Maschine Plus / Akai Force ??

Space Cat 303 · 2023-02-17T10:39:09+00:00

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Hello everyone

I really like my Maschine more, I love the workflow, but I'm starting to ask myself questions for the future...

I keep thinking that the edition of the automations is a real lack, an oversight of Ni, it bothers me not to have it and not to see the curves graphically.

Otherwise I really like everything, but I tell myself, in view of Ni's policy, that I won't have anything more on the M+ in the future, that the functionalities will remain fixed... So I looked at the Akai Force whose workflow also seems very good to me, better than the MPC One, and in addition now there is a Song / Arranger mode, the possibility of using third-party expansions, and the editing of complete automations. And the firmware evolves again and again, so I'm seriously starting to consider moving from M+ to Force.

I would like to know your opinions

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Comments

TheLoudest

You are right, the real competitor of M+ is not the MPC, but the Akai Force.

(Akai had planned to merge the OS on the 2 platforms but for the moment it is clear that the MPC does not have all the functionalities of V.3)

I had an MPC Live before the M+ and I'm also considering returning to Akai.

Development at NI seems to be completely halted.

Space Cat 303

I think the Force workflow is closer to Maschine than to MPC.

And I have the impression that nothing will happen on M+ while it evolves on the other Grooveboxes

Cretin Dilettante

Eh, for what the Force is, I'd rather just spend the cash on a laptop w/ midi controllers & Live 11. It's got 2GB RAM, can only run 8 audio tracks, and AIR Plugins sound like poop. I've resolved to just using a computer & eventually getting a Mod Dwarf for quirky modular vocal FX. If I ever use the Maschine+ live, it's going to be as a supplement to the computer rather than the center of my setup, as a way to be able to run NI Plugins & layer additional loops/sequences on a separate device, kinda like how the Dwarf can run Max or PD patches independent of a computer. I'm not even a professional musician, and I've spent so long trying to find the "perfect" workflow or gear setup but everything leads me back to "just use a computer, stupid."

ozon

@Mutis thanks for all the information and your thoughts!

However, what you and @Kubrak seem to miss repeatedly is that for a music producer the computer technology is just tool and irrelevant compared to the question how well a workflow matches personal preferences.

Thus, Logic on iPad won‘t have a major impact any other DAW. Users will stay with their beloved Bitwig, Cubase, Live, Logic, Maschine (which actually is a beat box), Reaper etc.

Flexi

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/53777#Comment_53777

Peter Thom gave up his company because of a very large job offer from........Apple.

Not sure if that has any bearing on Logic for iPad though?

Force vs M+

Force is vastly superior in feature set RE the firmware (AIR plugins sound great, otherwise is simply a myth, and is absolute "My dad is harder than your dad nonsense" ) with this vastly superior feature set comes a much more complex user experience, you have a similar amount of buttons but so many extra features that you will have more clicks and "Oh no, not a touch screen, they suck, even though we use them all day on our phones and they work perfectly"

Akai updates are continual and not sporadic, but MPC/Force has a much much larger userbase now compared to Maschine, never mind M+ even smaller userbase, so anybody who thinks that NI can keep up with Akai is kidding themselves.

Build quality of the Force is really really good, but sit it next to the M+ and ask anybody which is nicer to touch and feel, M+ every single time.

Conclusion, if you want continued updates and extra features/plugins, and those are your main consideration, get the Akais, if you are used to Maschine workflow, and want a much more basic device with a much simpler workflow, get the M+, because no matter what anybody says, they are both phenomenal devices.

Kubrak

@ozon I haven't written a word in this thread.... So, not sure what you refer to. Maybe to that that I say that it is possible to use MS Surface Pro with Maschine/Maschine+ (something like iPad, but for Win)....

And on Surface one may use any DAW/SW that runs on Windows. So, my reasoning is, that WinWorld has what AppleWorld does not.

Space Cat 303

Thank you for your answers

It's very interesting.

I think I'm going to like the Force workflow, and I guess what you're explaining is pretty much my idea of the Force.

I also think maybe in a few months to resume a Maschine plus, which I like a lot and which, why not, could accompany the Force (and also because I would like to finish some projects I did on it

TheLoudest

there are rumors about future AKAI models.. In particular a MPC LIVE "mini"...I'm curious to see what will happen

but I would have preferred a AKAI "Force mini"..

(unless the MPCs finally benefit from the V3)

I have always found the hardware of the Force too imposing, and a little unbalanced, not very elegant (it must be said that I have very a bad experience with the Push v1 -and its pads- from which the Force is inspired...)

in fact AKAI and NI have two completely different issues... At Akai there is a very mature and very complete OS (and which continues to grow)

especially the V3 on the AKAI Force

they get a little lost in the different hardware formats

While on Maschine+ the hardware is excellent but the OS is really not up to a standalone device

Space Cat 303

It's exactly that.

The Maschine HW is really successful, the size, manufacturing quality and ergonomics are really on top, but the OS, even if it has become very stable, has some essential and incomprehensible shortcomings.

Unlike the Force whose OS has evolved a lot and in the right direction, but perhaps less ergonomic level HW, even if the size which is not very different from that of M+, does not bother me.

And I can power it with the same external battery as M+ to take it everywhere

Flexi

Force Mini already exists, just run 'I am Force' on the MPC One.

Forces hardware is not less ergonomic at all, in fact in a lot of areas it is so superior, it boggles belief that M+ is so antiquated, take the dials for example, compared to Force, M+ is terrible, like I said, vastly more advanced featureset will always equal more clicks/touch screen.

There are a lot of unhappy M+ users, be it lack of power or lack of updates, the only unhappy Force users generally are people who wanted a more complete integration with Ableton live, take that for whatever it is worth.

Personally I would be unhappy to lose either device, but if the Force breaks it will probably get replaced, if the M+ breaks it probably wont, a Mk3 is good enough, and the M+ is really a second class citizen with NI developments, it actually disgusts me that Soundwide haven't pushed all the plugins using the Raum framework on to the M+, to the point that Soundwide will not get another penny off me until they improve development, I have even fallen two versions behind with KUCE.

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