AllThingsAnalog wrote:Stevejaz,
That was very very insightful! I am willing to go ahead and try it out alongside my Live II. How has your experience been experimenting with the Force?
I am primarily a guitarist who a few years back got sick of dealing with vocalist egos and thought, "it can't be that hard to do it myself". Consequently my experience with both the Live2 and the Force are likely to be far removed from some peoples. But then again, that's the main feature of gear like this, in my opinion. There are as many ways of using it as there are people using it. Well not quite that many maybe but you get my point. I have not used either to anywhere near it's full extent. I travel to the tropics and spend my days beach fishing 6 months a year. Yeah retirement sucks, I know. I have done little more than come up with basic 4-8 bar grooves on the Live2 when away and send them to my drummer, both with and without drum tracks, mainly as practice tools for him, but also as song ideas.
I bought the Force on my return home last year as an alternative to replacing my 11 year old MacBook Pro, which still works fine. (+ my Presonus RM16ai mixer works fine with it but will not work with anything newer)
I'd been toying with groove based midi machines since the release of 'Launchpad' and followed with Ableton Push then NI Maschine Mk3 & Jam so I was not new to this concept when buying the Live2. In fact before buying it I was tossing up between an Alesis SR18 and an MPC One. Went with the drum machine. Soon discovered however that I really wanted the Live2.
First use of the Force was to put together basic recordings of songs. Bass ,Drums, Guitar and vocals, which I'd send to the Drummer and Bass player, along with practice tracks less their part. I love the ease of use combining audio recordings with midi drums.
So as you see both have been used as practice/creation tools for a performing Trio, rather than as music production devices in their own right.
If I were to, or when I get around to it, use both together, I would run audio out from the Live2 into audio in in the Force.
I did, when travelling last year, pick up a guitar pedal to boost (clean) my guitar to record into the Live2 and use amp modelling etc in the MPC. This is unnecessary with the Force. The Force however gives a far more usable, loop based sequencing platform. Very similar to Ableton Push.
Was planning to spend a lot of time on return putting together, with mig welder, a home studio desk with Force as centre. Midi connected V-Drums, synths etc. Been concentrating on Trio instead though.
Hope that all helps. Feel free to drop me a message if you want to discus further, rather than choke up this forum.
Oh and one last point. The drum expansions available here are fantastic, especially the 'Session' ones with midi. Be warned though. Midi import and use in either Force or LIve2 is Clunky to say the least.
Really wish there was a bit of work done by Akai on improving this. It should all be Firmware update stuff too rather than buy new hardware.
Cheers Steve.
