Akai Force Grid-Based Music Production System

A standalone music production platform with a 64-pad grid and multi-touch 7" color screen, the Akai Force unleashes your creativity -- no computer required.

$1,299.00

  • 18 x  
  • 12 x  
    $108.25
  • 8 x  
    $162.38

Ableton Push Controller for Ableton Live

No longer available at zZounds
Push boundaries with the USB controller made for Ableton Live. Its 64 Akai-made velocity-sensitive pads will have you building beats fast -- minus the mouse.

The Ableton Push controller for Ableton Live is a truly revolutionary electronic instrument. It puts immense musical power under your fingertips, and promises to take your live performance to greater heights. The Ableton Push does so by brilliantly integrating control over every dimension of your musical performance: harmonies, melodies, beats, samples, and entire pre-programmed sequences. With the Ableton Push, you'll be able to play entire sets without ever needing to touch your computer -- so put that laptop under the table already.

See the Push in action with this video from Ableton:


Get a closer look at how to improvise and play loops on the Push:


64 Pressure, Velocity, and Touch-Sensitive Pads

The Ableton Push is a treat for musical fingers. Thanks to 64 Akai Professional velocity-sensitive pads, you can cue your virtual instruments and samples with exceptionally dynamic nuance and expression. Each pad can be held down for beat-synced repeats, while controls like tempo, swing, and rhythmic subdivision can be varied via the controller pads along the sides. FX and filters can assigned to the 8 touch-sensitive pads above the main grid, or to the 8 knobs at the top. Back on your computer, settings on each of these pads can be tweaked to the last detail, giving you tight control over the velocity, timing, and quantifier settings on each.

Notes, Chords and Scales -- Minus the Keyboard

The 8x8 grid also conveniently allows you to play any harmony or note in a read more preset scale. The multicolor LED pads allow you to put the key centers where you want them. You can also assign each strip to play notes in a particular scale, or cue other samples or sequences. The real genius of this board lies in its symmetry. Particular melodic sequences or chord progressions retain their shape across different keys. By making it easy to move your ideas quickly between different keys and instruments, you'll quickly discover a way of composing, improvising, or remixing songs on the fly. If you're looking for a controller that will take your musical ideas further, the Push is for you!

Ableton Live 9 Intro Software Included

The Ableton Push controller comes with the Ableton Live 9 Intro edition, which includes 3 virtual instruments and more than 700 sounds. If you're already familiar with Ableton Live, you know why musicians and DJs around the world are so committed to its straightforward and versatile interface. And if you haven't had the pleasure of playing with Ableton yet, this is a more-than-perfect opportunity. The Push is ready to make music right after you take it out of the box.

Features:

- 64 velocity, pressure, and touch-sensitive multi-color LED pads engineered by Akai Professional
- Intuitive design lets you play notes and harmonies in any key
- 11 touch-sensitive encoders
- Made to integrate tightly with Ableton Live
- Includes free download of Ableton Live 9 Intro for either PC or Mac
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Included:
- Push controller
- Universal Power Supply: 100-240VAC, 50/60Hz with interchangeable heads for North/Central America & Japan, Europe and UK (Type A, C, G).
- USB cable
- Quick Start Guide
- Download version of Live 9 Intro

Dimensions:
- Width: 370mm (14.57")
- Depth: 293mm (11.54")
- Height (body): 26mm (1.02")
- Height (body + encoders): 46mm (1.81")
- Weight: 2990g (6.6 pounds)

Power:
- The Push controller gets power from the USB port. If you would like to increase the brightness of the display and LEDs, use the included power supply.

Connections:
- USB port
- Power adapter input
- Two assignable footswitch inputs

Pads:
- 64 velocity and pressure-sensitive pads
- RGB backlighting
- Designed by Akai Professional
- Encoders: 11 touch-sensitive encoders

Display:
- Four line LCD alphanumeric display
- Touchstrip:
-- 12 cm touch strip for pitch bend/scrolling
-- 24 LEDs for navigation

For support or warranty questions, please contact the manufacturer:
Phone: 323-924-3808

Ableton Push Controller for Ableton Live

Ableton Push is an instrument that solves an old problem: how to make a song from scratch. With hands-on control of melody and harmony, beats, sounds, and song structure, Push puts the fundamental elements of music making at your fingertips -- and it fits in a backpack alongside your laptop. High-quality, dynamic pads, buttons, encoders and display combined with an innovative workflow allow you to play and compose musical ideas without the need to look at or touch your computer, and more importantly, without interrupting the musical flow.

The Ableton Push's 64 pads give you multiple ways to make beats. Play, step sequence, and navigate your loop -- all at the same time.

Play, Step Sequence, and Navigate

Play beats live with velocity-sensitive pads made by Akai Professional, and adjust sounds and kits while you play with eight touch-sensitive endless encoders. Hold a pad to repeat notes in time with your track while adjusting swing or the repeat divisions in real time.

Step sequence beats directly using the pads for precise control. Select any step and tweak timing and velocity individually for each cell. See velocity and accents for each step shown on the Push's pads.

Navigate by selecting which bar of your loop you want to sequence or adjust the length of the loop.

Play notes and chords

Play in every key using the same finger patterns. Move between keys at the touch of a button. Explore harmonies and phrases across 64 velocity -- and pressure -- sensitive pads.

Play notes on the grid

When playing instruments, Push's pads fold a keyboard's worth of notes to its 64 pads. Different pad colors show the key center, other notes that are in the key, and any notes you've already recorded. Push's condensed pad layout means large intervals can be reached easily.

One shape per chord

The symmetrical pad grid means melody and chord patterns can be played using the same fingerings in every key, and key changes happen at the touch of a button.

Choose a scale

Select a scale and the pads light to show you the notes in that scale. Other notes are unlit -- or can be hidden altogether for purely diatonic playing.

Pressure, velocity and touch

Push's velocity and pressure-sensitive pads mean you can play with expression and dynamics. Push's touch slider allows for expressive pitch bending: slide your finger for smooth pitch changes or touch anywhere for immediate shifts.

Packed with sounds

Make music with a studio full of instruments and effects. Control them all with Push. Push uses the power of Ableton Live running on your computer. Live provides Push with a comprehensive collection of instruments and effects. All of your sounds are ready to be played, tweaked, and personalized. Fine-tune parameters in your instruments and effects using Push's touch-sensitive encoders and see everything from Push's display.

Every Push comes with Live 9 Intro which includes 3 instruments and 700+ sounds.

Adjust the selected clip or loop

Improvise and play with song structure. Capture all of your musical ideas. Duplicate and create variations. Trigger, re-arrange, and create combinations. Capture everything you play with Push's unique recording workflow. Overdub notes or create variations of phrases, moving quickly between your song materials with just a few buttons. After you've created ideas, switch to another mode to try them out in various combinations. When you're ready to get into arranging, detailed editing, and exporting your finished song, switch from Push to your computer to find your music already laid out in Ableton Live -- the software that was powering your work the whole time. Push gives you the best of both worlds for making music: inspiring hardware for hands-on control at the beginning, and full-featured music creation software for fine-tuning the details at the end.

Connections

If you're familiar with Live, Push complements what you already know. Live runs in the background, filling your Set with clips and scenes as you create with Push. You can switch between Push and Live when you're ready to finalize your song, and you'll find all of your song materials ready for you in Live's Session View. Push is also the ultimate performance controller, with pads that can be instantly repurposed into a clip launching grid. And Live's tight integration with Max for Live lets you customize Push for your own working style, or reprogram it to add features and workflows.

Push comes with Live 9 Intro

Live runs on your Mac or PC and provides multitrack recording, instruments, effects, and everything else you need to make music.

Features:

- 64 velocity and pressure-sensitive multi-colored pads to play and sequence beats
- A way to play notes and chords. Play melody and harmony in any key.
- Improvise and play with loops. Trigger and re-arrange your ideas at any tempo.
- Hands-on control with 11 touch-sensitive encoders.
- Includes Ableton Live 9 Intro and works with any edition of Ableton Live 9
- Designed by Ableton, engineered by Akai Professional

Reviewers gave this product an overall rating of 5 out of 5 stars. (7 ratings)
Submitted August 14, 2013 by a customer from mac.com

"A must for Ableton live users"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
I would recommend the Ableton Push to anyone who uses Live , it will speed up your workflow, fast learning curve, a new way to play drums, chords, and come up with great ideals. Easy automation controls, all default mapping for live instruments and effects. Save your virtual instruments in a rack and easy recall them with ease, A new additional to my studio, Akai Push with the Akai apc40 is a great combo.

Musical Background:

Music production over 15 years, instruments played keyboards, bass, guitar.

Musical Style:

R&b, jazz, hip hop, rock, funk, dub
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