First Day with the Akai Force
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- Опубліковано 25 чер 2024
- I finally unbox, demo, and make beats with the Akai Force. Over the course of this first impressions video, I go from complete beginner to being knowledgeable enough to give a sketchy initial review.
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00:00 Intro
00:21 Unboxing
03:55 Day One
18:10 Day Two
19:16 Day Three
28:01 Outro
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Here's the tutorial I watched, I highly recommend it! ua-cam.com/video/0BCfk2BVa6A/v-deo.html
Thanks for linking this Gabe, I appreciate it! And I’m glad you found it useful. Look forward to seeing what you create with the Force 🙂
I love my Force, and I look forward to seeing what you do with it. Maxipok's videos are great too. Some things to note though...
1. Don't plug/unplug the input jacks while phantom power is on. This can cause damage.
2. Never save to the internal storage. Use only SD or a hard drive.
3. The Mockba firmware mod adds some nice things. In particular, it's nice having ssh on the Force, so you can mount the Force as a hard drive over wifi and reorganize things or copy files to/from it.
@@ToyKeeper what’s this mod?
@@davidsteffens3952 The Force runs Linux, so it's really easy to modify the software in all sorts of interesting ways. Like, Mockba the Borg laid the foundation for getting in and changing stuff, and Amit Talwar added some really cool features like midi remapping and a variety of generative sequencers.
Mockba's Github repository is probably the best place to start, or to get more info.
10:58 -> press the "screen" option.
Be sure to stick around to the end for answers to the gripes and questions I raise as I dig into the interface. I learned a LOT about the Force over the course of making this video.
So glad you got it. Hopefully this will help promote the device so more people are introduced to what this incredible piece of hardware can do. It wasn't nearly as good as it is until the most recent update, so I think many people have overlooked it since it has been out for so long. Akai has done a ton of updates to it and I hope it is successful so Akai continues the updates and maybe even a. Force 2 in the future.
So what's the Force's strength(s), in your opinion?
@@Jason75913 I think it depends on what you want to do with it. It is pretty versatile. For me, I use it as the "brain" for live jamming with external synths end effects pedals. So for me it's strengths lie in the exceptional midi control for all of that gear while recording that gear at the same time. I don't even use the internal instruments other than drum tracks with samples. It is good for audio clips also and syncing to your track.
I guess I would say its best strength is in its live performance capabilities.
It has great macro control and midi CC mapping which then allows to record that CC data. Really easy to setup program changes so I can have all of my synths change patches and effects pedals turn on and off with each scene. It is nice it is all clipped based for this. I also use an Akai Midi Mix to have more knob and volume control over everything.
It also has great sampling capabilities (although sampling I think is better on the MPC). The workflow is really nice for electronic music. That was my problem with the MPC, I just didn't think the workflow fit with it especially with not being able to have clips of varying length functioning at the same time. You always had to set up everything to the same bar length and if you wanted something to run farther you would then have to extend everything which was a pain, especially in a live situation. With the force you can have as many clips of different lengths as you want.
There isn't anything the Force can do that you couldn't do with Ableton and even do so better, but I find it much more enjoyable to use the Force. For me, it helps bridge the gap between hardware and a DAW better than any gear I have used.
Firmware updates will cease when they force you to buy a new product lol , force
I'm really torn between the Force and the MPC Keys. I'm not the best keys player, but the keys comes with ~$500 of the new plugin instruments which makes the two devices equal in price when that is factored in. On the other hand, the Ableton workflow just makes so much more sense than the serial sequencing of the MPC series.
As a former Roland MC-707 user let me tell you, that the Akai is a true beast!
MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU.
It's a joke that they basically cost the same. Starts with the CPU, ends with all the rest.
I genuinely love the 707 for what it is, but yeah the Force has a lot more raw power.
The 707 has its very own charm and I love its unique design myself. Just the display and performance seem to limiting, while the Force is also a bit easier to grasp. Both are awesome devices, but for a similar price, I would certainly go for the Force.
Yeah dude. This thing is a brick. When I picked it up and felt the weight I was like “this thing can do so much!”
@@colindavis2113 So the weight tell's you what a device can do...
Right
Glad you got the force and hoping to see more content with it. My favorite out of my 3 samplers...
Good timing. I just bought one last night and cannot wait till it gets here!
So exciting, been waiting for this.
Have to say, I've had my eye on the Force since I got my Live 2 about a year ago. Ended up getting one. So much to learn! I can see where you would be confused. That being said, it's workflow is clicking with me faster than any other I've worked with so far, and I absolutely adore the pad interface for melodic input. Looking forward to seeing what all this can do!
I absolutely love this machine. I have it controlling 10 hardware synth and drum machines via USB midi and it works flawlessly. The audio from each machine goes into a Universal Audio rack and gets tracked through that. It’s the perfect midi controller/performance deck.
Oh thank goodness you're doing this. I'm so on the fence about this box
Glad to see you finally got the Force, can't wait to see what you are able to achieve with it in the coming weeks.
Wait till you start having fun with macros/effects using the configurable capacitive knobs
really interested to see what you make of the force.... there's something about it that almost feels like best of all worlds. (it also really made me appreciate the simplicity, directness and portability of the verselab).
I love my Force glad to see you finally get one!
Been waiting to see you review this product for a great while now! Personally for me, nothing comes close to this machine. The sound design potential is endless! Hands down, the future of stand-alone music production!
This is my favorite drum machine, music making device I have and I have ALOT. I'm proud you're dabbing your hands on it, don't let it go!
Man, its the best Akai gear unpacking video i have ever seen. You should continue doing it.
I'm an akai force user...watching you was hilarious nostalgic and empowering stay at it
No no no! You didn’t rejoice at the start up colours! It’s thrills me every time I switch it on ☺️😆
Awesome, will give this a proper look later. I've curious to see what you make of it.
excellent video! As a new Force user I'm looking forward to more Force content!
Great overview, also your finger drumming is 👌
Couple of tips:
You mention as one of your caveats selfing tracks while having the mute button on mutes the track. You should be selecting tracks using the 1,2,3,4 etc buttons. I you long press then it will select the track. You can also do that one an empty track and it will bring up the track create options (plugin, drums, key groups etc). You also have the option of just holding Select and the 1234 buttons. You can also just use Select press a pad or turn a knob to select that pad or knob without making a sound. This helpful in a live setting when you want to maybe play with eh filter of a snare while it's playing without having it trigger during live playback.
Launch+Note will bring up the both views so you can play notes and launch clips at the same time
Edit + any Launch button will give you some options like insert a new scene, Insert 8 scenes, and my favorite insert capture which will copy any currently playing clips into its own scene.
Long press Tap Tempo to manually dial in the tempo
Shift + Navigate will open the X/Y effects
And finally the Macro functionality on the Force is second to none. You can control multiple parameters of the Force using pretty much all the input devices: knobs, screen, pads, even the crossfader. It even has modulation so you can modulate pretty much any parameter using an envelope follower or an LFO. You can edit macros by pressing Edit + Knobs.
Awesome showcase of a new instrument. It looks really capable of being a live instrument for gigs and parties.
Maaaaan, i cant belive you got one just a few days after me hahaha so I'm hoping to see more content about it :)) keep up the AMAZING work!!! I've watched all of your reviews and it really helped me to chose the the right sound weapons :) so thanks a lot!!
Nice one, subbed to accompany you on this journey :) My favourite 'hidden' shortcut is (hold) EDIT + SCENE LAUNCH key then INSERT & CAPTURE option onscreen to make all playing clips into a single row scene (destination row is where you initially pressed the appropriate LAUNCH key on the right). Great in the middle of experimenting with arrangement clip combinations. Hope Akai keep on improving this beast.
This is big.
You were always meant to have the Force.
All of the other gear was leading you to this final boss of pad controlled machines.😎
Haha that's a high bar to clear, hopefully it can get there for me!
I’m glad you have tryout the force! Warning, it’s a lot to learn, but truly worth it. Wait till it all starts clicking and you get a workflow, you can make anything on it.
You can record arm multiple tracks simultaneously, and you can connect any class compliant midi controller to the force. This means that you can easily “transcribe” any ideas/songs written in the circuit tracks (or any other groove box that spits out midi) and use the force to polish and flesh them out. This “transcription” doesn’t include the audio, obviously, but it’s easy enough to either (auto)sample that or just use the force’s plugins to create appropriate sounds for the tracks.
Congratulations! Now expecting lots of videos on the Force ;) BTW Just got mine today wooohooooo! That's the device to rule them all! Let's rock! 🎺🎸🎻🥁🎷📯🎙️🎶🎵🎹🎧🤘🕺
Dope! I’m thinking of getting one over the X and live 2
Nice! Would love to see a follow up to this once you've had it for a while. Think it's one you'll keep? New main groovebox? Best beginner tips? Best hidden features? Looking forward to it!
Great, work. Just got mine.
Nice, hopefully videos like this make it easier to dig into
Dope vid on the Akai force Gabe! I always said if I was going to get an Akai groovebox, it would probably be the MPC X or the Akai Force, and now I'm leaning more towards the force than the mpc x
I love the Akai Force!!! Just wish i had more time for it.
hitting note again with drum program will separate the pads into 16 velocity, 16 filter, and 16 pitch (all accessable at the same time).. Really fun to jam with on the fly. Press Note and Launch together to get a split screen of Drums and Clip. (you can trigger record while still having access to your drum kit etc. )
Cool. @13:15 not sure if you figure it out, but I know its possible due to Jay Hosking's video on the Force, he uses half the knobs as assigned controls of various parameters, and the other half to trigger "scenes"
This machine looks SO amazing but as someone whose just starting out and mostly looking to produce hip hop beats so I can rap over them the MPC Studio MK2 seems like a better "first step" into this world, but on the same coin, I'd also like the ability for live preformance as well and this seems truly like a "do everything" device 🔥 As always love the videos man keep killing it!
Thanks you Gabe Miller: the only tutorials you don't have to switch to 1.5 speed
Nice introduction to this machine, it looks like the newer MPCs are an improvement over the MPC Live I tried about four years ago. I can see how a you'd power use this thing but the Circuit level of complexity is where it maxes out for me. If you have both Circuits you're sort of in the same territory with far less power but you can do a little of everything, except time stretching and polyphonic samples which is really the next steps up for the "Supercircuit" I hope they're working on.
May music be with your Force
This looks like they took a HUGE grab from the Ableton Push when it comes to the pad controls and I love it tbh. Looks so fun
Of course they did; Akai made the original Push.
Akai built the push 1 for Ableton
I see you selecting tracks by hitting the function buttons below the tracks (mute / solo / rec arm / clip stop). The way to select tracks is with the row of buttons above those. That way you prevent accidentally muting a track when you intend to select it.
So this looks great to go with live DJ mix sessions..
The Force is almost exactly what I've been wanting for a long, long time. It's basically the core features of Ableton, without the headaches of running and maintaining Ableton. Plus the best parts of MPC. When mine showed up, most things made sense right away and I finished a brand new song by the end of the day. A relatively simple song, but still. ("The Falafel Song" on my channel; was made in a hurry for Loopop's compo) It really makes things easy, compared to everything else I've tried.
I agree 100% on the Ableton & MPC statements you made. Being someone whom used both, the unit made sense right out of the box. Made some heat within my first hour or so of owning it.
@@th-wf3sz I really enjoy mine. It's not for everyone, but... for someone wanting Ableton without a computer, it's great. Or rather, for someone wanting a clips+scenes+arranger workflow without a computer, it's the best thing on the market. And having most of MPC's features, plus some pretty decent onboard synths and stuff, doesn't hurt either.
when are you taking the Deluge for a squirt? Great vid by the way 👏
I love this. It’s so similar to the Push 2, but without being tethered to a computer and Ableton. The Push 1 was a collab between Ableton and Akai, and this seems very much like the spiritual successor.
Akai made all 3 of the machines.
Akai did not make the Push 2. It was purely in-house.
@@oldskooldeano I can believe that from a technical and marketing standpoint. But it is impossible to deny by looking at the 3 devices that they are not from the same Akai engineering. I know the story about how Ableton supposedly redid everything. But look at it. Look at Ableton. They do not have an engineering team in house that could turn the device out without using the information they had from the Akai engineering team. They even said themselves that they looked at the suggestions and recommendations from users that were using the Push and made the changes based on that. That is their own story. I also know that Ableton does not have a hardware manufacturing facility. They contracted it out. Who do you think the contracted it out to? Did we hear anything about a lawsuit for intellectual property theft? No sir. The same people built all 3 of these units. Could they have used different branding or marketing material? Sure. It is done every day by companies all over the world. Same thing with Guitars. Look at how many different brands sell guitars made at the Cort factories. Sure they are all marketed and sold by different people but at the end of the day they are all made by Cort. TVs? Lol. Yep.
Came back to see if part 2 is up 🙃
This little box is something more than just a sample, groove box or w/e, it can do things other sequencers cannot, which is act as a USB host and name all your USB connect devices which not only cuts down on 5 pin din cables, but allows for better control, ie not having to have MIDI merge boxes or w/e.
Patch change on hardware is great too, being able to draw automation is another nice feature.
Pretty sure it can do 128 tracks of midi compared to 16 tracks that standard sequencers can do.
If you want something that really takes you down the rabbit hole, this is it.
It's awesome 😉
About damn time! The Force is mostly superior to MPC save for a couple of really aggravating necessary features that Akai keeps not implementing update after update: (tempo automation and support of odd time signatures)!
God, I wish we could get tempo automation. I also REALLY wish we could get autolaunch/next clip/song mode automation.
@@WotanSkyFather you can with the Mockba modded firmware. Look on my channel for it. You can even launch rows from an external device.
“I’ll take all the power this gives me in return for that jank…”
Leaving this quote on every forum I see people complaining about the Force.
Haha it's a trade off. For me that power is worth it, for others it won't be.
Once you go Force, it's hard to change course... or something. The single greatest groovebox, that.
+1
My weapon of choice. Come join us on the beta forums Gabe!
Workflow tip : hold EDIT + PAD (goes straight to the pads instrument page)
Perhaps you could do an in-depth video on getting the new synths downloaded an working with Win or Mac?
I Have been down with the Force since it first came out and It was amazing right out of the box but with Akai’s updates this Instrument has turn into a Mega Beast Live PERFORMANCE/recording device. I LOVE LOVE ❤️ MY FORCE but it does have a Steep STEEP learning curve but if you put in the time , study and building muscle memory you can make this instrument FLY
Hey Gabe, excited to see what you can do with the force. Here’s my one big problem with the force- On the Akai force I’ve found that when recording guitar to a clip I get a click or glitch sound at the start of the loop. I don’t get this same glitch sound on my MPC one. This topic has been discussed extensively on the Force Facebook page so I’m not alone. Apparently the Force does not have the auto fade that most loopers and the MPCs have which is a huge oversight by Akai. There’s a workaround by adding in a fade manually but adding it to every auto clip kills the workflow, any thoughts or ideas on this? Thanks
it is an amazing device. i hope you gel with it
The Force is the king of the mountain. Glad to have you onboard. Check out Elbow Media Studios for some great content to get you up to speed
The Knobs - Screen section is your friend
Feel free to get at me if you have questions on this! I want you to love this machine! Lol!
Thats my Dream and last stop....
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Get an SSD card in there and learn to use the Disk Streaming. Also, those MIDI host ports are really useful! You can have multiple MIDI controllers hooked up to the force and map the controls very intuitively. Hook up a USB hub, and then any class compliant USB device you have an have it's MIDI routed the Force to other instruments (I do this with my BeatStep Pro routing its tracks to internal and external synths). The Force takes a while, but it's hugely powerful! It's BIG...but it's worth the space.
Yeah I've been transferring my MPC SD card back and forth between devices, it keeps things easy. I still need to dive into disk steaming and midi control of other devices.
What does disk streaming do?
@@boimesa8190 It saves the RAM by streaming the sounds directly from an installed SSD. It really opens up the audio tracks features and gives you room to breathe.
You're gonna have to get a bigger pack! :-)
I'm guessing you dig the immediate joy 2 the A.FORCE. I HAD poly end for A while but the A.force seems simple compared to poly end.
Btw, muchos Gracias for your honest ways🎼👑
All of those knobs are assignable to macros, parameters, pretty much anything you want. It's all under macros. Also, the knobs function you want is "Screen"
I agree. Akai should allow linking cloned patterns so that edits in the master are reflected in the clones. As of now, you need to copy/paste and maintain any edits across all instances of a clip.
That's why I like more about the Pyramid over the Force.
That would most likely be the most hated feature on the box. Most people I know copy and paste lanes and then edit the new lane. If I had done that 8 or 12 times and then changed something in the first lane only to have it change everything else in the other lanes I would be pissed. If you want the change to go to all the other clips that used the first one the way it is now only takes about 1 second to change every clip in the track that used it.
If you had a choice between the Force vs One, which would be your only preference?
Force+Ableton and Push 2 in sync is the wayyyy
is there a way to use one set of pads to play notes and another set to choose basic note lengths instead of velocity? And is there a way to have a drum or trigger-sample on every pad during real-time note recording?
Oh neat
Thanks for the video and for listening to your viewers! Ok ok, I'm going to ask it: How does it compares to the One? And which do you see yourself using more??
I don't know yet, but I'll definitely let y'all know once I've made a lot more music with the Force.
@@GabeMillerMusic looking forward to that comparison!
Where did you get that guitar neon light in the background???? I wantttttt!!!
Good, timely video. I won't be the only one asking this, but how about a comparison with the MPC One. Size, ergonomics, value, power... and which one would you turn to as a songwriter?
Hard to say, since I'm still more used to the MPC and have more muscle memory for it. I'll have to use the Force a lot more to come to a conclusion.
@@GabeMillerMusic makes sense. The circuit-like step sequencing looks promising for a fast workflow.
Congratulations!
What do you think about the touchscreen? Is it possible to do anything without touching it? Do you have a feeling that you want to connect a mouse to this machine?
My experience with the Force is that the buttons around the screen and the knobs allow you to control almost anything you need. For example, I was worried that editing midi notes or automation would be difficult on a small screen, but you don't actually need to touch the screen - the knob encoders can be used to change length, transpose, move etc. The buttons can be used to "select all"/copy/paste etc.
as @The Great DEfector mention, there is plenty of buttons to get arouns. Tough for fine-tuning of notes you have to use screen (Maschine Plus is handier with knobs acrually), and when you need to tweak synth params you'll likely need to poke screen. Not for my sausages and my eye with iPad mini far away. As well as mein knob far away.
I've found the button presses and touchscreen to be enough. I think a mouse would slow it down for me.
GABE......Use the FORCE!
I owned the Force for about a year now which was just before Akai released the 3.1.1 release. For me there is still a lot to learn in terms of workflow as this is a unique AIO experience but sadly everytime I work on a track the Force randomly crashes which is not reassuring to work on. But without crashes, this device is immensely powerful. Another 2 gripes I have with the force are as follows. 1. Some of the built in samples and plugin sounds are pretty naff but oddly useable. 2. Editing on the touchscreen would of been heaps better if there was touch feedback, editing just feels soulless as a result.
I understand what Akai are trying to achieve, It's a very powerful product but I do seriously hope that Akai nail all the annoying bugs with future updates!!!
I agree. Force is powerul, but the touch screen sometimes misses the first touchl that is too dangerous during live performance. So i sold it. I'm using instead digitakt now, sometimes in conjunction with ableton Live
Seems like you need to either update the firmware or reload it. The Force OS is very solid and has been for some time. The included plugins are great and completely programmable. You can literally load any sample you want into the device. No single stock sample set will be great for everyone.
If I could smash like more than once I would. Purchased the Maschine+ last year over this, now looking to add a Force to the workflow.
Just a tip .. buy a $70 sturdy laptop stand …I use one on an MC 707 …super useful saves leaning over to eyeball a screen …. The screen becomes much easier to see.
I put mine on an adjustable notebook stand and it holds the Force in a great position. It's at like 45 degrees. I think it was called a "N8 Multifunction Creative Laptop Stand", a weird cheap folding thingy with 2 adjustable levels. It was wobbly at first, but I reinforced it with two chopsticks, and it's pretty solid now. However, a simple angled wooden stand would be better. Also used 2 of the same stand for my Pro 3, and that works well with no reinforcements.
@@ToyKeeper I put mine on a $20 mini foam-roller from Target😉
How do you use the sampler on this unit? Do you need a xlr to 1/8th jack or just use the usb input? I thought it had dedicated inputs like the other mpcs.
There are two combo jacks in the back. You can also send audio through USB. Side note the sampler is cool, but you can record directly to a pad/clip. It's a lot easier to function that way
Does anyone know what the screen is like? There are certain screens/displays that i can’t look into ad they cause severe eye strain after a few minutes.
Has this thing been discontinued? I cant find a new one anywhere here in Canada.
Oh and wait until you start playing with the Envelope Follower! Holy Sh*t it still blows my mind what you can do with it!
Coming from Push, I bought the force thinking it’s everything I ever wanted, but I returned it since it’s hard to make music with it.
If, like me, you ever just want a more linear way to chain launch rows etc. Check out my video about the Mockba-modded firmware for the Force. It has several cool features that the official Akai firmware doesn't, like a sort of follow actions that can be used for chaining launch rows, you can take screenshots, SSH into your Force, and a lot more. Oh and you might also check out my video on how I modded the device with a tilted screen.
You wouldn't happen to be related to a guy name J.J?😎
@@Noise-Conductor Lol!
Hi bro, thanks for your videos . I got a question, what speakers do you use? I got a Circuit Tracks and want a decent speaker to make my own jaming videos. Regards
I actually don't use speakers, just headphones. I record my audio stuff into an audio interface and sync it up with the video in editing. This should get you started with a few ways to get a nice clean recording: ua-cam.com/video/1qdMK8iemtI/v-deo.html
Cool, new like, new sub, greetings from Costa Rica.
I've had the Force for 2yrs. If you need any help let me know.
I'm curious how chopping works on this device.
You can also copy whole rows😁
My main gripe with the force is the arranger view. It’s basically one long midi timeline without the concept of clips. So making changes to a melody means you’d have to change it every time it occurs (or re-record it or something). Maybe there’s something I’m missing though, but this was annoying me so much I stopped using the force altogether.
Force does both clip launching and timeline.
@@Jason75913 I realise that. But you can’t have clips on the timeline, which sucks. Unless I’m missing something.
I personally feel like size matters. Although there are some intriguing things about the Akai Force, such as the clip based workflow, I feel it's way too big and not really portable at all. I just upgraded from the MPC One to the MPC Live II, and even that feels pretty massive, but at least that has a built in battery and a speaker that is surprisingly useful.
Yeah, if you need to make music on the go, the Force isn't a good option. That's not what it's for. If you're at home though, and want a great music workflow without a computer... it's unmatched.
@@vjfxtheory As I said... if you're _at home_ and want a great music workflow _without a computer,_ the Force is a great option. If you're on the go though, it's not designed for that. And if you don't mind using a computer, that will obviously be a lot more powerful.
For mobile music, I'd probably go for a Dirtywave M8. Or, if I had a compatible phone, Andrew Huang's Flip Sampler (iOS only). Or the new Pocket Operator app (Pixel only). Or maybe Caustic or something.
But mobile isn't relevant for me these days, and my time using a DAW was mostly headaches (and wrist aches) instead of songwriting. So I went for a solution which is ... not those things. Akai's Force is perfect for me. But your needs, of course, may be different.
Mpc live 1 fits in the backpack lovely.
Synth asmr is where it’s at
It's a great machine and I wish that I wasn't so lazy with it.
First of all try to learn about Tonnetz that note mode feature is if you know how it works the most powerful feature on the FORCE. I know no music theory beside how tonnetz work and I can play live like I'm a reasonably skilled pianist. I could not live without that feature ever again. Even Push 2 doesn't have that notes mode feature. It's so highly overlooked. Thank you so much for trying out the Force. Whenever I tell MPC heads that I am using the FORCE they always respond by saying something along the lines of "But that thing is a piece of sh*t right?". Nothing could be further from the truth.
I own one too for a about 3 weeks now, and what I am experiencing is, the upper left corner of the display is getting warm/hot, how about yours?
Hmm, I was using it all morning this morning and while the display area got a very tiny amount of warm, it wasn't concerningingly so.
hold NOTE + LAUNCH and your pads will show active drum group and launch mode at the same time.
My best reservation after getting rid of it in a year was that MAIN knob is a mile away far up on the right!!! Ergonomics got me away from it (and need to use touch display also away and not tilt as mini-screen). M+ is far better WRT ergonomics (and no need poke screen with my sausages just to move few notes). That's main on standalone side. It is too large, was not even taking to sunroom or backyard.
Second it is not Push 2 as it may appear (WiFi clip control is not Live native). I bought back Push 2 and happy with it, also handy/smaller. In a studio table, can move it around or make central piece easier, with just one wire.
Third was support, replaced unit twice and forever delay on promised features. I hope Akai finally fixed bugs and beefed up software.
I'm happier with Push 2 at studio and M+ for standalone (that in studio can also act as synth, second module inside Live as VST) and there are plenty other standalones. I always chose OP-Z to take with me on a road, not Force :)
Otherwise its a nice device and gets you inspired musically (if you put up with issues and ergonomics)! ... I kinda missed it :)
So, is it better then one?
Sooooo they taped an Ableton Push to a MPC Live? Got it. lol
How's the sampling? As a live 2 guy this looks like a beast but I've not heard great things about sampling compared to the live or one
its the same ;)
Its the same process as the live 2. I have both. The workflow of the force is alot smoother than the live 2. I still like the Live 2 though.