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.
By acidicloop Tue Aug 23, 2022 12:59 pm
I have a Midi Commander footpedal and I want to know how to control my Akai Force to control the stop button using my Midi Commander footpedal. Please help. I do have the TRS midi in connector for it.
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By Koekepan Tue Aug 23, 2022 7:10 pm
I guess I'll kick this off by starting with the basic: can you get it to control anything by MIDI learn? Just, for example, toggling a lowpass kill?
By acidicloop Tue Aug 23, 2022 9:16 pm
I dont know how to do anything at all with the Midi. I have a Midi Commander and I have the Akai Force. I got as far as connecting midi out of Midi Commander to the Midi in of the Akai. The manual for Akai says to set it in preferences to receive MMC messages, but I have no idea what that is or how Midi Commander would send it to the Akai Force.
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By Koekepan Tue Aug 23, 2022 9:38 pm
OK, let's break this down a little.

MIDI just is a way of sending signals. Some signals are notes, others are parameters, others are for controls, others are more exotic.

MIDI note information is the basic, I guess you could say.

MIDI CC is for things like doing a parameter on a synth, like a filter setting.

MIDI MMC is stuff like telling a system to start or stop.

So far, it makes sense that you would enable MMC so that an external controller would be able to send a start/stop message to your Force. This seems normal.

If you push the MENU button on the Force, it opens the menu and at the bottom are a few buttons including one marked Preferences. If you open that, you get a list of options in the left-hand sidebar, including one marked MIDI/SYNC. That's the one that you want. You want to enable inbound MMC in there because that's what you want the MIDI Commander to do.

Make sense so far?
By acidicloop Wed Aug 24, 2022 12:13 am
Yes, great description, I appreciate that. So I did all that and enabled Receive MMC on the Force. I guess my struggle is what to do with the Midi Commander, there manual is not entirely clear. I bought it to hook up to a Presonus 24c audio interface to which I plugged my Ipad Pro into. I used this to change guitar pedal presets for Bias FX on the Ipad. All I did was turn it on, kept it on Bank 1 and it just mapped automatically as I was able to switch my presets on my Ipad Bias FX app with the different buttons. So I never had to program anything on it.
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By Koekepan Wed Aug 24, 2022 1:59 am
OK, so the next step would be to try using it with the MIDI Learn option to control something. That process is outlined in the manual and is fairly straightforward; how does that work for you?
By acidicloop Wed Aug 24, 2022 11:10 pm
Disregrad that last reply, i found it under the 3.1 features. So I connected my midi out from my Midi Commander and connected to the Midi In of the akai and turn it on. On the Akai I loaded up a project and went to midi learn. I clicked learn and then + and for the source I chose Drum (my drum track). For target I did Mute and set Type to Toggle. I then started pressing buttons on my Midi Commander and nothing happened. I do notice on my Midi Commander led screen that when I push the top left button, it says CC 80 over 0. When i push it again it says 127 over 0. Am I supposed to use this information for something?
By acidicloop Wed Aug 24, 2022 11:16 pm
I should also note that in the manual it shows the Target, Type, Channel and Data in the screen to the right inside Midi Learn. I dont see anything except the Target name of Drums. No channel number or data number
By acidicloop Wed Aug 24, 2022 11:21 pm
Ill also note that under Preferences/midi Sync, I dont see Midi Commander in the list, just Force and remote. I have a midi cable plugged into my Midi commander, and and I am using a Midi to 8 inch adpater that I got with my novation Mk2 and plugging that into the Midi in of the Akai
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By Koekepan Thu Aug 25, 2022 12:34 am
OK, so there are a couple of things here, but it seems that the MIDI Commander isn't trying to send an MMC message, but a CC message. That means that what you would be using it to set a parameter, such as a filter level.

I don't know the MIDI Commander, so I'm working from your report here.
By allreddv Mon Sep 05, 2022 4:44 am
Did you get this working? You should be able to get it to work with the Force.

You won't see the device show up in the midi sync list because you are only connected via standard MIDI Din, it will only be able to communicate directly with compliant USB MIDI devices. It can still send and receive midi to the device but it will just be over one of the normal 1-16 midi channels and not over USB Midi. If your pedal is USB MIDI compliant you can hook it up via USB. It probably most likely is compliant as most pedals nowadays are.
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By dnkygirl Thu Sep 08, 2022 12:47 am
MMC is suppose to work for things like this, but the only thing I have managed to get to work is record. All the other commands do nothing.... and when you look at the midi monitor it's not even detecting the values being passed. The record is also very unstable as well. I see the note values, but it doesn't start right away.
By SakisX Sat Sep 10, 2022 4:09 pm
I don't think Midi Commander can send MMC messages , plus on the Force you can't assign Midi CCs for transport controls , so currently it's impossible
By allreddv Sun Sep 11, 2022 5:04 pm
Just FYI, I replied in the other dknygirl post about this in more detail, I got all the MMC commands the Force can accept working perfectly using a KeyStep Pro and was very easy to setup, so any issues of MMC not working is most likely configuration on the device sending MMC. I tested both over USB midi and Midi Din