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 karlroe Sun Sep 11, 2022 8:34 am
Question for the guys who have both units …. What’s your advice / best method to export work / projects you have done on the MPC Live to the Force ? The idea of have the portability of an MPC Live ii to create when out & about & the performance capability of the Force appeals when remaining static in studio or club , $$$ allowing !!! Thank you
By allreddv Sun Sep 11, 2022 3:49 pm
Hmmm, I have both units but I am going to have to think more theoretical than practical because I have not had my two units together yet. I spend half year in US and half year in Brazil each year so I took my MPC Live 2 to Brazil on last trip and left it there. Bought a Force this year upon return and I go back to Brazil in a few weeks and I will be taking the Force with me, so I can test out more practical in a couple of weeks.

But thinking from my experience with both units, you can export your tracks in the Live 2 with its stems to be able to use in Ableton or other DAWs. You can also "explode" tracks in Live 2 which will separate everything out. This is important so that for your drum tracks you are not getting just a single drum loop but all the individual sounds separated.

You would then need to import those stems into the Force directly or do it in Ableton and then export the Ableton file to the Force (if you have Ableton I actually think this would be quicker and easier).

I don't think you can transfer your instrument programs from the Live 2 to the Force as instrument tracks, they would be audio tracks. So you couldn't set up a Tube Synth in Live 2 and then have the Force load up that program as an instrument track like it was in the Live 2. I could be wrong on this though as I have never really looked at doing that.

I can add one other comment about having the two units if you are thinking about buying a Live 2 also. The "portability" of the Live 2 compared to the Force is not huge. The Live 2 is a big piece of gear also. I find the "portability" of it more useful in the space you are actually in. The ability to quickly move rooms, sit on the couch, and then go to your bed, out on the deck, etc.

Don't get me wrong, I actually really like the battery and the speaker, it is great to use, but I bought a magma soft case for travel which is as small as you can get and I am going to buy a a magma soft case for the Force also. Once in the case there really isn't a huge difference between taking the Force with you or the Live 2. Neither you are putting in your backpack, they need their own case. It is more just not having to be hooked up to power and also the speaker is cool for letting others listen to the music without having to hook up speakers. But the quality of the speaker doesn't even come close to a set of headphones.

The MPC one is actually probably more "portable" than the Live 2. I guess what I am trying to say is that if the sole reason for the Live 2 is to create out and about and then to import into the Force I think the hassle gained is probably more than just taking the Force with you, unless not having power is an issue, and that is still only a couple hours worth of time with the Live 2 until you need power again.