Maschine also uses an audio file for the preview. Its in .ogg format in folder in:
Expansion Name > Groups > Kits > .previews
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No artifacts
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How do you approach, the midi note length issues?
For example, after recording live-playing, or ARP, which allows accurate setting of gate length, onto the FORCE sequencer, I was unable to edit the length of the recorded MIDI note, or copy the recorded MIDI notes. If you add new notes, the MIDI will fill the entire length of the 1/16th note resolution or whichever resolution you set the sequencer in.
This issue makes it very limiting for analogue modular gear, because it would yield a very robotic and long sustain envelopeā¦
What midi note length issue? I can change the length of midi notes after ive recorded something. But if you have snap enabled note lenght will be locked to the length set in the quantize menu. And it can behave a little bit strange if you have several notes selected that already are of different lengths.
Try enabling the āDonāt snapā function when adjusting note lengths. 
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Is anyone here using their Force as the central hub for live performances?
And by āliveā I mean gigging, playing live shows.
I have some live shows coming up with 2 vocalists and a bunch of ext synths, a drum machine and some live bass/guitar.
My instinct is to use Ableton/Push 2ā¦ but then that means a laptop, the Push 2 and an audio interfaceā¦ Iām wondering if the Force is a viable alternative.
That was the plan for me, but Iāve been reassessing. I have some really nice plug-ins on Ableton, which I canāt replicate on the Force. In some cases, I can bounce clips with plug-ins applied, but for those which use side-chaining for track interplay, itās more difficult.
So - Iām currently back in Ableton plus APC/Push mode.
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Like thomaso said, turn off Snap to edit your MIDI note length more accurately. Also, increase your resolution to 1/64 while editing, and go into Preferences > Sequencer > Display Resolution and crank the PPQN to as high as it will go (this doesnāt affect timing, but it will increase your display resolution of the actual notes being displayed).
Yes, it absolutely is - with preparation. For starters, make sure you have a decent SSD installed in your Force and set your temp folder to that SSD, and enable disk streaming. Iād still rely on keeping all of your Drum Programs, Keygroups, etc in RAM, and just use disk streaming for the 8 stereo audio tracks.
Second, obviously you canāt load any plugins from Ableton Live or any other stuff you typically run on your laptop via Push, so if you absolutely need something - Iād sample it ahead of time and build that as a Keygroup or Drum Program. Obviously any audio Clips from Ableton Live will need to be loaded into the 8 stereo audio tracks, unless you want to place some in a Drum Program and trigger them that way as well.
Third, Iād just rely 100% on all of Forceās built-in effects and Plugins the best you can, and leave the rest up to the external gear that you plan on controlling.
Really, you need to setup and rehearse the proposed setup yourself, way ahead of your show, to get the most reliable data. We can tell you all day that it will work fine or it wonāt work, but how YOU work is going to be the most telling thing. 
Let us know what you end up doing - Iām interested to know!
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Thanks, some good points here.
It will be fully rehearsed beforehand.
For me itās an issue of ādo I want to invest time into exploring it?āā¦ or go straight to what I know with Ableton/Push 2.
Thereās still some specifics I need to figure out.
Workflow wise, if the live set is 30-40 mins with 5-8 tracks(songs) being played, with different tempos in each, and the core instrumentation being the same but some changes in sounds from song to songā¦ what does that look like as a project within the Force??
Most of the āliveā performances you see of the Force are very much in the dawless DJing vibe.
What Iām doing is more like a bandā¦ and Iām yet to see anything with it in that context.
Yeah thatāll be the biggest problem - no tempo/time change, certainly nothing even remotely close to Ableton Liveās (Push) āfollowā feature. For that reason alone, if what youāre doing now works great for you, then it might be best to stick to a laptop and Push, as much as it pains me to say that.
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Yeahhh, I knowā¦ I wish they could address the tempo thing.
It makes the MPC the more viable option in that way out of the two.
Iād really really like to not have a laptop involved, but I might have to.
If itās more like a band, bands usually take a small break between songs. 5-10 seconds or so to tune up an instrument, address the crowd, etc.
You could pause and easily adjust the tempo up or down for the next song from within a single project. Or load a new project if it needs to be different enough with plugins/keygroups and the like.
To the performer it feels like some huge violation to hit load and wait 20 seconds for a new load up. To everyone in the crowd it is completely unnoticed.
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I know, Iāve worked like this in the past with bands, but this one I want it to run continuously for the set.
Just as an update, Iāve had a bit of a dummy run with the Force today, and Iām thinking it could easily be up to the task and perfect for what I need.
My main hesitation was the tempo side, but I think I can get around that by manually transitioning the tracks/tempo.
For anyone interested, this is where Iām up to now (you might notice, I like having fader control!);
Itās just the 4 devices in the forefront at the moment, Iām trying to keep it to just what I can fit on that portable table.
Akai Force is the main seq and master clock.
Roland MX-1 is on mix/audio duties and clocked to the Forceā¦ cool because it has a lot of tempo based fx.
Roland TR8S is there as a dedicated step-seq drum machine so I can mentally separate out certain tasksā¦ it clocks really tight from the Force/MX-1 and the audio connects directly to the MX-1 via USB, so itās really convenient.
Novation Launch Control XL I will use to have permanent fader/solo/mute control of the Force.
Still to add;
Tascam 414mk2 Portastudio (that has prerecorded drones/ambience/loops).
Analog Four mk2, which is my go to mono-synth(s).
A poly synth, which I havenāt decided on yetā¦ leading candidate is my Roland JD-XA that can connect to the MX-1 via USB and it has a fantastic midi control side to it that I can map to the Analog Four.
Iād absolutely love to use my PolyBruteā¦ but itās way too heavy to take out to gigs in addition to the other stuff Iāll be taking.
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I see a key group multisampling session in your future. You could setup a custom midi map to the 10 knobs, plus pads and X/Y for the key group effects.
Yes, manually riding the tempo will work well live.
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Hmmmā¦ youāre making me want to revisit my setup as I also have a Roland MX-1 (as well as a System 8, TB3, and TR-8). Originally I was contemplating replacing my MX-1, because I hate the unbalanced analog inputs (lots of hiss/noise/hum on those channels for me), but I love being able to send audio via USB from my System 8, TB3, and TR8. But Iāve got a Dreadbox Typhon and a Korg Miniloque XD as well as my Force that I would need to send analog audio to my MX-1, assuming itās the final output to the PA (or in my studio, my monitors). I guess I could use the channel 5/6 mini 3.5 mm jack for my Typhon, though it pains me to do so.
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Yes, I know! There are a couple of patches Iāve built with the PolyBrute that I canāt really replicate on anything else, so Iād like to have those in the Force.
Iāve also thought about multisampling my A4 too so I could keep it as compact as possible, but I want access to the Quick Perf macros
The MX-1 is ridiculously good for what it does, and thereās nothing else like it.
But, I hear you, I know itās a āperformance mixerā, Iād never really use it for any critical recording work.
The mini 5&6 input channel is going to be taking in the Tascam Portastudio, so Iām not as concerned about the sound quality of thatā¦. Overall, in a gigging situation, itāll be fine and itās functionality performance makes up for any of its flaws.
Iām amazed no one else has done something like the MX-1ā¦
RIGHT?? Iām miffed that Roland didnāt do a follow-up. I know itās a performance mixer, but seriously Roland - give us a version that has all balanced inputs for the analog portion (and maybe another set of quarter-inch inputs instead of that mini jack), add another 2 USB inputs and support true USB Audio Class Compliance instead of your proprietary crap and I would have bought it without even waiting for a sale.
Ahhhh well, it is what it is. Like you said, wonāt use it for production recording, but in a live setting - itās hard to beat.
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So, I ran into a problem trying to replicate a similar setup with my gear. I do have 3 different Aria devices sending USB-Audio as well as USB-MIDI to the MX-1 (a System 8, a TB3, and TR8), and all I did was run my MIDI 5-pin cable from the Force to the MX-1 to clock it to the Force. Sure enough, the clock is tight and the MX-1 syncs very nicely with Force. The problem is, I canāt control my System 8 via my Force while the System 8 is running USB-MIDI/Audio into the MX-1. Force refuses to āsee itā, let alone control it.
Thatās a problem, because I want to use my System 8 as a sound module with Force.
I do have the 5-pin MIDI out from the MX-1 going into my Korg Minilogue, and I am able to control that with my Force at least (as well as sync the time based effects and send preset change messages - woohoo!) but I was really hoping the MX-1 would allow the Force to MIDI control the Aria devices connected to them - at least the System 8 - so thatās a major bummer.
Are you able to playback your TR8S via your Force, while running it via USB-Audio/MIDI to your MX-1? I donāt mean sync the TR8S transport - I mean trigger sounds?
Yes, not that far different to how youāre doing it, but different enough that I can get it workingā¦
So, run the USB out of the MX-1 into the Forceās USB portā¦ control the sync/clock to all the devices that way (the MX-1 should send that through).
Then, I ran a regular midi cable from the Force into the TR8S (System 8 in your case)ā¦ this allows me to select it as a Midi output in the Force and trigger/sequence from there.
I havenāt gone too deep into that, because I was mainly seqs the TR8S internally, but I checked out how I could do it, and Iāll probably use this method for my JD-XA.
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