Sonic Faction has introduced The Beatdown & The Beatdown Step Sequencer for the Akai APC40 and Ableton Live.
This custom device comes with the Beatdown library and lets you program beats and note velocities,while saving and recalling patterns in realtime. It also features realtime looping, FX and groove manipulation for killer live performances.
Beatdown Features:
- High quality multi-sampled analog drum instrument.
- 10 different kits that can be combined in infinite combinations.
- Endless tweakability, a sound designer’s dream come true.
- Includes custom made Max for Live Step Sequencer for Launchpad & APC40
Beat_Seq key features:
- Note Sequencing up to 64 step patterns (with 4 levels of user-defined Velocity).
- Note Duration Sequencing
- Groove/Swing Manipulation
- Pattern Looper
- Global FX Triggering
- Preset and Pattern Recall
- Sequence Modulation (up to 4 parameters simultaneously).
- Multi-Device/Multi-Controller Support – Use 1 controller on multiple tracks or up to 6 controllers on multiple tracks.
The Beatdown includes 10 sampled kits, all in one Ableton Live drum rack. It’s design allows you to mix and match sounds from each kit on the fly.
The Beatdown is designed to be playable right out of the box, but at the twist of a knob, you can manipulate each sound’s most useful parameters like pitch, decay and FX.
The Beatdown is $24.99 at the Sonic Faction site.
I think anyone interested needs to carefully consider his options here; to be honest I’m a bit hesitant after looking at this video.
Being a M4L user / programmer myself I think care needs to be taken with the step sequencer device. Controlling the APC like that is doable but I can’t help wonder about the risk of the device acting ‘flakey’. As you may know (or not); M4L includes a step sequencer of its own, created by both Ableton & Cycling ’74. “It works”, but with all due respect that’s about all there is to say about it. Because very often it doesn’t work or goes a little bit haywire.
The second thing which makes me wonder here is how the video never shows the CPU usage at the top of the screen. The whole top has been carefully removed. Is that by accident (odd) or by design ?
This is a big issue IMO because both drumracks and M4L patches can be quite the CPU hogs. I own a few drumrack instrument sets (not from this firm mind you!) which I simply cannot use when my Live set goes a bit deeper. Simply because my PC can’t handle it anymore.
So I think its quite odd not to show this esp. if you’re selling the whole thing.