Akai Force Feature Wishlist (3.1.1)

It would be most wonderful, if SHIFT key worked as SHIFT and not STOP, when the Force is MIDI Clock synced to an external device. This would be a superb feature that would lift the Force to a completely new level. Currently, MIDI clock sync is a useless feature, but with my suggested "Shift works as Shift and not Stop" idea, it would totally kick backside.

If that's too expensive to implement, it would be almost as nice if the STOP button could work as SHIFT, while SHIFT works as STOP. Then we would have one of each. Which would be kind of better than having two STOP buttons, at least in some cases.

I'd like a big warning sign for the REC mode, when editing operations do not accumulate undo history, and effectively UNDO does not work.

It will be awesome if next firmware AF will have the opportunity send OSC command using ableton link port. Is very important today for synchronization with other show software and consoles (light, video). Using UTP i can get more longer distance tnan midi. And many FOH/light video engineer will be glad for that))

If a track has been marked as "Exclude from row launch", it would be nice if it was also excluded from "Insert & Capture". The tracks marked as "Exclude from row launch" are excluded for a reason and creating copies of the clips on newly created rows creates confusing bogus clips.

HouseWithoutMouse wrote:If a track has been marked as "Exclude from row launch", it would be nice if it was also excluded from "Insert & Capture". The tracks marked as "Exclude from row launch" are excluded for a reason and creating copies of the clips on newly created rows creates confusing bogus clips.

Yeah there needs to be an option for that.

The Force is the most complete and powerful standalone music tool that I am aware of.
BUT...
A couple of UI- and other improvements would be very welcome!

In no special order:

* After entering a note with the pencil in the piano roll it would be great if this note would be automatically selected (in order to use Start/End/Transpose instantly. I seem to be unable to set a not on the proper position with my fingers)
* Easier manipulating of scenes. I know Edit+Scene Play opens up a dialog with several possibilities, but this could be done much easier (e.g. Shift+Value knob up/down to move the active scene up down..., same with clips, see below)
* Moving of clips between scenes. Now to move a clip you have to point on it, wait until the context menu opens, then copy, then select the target position, point again and select insert from the context menu. After that you may delete the original clip. This is no fun in larger projects. A simple Move function in the clip context menu would help here.
* Overall, mouse support would probably solve all these problems and more. I am sure that the Force OS has support for a pointing device built in, the AKAI guys just disabled it for some unknown reason - please reconsider!
* A tiltable screen, or even better: a HDMI out to connect an external monitor (together with mouse support)
* Other time signatures! The world is not only running on 4/4!
* Better configuration of the Metronome (lead in count changeable). At 150bpm 4 beats are a very short time to press Record and then get your hands ready on a guitar or whatever!

Maybe some of those issues are manageable in a hidden way that I am unaware of - but this is one further big issue of The Force: The manual is mediocre and provides as much reading fun and information as the manual of my Bosch power drill. Trial and error is nice but I already spent days searching on Youtube videos for the one second containing the needed information). This machine is way to complex for a 400 page pdf that mostly covers Effect parameters and Release notes!

When you have arrange tracks showing as launch buttons, and you press DELETE + one of the arrange track launch buttons, it clears the active selected track's arrange data, regardless of which launch button was pressed with DELETE. I don't like this feature. It would be a better feature if it cleared the track whose launch button was pressed.

HouseWithoutMouse wrote:When you have arrange tracks showing as launch buttons, and you press DELETE + one of the arrange track launch buttons, it clears the active selected track's arrange data, regardless of which launch button was pressed with DELETE. I don't like this feature. It would be a better feature if it cleared the track whose launch button was pressed.

Yes that would be logical. Saves you from going into the Arranger window.


More Arranger sequencers like in the hacked OS would be helpful, especially if each separate Arranger had its own set of 128 tracks & 999 clips with independent 8 plugins & audio tracks. Basically multiple project in 1 that we can than sequence as 1 set of songs in an Arranger-Playlist. This maybe mk2 stuff

What happened to erase "all except" the pads you touch/select the like the 2500?

A clear all muted/soloed tracks hotkey or icon would be amazing.

B-Wise wrote:A clear all muted/soloed tracks hotkey or icon would be amazing.

I found how to do this. Hold Delete+Mute/Solo/Rec Arm then press OK in the popup window. Now I wish there was a way to turn off the pop-up window warning.

You can use one of the Project Macro knobs to MIDI-Learn that "OK" in the popup & turn the knob or go in the Macro editor & set each track mute to Toggle. Now when you touch the knob all tracks that was part of the Mute/Solo/Rec Arm group will Mute/Solo/Rec Arm on & off at the time.

It would be nice to able 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.

HouseWithoutMouse wrote:It would be nice to able 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.

Yes, that would useful.

I want to copy & paste multiple Scenes at once. Be even cooler if we could use the 64 pads as copy clipboard slots. So many cool things all them pads could used for.

The Force is amazing & currently is very feature packed, but to me, it's the lack of quality of life things & that limits the ease of use & holds it back. From reading this whole thread & other on like it elsewhere, I realized that Akai this read these posts because when reading all them wish list later you see how many wishes was granted. I hope for workflow enhancements like:

-To be able to filter by pad/key in the list editor to work on just 1 note or whatever you choose.
-Program Changes # for plugins.
-Copy/Paste text. & let the 64 pads be use for common/custom text-hotkey like; KICK, BASS, 2023/00/00...etc.

-Better file management. Make it easier to move files to from SSD to SD. I shouldn't have to use a computer or Load & Save a project to a new place. Which wouldn't be that bad if I didn't have to make a new folder & retype the same name to it because there's no copy & paste.
REALLY IT'S NOV OF 2023 HOW IS THERE NO COPY & PASTE

-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 a 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.

I'd really like screens to remember where it was, like the file browser and clip editor, automation lanes etc. Having to re-select automation parameters, re-browse, re-zoom, re-find everything, every time, is completely unnecessary.

The guys who coded this, don't use it themselves. Or don't care about getting things done quickly. I don't know which one is worse.

After filling 8 forum pages with optimistic intercessions (most of them rather useful and often redundant - seems there would be some demand for those) the AKAI godess finally answered our pleas with firmware 3.3 and gave us.... a CHORUS!

Guys, seriously! I feel screwed. The FORCE might be the best stand alone production machine in the Universe, it still sucks big time if everything is limited to 4/4 and I need anger counseling after trying to edit piano rolls with the dreaded touch screen, cannot change count-in-times etc etc etc.
A guy with a 10" boner is not automatically a hot lover.

If AKAI is not capable to address the most serious issues SOON the FORCE is dead as disco.

HouseWithoutMouse wrote:The guys who coded this, don't use it themselves. Or don't care about getting things done quickly. I don't know which one is worse.

Maybe its both

QOL issue should be a top priority, but those updates don't look cool on YouTube thumbnails