Samples (NOOB entry )

HI everyone.

after a long consultation here and there I finally decide to swap my brand new MPC ONE with the FORCE, I must admint probably blinded by the advert on their website "..Import Ableton projects into FORCE for a workflow completely free of computer". Said that I understand the difference between a single project and a DJ set one although some single project MAY contain a single stem too filling the little RAM way too much from what I expected..( again my fault I should have dig into this better as well ) NOW, I have a long way to go in order to understand the whole process of despite being kind of an old git in the scene and di possess so many controllers ( from the lunchpad to the Push to the AKAI MPC 40 MKII and Ipad ones ) , at the time of writing I now ended up buying a VERY expensive controller at least on the Ableton Side Integration, don't get me wrong, is OK to have the Force to actually handle a Computer set while switching to your own clips so..no complaints about this.. still

Said that I read the so many threads about the Disk Streaming feature that akai is having in the pipeline that is a while now and to actually use the Force in a Dawless Dj set properly is the only way out ..and now a relate question.

I decided to start looking into the single wav/Mp3 loading and with only ONE mp3 loaded in about 4min lenght it went 21% memory usage AND it played afwul..I mean I could clearly hear micro stuttering like if matching tempo would be a problem or sort.. not excited about this. .so I wll keep learning the machine but unless I'm still far to learn the '..workflow completely free of computer' is obviously limited to single clp projects..

So until my next post I wish all of you great productions ( and to see Disk Writing like Octatrack does already to appear soon )

What I'm about to say is probably no help at all. And for that, I apologise.

Having said that, here's what I observe: you're trying to shoehorn a tool into a particular mode of working, rather than adapting to use its strengths. Yes, the Force isn't a disc streaming monster, and everything that it handles in terms of samples has to be loaded into RAM first. However, that is arguably its weakest single point.

However, it's a good production tool, studio master, sampler and sequencer. If you think of it in the same way that you might have a '90s sampler crossed with a VA synth engine, it comes to life in a big way. If you want to do solid DJ sets with it, what I recommend is that you either fit your whole set into one huge setup (possible, but a little tricky - then again, have you seen what the likes of Bodzin do with limited input?) or that you have some small looper or similar next to it that you can can populate with loops to keep the beat pumping while loading up the next project on the Force. You can get perfectly acceptable loopers for not much money.

I use mine in the studio as an arranger, sequencer and sampler, and for that it's great.

Alan Codger wrote:..and now a relate question.

I decided to start looking into the single wav/Mp3 loading and with only ONE mp3 loaded in about 4min lenght it went 21% memory usage AND it played afwul..I mean I could clearly hear micro stuttering like if matching tempo would be a problem or sort.. not excited about this. .so I wll keep learning the machine but unless I'm still far to learn the '..workflow completely free of computer' is obviously limited to single clp projects..

So until my next post I wish all of you great productions ( and to see Disk Writing like Octatrack does already to appear soon )

So did you load a WAV or an MP3? Because the difference between the two, sound quality-wise, can often be telling. Does the MP3 playback fine in your DAW? Anyway, any samples imported into Force are processed at 32-bit and converted to WAV internally, so the size of the file increases proportionally despite you importing a 16 bit or 24 bit file, MP3 or otherwise. That said, it is not surprising the Force RAM is being taken up that much by a 4 minute long file (as an aside, hence the limit to 8 audio tracks and 4 minute 59 second lengths of each audio track).

Secondly, did you calculate the BPM of your sample correctly? Is your Project tempo set to your sample's calculated tempo, or are you using a different tempo? If so, did you select the Pro Ten audio algorithm in Force preferences? Note: adjusting tempo +/- more than 8 to 10 BPM from your sample's actual (correct) tempo is bound to add audio artifacts. Are you using the "warp" feature in a Keygroup?

Koekepan wrote:What I'm about to say is probably no help at all. And for that, I apologise.

Having said that, here's what I observe: you're trying to shoehorn a tool into a particular mode of working, rather than adapting to use its strengths. Yes, the Force isn't a disc streaming monster, and everything that it handles in terms of samples has to be loaded into RAM first. However, that is arguably its weakest single point.

However, it's a good production tool, studio master, sampler and sequencer. If you think of it in the same way that you might have a '90s sampler crossed with a VA synth engine, it comes to life in a big way. If you want to do solid DJ sets with it, what I recommend is that you either fit your whole set into one huge setup (possible, but a little tricky - then again, have you seen what the likes of Bodzin do with limited input?) or that you have some small looper or similar next to it that you can can populate with loops to keep the beat pumping while loading up the next project on the Force. You can get perfectly acceptable loopers for not much money.

I use mine in the studio as an arranger, sequencer and sampler, and for that it's great.

The main reason behind this choice was to keep using an external gear/sequencer close to what I normally use in studio ( Ableton ) without bringing with me a Laptop on stage, so as far as squeezing as more clips possible to have my set working AND with the aid of internal instruments is fine for me at this stage waiting like all of us what the next update will be like ( judging from a couple of user over the FB group claiming to be Beta testers the next update is crazy.. god knows ) The looper did cross my mind in several occasions but for that I have my trusted companion ..IPAD Pro.. which in my opinion is so underrated and never failed on stage both as Synth app or controller. I'm still learning the Force so I know I'm far to make any conclusion, but it is here to stay

Alan Codger wrote:I'm still learning the Force so I know I'm far to make any conclusion, but it is here to stay :)

You made the right choice.