There was a time when Reason was ‘it’, as far as interactive synth software went. Install an SSD for fast access to copious amounts of samples and go online to access samples contained in your account, if you have one.

There’s a track limit of eight audio tracks, but plenty of MIDI tracks are available. It has a seven-inch touch display which can be used to view/control the mixer, instrument and effect parameters, or to draw/edit MIDI and audio clips. It’s very well connected, with MIDI In/Out/Thru, CV, ethernet, Bluetooth, wifi, Ableton Link, USB, SD card reader, stereo audio out and four audio inputs. The Force is a sampler and a sequencer and is loaded with onboard effects and instruments. Those knobs and pads can also send MIDI out, so it’s a handy controller, too!Īkai’s Force is an ideal hardware alternative to a software setup, building on Akai’s past experience with its work on Ableton’s Push as well as its own MPC devices particularly the MPC Live. If you don’t want to use the onboard samples, assign each of those six tracks to the MIDI output and sequence your other hardware and software instead. Change direction, pattern length, step length, add automation per step – it’s very capable, hypnotic and fun. More importantly, it earns a place in any live rig, because Elektron is very, very, good at making sequencers and with six tracks of independent sequencing, this is no exception.

Martin mpc use mice for audio trigger