Isomorphic Keyboard!!!! No love for the Forces’s??

The Force has an isomorphic keyboard which is awesome for me since I don’t play keys. Having a simplified layout is good but I can’t seem to find much talk about them online. The pads don’t seem to get much attention. Are there any cheatsheets on the isomorphic keyboard layout for different scales and such? Links to discussions on how to use scale and chord modes?

Deluge has isomorphic and i never use it. i'm pretty rubbish at keys but still find it easier to play in from an external keyboard.

chrisroland wrote:Deluge has isomorphic and i never use it. i'm pretty rubbish at keys but still find it easier to play in from an external keyboard.

I can understand that. I’d like to save space and stay “in the box” if possible.

I like to use the chromatic mode, so that I get sort of like an eight string guitar fretboard where all strings are five semitones apart. The layout lends itself to both melodic and chordal playing, and it's a refreshing, different experience compared to playing keys. Having played guitar and bass for decades, basslines, melodies and chords come naturally, but a bit differently than on a keyboard. The range is only 43 semitones, but it's enough for a lot of things, especially if you play the bassline separately. I don't like the scale modes a lot, because they don't allow playing freely with chromatic alterations, and there's no existing instrument I could already play that would map naturally to the non-chromatic pad modes. For experimental random strumming they can be ok.

Polyphonic aftertouch brings a great additional expressive dimension that isn't talked about much.

I guess you'll have to discover your own way of utilizing the pads, and some learning pain for gain is needed anyway.

HouseWithoutMouse wrote:I like to use the chromatic mode, so that I get sort of like an eight string guitar fretboard where all strings are five semitones apart. The layout lends itself to both melodic and chordal playing, and it's a refreshing, different experience compared to playing keys. Having played guitar and bass for decades, basslines, melodies and chords come naturally, but a bit differently than on a keyboard. The range is only 43 semitones, but it's enough for a lot of things, especially if you play the bassline separately. I don't like the scale modes a lot, because they don't allow playing freely with chromatic alterations, and there's no existing instrument I could already play that would map naturally to the non-chromatic pad modes. For experimental random strumming they can be ok.

Polyphonic aftertouch brings a great additional expressive dimension that isn't talked about much.

I guess you'll have to discover your own way of utilizing the pads, and some learning pain for gain is needed anyway.

I’ll try the chromatic mode. I’m not tied to a particular method since I haven’t been classically trained so it’s really about what clicks with my brain. Then sticking it to learn that method whether that be chromatic, or another mode. Chromatic is as good a place to start as any in this case. I have some very minor guitar playing experience so that may help.

Regarding aftertouch I was under the impression the Force doesn’t have aftertouch built-in, but supports external keyboards after touch info.

I really miss the visual feedback on the screen from my mpc. Especially with progression it’s really hard to figure out what your exactly playing. Why there isn’t a note screen that show the notes under the pads amazes me every day.

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT8kQPGr4/
Isomorphic is the way to go since you always have all keys and scale types available.


The guitar / bass shapes come in handy because you really only need about 5 to take full advantage.

stonecoldgroove wrote:https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT8kQPGr4/
Isomorphic is the way to go since you always have all keys and scale types available.


The guitar / bass shapes come in handy because you really only need about 5 to take full advantage.

Awesome. Thanks for posting. I learned something.

The Force's pads give you velocity and polyphonic aftertouch. You can turn it off in pad mode if you find it to be a distraction, but it's absolutely there for you to use.

Some people look down on the Force's pads compared to the Push 3's pads, because those give you aftertouch, x/y placement and MPE, but I can honestly say that I've never felt the lack on the Force. Polyphonic expression can take you a long, long way by itself.

Koekepan wrote:The Force's pads give you velocity and polyphonic aftertouch. You can turn it off in pad mode if you find it to be a distraction, but it's absolutely there for you to use.

Some people look down on the Force's pads compared to the Push 3's pads, because those give you aftertouch, x/y placement and MPE, but I can honestly say that I've never felt the lack on the Force. Polyphonic expression can take you a long, long way by itself.

I’ve never found a practical application for MPE, probably because my talent on the keys isn’t capable enough to realize its benefits. So polyphonic aftertouch is more than enough for me.

The reasons for MPE are more complex than just generic expression while playing a keyboard.

MPE is basically a workaround for the fact that MIDI doesn't give each note its own identity and lifespan, rather than just sending note on/off messages. (It's worth noting that OSC does treat each note individually.) It uses a set of channels, where each channel substitutes for a note with its own identity.

What individual note identities let you do, is to have a separate set of expressions across the life of each given note, as well as having notes of the same note value (such as two parallel notes on A3) and then treating them separately, including tricks like bending them in different directions.

It's one more item in the long list of reasons for MIDI being weak sauce.

Funny, I just took a glance at the Tiktok video, and realized that isomorphic means the chromatic mode. So I've been using an isomorphic note layout... ok. It's like an eight-string guitar fretboard tuned in all perfect fourths. I guess I have played real keyboards too much for this to matter a lot. I have all keys and scales available on piano keyboards too.

Btw, button accordions are isomorphic too! https://www.roland.com/us/products/fr-8xb/
You can move the same fingering pattern anywhere and it's relatively the same intervals. Maybe the next Force has an accordion pad set. The bellows could be used as wireless power supply.

Here's an isomorphic piano

Koekepan wrote:The reasons for MPE are more complex than just generic expression while playing a keyboard.

MPE is basically a workaround for the fact that MIDI doesn't give each note its own identity and lifespan, rather than just sending note on/off messages. (It's worth noting that OSC does treat each note individually.) It uses a set of channels, where each channel substitutes for a note with its own identity.

What individual note identities let you do, is to have a separate set of expressions across the life of each given note, as well as having notes of the same note value (such as two parallel notes on A3) and then treating them separately, including tricks like bending them in different directions.

It's one more item in the long list of reasons for MIDI being weak sauce.

I agree with you about MIDI’s shortcomings. It’s about time for a change to a better communication method. Sounds very useful to a seasoned musician who plays keys or is into sound design. I don’t know how useful it is to a newbie like me. With my admitted lack of sound design experience and total lack of experience playing the keys, in what use case would I find MPE….er…useful. (I didn’t put that stream of consciousness together well but there it is, lol).

I’m using the Force for mostly ambient stuff with mostly trap style drums underneath. Dark, slower evolving soundscapes kind of music. In the process of putting out an EP using primarily the Akai Force.