/reverse
-Some way to easily transport bars so we can go from bar 1 to bar 2.
-Have the the option to link tracks by setting a track as the leader & others as follower, so all edits you do on the leader track will be copied to any follower track.
-The option for clips to be included/excluded from the Row Launch.
-Multiple Arranger pages to make various versions of the composition.
-It should be possible to collapse the piano roll to only show notes within the current pad perform scale. Or some other user defined scale.
-To be able to filter by pad/key in the list editor to view & work on just 1 note or whatever notes/pads you choose.
-Be able to add chords progression in the step sequencer.
-Assign a tempo to each launch row/scene.
-Shift+play should change the tempo to the default tempo of the clip on the currently selected track.
-Launch-Delay= A new launch scene won’t start playing until the longest clip in the current scene finishes.
-Launch Scene Arranger= Setup the order of scenes to play & loop on the fly so we can change it up then let it play out. E.g., Scene 1-2-3-15-16 then its loops or not. Also this should be able to be recorded/converted into the Arranger.
-In the Clip editor piano roll; the out of scale notes should be darkened by default, & hidden or disabled via a configuration option.
-In the List editor, please remember the last event type inserted. This way a person can add a series of events, say mutes, without having to scroll to the bottom of that 120 odd item list every single time.
-The step sequencer on the pads could use some real love: Add the ability to change step length, Elektron-style parameter locking (even in a limited capacity) & copy/paste steps or sets of steps.

-Sustain loop fine-tuning. If you have a sample of 440 Hz sounding pitch, sampled at 44100 Hz sampling rate, if you use a single-cycle sustain loop, the loop will currently be out of tune with the beginning of the sample. There is no way to have a single-cycle sustain loop of integer length produce a 440 Hz sound at 44100 Hz sampling rate. 100 samples is too short, 101 samples is too long. The loop needs to be fine-tuned separately.

-Pre-roll areas for clips, which start playing immediately when launching, before the clip’s beat 1, from whichever point, how far ahead the clip was launched. This would enable not only anacrusis i.e. pickup bars, but also help in syncing scene/clip changes with other devices which require the launch command two beats in advance.
-Probability on a ratcheted note should affect the likelihood of the whole ratcheted set of events rather than the probability of each individual hit. Or at least this should be a user selectable option.

-In the grid editor, change the scroll behavior when nudging. This is a little hard to describe, but here’s the problem. If I wish to move all notes in a sequence a few ticks backwards or forwards, first I tediously select them in the usual way; then I scroll and zoom to the beginning of the selection. Then, when I hit nudge and turn the wheel, the scroll position immediately jumps to something near the center of the selection, rather than staying at the beginning of the selection as I want it to. This is means I have to repeatedly scroll to beginning of the selection,

Synth
-Wavetables With user/custom tables
-Granular synth.
-Physical modeling.
-Vocal synthesis. *Casio’s CT-S1000V
-Vocoder. *VirSyn VoxSyn
-Cross Modulation.
-Feedback based instrument.
-Air Hybrid 3.
-Wind, brass & guitar plugins.
-More Moog stuff.
-Akai VX600, Prophet, MS-20, CS-80, PPG, OB-Xa, ARP 2600.
-Fizmo with the Z-plane filters from Morpheus.
-Open source/Custom plugins.
-More LFO’s in the Track editor.
-One-shot LFO’s & loop-able envelopes.
-Advance synth edit mode.
-Improve some UIs and especially for OPX.
-Improve DrumSynth by adding new percussion models, extending it to 16 voices & redesigning its interface similar to the desktop version.
-Integrate JURA’s arpeggiator in all other plugins.
-Since there’s no PC# for selecting Presets, let us save & store our edits as custom presets with no set limit to how many we can save.
A- spectral synth, with a DAHDSR on each of … let’s call it four spectra to keep it easy. *check out zynaddsubfx
-A MicroFreak type synth with a large range of oscillator types (Simple to complex), and using a modulation matrix, instead of patch cables in a fixed architecture format.
-Just update keygroup program spec so we can start building our own synths. For example, the option to add a custom UI, mod matrix, more LFOs, better Q-link control of keygroup parameters (potentially mapped to custom knobs in the UI).
-Tubesynth and hype combined together with a multimode filter. Hype has some interesting sounds but it’s modulation options are a joke while Tubesynth is a great VA with just a low pass filter.

-TB-303 more in the vane of the Devilfish mods. In default positions it should 100% sound like a 303 and be based on it’s architecture, filter…etc,. Morphing oscillator between saw and square. 2nd detunable Morphing Oscillator that can also be used as Sub (and a sub). Option to decouple the filter decay from the amp decay and have deferent filter decays for the main and accent notes. Filter Tracking, Glide time control.
Filter FM (this is not the same as FM syntheses, but where the filter is modulated like with an LFO at audio rate, but source being the oscillator, and in this version that could be Oscillator 2) Then a good range of drives aimed at the 303 sound such as the metal zone, the Rat, fuzz, some unusual option like wave folding could be nice. And a pre distortion EQ (maybe a simple Tilt EQ) instead of a muffler & all these synths controls should be on one screen & the FX on another (I count 14 knobs, so TILT (EQ and Drive would make 16 - Perfect).

Work-Flow
-No Audition time limit (What the hell is 30s).
-Reverse play in Preview menu.
-Different date formats for the browser Year/mm/dd or whatever.
-UNDO a new drum program loaded by accidentally.
-Track Position Swap (Track rearrange is cool but, Swap track 2 & 13 in one take is faster).
-Copy Track settings to another of the same Track type w/o copying over the clips.
-Copy/paste & or reorder macros like the 16 crossfaders Set#1 to Set#16.
-Reassign buttons to other functions.
-Custom screen icon tabs for shortcuts to the good stuff.
-Mouse support & or better tech-screen improvements.
-Put the pad in a Pad-Mute/Solo mode so we don’t need to hold Shift+pad to mute/unmute/solo the pads.
-The option for menus like the file browser, clip list editor, automation lanes…etc, to keep your place after you leave & return.
-Decent import of old Akai libraries, along with SFZ, sf2, gig…etc.
-Tagging editor (add searching and filtering meta data to samples and instruments).
-When a project is being loaded, or a sample deleted, etc. Please show the name of the object involved. It’s too easy to slip and load or delete the wrong thing.
-Make it easier to move files to from SSD to SD In “Standalone”. I shouldn’t have to use a computer or Load & Save a project to a new place.
-Being able to copy & paste text & also save common names to the pads (Pad 1=Kick, Pad 2=Snare,…Pad 64=Ruff Sketch).
-Track-Clip options: Copy, Paste or Move 1/all/selected clips to another track with the options of keeping the current clip(s) name or converting the name to the new track or a new custom name.

-A SnapBack feature like when you use the Snapshot feature to mute a track it stays like that when you Launch a new scene. Now you have to either un-mute manually or create another Snapshot on that scene with the track un-muted. With Snapback on all settings go back to where they were before the Snapshot. Better if each scene could have it’s own option for having it on/off. Cause sometimes you want it sometimes you don’t.

-In the macro editor, I’d like to be able to focus on a parameter, say, “cutoff frequency” and change it to another parameter like “resonance”, with the data dial or +/- buttons. Without having to browse through the whole track/plugin/parameter menu again and again, with the touch screen.
-When holding down the KNOBS button, it would be great to be able to use the launch pads to select one of the options, instead of having to use the touch screen. This would even enable selecting a new mode with one hand.

-When the knobs are set to Volume mode, I’d like to be able to quickly reset the volume to 0 by e.g. double-tapping the knob. Or holding SHIFT. The same goes for all parameters in the whole device - there should always be an easy way to instantly reset to zero or some other normal default value.

-The option to move the quick menu tab from the left side of the screen to the right or bottom & also with the option to make it go away, but still be in-effect.

Any more wishes? LOL

[Poetic-Noise]

Jedi Tip> Black tape over a Decksaver makes devices look less valuable in public…Who would’ve ever guessed that thing had all them buttons? 🫢

You can’t see it but, there’s 2 Velcro straps under the Force that wraps around to lock the Decksaver from coming off When your moving around.

[Purusha]

@Poetic-Noise

-Program Changes # for plugins.

That’s actually my #1 want for Force. I tend to put together lots of clips, variations etc. and essentially need patch selection per clip. I can do this, in a round-about way, in Ableton. Each scene is pretty-much a ‘song’ in its own right, which can be mixed with elements from other scenes, arranged etc. on-the-fly.

Alternative is to use Force to sequence external kit (synths), but it would need possibly more than I’d really want to carry around.

[gekkonier]

I know the pain. Thats why I embraced the looper and disc streaming before selling it.
It’s kind of a really fine box, but whats the difference to an proper grid controller and a laptop? Less cables and less possibilities, got it.

[Poetic-Noise]

That’s the second wish in the MIDI section. Hopefully they add it.

[Suspect_Frequency]

@gekkonier

Less cables and less possibilities, got it.

Some people see an 8 ounce glass with 4 fluid ounces of water in it and think that the container is half empty.

[gekkonier]

Can you explain, and not be cryptic too?
This is useless.

[Novitchok]

That’s a BIG ONE!

[Suspect_Frequency]

@gekkonier

and not be cryptic too?

One mans yummy glazed donut is another mans diabetic shock

I hope that helped

[gekkonier]

Whatever, nevermind. I have no time for this nonsense.

[Suspect_Frequency]

The man who rushes through life never stops to enjoy his past or see his future

[alexwasashrimp]

One who goes to sleep with an itchy butthole wakes up with a stinky finger.

[Suspect_Frequency]

Wouldn’t know personally butt sounds good

[Sternenlicht]

The Akai Force as an Intuitive DAW with MockbaMod & Midiloop 4

Its a midi loopback technique, maybe you like the idea.

[Poetic-Noise]

Oh shit! So you telling me these dudes is giving all these cool features to the Force for free & Akai is selling new presets for OPx-4?
Come on Akai!

I just I should them my Big-Ass Force Wish-List for thing to have a chance of getting done. They already granted my wish for the using the pads for custom words while naming stuff a few days after I asked them if it was possible.

[Sternenlicht]

Custom words for the clips ? So you dont have to name them? Who Akai?