Flex Beat Twists Samples Beyond Recognition

US Akai Pro partners with AIR for a new rhythmic tool 09/03/23

Akai Pro, in partnership with music production brand AIR, has released Flex Beat which they describe as the ultimate rhythmic tool, giving you complete control over the timing and groove of your music. A spokesperson told us, "Flex Beat lets you create beat chops, DJ-style scratches, Trance gates and reverse or half-time your audio with ease. Producers of any genre can twist samples beyond recognition or add extra flavor to any loop in your sample collection."

Here's more details from Akai Pro...

Take Control of your Sound

    16 performance pads for pattern presets

    Pad play modes for Loop, One Shot and Hold behavior

    Pads are MIDI controllable using MIDI sidechain input

    Preset banks for instant inspiration

    Ability to launch quantized patterns, so your music never skips a beat

    Large library of pad presets with a preview function

    Detailed pattern editor with snap, adjustable curve types and envelope tools.

    Export or import pattern presets in .fnv format compatible with Gross Beat ™

    Dry / Wet mix

Sound Mangling at your Fingertips
Flex Beat enables you to add rhythm and movement to your music. With a library of hundreds of presets, you can add anything from simple scratches to full-fledged pitch-shifting automation with just a few clicks. You can even change existing presets or create your own patterns to use in your projects.

Grid Editor
The pattern editor helps you compose beats and songs with effortless control over pitch, velocity and steps. With the pattern editor, you can easily edit values in the sequencer like you would in a DAW, adjust curve types and envelope tools, snap notes to the grid, randomize values and save presets.

Run it Back
Select a mode to play the pads in loop, one shot or hold behaviour and move through the patterns available to you.

    One Shot: Plays the selected pad pattern through to completion then reverts back to previous pad

    Loop: Default behaviour, the pad pattern is always looping

    Hold: Plays the selected pad pattern while the pad is held then reverts back to previous pad