Akai Professional Force

PLAY. PERFORM. PRODUCE 

The Akai Pro Force eliminates the boundaries separating DJ performance and music production technologies. This performer-centric unit combines sampling, clip-launching, synth engines, and step sequencing with state of the art tactile surface control. Force changes your mindset by changing your workspace, your workflow and your work product. Your creativity is in the driver’s seat, and all the tools you need are at your fingertips. Change your outlook, and change your output.

Your Talents on Display: Do you have the capacity for this capacitive display? Let your fingers do the talking through multiple touches and multiple functions. You can launch your creative clips or edit your MIDI data, find your sounds and finagle your samples, put in a touch of XYFX, or make that synth the expression of your soul. The glowing heart of the Force is in our multi-touch display, that lets you play to your heart’s content.

Living in the Matrix: Pull the trigger on scenes and clips, step sequence as frequently as you like, play note data or drum with your fingers in MPC 16 Pad Mode. The RGB backlit buttons illuminate this expandable 8x8 clip launch Matrix.

Control Freak: 360 degree operation with OLED feedback - rotary encoders let you go full circle through all core controls, or link to any assignable parameter. Multiple modes and smart assignments give you access in real time, to customize your creativity and push your performance to new levels. And when you nail it - capture it and play it back with FX automation in real time.

Command Respect: Hardware doesn’t have to give you a hard time. Force has all its controls placed ergonomically, to eliminate obstacles for a great performance. You can control the playback of clip or scene, access mute/solo/cue, and glide through your project easily via 56 different dedicated buttons.

The Ins: Use the USB Thumb Drives or SD Cards to load your samples, or use the dedicated SATA drive bay for internal storage expansion. A pair of XLR/¼-inch combo inputs let you capture audio; use them with phantom power or switch to line/instrument level. 

The Outs: A pair of stereo ¼” outputs are selectable per track, ready to output your audio to the world. MIDI In/Out/Through ports let you harmonize your outboard gear while four independent CV / Gate outputs let you control your modular units. The headphone output doubles as a Cue send to audition clips and scenes.

PLAY 

The AKAI Force sets a new standard for performance enhancement. Whatever the gig, the Force is ready to be your wingman or the centerpiece of your set.

Remix: The 8x8 Clip Matrix allows seamless import of loops, stems and one-shots, while enabling you to determine playback modes including trigger and loop settings. Rearrange and redefine your tracks in real time.

Mashup: All content will sync to the master BPM, so you can mash up a multitude of multiple stems, tuning and time-stretching them, without fear of missing a beat.

DJ: Load stems, loops or full tracks to the matrix, assign them to the crossfader and mix them with your clip and scene playback, all without a hitch, a stitch, or a seam in sight. Weave the fabric of your mix and play your DJ tricks.

XYFX: Put a little bling in your thing with on-board XYFX. Modulate, filter, and apply beat repeat effects - in real time - to selected outputs or individual tracks.

Ableton Link: Force can be connected to your wireless network to sync with any Ableton Link compatible hardware device or application – like our classic MPC Series.

Warp: Auto BPM detection syncs all your project’s audio to the master BPM, while the dual custom real-time stretch algorithms ensure that you never miss a beat.

Cue Mix: Dedicated cue assignment, along with a cue mixer for anything assigned to outputs 3/4 allow you to prepare your mix ahead of time. Or us the headphone output’s Cue-blend control to set up your drop.

PERFORM 

Force is built around a workflow focusing on clips, the core of your creative performance. Combining multiple Modes with Plug-in Tracks, Keygroup tracks, MPC-Style Drum tracks, Audio tracks, CV tracks or MIDI tracks will define your clip types. Then let loose your inner sculptor and use note data, drum pads and step sequencing to shape y our clips exactly the way you want them to sound.

Audio Tracks: Audio can be captured from the dedicated combo inputs, samples can be sequenced or loaded from Force’s browser, or resampled from a different track.

Drum Tracks: Use the USB of SD card slots to load your own samples, or wander through the massive onboard factory kit library. Using Step-Sequencing or 16-Pad Modes along with full MPC Sample Editing, it’s never been easier to catch your groove.

Plug-in Tracks: Four fully-editable synth engines are hard coded into the Force architecture, giving you extensive ability to create your perfect tone. Use the onboard Arpeggiator, sequence via a traditional piano roll, or switch over to Note Mode for immediate access to scales, chords, and progressions.

Meet the Synth Engines: AIR Music Technology has designed four synth engines to lure you out of a sample-based workflow.

• Bassline gives you the sounds of a classic mono synth - LPF & HPF options, sub/fifth oscillators, variable oscillator wave shapes, and 4 integrated AIR effects 
• Electric provides the ultimate in classic electric piano emulation with Envelope, Pickup, Noise and Bell parameter sections, 5 AIR effects and dozens of pre-sets to start you off
• Tubesynth brings you the sound of classic vintage analog poly-synths with an advanced analog modeling algorithm, bundled with 5 integrated AIR effects 
• Hype is a macro-based synth that combines multiple synth engines (FM, wavetable, sampling, subtractive,) and a huge library of presets into a single user-friendly package. Hype handles everything from sultry melodic leads to hard-hitting plucks. 

Keygroup Tracks: Whether using a MIDI keyboard or Force’s pads, you can load multi-sampled instrument keygroups and playback samples chromatically. You can also invent your own keygroups from your outboard sound modules and synth gear, using the on-board autosampler.

MIDI Tracks: Any MIDI data on your track can be routed to an external MIDI device including drum machines and synthesizers. Connect your peripheral outboard studio gear to Force and then sample your gear to an Audio track. 

CV Tracks: You can also send your track’s MIDI data to external devices via Force’s four CV/Gate outputs, to maximize  your modular rig.

PRODUCE

Any musician in any genre can benefit from the DAW-centric capability of Force, allowing you the freedom to sketch out ideas in a multitude of ways, limited only by your imagination.

Realtime Sampling: With the onboard sampler of Force, you can grab audio from the combo inputs or resample from within the project. Assign your captured audio instantly to Tracks and Programs and add up to 4 insert effects in real time while recording. The live workflow has never been easier or smarter.

MPC Sample Editing: The MPC series from Akai Professional offers you the cutting edge of sample editing capability. What the user demands, the Force offers: chopping, cropping, trimming, manipulating and processing samples with the pure power of the MPC series. Use the multitouch display or the pads of Force to assign and layer your samples with ease.

The Perfect Groove: Capture and refine your MIDI data to find that perfect groove, using MPC pad modes, the on-board step sequencer, MPC Swing and the touch grid editor. Force puts you in control of your performance by giving you all the tools you need at your fingertips.

Looper: Whether you start from captured audio or resampled clips, Force is the gateway to limitless looping and the power of possibilities. In the studio or on the stage, the full audio routing capability and multitouch User Interface making looping with the Force a breeze.

Mix: Master your Mix with Force’s Pad and Track Mixers: assign, pan, set levels, insert FX and send the source audio to any of four internal sends for all project tracks, program pads, and the master output. The AIR FX suite provides dozens of effects and processors, all of them controllable via displays on the touch UI or by smart assignments on the rotary encoders.

SOUNDS 

Force comes at you pre-loaded with more than 10GB of the latest sounds from renowned sample content providers including Sample Magic, MSX Audio and SampleTools by CR2. The core library of Force contains 500+ patterns, 2500+ Loops. 16 Demo Projects and 248 Kits. Right out of the box, Force gives you instant access to the most desirable sounds - to let you hit the ground running, and let your creativity take it from there. 

Features:

• Self-contained – requires no computer
• 8 x 8 clip launch matrix with RGB LEDs
• 8 graphical OLED touch-sensitive knobs
• 7” full color multitouch capacitive monitor 
• 4 synth engines, fully user-editable 
• 4 CV/Gate outputs, fully user-configurable 
• 4 outputs, mic/instrument/line inputs
• MIDI In/Out/Thru 
• 2 USB 3.0 slots for MIDI controllers or thumb drives
• 1 full-Size SD card slot 
• 2.5” SATA drive connector (SSD or HDD), user-expandable
• Automatic BPM detection
• Real-time pitch-shifting and time-stretching 
• MPC Sample Editing 
• 16GB of on-board storage (over 10GB of sound content included) 
• Performance Modes incl. 16-Pad Drums, Notes, Smart Scales, Chords & Progressions 
• 6 track types for total audio/MIDI/CV sequencing & performance capabilities