Audiobus: Use your music apps together.

What is Audiobus?Audiobus is an award-winning music app for iPhone and iPad which lets you use your other music apps together. Chain effects on your favourite synth, run the output of apps or Audio Units into an app like GarageBand or Loopy, or select a different audio interface output for each app. Route MIDI between apps — drive a synth from a MIDI sequencer, or add an arpeggiator to your MIDI keyboard — or sync with your external MIDI gear. And control your entire setup from a MIDI controller.

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OT: School me on the Akai Force

edited January 2019 in Other

My nephew wants an Akai Force for Live sessions. Is it worth $1500?
School me on the value prop.

Comments

  • edited January 2019

    Going on recent Akai releases.
    Underpowered.
    Overpriced.
    Full of bugs.
    Not sure what extra info you think you will get, its not out yet.
    And it isn't an app, so post should be in off topic really.

  • @Turntablist said:
    Going on recent Akai releases.
    Underpowered.
    Overpriced.
    Full of bugs.
    Not sure what extra info you think you will get, its not out yet.
    And it isn't an app, so post should be in off topic really.

    Love my MPC Live. The recent 3.3 update made me love it even more.

    MPC live was been updated many times. If this is anything to go on I think the Force will be a bit.

  • @Turntablist said:
    And it isn't an app, so post should be in off topic really.

    Sorry. I fixed the title. I was thinking of buying him one.
    What's better than the Force for "House" Mobile use?

  • @McDtracy said:

    @Turntablist said:
    And it isn't an app, so post should be in off topic really.

    Sorry. I fixed the title. I was thinking of buying him one.
    What's better than the Force for "House" Mobile use?

    You're going to spend nearly £1.5k on your nephew? Jesus.

  • @Michael_R_Grant said:
    You're going to spend nearly £1.5k on your nephew? Jesus.

    (He has this impeccable Fender Rhodes I covet so).

  • edited January 2019

    @McDtracy said:

    @Michael_R_Grant said:
    You're going to spend nearly £1.5k on your nephew? Jesus.

    (He has this impeccable Fender Rhodes I covet so).

    Fair enough! :D

    I think the Force looks really good, personally. Whether the convenience is worth the money compared to a laptop + Live + Push, though, I can't say. Looking forward to the reviews.

  • If it was my $1500 and I didn’t already have it— I would definitely go with Ableton Ultimate and Push 2 over this... force looks decent for a standalone, but it’s only a weak imitation of ableton — missing VSTs, warping, max, advanced automation/sidechaining and much more. I guess it’s nice that it’s standalone - but since it requires wall power, I figure you might as well get the real deal if you’re going to be stuck in the studio with it anyway.

    $1500 could also cover the smaller of the two Linnstruments plus a 2018 base model iPad 128gb, with enough left over for Nanostudio 2, Stagelight, Beatmaker 3 and various synths + effects plugins that can run circles around force in both hardware and software power + depth.

    And one last recommendation for an excellent standalone option that is truly portable and has unlimited creative potential = Synthstrom Audible Deluge .. very powerful, light, battery powered and constantly being expanded with new features.

  • If your nephews name is Luke then the Force may be his destiny :smile:

    As others have pointed out it is an unknown quantity at the moment and for that money there are plenty of alternatives....BUT...if it is the Force he wants, nothing else would satisfy that want.

  • @Turntablist said:
    Going on recent Akai releases.
    Underpowered.
    Overpriced.
    Full of bugs.
    Not sure what extra info you think you will get, its not out yet.
    And it isn't an app, so post should be in off topic really.

    ^utter bollocks^

    @McDtracy
    if that's what he wants, give it a whirl.
    plus it's got a sweet sounding epiano plugin, so he might be more inclined to trade :)

  • The force looks cool but its a midi controller with a sequencer thats 1500 bucks

  • I watched some videos on it and I can see why he'd want it given his style of music. He's got boxes of vinyl he's mined for samples/loops and builds from his library of loops so this is like Ableton in a box to him. No extra cabling. Lot's of DJ features like crossfading. He's essentially an old school Rave DJ, I think. So, crossfading seems important and then it's also got the synth and all the FX plug-ins. He's done some traveling to do his events and I'm sure size, weight, storage are all on his checklist.

    Thanks for the input and advice.

  • edited January 2019

    Is the quality of the realtime timestrething for loops okay? I've read that it was kind of disapointing with the MPC-X en MPC Live. As it's the same soundengine better check that first..
    Also the unit doesn't stream samples from disk... it loads them in RAM..

  • edited January 2019

    people like to gloss over the details so make sure you research the force in depth... it's quite powerful now, btw the mpc live and x are insanely powerful and full of undisclosed tricks up their sleeves...

    re the Force all of those things animalheadspirit said were missing on the force akai have eluded to including them in an update, minus the vst of course... even the coveted warpmarker tech of ableton... it's powerful now but it's going to be ridiculous later on. As an avid, loving, fanatical, ableton live user since version 1.0 I can tell you the force is going to really be something special.

    might not have vst but it will have it's own instruments, it will be able to run the auto sample created programs of the mpc and make it's own... you will be able to make instruments of all of your fav synths and take it with you...

    I wonder how it handles pitchbend or if it does at all, anyways I would love a smaller version that can be thrown in the bag and taken everywhere.

    your own custom synths
    that crazy arp, that also is sent out of midi ports to control other hardware
    all of the mpc sample editing goodness
    the looper
    the interface grid instrument mode
    the step automation
    session mode
    side chain
    assignable crossfader
    mpc program and key group import /export
    it even has FREEZE/FLATTEN etc... (simply crazy)
    CV outs, not to mention the rest of the I/o is nuts... when did you see this in any hardware
    beat machine besides it's siblings C'mooooon maaaaaaaan
    bluetooth midi input
    bluetooth QWERTY keyboard support
    WIFI - splice, Ableton Link, Ableton control

    Future stuff
    P.Locks --- it already has pseudo parameter locking but they've stated more is coming.
    ableton export
    mpc project export
    warpmarker manipulation
    tempo per scene like in ableton (wtfff)

    I don't see how anyone could watch it in action and not see the potential

  • @kobamoto said:
    people like to gloss over the details so make sure you research the force in depth... it's quite powerful now, btw the mpc live and x are insanely powerful and full of undisclosed tricks up their sleeves...

    re the Force all of those things animalheadspirit said were missing on the force akai have eluded to including them in an update, minus the vet of course... even the coveted warpmarker tech of ableton... it's powerful now but it's going to be ridiculous later on. As an avid, loving, fanatical, ableton live user since version 1.0 I can tell you the force is going to really be something special.

    might not have vst but it will have it's own instruments, it will be able to run the auto sample created programs of the mpc and make it's own... you will be able to make instruments of all of your fav synths and take it with you...

    I wonder how it handles pitchbend or if it does at all, anyways I would love a smaller version that can be thrown in the bag and taken everywhere.

    your own custom synths
    that crazy arp, that also is sent out of midi ports to control other hardware
    all of the mpc sample editing goodness
    the looper
    the interface grid instrument mode
    the step automation
    session mode
    assignable crossfader etc...

    Future stuff
    warpmarker manipulation

    I don't see how anyone could watch it in action and not see the potential

    Thanks. I can see why he'd want a unit he can take on a flight that covers almost everything he needs when he lands in Canada. He keeps getting gig in North Eastern Canada from his home in So California. Faster set-up and tear down are important but the Force looks like it will cover the styles he creates: pads for triggering loops and crossfading between songs so the music is continuous. Still... $1500. He has always liked the good stuff and has an impressive studio collected over 20 years. He also builds circuit board recreations of class Moog filters and guitar pedals and sells the circuit board designs as DIY kits. He usually pays for new kit from these efforts or the odd Tax Refund that the family does require. How often does that happen with kids and today's economy for the working stiff.

  • edited January 2019

    well the thing I like about the akai line is that it rewards the individual's way of thinking.I love my elektron digitakt too, but the Akai stuff doesn't impose any particular vibe on you, it's all up to you to guide it how you wanna go. An mpc can do so much more than the boombap rap music that is so often looked down upon that it boggles the mind and the Force looks to be no different. You could make a whole album off of just any one of those features and combining it with resampling and your own creativity like it's nothing. The $1500 is definitely more than I want to pay and that's because my favorite number to pay for anything is $12 hahaha but it's more than worth the $1500 they are asking if it all works in the end.
    If it's not stable then all bets are off!

  • edited January 2019

    I know the 10 gig library is totally different on Force than it is on theX/Live so little to no spillage if you already own the x or live! This was confirmed to me today by akaipro.

    I know the pads are supposed to be better physically than what is on the push2 but i dont own a push 2 so it wont mean much to me...they are velocity and they are pressure sensitive.

    I do know something is materializing that is huge in the background, the sweetwater demo talked about some pivotal features coming to all the machines...and also spoke that the upgrades are coming and its going to keep going for quite some time.

    We must also remember theres been an additional 3rd party plug folder added not long ago...maybe as a teaser?! There’s a big company of a popular software bundling with akai as of lately and also testing (in weird ways) alot of their tech...hmmm maybe nothing, but maybe something that may make us want to RE think these machines...

    i also have noticed the entire air collection making its way into the mpclive/x/force, i am pretty sure hype synth is hybrid 3 for example.

    Force seems to have took a different route into effects than the live/x sporting the airmusictech effects instead or perhaps along with the effects from akai.

    I have also been assured streaming is more than a possibilty.

    Keep and eye on the music tech mergers happening in the background as of lately and they seem promising.

    Once i get sidechain compression everything else is a bonus to me!

    I am happy with the live, i have preordered the force! Lets see what happens!

  • And even though one could buy live suite for 750.00, a decent laptop for 500.00, a good interface for 300.00, and a controller for 300.00...it still adds up to over 1500.00 and will need more wires and take up more space...lugging 4 devices around all the time doesnt beat lugging one! And the statement made above about having to stay in the studio because it plugs in is misleading...use an inverter and most places/people have electric outlets! You just may not be making force work on your lap in the woods i guess...just take your mpclive instead

  • yeah they are going to keep the force and other mpcs as close as possible, they are based on the same code, they will be able to transfer patches and programs between the two, and by the time the mpcs reach 3.0 they will have most of the force's features so it's a win win for both sides. Akai says that what you see in the force now is a preview for what you'll see on the mpc later.

    I am going to wait for the 1 specific feature I need which is the warp markers to arrive on the force before I get it, until then Push is serving me well... and until then I plan to build up my own personal key groups library on the mpc live of all of the synths I like so that when I get the force there will be nothing to do but load them up and go. We are in a great season for hardware right now :)

    the only thing left for Native instruments to do with a maschine 4 and ableton to do with a push 3 is 'something better'..... so we are really going to be winning across the board.

  • Playing loops, Sequencing clips, controlling midi instruments, Bluetooth and cv? Warp markers? I’m def watching👀

    I hope for Push 3 be next level bc it doesn’t take much for a laptop, controller, audio interface, ssd, ram, etc, to begin to look too complicated for the brains of you studio setup when Akai has this focus on modern all-in-one units that are reliable on stage, as well. Ableton’ll need Akai to not just make Push 3, but make em a stand-alone Ableton in a box.

  • @Dr_M said:
    Playing loops, Sequencing clips, controlling midi instruments, Bluetooth and cv? Warp markers? I’m def watching👀

    I hope for Push 3 be next level bc it doesn’t take much for a laptop, controller, audio interface, ssd, ram, etc, to begin to look too complicated for the brains of you studio setup when Akai has this focus on modern all-in-one units that are reliable on stage, as well. Ableton’ll need Akai to not just make Push 3, but make em a stand-alone Ableton in a box.

    ouch

  • edited February 2019

    I can't see Ableton going down the stand-alone road, + Push 3 probably isn't even in development yet, so i doubt they're losing much sleep over the Akai Force........

  • Once it has disk streaming I'll take another look. Till then it's limited for my purposes in live performance terms by it's RAM...

  • edited February 2019
    The user and all related content has been deleted.
  • for a 1.0 +already updated on top of that release it's looking pretty good, now they basically have 3 units on deck that have no comparisons, they have definitely learned lessons from watching Native instruments decade of disaster.

  • UPDATE: My nephew picked up the Akai Force and writes:

    Because, the new Akai Pro Force is like Ableton Live and a MPC had a baby. Some parts of both but a whole new person in the end.

    It sounds like the perfect tool for his approach to EDM:
    past, present and future in an 8lbs box.

    I have no context for this use case but I'm sure many here would:

    My old sampler had 32MB of memory. We used two of those and other hardware to do 2 hour live shows. While 2GB has me scratching my head a bit it is still quite workable for my uses. It is 24bit natively which is nice but it means samples take more space. More ram and more processing power would mean more heat with no fan in the device so I think they struck a nice balance. It’s 8lbs so yes, portable but it is quite big. No battery. For instance I couldn’t use it on an airplane like the smaller MPC Live or my OP-1. But it has 64 trigger buttons vs 16, 8 knobs vs 4, XLR combo ins and 4 cv/gate outs to control analog things. Those were important features over the smaller MPC for my preferences.

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