Akai Force tutorial: Making a full track only with samples and loops
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- Опубліковано 8 чер 2024
- Hello techno, synth and groovebox lovers!
As promised, here comes the full tutorial on my latest track "Now is the time" in 4k.
In this tutorial we won't use a single plugin instrument to build a full track. Instead we will only rely on samples and loops.
If you like my music and you want to support this channel, you can download the full track in studio quality under the following link:
wolfganggrows.bandcamp.com/tr...
Please like, subscribe and share to help this channel grow!
If you you want to support me, head over to my bandcamp page and download this track in studio quality:
wolfganggrows.bandcamp.com/tr...
Thank you for your support :-)
Chapters/timestamps:
00:00 intro
00:42 end result
03:26 step 1: the 3d-reverb trick
06:05 step 2: kick loop and timestretching
08:13 step 3: atmo and utilization of the reverb trick
12:06 step 4: top loop and sidechaining
14:26 step 5: synth 1 with tempo and loop length adjustment
17:24 step 6: synth 2
20:20 step 7: percussions and key adjustment
22:56 step 8: bass loop and key matching
26:23 step 9: 2nd percussion loop
28:27 step 10: first mixdown and eq-ing
34:05 step 11: cutting and looping the MLK Jr. speech sample
39:25 step 12: breakdown fx
40:50 step 13: making a loop out of individual samples
48:29 step 14: the first drop
50:35 step 15: 2nd drop
52:53 step 16: mastering
#akaiforce #technotutorial
More tutorials like this please, going into other areas of the akai force... Found this very helpful as a beginner. Good work.
Will do!
Très bien magnifique travail. Bonnes astuces. Merci beaucoup
Avec plaisir!
Thanks for another great force tutorial!
One thing about the mastering, if the threshold is on 0.0 and it’s still compressing, it means your signal is clipping BEFORE it even get to the limiter.
For the 3d reverb Trick: use a LP filter After the reverb to emphasize the spatial effect but more important, this helps to control the mid/high range frequency spectrum since the reverbs introduce quite some unwanted frequencies the more tracks you send to them..
Both the tutorial and the end result were really great! I can't wait for more. Thank you so much, from a brand new Force owner.
Just got mine last week too. :)
Thanks dude. Just got the force and doing this today. ❤
This was really impressive. I learned a lot. Thank you!
Wolfgang, truly a great live explanation, 👏👏👏👏
Thank you. Next big beat making tutorial from start to finish with all of the latest update features is on its way. Stay tuned!
Its amazing work!!! Thank You very much! The best tutorial!!!
Thank you so much!
OMG! Not my genre of music but your tutorial is so on point and the message was fire !!! I watched the whole thing!!! Good shit!!! I have two FORCE'S and I'm a BETA tester, keep doin your thing!!! This was so dope to watch..... I subscribed!
Thanks for subscribing and for the great feedback!
Thanks i enjoyed watching this.
Brilliant tutorial, I learned a lot of new sample manipulation tricks on the force. Thanks!
I'm glad you found this tutorial helpful. Check out my other tutorials in which I also make full tracks on the force, but focus on other aspects than just sampling and looping.
nice, danke für den thorough walkthrough!
it really helps. Looking at the tutorials I'm starting to understand. Thank you
You're welcome. A new Force video including the project download is in the making.
Nice Wolfgang!
Awesome! Thanks so much!
My pleasure!
THAT Trax Is 💯🔥💯🔥🔥💯
very nice and interesting video! Greetings from Italy
Great, the air maximizer in the Master Section is great. I tried on my mcp one and it is a very good solution to make the sound great. Thank you.
Glad it works for you, too!
Now is the time! 😎 Great tutorial, everything is explained in detail and very helpful for beginners. I also liked the track itself very much, absolute banger 🤘
Just a short tip from my mixing mastering experience: i would avoid sending different roomsizes to a single channel/sound, it can quickly become muddy and takes away lots of air a song maybe needs to breathe... Instead, use different hall rooms on different sounds, so that you create a space in the mix for every one if it. Also, you can lower the high frequencies to push a sound to the background.
Looking forward to the next tutorial! Keep em coming 😁😎🤘
Thanks for the feedback and your mixing and mastering tip. You are definitely right. I wouldn't overuse this technique. With electronic music less is most often more. I'll try out your tip and see if I can get a cleaner and punchier sound.
very useful video mate thanks for posting
Glad this was helpful. New Force content is soon to come.
@@wolfgang_grows looking forward to it !
Track is dope. Using King as the main brainsample...fucking chef's kiss. I don't have a Force (I have a One) but this def makes me think thoughts about it
Good video Wolfgang and I picked up lots of tips and tricks along the way - now I know how to assign a pad to the crossfader, for example.
Interesting to see you do this entirely without MIDI. On the one hand it keeps things nice and simple, but on the other do you find it can limit your options? I've been adding samples and loops to kits and then recording different clips. However this does get somewhat complex to manage after a while.
Look forward to watching more videos in the future.
Thanks for your kind words.
I didn't use any kits for the sake of this video since I mainly wanted to focus on loops. Usually, I work with drumkits, keygroups and the Force's internal synths. However, I also have a beatmaking tutorial in which I don't use a single sample and make a track only with plugins. If you combine all those methods, you get the most out of the Force.
@@wolfgang_grows Yes, just focussing on a single discipline or lesson is an effective way of transferring the knowledge without distractions. Now the magic is putting it all together. Cheers
Now is the time to let my dog out! hehehehehehe He needs to pee real bad! Thanks for the tut!
excellent performance indeed!! I noticed all your audio tracks loop. I tried to put a special fx sound to play it only once deactivating the loop function. It works but the clip never stops blinking so it is running until I activate another clip on the same row. How can you setup a one shoot audio clip and stop it after it plays? I would appreciate your help, regards.
Most using MPC & co stop short of a final song so this is great to see the entire flow.
A shame that the interaction on screen is so laggy. MPC don't have that latency.
Thank you. With the latest update I have the feeling that the screen now reacts more directly. But it all depends on how many effect macros you have mapped...
Hello there ! Thank you for your amazing video . I have one question please , do you think machine is suitable for the beginner ? Do you recommend a good machine for the beginner?
Hi Mohamed! If you have never worked with a groovebox or with ableton, the Force might be tough to understand in the beginning. But if you're willing to put in some time and effort, you will be rewarded. However, I'd rather start with a digitakt or syntakt. They can't do as much as the Force, but you can make awesome beats and they are relatively beginner friendly.
Nice video! Really helpfull!
I have a question tho, say when you load a loop or vocal in a clip in a audio track, and i want to edit that in the sample edit, do you also have a huge volume difference when playing back the sample? When i play back the sample in sample edit mode, the volume is twice as loud as too when i play it back in a clip in matrix mode? Is this normal?
Thank you for your message. So far I have never experienced those jumps in volume. Sorry that I can't help you out with that one.
@@wolfgang_grows thanks for you answer! I would really like to know what that is, or maybe if i am doing something wrong 😬
Hey what’s the easiest way to connect my Roland SP404MK2 to my Akai Force thank you .
is there anywhere we can download the samples so we can follow the tutorial? :) Great job btw!
Thanks. Unfortunately, I cannot offer the used samples for free since I don't own the rights. Otherwise, I would get into trouble with Native Instruments. However you can download the ni maschine expansion packs on the Native Instrument homepage.
@@wolfgang_grows that makes sense :) I have a problem with the source bpm, when I point at the loop under clips nothing happens, is something changed in an update? i cant see the source bpm anywhere of the sample
How to loop a pad within a drum track/note mode/pads/sample edit> shift>loop
For live jam session. Only worked once. I created mute groups for the pick up, but it has only worked once.
I have firmware 3.0.5
Hit "EDIT" + The PAD you want to loop, Go to the "LFO/MODULATION" Tab then change Play mode from "ONE SHOT" to "NOTE ON"
Now you can loop it.. if thats what you meant
@@user-zr1ij2nz6j will I have to hold the pad in order for it to continue playing or is the "edit+pad" a setting route that can be set to multiple pads for mute groups that would allow the change up when I go from verse to chorus?
@@antdog4117 the "NOTE ON" play mode will play the pad only for as long as the length of the note thats triggering it is. if there is no note for this pad in the clip, it will only play as long as you hold down the pad.
@@user-zr1ij2nz6j I see. Thank you.
Great! Is it possible to use Akai Force in studio somehow? E.g...in Cubase
Of course. However, it's primarily designed to work in standalone or with ableton.
Thanks! Not sure what am i doing different, but when i point or touch the loop on the touch screen with my finger - it doesn't open up the option to know what the bpm of the loop is, or to change it - like you do on minute 6:43
You're welcome! There are two things to keep in mind.
1. In the bar on top you have to select the arrow on the far left first
2. You need to tap on the very top of the loop
I hope this helps.
I had the same problem, my fault was that i didnt set the whole track as "audio", but falsly as "drums", but you need to, because its a .wav file. In hindsight quite obvious but yes... Maybe this is the case for you too.
wie immer sehr gut erklärt auch wenn ich nicht alles 100%ig verstanden habe. Frage welche Packs die du nutzt sind das und wo kann man die sich holen? Danke und mach weiter so
Hi, ich benutze Expansion Packs von NI Maschine: Indigo Dust & Rising Crescent. Die hatten ne Aktion, bei der die 10 Packs für 99 € verkauft haben.
thanks for the toturial! i cant use any of my loops, they sound awefull when timestretched to 120...how do you get the loops sound so nice and tight? i go from 124-126 to 120 and its unusable...even the kick-loop you used from NI sounds bad with my AKAI Force...it just skips attacks and plops all the time...I cant use this in a actual production or live...i have to convert every drumloop to a keygroup and re-program pffff
ah i found it! :)...i listened to your tutorial (again, thanks for all the work and sharing) in a big studio with a huge sub, and the kick just goes up and down all the time. This, for me, is unacceptable for a real live club or fesitval where the bass is so loud, that you would hear this very clear. Does it make sense what im saying? The only way to prevent this is to put everything in a key or drum group, use the same tempo, or just live with it. (90% of club crowd wont hear it anyway, and for some loops and samples this glitchyness does not matter). AKAI should adress this and use a "timestretch algo" like the Re-Pitch version in Ableton where the pitch drops when you lower the tempo (like an old tape machine). This does not take CPU and will make everything super tight (you could even dj with the Force in that case, as advertised). You already can do this by adjusting the tuning of a sample with Warp turned off. So from 128 to 120 is 1 semi tone down, and from 124 to 120 is 50 cents, or something like that :) But then you are kind of stuck in working and playing in one set tempo...
Explain the Akai force can you tell everyone the name of what buttons as well on the touch screen you are pressing in your demonstration what are doing totally.
How did you get your Maschine packs on the Force? Great tutorial!!
Thanx! I just copied the folders onto my sd card and put it into the force.
Hello Good Day Sir,
I am Thomas Kurumasseri from India, South Indian,Kerala. I am a Musician.
I have few queries regarding Akai Force.
The issue is in the clip. Can we put Time Signature in clip?
so that the programming gets easier. Changing bars at a time with different time is difficult right now. If Time Signature is implemented in clip we can change tempo and tune bars as desired. Example: if it's in 4/4 or 3/4 beat and have to go to 6/8 or 7/8 in same clip... if time Signature is implemented it's easy to move and place it on track easily, which is helpfull for drum either keyboard.
Please suggest a solution for this
We need a complete MPC Sequence set. MPC software sequence is the best.
Right now instead of (TC)Time correct please implement (TS)Time Signature.
Please do help
Thankyou
Hello Thomas,
I'm afraid I can't help you in that matter since I don't work for Akai. I'm also not in any beta testing groups.
Your suggestions make sense to me, but you should write to Akai directly. I hope your wishes will get implemented in one of the following updates.
Hi Wolfgang can make a second video wirth arrange the track further,?
Hey there! Just watch the second chapter in which I play the song scene by scene. You start with the first scene, which is mostly drums. Then after 4 to 8 bars you switch to the next scene to introduce new parts and so on. In the middle of the track you usually have two breaks and two drops and in the last third of the track you slowly work your way back up to scene one by reducing the parts of the track every eight bars or so.
Before you do the above steps, just hit shift + rec and select record to arrangement and then you've got your arranged song. Further, look at the overview of all the chapters of this video. Those chapters follow the typical order when building a track like this. Finally, on bandcamp you can listen to the full 6 minutes long track to see at what time in the track I use breaks and drops. Hope this helps.
@@wolfgang_grows thanks Wolfgang great content on this channel cant wait for new videos.
What is your process to embed a bpm to a loop if it is not present.
It's explained in the video. However, there is an alternative I didn't mention. Download a bpm tap app on your smartphone, play the sample when it's not warped and tap the screen to the beat. Then it shows the bpm of that sample. You can of course also use the beat tap button on the force for that.
@@wolfgang_grows l will try the beat tap button on the force not sure of the accuracy thank you.
After watching this I realise I am not using my Force to anywhere near it's potential.
AKAI : FORCE : Touch ; New Model :
2021 ; O.S. : Próprio AKAI ; Programming : Aplicatiom : Operações ; Ritmos ; Timbres ; Tons ;
Effectos ; Ótimo ; Prático : Fácil ; Controller : Mudanças ; ( Tela )
Maior : Ajuda Muito : Visualização ;
Equalizador - Gráficos ; ( Audio ) =
( Vídeo ) ; Manuseio ; Operações ;
Programming : Aplicatiom ;
Akai : FORCE Touch ; 😲😄😃😲😄😃💡💡💡💡🌎
What do i need to connect my phone and sound like you ?
Personally I would never send a channel to 3 different reverbs because thats like somebody standing in three different rooms at the same time!!!
I can totally understand your point. If you use this method too often and not carefully enough, your mix can quickly sound muddy and undifined. I mostly use this method to create atmospheric and ethereal background layers. Most of the time it's enough to route the reverb to one of the three return channels/room sizes. But then again, in techno rules are there to be broken and this genre allows you to be creative, even if you break with certain conventions.
Very true, but in house music performance normal mixing rules don't apply.