Akai Force Forum: Everything relating to the Akai Force, the new 64 pad, clip-based standalone sampler/groovebox from Akai. While not an MPC, it shares many similar software features to the MPC X/MPC Live including the same underlying code-base.
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By Zae Zur Wed May 18, 2022 7:19 pm
Hello!

Just curious how many of you are taking your songs through the mixing stage on the Force vs using an external DAW? I love the Force workflow but am starting to feel constraints with only 8 audio channels and the little screen for doing automation. I know life could be easier if i was using Ableton or Logic. How many of you are getting along without a DAW?
By DokBrown Thu May 19, 2022 6:13 pm
GOOD ? but no hardware can match a modern CPU running ableton or logic or protools.
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By Lampdog Fri May 20, 2022 1:08 am
Say it again man cause more people need to realize that truth and know that those comparisons aren’t realistic and/or fair.
By DokBrown Fri May 20, 2022 1:24 am
I think “hardware music” people like me are just fine without a DAW.
I never made any good music with ableton although PUSH opened up my mind about was capable.

I will probably just settle on recording from my MPC LIVE to an akai FORCE b/c I’m already familiar with the AKAI FX & workflow.

I think “producers/DAW” people will record to their favorite DAW. I’m sure AKAI feels limited relative to any modern DAW.
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By Lampdog Fri May 20, 2022 1:58 am
I’ve used daws before, cool, I get it, a computer is powerful, but I “feel” much more connected to my music in hw, even tho hw is limited and will never be equal to computer. Comparing them is not fir imo.

I use hw and no daw for decades now. I load up reaper sometimes just because I like how it is, still go back to hw.

Mixing on hw is not as easy as computer daw, but, patience will still bring you VERY good songs, take time to plan out, mastering fx with programs, pads, submixes, people would be surprised at how far they can get before taking mixes to a pro studio.
Might not even need to cause most these muhfucas aren’t pro or going pro anyway. Some are and I salute them for that effort, work and sheer badassery!

Damn good results these days can be made right there on x, One, Force or Live on the couch if enough work is put in.
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By Koekepan Fri May 20, 2022 2:23 pm
I have no problems mixing on the Force.

If I need to do fader-riding type stuff, I plug in a MIDI controller with appropriate faders and knobs, assign them, and do that. If I need effects chains, the Force gives them to me (along with some nice effects for the job). Would a dedicated mix engineer with six 4K screens on his tweaked quad CPU monster and $4000 in software do better? Probably. Am I about to spend five figures on mastering tools? No. Most of it is up to the ears and the skills, anyway. All the software in the world won't make up for a lack of knowledge.
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By Lampdog Fri May 20, 2022 4:06 pm
Koekepan wrote: Would a dedicated mix engineer with six 4K screens on his tweaked quad CPU monster and $4000 in software do better? Probably. Am I about to spend five figures on mastering tools? No.

This is where my mind lives, for decades now.
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By Koekepan Sat May 21, 2022 5:17 am
Right on.

In fact, let me add another insight for the commercially-minded:

If your setup cost you three grand, including your Force, your laptop, a keyboard controller, a mic, an audio interface, a cable modem and a stack of SD cards? You can work cheap and still see the payoff day in your future.

If you are selling plasma to make the payment on your $250,000 tuned studio with a wall of Moog modular on the side? You'd damn well better be working for top dollar, or Guido and Bruno will be around on Big Tony's orders to come fetch your kidney.

And they aren't too picky about how they patch you back up.
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By Zae Zur Tue May 24, 2022 5:47 pm
I made a compromise. I got Ableton Again, just because it is so easy to arrange and mix on. And with the Force's ability to save Ableton Live projects, I can still do all my HW work using the Force as the main hub to capture all my synths into clips then when ready i save that as a live file and it opens right up in Live, ready to be worked on. I too dont like making music in the computer, at least the creative part of coming up with ideas, so this keeps my creative HW station in tact with an easier ability for me to finish songs in live later.
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By Lampdog Tue May 24, 2022 7:19 pm
THAT imo is the whole purpose of the Live integration. Others keep coming with, Ableton does this and I wish Force could do it. Force isn’t and will never be Ableton. That happy medium you’ve found is where the intended design shines. Your using each device for what it is and not what it “could” be or what you “wish” it was.
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By EnochLight Tue May 24, 2022 8:42 pm
Zae Zur wrote:Hello!

Just curious how many of you are taking your songs through the mixing stage on the Force vs using an external DAW? I love the Force workflow but am starting to feel constraints with only 8 audio channels and the little screen for doing automation. I know life could be easier if i was using Ableton or Logic. How many of you are getting along without a DAW?


I do it the only way that works for me: use my Force (and/or MPC) to produce/compose/write, and then import the stems into Ableton Live or Reason for finishing off the mix and then mastering. Force/MPC are nearly perfect for some things, but finishing a master is not one. They just can't compare to iZotope's Neutron 3 Advanced as a channel strip and Ozone 9 Advanced as a mastering suite.