SOVL Report: The 'BEST' FX Module for The Force (under $30) Plus some real 💎's
Im talking about the BEST FX module/ or Guitar pedal / or reverb/ compressor...
Sup Forum!
Hope you and your loved one(s) had a lovely Mothers Day.
I've been debating on if I should share this with you or not BUT...
I think because its one of my favorite / most well-kept secrets,
and partially because it requires you to make an investment (unless you already have what you need) in order to really benefit from it..
I’m talking about the BEST FX module/ or Guitar pedal / or reverb/
compressor...
etc...
The best one..
It’s Mainstage..
Yeah..
I'm just gonna give you the game here...
I use Mainstage to convert some of my soft synths into EXS24 patches...
Then I convert those patches to MPC format using Preset Maker
But I realized something a while back,
Mainstage comes with the SAME exact pedalboard as Logic Pro.
Actually, it has all of the individual stompboxes too.
And some pretty cool other effects
This is what I was talking about a few weeks ago when I mentioned having a more integrated system.
I've been using these effects on my vocals and guitars and sampling them into the force or through the force in varying ways..
I had to ask myself if I was really going to buy the Akai version of RC-20 (which is really good BTW)
OR if I would use what I've already purchased...
throughout the process, I also realized something else that I need to address.
A few weeks ago I made a post about How Audio Tracks Are Ruining Your Productions...
yeah... I was wrong..
kinda.
If you're going to route anything out of the force and back in (or record into the force alongside your composition)
I highly recommend using Audio tracks,
HOWEVER, there is a latency compensation to be aware of when recording..
it’s exactly 384 samples...
And if you have any plugin latency you'll need to address this inside of the clip itself...
I’ve found that editing the audio in the clip, the Flattening it is the best solution to prevent sync issues later (if you save the sample directly)
The reason I avoided audio tracks in the past is that I was working at half-time..
Force sucks at half times… Bad...
So I was wrong. Using an audio track has been incredibly useful over the years and If you're doing any sampling or recording this way just make sure you flatten your clips once you get it right..
This keeps a better copy.
There's another secret inside of Mainstage (that honestly should be the main benefit).
not only does Mainstage have a powerful autosampler it has this BEAST
Years ago this used to be a standalone synth,
but Apple gobbled them up and made the synth exclusive for "logic"
But they give it to you in Mainstage for $30 lol
It DOES make sense to spend the money for Logic, Between the Drummer and Alchemy it is worth the $199..
But for those on a budget and looking for more inspiration,
I recommend just getting Mainstage...
It’s like the most versatile External FX rack for your Force.
MPC users can already benefit from having their own plugins, so this is a workaround.
HOWEVER...
one that benefits both is by using your DAW or Mainstage as an external FX Module you can use THIS plugin
If you've ever heard of the Vinyl sim preset on the SP-303 ...
This is the software equivalent...
The thing is pure magic...
Try it on drums or samples.
It’s that special 'J- Dilla sauce'
Now I can honestly say that I've used Ableton for this same thing.
One thing I can say about Mainsage that sets it apart is how it handles latency.
ONE there's LESS
Two it detects when there are plugins causing latency and presents an option to disable them.
No, I don't work for those people lol.
I’m just dropping some gems.. I truly use this workflow for my sync work. It is really easy to make great samples right on the force…
I could do it ITB BUT I prefer to run the plugins through the Forces preamps AND have the tactile feel of the device.
it’s just another 32-bit DAW sequencer right lol?
Oh yeah, PC users I have ZERO idea what to tell you.... I did a quick search and found this
How do we overcome the beat block and make good music you can feel confident in??
Without hooking up your MIDI keyboard or dragging new MIDI chord progressions into the Force??
Getting placements is NOT luck... and that's the reason why Akai Force (and MPC) users will b thrilled about this new 'placements' MPC Progressions Pack I put together...
It basically takes the guessing out of your creative work and allows you to overcome beat block quickly!
You can Learn more here >>> HEIST MIDI Vol 1
This plus the setup I showed you above is how I make GREAT-sounding music for my sync/client work...
PLUS
as an added feature, I'll be adding product-specific tutorials on how to maximize your results from the pack.. stay tuned.