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 TEILHARDT Fri Jan 27, 2023 4:36 pm
Hello....is there a guide somewhere that explains how to set up your Force to control the the drum machine RD8. Is it in the manual? My apologies if this isn't the appropriate place for this question.


Thank you for your continued assistance.
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By Koekepan Sat Jan 28, 2023 4:28 pm
The RD-8 has MIDI in, and you can drive MIDI from the Force's MIDI out. That's a direct connection there; use the Force's MIDI dongle, a standard MIDI cable, and plug it in to the RD-8's MIDI in.

(If you're more sophisticated, you can have various MIDI splitters and related devices in between, but that's the gist.)

You can also use the USB port on the RD-8 to get MIDI in from the Force's USB MIDI output.

Bear in mind that you'll want to set the RD-8's MIDI IN channel, and it doesn't let you tweak parameters (as far as I know). Just drum hits and velocity.
By voonta Tue Jan 31, 2023 9:03 am
I haven't used the force for ages since the last release caused problems with my audio interfaces, but I used to use a drum rack in the force to sequence my TR8S Drum Machine.

The key to it was to send the midi from the drum rack to an instrument channel which was able to send the midi to the Drum Machine and trigger the pads.

This method completely bypassed the TR8S's onboard sequencer which was what I wanted as sequencing was much easier on the 4x4 grid rather than the 16 step sequencer.