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Native Instruments came out swinging today with a double punch, updating the Machine software and launching the brand new Maschine Studio controller aimed at taking over even more of your production workflow. The hardware is large and in charge with jog wheels, double LED screens and full control over all editing features. On the software end of things, Machine 2 edges towards a DAW with included synths, compression, and even a unique-sounding drum synth engine. Check out all the details and our exclusive walk through video inside.
MASCHINE STUDIO
Dubbed the Maschine Studio, the extra large controller adds two full color LCD screens, VU meters, and an editing jogwheel for massive workflow improvements aimed at eliminating laptop interaction. The jogwheel makes browsing and editing a bit easier than in previous Maschine iterations, and makes it significantly easier to edit volume, tempo and swing for samples and groups. While the Maschine Studio continues to be a software-integrated solution and not a standalone unit, expanding the units overall size reveals perviously buried shift-menus. As you can see the studio version is quite a bit larger than the Maschine Mk2, but the layout and design remains balanced and managable. The VU meter and the surrounding level section lets the user monitor all volume – from individual samples to master volume – and also acts as the controls for monitoring other inputs when an audio interface is plugged in as well. This speaks to the overall enhancement of the combinations mixing capacity, which is vastly improved from the previous versions. The physical pads haven’t been changed from the improved versions found on the MK2 controllers, but the unit does have a significantly increased I/O section on the rear, including one MIDI input, three MIDI outputs, and two foot switch inputs. We love the clever feet/wings that enable easy angling without added hardware. The LCD screens absolutely stand out on this controller – they’re high resolution, multicolor, and respond smoothly with every adjustment that you make in the software or on the unit. Our only complaint is that they are so lifelike, that we want to touch and press them like an iPhone which isn’t possible. Native Instruments spent a lot of time figuring out how to deliver high-end LED displays, so it would not be a surprise to see other products include similar-looking displays in the future. Imagine a hypothetical Kontrol S4 MK3, with multi screens displaying all stripe information and metadata right in the controller.
The Maschine Studio will available in stores November 1st for $999 / €999 /¥ 104,800 – available for pre-orders in the DJTT store.
MASCHINE 2 SOFTWARE
The entire Maschine line will get a complete software update in November as well, meaning that even if you’re not excited by the new hardware, you’ll benefit from the software improvements. There’s a whole litany of changes in the software that casual users and power producers can both get excited about. First up, the entire code of the software was rewritten from scratch, including a brand new audio engine. The new multi-core engine means that users get side-chaining, faster load times, more concurrent VSTs and dynamic routing just to name a few. There’s also now a dedicated mixer page, and unlimited groups or insert effects. We’re guessing with these updates, NI is hoping to win over some DAW users that might incorporate more of their studio work flow directly inside of Maschine. Not that dis-similar to the popular Ableton Push, this new studio configuration is starting to look like a studio instrument of the future for hip hop and electronic producers alike. Native spent two years designing five drum synth plugins exclusive to Maschine for this release – in the hopes that the synths will give the software a uniquely identifiable sound, similar to many classic drum machines. The synths allow full adjustments of all of the controls of the drum (pitch, decay, tone) at a synthesis level – not after the fact. While there are not any specific emulations of popular analogue drum sounds like the 909, you do have the same level of granular sound control over some very rich sounds in a digital domain.
Please note: the software visible in the video is in beta – some graphical parts of the software are not yet finalized. How do I get it? The software will be a paid upgrade for current Maschine users, starting November 1st for $99/ €99 / ¥ 104,800, but anyone who purchases a Maschine between October 1st and the launch gets a free upgrade to version 2.0.
[…] Maschine Studio & Maschine 2 First Look – … – MASCHINE STUDIO. Dubbed the Maschine Studio, the extra large controller adds two full color LCD screens, VU meters, and an editing jogwheel for massive … […]
[…] Maschine Studio & Maschine 2 First … – MASCHINE STUDIO. Dubbed the Maschine Studio, the extra large controller adds two full color LCD screens, VU meters, and an editing jogwheel for massive … […]
DJ_ForcedHand
I already have my money saved up for the upgrade. I’m hoping that (in the new version of Maschine 2.0) there will be a better way to sync the time clocks and possibly capture live sounds as notes/instruments (like Ableton 9 does now). Does anyone know if this will happen? I really like playing an outgoing songs notes to the incoming song’s beat, but right now it takes a lot of prep time.
Erik Mitchell
Was hoping for a better revamped version of the arrangement window of the software. Advanced automation and arrangement seems to be still lacking. I know that this isn’t supposed to be a full DAW, but that’s why I can’t get that into it. I feel like working in the Maschine software is an added step to my workflow and would rather work with Ableton Live from the start. Think I’m gonna sell my MK2 for Ableton Push.
Les Farrington
i was about to buy a new King Korg Synth (dont knock it till you audition it fully….Truly incredible)….but now im going to buy this Maschine Studio. i owned the mk11 (white) a few months ago then got wind of this new STUDIO version. so i sold it immediately but not before coming to the realization that THE MASCHINE IS A GAME CHANGER. anyone complaining about the update cost OR the cost of the STUDIO have obviously not been using electronic instruments for too many years. i recall a time when tools even approaching1/2 the power of this maschine would cost you 20 Grand. we sure have become a society of GIMME GIMME people. its a STEAL at twice that price
Dios Gnosis
Ah! NOW we see where NI budgeted R&D time and money. After the chorus of disharmony concerning the S4 MK2, Native Instruments’ rebuttal…
Maschine Studio
This looks amazing and, as an MK1 user who didn’t cop for the MK2 “smoke and mirrors” (really, colored lights and.. that was all, right?) release, this is refreshing.
And I think I’ve traced the negative feedback to an overall character flaw of our collective consumer driven psyche.
In a land where newer is better, consumers stay dissatisfied with previous versions of anything. The only thing we can do is buy the new thing, or bitch and moan because we cannot.
I was extremely happy and satisfied with my time using Maschine MK1, upset when MK2 dropped (I wanted pretty lights, but the overall upgrades weren’t enticing enough to pay for), and overjoyed with the latest iteration.
Since I have no plans to design, create, and market software or hardware, I realize that I am at the ‘mercy’ of those that do in order to fulfill my desire to create music along the lines that interest me.
I may not always be satisfied with the offerings, but I am aware that constructive criticism is preferred to outright naysaying, at least where it concerns my offerings, so I must assume the same is true for others.
I say all of that to say this. If you find yourself unhappy with the offerings of our software/hardware producers, be constructive with your criticisms. I am most certain that the developers want to hear from their customers. Write an email detailing your complaints. Be polite and cordial. Engage them in their pursuits to develop the best hardware/software possible.
Or stay pissed. I would venture to say that that anger stems from elsewhere.
digital image studios UK
can you drag audio clips using cubase 7 on windows from the project window onto a pad in macshine yet?
Mimic Mindmusic
Get jobs bitches. 1000 bucks aint nothin. Stop cryin. Why yaw so broke?
ENTYCE
Im not impressed with that maschine studio and they have the nerve to charge you 99 dollars for an upgrade really NI…they put out all these fukin products then u run and go buy one maschine and months later they come out with another…they do the same with their dj controllers the x1 comes out then they come out with the f1 all do the same shit come on NI you are a gear blood sucking company fuck the studio i stiil have the 1st maschine
ProgressiveSoul
If they made the maschine studio a standalone unit it would make it harder, if not impossible to upgrade the hardware. I think its more about processing power at this point and when has any company ever released a CPU update for their hardware?
correct me if i’m wrong but NEVER!
MPCs, octatraks, and any other hardware sampler are just computers built around software and hardware specifically designed for making music. They all have Ram, a cpu, hard drive, and an OS. now-a-days it is more about the software and processing power.
if you really want to, all you need is a MIcrosoft surface and you pretty much have your stand alone Maschine unit.
I wonder if a plug/play modular hardware sampler would work. like if you want to upgrade the CPU, add filters, thicker pads, additional pads, additional audio outs, a new effects unit , ethernet/wifi connectivity, USB soundcard, you can just remove or add a new module. It could also have a companion app/VST plug-in that detects what modules you have installed so you can use it in your DAW of choice along side your other VST’s.
ProgressiveSoul
Does he have the Maschine studio connected directly to the Z2?
Dj AXs
I’ll buy it just because i love gear.
Dj AXs
If only this was a standalone unit. Meaning no computer need but it is an option. This is the direction NI needs to be headed in.
Dj AXs
If only this was a standalone unit. Meaning no computer need but it is an option. This is the direction NI needs to be headed in.
andrew
ya the $100 dollar upgrade is pretty lame one of the reasons why I bought into the maschine hardware is so I can be tied into the awsome software that came with. the upgrade fee just seems like another way to stick it to us. anyways I hope the change it.
Ezmyrelda
The comments about not being able to produce anything but trap or hip-hop on the maschine are funny.. Reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelly? How long you been in the game son?
Yucatec Morillon
hummm 999 euros,with this money you can buy a regular Maschine and a
ableton push… or a maschine Mikro ,a ableton push and a launchpad
,,,,or a Access virus TI snow….99 euros update for already customer is
a rip off…so if you buy a maschine today,u ll have to pay extra 99 euros for update in 1 month? LOL
Till
today NI was doing all near perfect ,this may be the turn and the
beginning of a desaster for them…. whatch out elektron out there
coming big style…and dont neglect access ,as you may run all your vst
in Maschine(i own it also) but no VST sounds so good as a Virus,,,,and
at the end what matter is sound,so if u havent got maschine,my advice is
buy the mikro and with the rest buy a asecond hand virus…because
mikro maschine does exactly all the feature the Maschine studio can do (
i know it as I own it ,lots of shortcut to get the same result as the
big maschine) in state to develop a amaschine studio ,i wish NI has
spend some time to figure a way to be able to assign knobs to vst in a
midi learn way) this strategic commercial is a failure ,too expensive
for a sns live maschine(as it is too big)and when you really end in your
studio ,you end also use a mouse and your screen and the NI Maschine
studio new tiny screen is then just a (useless but nice) funky bonus not
worst so much money….
Better go real hardware for this kinda money like Elektron Octatrack or Analog4
momo
fuck expensive electron shit, fuck the virus. laidback luke and many other produce great tracks on laptops while on tour. no virus no hardware. i dont belive that any of you´re tracks sound better and is more successful than laidback lukes. remember the avicci guy uses fl studio and nexus vst and sylenth one…. no hardware snobism needed.
Yucatec Morillon
wtf yiu talk about nerdy, the avvici guy? hardware snobism? I don t know what you talk about? A access virus TI cost now the same price as The Maschine studio, I have nexus and all expansions(who was sample from the virus by the way nerdy) but it doesnt sound so deep ,,my music don t need to be successfull as the most succesfull music is usually commercial and crap!just as you seems to be !
Supreme Producer
fuck avici! little kid with think & flat sounds!…computer hackers – no musicians…fuck skryllex! – maschine is great…but if you ever use a TI2 polar or similar – you know what real sound power is….makes your pants vibrate! – there’s a reason why some of that costs $3K….it has SOUND!….doesn’t sound flat!…..you put that in Pro Tools 48bit summing- and you know where DEEP Bass lives.
DJ_ForcedHand
I’d like to know why Native Instruments did not use a touch pad instead of the job wheel? There are a lot of features on the Drum Machine that would benefit from an X-Y pad and yet, the only piece of hardware from Native Instruments with any touch control is the X1 Mk2. I stand behind my purchase of the Mikro Mk2 and Remote 25 SL mk2 as it remains a better combination of controls than this even though I have to look at my laptop monitor (gasp) to see what I’m doing in the program.
Yucatec Morillon
true
Donald Clark
I am kind of annoyed that most of the articles that I have read does not answer the one question of whether or not this iteration of Maschine will support Mp3’s? If anyone has the answer please share.
Yucatec Morillon
maschine has always support mp3 ,but mp3 quality is shit as hell
Rayalon
Maschine never supported mp3’s.
Only WAV/Aif.
DJ_ForcedHand
I think you can convert MP3s to WAV in the software… at least I thought I read that somewhere.
Rayalon
No it cannot. You can only use an external software (like iTunes for example…) to convert mp3’s.
Rayalon
You cannot.
momo
talking about nerds but praising hardware like software is nothing…
Ezmyrelda
If you need something that you only have on mp3 just transcode it back to wav/aiff.. maschine was never meant to solely do traktor/dj like stuff hence no support for mp3.. It’s a studio tool, and barring ableton live, there isn’t much of a reason to use mp3s in production work… find an alternate high quality source for your sound..
Boris Boom
Here comes a comment up for discussion:
In modern EDM production i find that producers take full advantage of the current possibilities of a full blown DAW like Ableton or Logic.
On machine video’s I only see demo’s of trap / hip hop production. The machine workflow lends itself very good for these genre’s because it’s a modern interpretation of the MPC workflow. But apart from those musical area’s I just don’t see the machine having a very prominent role in the world of producing.
Sure, the machine can be a fun tool to get started on a track, or to get some quick inspiration. But I think modern producers need much more complex functionality to get tracks on pro level. And those functionality is best controlled with ordinary mouse and keyboard.
Any thoughts? Anyone has some pro producers examples that use machine as their primary software for production?
Greetings,
jarsen
I have similar questions. It is a beautiful piece of hardware, and it has my inner gearmonger sweating, but since I’m not heavily invested in hip hop/trap beats, would I be better of with investing in the Push or something else?
Yucatec Morillon
Akai MPC 2500 ,1000 or 5000 for hip hop still is the King .and you don t need no pc ,I was using PC and Maschine mostly for VST capabilities ,but since I bought My Access Virus and my Elektron Analog4 I realize I was wasting my time and money on those software…Hardware (real hardware) sounds miles away better…but Now with this announcement is a perfect match for me to go back hardware ,no screen front of the eyes,no waiting for the PC to turn on,no distraction watching emails…harware will make you more productif in your musical workflow and no bullshit expansion for cash or ripp off update 1 month after you buy a softhardware…
Yucatec Morillon
I use only VST in my Maschine and produce ambiant and Trance,but I agree all video on youtube are the same,but guess what people who can relly use Maschiine and sounds great and different have no video on youtube,cause I spend my time doing music and no Bullshit ego trip video on youtube,,,as a matter of fact ,I have never seen a video a a guy usin90% of vst , i use drums only on 1 group all the rest are vst or sampling my Virus
Ezmyrelda
You sound like you have a very narrow viewpoint on how electronic (and other types) artists work.. It’s a tool.. No artist works the same way and I doubt very much that any artist of any type uses only one tool from start to finish.. Its not the tool but the artist that puts genius into the work.. A good artist should be able to do all of their work in a tool like this.. or just one function.. and still get great results.
Boris Boom
I dont think my viewpoint is that narrow. Have been producing for many years now, released on vinyl and have seen the producing process of many producers who live of their music (and absolutely no one puts a lot of time in using tools like machine).
I do agree with the points you make though! I can see that the machine can be a great tool you can use amongst your others tools for production and not just as your primary instrument. However NI is giving the machine more and more functionality that would replace the time you spend on the computer. However I think that the non-pc workflow is getting more and more outdated because EDM production is becoming more complex.
Interesting discussion =)
TekkFlow Master
fuck that EDM abbreviation! who came up with that and when? it’s Eectronica, or Electronic music. Dance is another genre…. EDM – stop saying that, it’s not a genre…maybe to you guys in the U.S.A finally catching up to the late 90ies- with greedy black artists hip hop cash out – guys trying to get that cool sound!… internationally it means nothing!.
Boris Boom
Electronic Dance Music is just used as a term to describe music made with the computer man, just like “Electronica, or Electronic music”. I dont know how that term is being used in the USA, and I also dont care.
Do you wish to add anything to the discussing we are having?
Dios Gnosis
Maschine is great at sampling live elements to include in one’s workflow.
With a device like the Audio 6, one can essentially produce an entire track through Maschine using live recorded samples in place of MIDI or sequenced data.
Couple that with Komplete Ultimate and I fail to see how the Maschine hardware/software array is limited in any capacity.
And I concur, great conversation!
DJ_ForcedHand
Jeremy Ellis uses his Maschine(s) live without anything other than the Maschine software. I saw him live recently and all I can say is wow.
Boris Boom
Jeremy Ellis is truly a master in performing with the maschine, but I was talking about production.
On a side note: The drumsynths look promising. I hope NI will release this tool for non-machine users as well in the future.
DJ Yagga™
The days of plugging in ANY midi instruments or VSTs & having Machine Studio seamlessly recognize them and play nice will soon be here. I’d love to make this the center of my producing/remixing and just dump it all into Logic or ProTools. Sign the big agreements with the likes of Avid, Logic, etc already NI…ahh the freedom of taking my sessions into any studios would be greaaat 🙂
Yucatec Morillon
wtf you talk about? plugging in ANY midi instruments or VSTs is already available in your regular MK2 8 I USE PRACTICALY ONLY vst nerd1119 ,I guess you don t have a Maschine and just talk nonsens!
OMG that thing is sexy!!!! I have an MK2 and a Push so I don’t think I’ll be getting one anytime soon at $1000. Someday I’m sure!! Psyched for 2.0 though!!!!!
Marcin
Hope there will be realtime timestretching in 2.0.
Can you guys post a photo or tell me if they’ve revamped the screen info on the MK2 ?
I was eager to see at least a pattern grid (like on JJOS) in there.
Best Legs
this seems like a good upgrade from the current version. the product design doesnt seem…well thought out. i know the looks of an item isnt everything, but i feel they could have done better. Push is a sexy beast. sex appeal=$$$, ask apple.
i really dig the added midi outs. this is something i wish my current G.A.S love (dsi tempest) had.
prot
sex
iwaiwa
— just wondering, has Anyone completed a song in Maschine that is on Beatport or any Charts ? I have Maschine MK2 and like it for what it is. (Of course Mastering would be done else where.) But with all the talk about Maschine, does anyone (of note) really do their music (completely) in Maschine ? (versus a DAW?)
Aken
I could not achieve that. Thats exactly what I’m wondering for this Maschine 2 software. I really can’t wait to see how they improved the sequencer and if the new hardware is going to be useful for it or if the mk2 is going to be good enough…
Yucatec Morillon
I do or I did should i say since today I am selling my maschine..
Eric
If Maschine 2.0 doesn’t work seamlessly with Traktor then I ain’t gonna buy the $100 upgrade until it goes on sale or is free. I don’t need Maschine software since I have Ableton Live 9.
The new hardware is compelling and beautiful. The new S4 and S2 should have been this drastic in change. It would’ve caused positive waves for NI.
i want a daw like (ableton+fl) software.
reading mid, mp3, automation(not that crap automation from maschine 1.8)
timestreching like ableton, and so on..
is this possible ?
lets wait and find out..
jackastro
I like that Maschine isn’t a DAW. There are a lot of DAWs on the market. Maschine leaves out some DAW features and focuses on the hardware workflow, which is what makes it appealing. I think Maschine would be less appealing if it were more DAW like.
Supreme Producer
now it is a DAW with 2.0…i get your point – a drum box…intuitive and inspirational – the opposite of a DAW!… doesnt have to “complete” songs… that gets done in Pro Tools or Logic!…. but NI wants to get in teh NI market..oh boy !
DJ_ForcedHand
You can use Maschine (as a VST) in Ableton if that’s what you’re asking.
Marco Antonello
Just bought Maschine and Komplete Ultimate, 4 weeks ago! so a little upset that this is ANOTHER 99euro update, BUT more upset that I did not wait.. as I would have purchased the new Maschine Studio ;(
Yucatec Morillon
dont worry and wait 6 month and the price of the Maschine studio will drop to 699 for sure,as they wont sell that much at this outragous price,just like the Beat thang was selling at 1300 dollars for a year and drop to 699 ,will be the same,
it is never wise to buy a maschine the first month ,let the ritch bitch test the negative feature for you ,and wait for price drop or second hand you can already find few weeks after release
Mike
Well I think the price for the software is fair considering that it includes a full version of MASSIVE, PRISM and SCARBEE MK1 in the package (they could have included Absynth though). It’s perfect for those who want to buy a Maschine controller.
As for the price of the new controller one word OVERKILL. I’ts almost like 3 Maschine Micros. I think that 799-899 would be a more proper price range.
Yucatec Morillon
Fair? They offer me prism for free few month ago as it was a Prism action!
I paid 579 euros For maschine mk2 as well as a new lenovo I5 for 1000 euros (to make the Maschine run smooth with lots of vst) 4 month ago now a update for 100 equal 1679 , i would never have paid 1679 euros if I knew this new update politics, and the again 100 dollars new update i 6 month and maybe again a new controller in 1 year?leaving you the feeling you r always behind,,, ,I would have go for something else like I do now,,,NI Piss on their previous customer and kind of blackmail them ,as if you have already bought so many NI product you feel kind of it s too late to change! Well it is not,do like me have some guts to say FUCK YOU NI; I GO Hardware now!!!
momo
you paid for what you got! its like complaining about a new car because one year later a newer model comes out and you dont get it for free!
Masterclass Productions NYC
BULLSHIT! ….i give you money – you OWE me! that’s how it works in the world of software… I invest in you!
Djtt_espanol
Nice work Djtt.com!
Ginkgo
Also, I was surprised by no mention of Traktor integration, but they may be holding off to work out bugs, and for a bigger Traktor release (3.0).
lesterhein
After a quick look, using this with a Z1 would make a hella nice Traktor set up. Control FX and Cue points from MS and faders and eq from Z1.
Map it correctly, and this could be an uber X1.
If the displays allow track or library info to be displayed, you may never need to glance at the laptop while playing…
Yucatec Morillon
track or libraryinfo are already on actuel mk2 and mk1 screen,all they did new is to immitate Arturia Spark librairy presentation on screen.(fucking useless to see a picture of the library)
Ginkgo
This looks pretty incredible. I just got my Push and I’m very happy with it, but I would dust off my maschine mk1 if the improvements to DAW integration are what we have all been waiting for. I hope NI put some thought into what a complimentary, side-by-side Push/Maschine workflow might look like.
EdOneWould
CAN YOU SIDECHAIN COMPRESS WITH THE NEW SOFTWARE? SORRY FOR YELLING, I just really want to know.
Dan White
YES YOU CAN! You’re welcome
Ezmyrelda
Glorious. Absolutely beautiful piece of hardware.
Yucatec Morillon
yes it look good and great opportunity to suck youu 100 bucks if you r already a Maschine owner! so we r basically paing to at leat looking
at it..
Ezmyrelda
Sounds like a personal problem.. For those that already have one.. Sour Grapes stories are a dime a dozen.. I have one for not getting a Z2 at the discount price that happened recently.. Dev costs money.. So do many things.. Shit sucks yo, but thems the breaks.
Ryan
Oh cool, this looks like it might be a great heart to a live performance rig! Maybe I’ll start saving up for—wait, it’s 1000 DOLLARS?!?!?!
Lol NI, sometimes you really suck.
Rayalon
Software and hardware development cost money.
1000$ is very reasonable for this package.
Yucatec Morillon
hardware development? 90% of the maschine is the same and was already deveelopped(are you blind?) It is just a Controller! Nothing more
Ryan
I see your point, but “very reasonable” is a stretch, don’t you think?
Divy that price up among the parts.
This new Maschine is a beefier Maschine, so let’s say it’s worth $650 for the hardware alone (the normal Maschine is $600 including the software).
That means they’re valuing their software at $350, which is roughly in the same neighborhood as many major DAWs. Reason is $400, Logic is $200, Live is $450. It costs as much as an MPC1000, a dedicated standalone hardware unit (that is built out of metal, not plastic). This package is overpriced.
Yucatec Morillon
yep absolutely
Yucatec Morillon
They do
Lylax
WoW !!
mqparty
Kontrol S4/S2 released yesterday. New Maschine announced today. Traktor fans waiting for the evolution of the next Kontrol…this is a hint of what’s to come for us. Give it 3-6 months and the next landmark traktor controller from NI will be here. Waiting patiently….
robjac
I’m pissed that I got the Maschine Mk2 a year ago. and now maschine 2.0 software is a paid 100 dollar upgrade? Fuck you NI. I thought you cared about us. Thats one way to burn bridges with people that have just adopted you into their workflow and playflow.
Ry
Come now, $100 to upgrade your software to a much more feature rich version a year after your purchase is not that much to ask.
Software development isn’t free. In fact it’s very expensive and very difficult.
robjac
Ry,
I’m no stranger to development ; I am a current Software Engineer/Architect at Ontario Systems LLC with extensive web development work under my belt too.
My frustration is the price for the upgrade, even though the Mk2 less than a year old.
Note that I haven’t generalized at any point.
I have a problem with the price as a RECENT adopter of the Maschine.
I feel as though people with recent licenses like myself, or even all Mk2 owners, should be entitled to a more flex-friendly price point, lets say like 30 dollars, the average upgrade price on today’s full operating systems, like the one running on your computer.
I don’t like the fact that I’m asked to fork up another 100 bucks on top of the 599 I already paid for; any and all expansions i’ve voluntarily purchased myself are of course a different story.
Didn’t mean to get you butt hurt Ry, … But I’m butt hurt about the price 😉
—
I am super excited about the software. I’m a proponent of NI’s hardware and software. I’m really drooling over the new LCD screens, but the controller itself doesn’t look like its changed too drastically (I’m happy to stay with the mk2).
modeless
I agree. I’m a first generation adopter, so for me paying $100 for the software upgrade seems reasonable. But for people who have purchased something as expensive as the mk2 within less then a year there should be some form of discount. $50 for less then a year, free for less then 3 months or something along those lines.
Triple-X
AGREED
Carl Stuart Murray
Agreeing with you so hard right now.
jarsen
And how much do you charge clients for your software licensing? You are no doubt familiar with the cost of employing software engineers—it ain’t cheap. And this ain’t simple software either.
Unlike your operating system (which, the $30 upgrade pricing set up by Apple is a relatively new development, and they make their money off of hardware sales anyway, and you can’t run OS X without their hardware… easily) the market for Maschine is much smaller. Given the pricing of software such as Ableton, Traktor, etc., I really don’t find this unreasonable for a major version update.
Besides, who’s making you update? Is your software broken now?
Yucatec Morillon
yeah fully agree ,NI ir turning this year to assholes and will loose many customers , just like this summer when they was ofering all expansions pack for 100 dollars ,and I did pay 49 Euros a Piece ,and bought ffive of them just few weeks before for 250!!!
I upgrade from Mikro a MK2 5 month ago,and now I should pay 100 again ? fuck you,keep your maschine..I go Elektron ,back to true Hardware…at the end this is Just a Controller!!If your computer dies,your Maschine dies with it. I guess the concurrence must be Happy of NI mistake ,especially Ableton with their ne PUSH who cost half price and offer Incredible new feature and twice more pads for live action…however,back to school with true hardware;Thank you Native Instruments,you just woke me up that it is time to cut the crap with your soft
Yucatec Morillon
you suck dick for NI ,100 euros short after you bought a Maschine is sure a ripp off…they will loose a lot of customer like me,i m selling my maschine now,it s enough of bullshit
Ezmyrelda
Sweet.. It’s nice to know that there will be more second hand discounted maschines on the market.. I’ll keep it in mind for touring hardware when I don’t want to move my maschine studio around. Cheers.
Supreme Producer
little prick !
Ezmyrelda
Boo Hoo.
Simon Clements-Hawes
One thing you should be clear of with NI, they care less of existing users than they do the new ones. Regardless, NI don’t owe you anything and $100 for such a huge update, pah – a drop in the ocean!
robjac
Valid point. Was just thinking that my comment would be widely understood here rather than a personal email to Keir where nobody would see the common frustration with the lack of flex marketing (at least amongst colleagues here)
Simon Clements-Hawes
I feel sorry for Keir – he practically single-handedly IS the public liaison for NI. But yeah, I feel you on the ‘cost’, I got Maschine about 6 weeks ago (for the second time I’ll add). I don’t begrudge $100 for the upgrade though I think $1000 for the package is a bit on the steep side – compare it to MPC Renn. though and it’s a bargain, IMO.
Rukks
Compare it with Ableton Push and its pretty damn steep. Who’s even competing with the MPC anymore?
Simon Clements-Hawes
Given that the Maschine is designed on MPC, I figured it was a fair comparison – If we’re comparing Live/Push and Maschine then it’s fair to say Live Suite 9 with Push which is, roughly, the same cost as the full Studio package £850. Live 9 Suite with Maschine Studio appeals more to ME than Push – I’m sure I’ll live with only 16-steps…
robjac
i have both. and its beautiful when both are running within the Push environment. I use ableton to sequence Maschine so i can use Push to dial in intial grooves on the fly.
i use ableton nowadays by itself.. no more maschine.
anyway, never used push in my life.
Supreme Producer
you’re 100% spot on! no question about it. for you (under a year) it should be free or no more than $191! hey if Mavericks costs $19…. for people over a year $50 would be negotiable…
Is NI running out of cash ? Are they in trouble? Go collect from plug-in buyers. They are already releasing new packs and subscriptions every single month…
Chill for a minute, and stop the global growth madness.
Supreme Producer
yes they OWE !… if i give you 600 dollars for a hardware box – you owe me satisfaction to keep me current and workable. I didn’t buy a software. I bought hardware. You never said I’ll have to pay again for the software portion. I smell legal action!
Simon Clements-Hawes
Lol, go smoke a bowl dude. Then realise no one is taking anything away from you. Maschine 1.8 will still work so you get what you paid for
Oddie O'Phyle
so, when you buy a laptop with win7, you expect microsoft to give you win8 for free?
Max Yankov
I don’t think that $100 for upgrade to a new version is outrageous. As a Maschine 1.0 buyer, I already got Massive and a few other plugins for free, which cost more than $100 in sum. And it’s not like they’re taking anything from me, or obligating me for upgrade — if I choose not to upgrade, I still have everything that I had before. What’s there to be mad about?
Yucatec Morillon
Free?nothing is free in this world,exept on piratebay
Carl Stuart Murray
YARRRRRR, that be true, matey.
Oddie O'Phyle
nothing is free… even pirate bay, you pay your isp for service and don’t forget the aggravation for installing flaky cracked software.
Supreme Producer
yes they are…coz your current software ENDS as soon as windows 9 or Mavericks or a new Intel chipset hits. Or do you think they will continue developing 1.8?
Max Yankov
To develop and to support are two different things. Judging from my experience with NI, I think that they will support the old version for reasonable time.
DJ Rob Ticho,Club mU
Max do you know if the new software will work for Maschine 1.0? I tried to find it mentioned in articles/press releases but I haven’t seen Maschine 1.0 mentioned specifically. I own 1.0 and understand the value of paying for this update.
Salvus Ignis
Now make a Traktor version of this! :O
Aken
A bridge o/ o/ o/
Carl Stuart Murray
s4 mk3 with LCD showing waveform info etc. would be AMAZING. Would take performance away from the laptop even more, and put you more in front of the controller and crowd. Wish NI did this with the MK2 S4.
Unfair: New Maschine announced on the same day that the new GoPro is announced. Tough. Choice.
SoyOllin
I’m sure this is where the hardware side of NI is going, I don’t doubt them including LCD screens in the new controllers in the years coming. Seeing as they are making them already compatible with IPADs. They really want to go for an all in one package screens included! I’m really excited for the next iterations.
DJ_ForcedHand
How useful is seeing the waveform on the controller vs. on the computer? Is it worth the redundancy for the price? I think this “solution” was an answer looking for a problem.
Poukav
WAAAAAHHHHHH WAAAH WAAAH …. 1000€ .. I will definitely have to wait a bit (quite a bit in fact).
This is the price of Komplete 9 ultimate without any advantage like machine MKII or others can give you. In my sense you have more possibilities with all the plugins offered by Komplete. Even if it look amazing, my money will go somewhere else first !
I haven’t had my Maschine MKII for more than 5 weeks. Kinda sucks even when the MKII isn’t even that old. BUT the studio looks amazing…then again it is 1000…I will be holding off on it for a long time. I am definitely interested in the newer software update though.
DJ_ForcedHand
You have to remember that the Maschine Mk2 is still something that you *might* fit in a DJ booth (I say might because it’s a pretty big unit to plop down next to your DJ controller), whereas the Maschine Studio isn’t really aimed for that purpose, the Mikro Mk2 definitely is.
Having all the bells and whistles available to you in the booth isn’t all that important, using what you have to make your set something special is.
Aken
OMG
rajmahal88
This looks amazing, now I’m regretting getting the Mk2 a month ago.
Triple-X
As will A LOT of ppl!
Luiz Zen
I also thought the same thing. I bought my MK2 some months ago.
But then I realized the Studio one is much much bigger than the MK2 which would make it almost impossible to use it in a live DJing setup. So the MK2 still has its value. 😉
DJ_ForcedHand
As does the Mikro Mk2.
Yucatec Morillon
yep ,there is nothing or nearly nothing you can t do with the Mikro,same functionnality,just short cuts,,,,even way better is the Mikro for travel and live act if you just lear the shortcuts(who r pretty easy to learn actually..)
Luiz Zen
I would say the best thing would be to have a Mikro MK2 to, as you said, bring to gigs / live acts, and then the Studio one to keep it at the (!) studio.
I really believe this new version can change the way producers create music, since the workflow of the current version is not that easy.
Yucatec Morillon
the current version is dead easy to play live,maybe you r looking for a machine who does the music for you? and just face you got no skills,cause this maschine is damm easy,,,
Luiz Zen
Are you fu***ng kidding me? Have you read any line of what I wrote? Maybe you should be looking for some reading/interpretation classes or even a brain who understands everything for you? YOU should just face you got no skills on reading and even comunicating with human beings, cause I must say it’s quite easy… and also easy to be polite to people.
Yucatec Morillon
maybe you r right,last night I was in a pretty bad mood.,,I apologize
but still fuck NI and theire 100 buck update
le farrington
WOW>…some guy got ugly with someone on a comments page on a website and then the next day he apologizes for it…..is this a sign of the end times? you are one rare individual and i salute you!!!!! we need more negotiators in this world and less assholes. looks like your doing your part! oh and THE UPDATE IS ONLY A BUSINESS TRYING TO STAY IN BUSINESS IN A WORLD OF FOLKS WHO THINK NOTHING OF DOWNLOADING STUFF FOR FREE AND STEALING IT.
DJ_ForcedHand
Yeah, I use the Mikro (Mk 2) when I play out, but I really like the features I get added when I use my (Remote 25 SL Mk2) keyboard (which is very hard to place in a crowded DJ booth) at home mainly because the “Studio” element of knobs, sliders, dials, and pads (oh my) seem to unlock everything I want at home. As with any gear/setup, you have to spend a lot of time getting used to the gear, more time using the gear together, and even more time configuring the setup so you have different configurations for home/away use. I could not be happier with the “modular size” of the Mikro Mk2 for playing out (in addition to my DJ controller) because it gives me something extra that most DJs just don’t bring to their sets.
I am still a little irked that Traktor and Maschine don’t play well together (as one would expect them to, even moreso because they’re from a German company and they’re known for making “solutions”, not just answers for problems). This is a true let-down as Native Instruments could have made everything work seamlessly and even added functions for having Maschine gear attached while Traktor is up and running… it could have been an answer to “the Bridge” and it could have been truly a force to be reckoned with.
It seems that Native Instruments wants to make Maschine a DAW without making a DAW (for unknown reasons). I’ll agree that there is a pretty steep learning curve for advanced features in Maschine, but you really can use it once you plug it in and set it up… again, time and effort is needed to make using the Maschine as natural as DJing (which, as we all know ALSO takes time to become good at).
Luiz Zen
Hi DJ_ForcedHand .. I have been trying to play with Traktor and Maschine synced and I totally miss the point of the “Sync with external clock” (don’t remember exactly the name), which should do all the trick for us, but instead, we still need to set the clock delay compensation in Maschine in order for the two of them get in sync perfectly.
How do you deal with it? Do you ever use the internal sync or you just beat match them separately?
DJ_ForcedHand
Sadly, that’s still a problem so I keep my synced parts short. Free drumming on the other hand is easy to keep time with. I would make a macro that synced every 128 measures, but I don’t recall how to work with time in Traktor for macros.
Luiz Zen
Sorry for the dumb question but.. what do you mean by macro in this case? Could you explain more about it please?
DJ_ForcedHand
Oh, my definition is a script that is triggered by one key. I can’t remember how to do “Sync, wait, wait, wait, (wait 125 more times) then start over again. The problem is I don’t remember how tie a wait command to a measure. Synching all the time would be a horrible waste of resources, but since Native Instruments still treats their own software like a foreign program, this is the best conclusion I can come up with.
I’m sure I’ll noodle around with solutions in the future unless someone (including Native Instruments) comes up with a simple solution I can use in the meantime. I just have too much on my plate right now to deal with researching this issue.
Luiz Zen
Is there a way of creating such macro in Maschine or Traktor? Or do you mean inside Ableton Live, for instance?
DJ_ForcedHand
You can create a macro inside Tractor, but it’s very cryptic.
Guest
… It takes multitudes of greater time learning to actually write and play live music well than it does DJing though… on the order of 10-100x more time. Anyone who says otherwise probably can’t write or play live music at all.
DJ_ForcedHand
If you’re comparing a DJ who randomly plays popular tracks, to a Live Musician, I totally agree. Anything that requires getting something right (most of the time) with great speed is going to be harder than load-play-sync.
I consider the music that I’m playing/filling with, relatively equivalent to “riffing” or “jamming.” I would honestly say that once I learned to play my musical instruments, it became something I did to do something I wanted… it was easy to make this association to playing cue markers for all the notes/songs I wanted in my DJ sets.
I would not however, under-estimate the skill needed to DJ mix at a Masterful level. The DJs that are constantly busy blending, scratching, dropping with precision-timing (and/or what-have-you), are every bit as much a professional musician as Live Musicians are… with the main difference being that a DJ doesn’t play all the notes and the DJ is a little more capable of playing the “electronic one-man band” thing a little easier.
If I had to make a crude comparison (this is what these roles mean to me), the DJ is more like the Conductor when compared to the Live Musician, and to the DJ, the Live Musician is more like one segment of the many layers of music.
Yucatec Morillon
so u gonna have to pay a extra 100 buck for update…this announcement from NI today make me end my friendship with them and i will sell my maschine and go harware elektron so no need of screen at all and no bullshit pay for update,I have already spent too much money on those virtual soft who give in term of sounds nothing compare ta a Access virus TI or a Elektron Analog4
mediumsizedrob
Considering how huge an update this is, and how much the software will improve $99 is a steal.
DJ_ForcedHand
I’m going to buy the update if for no other reason than along with getting a new, improved program, I’ll probably get a voucher for one of the sound packs as well. I’m eagerly awaiting the next 9 for $99 deal again (hopefully, this time I can pick and choose which packs to get).
I’m wondering why I haven’t seen (maybe it’s out there and I just haven’t heard anything about it yet) the Traktor Remix Deck map for the Maschine controllers.
[…] Maschine Studio & Maschine 2 First Look – … – MASCHINE STUDIO. Dubbed the Maschine Studio, the extra large controller adds two full color LCD screens, VU meters, and an editing jogwheel for massive … […]
[…] Maschine Studio & Maschine 2 First … – MASCHINE STUDIO. Dubbed the Maschine Studio, the extra large controller adds two full color LCD screens, VU meters, and an editing jogwheel for massive … […]
I already have my money saved up for the upgrade. I’m hoping that (in the new version of Maschine 2.0) there will be a better way to sync the time clocks and possibly capture live sounds as notes/instruments (like Ableton 9 does now). Does anyone know if this will happen? I really like playing an outgoing songs notes to the incoming song’s beat, but right now it takes a lot of prep time.
Was hoping for a better revamped version of the arrangement window of the software. Advanced automation and arrangement seems to be still lacking. I know that this isn’t supposed to be a full DAW, but that’s why I can’t get that into it. I feel like working in the Maschine software is an added step to my workflow and would rather work with Ableton Live from the start. Think I’m gonna sell my MK2 for Ableton Push.
i was about to buy a new King Korg Synth (dont knock it till you audition it fully….Truly incredible)….but now im going to buy this Maschine Studio. i owned the mk11 (white) a few months ago then got wind of this new STUDIO version. so i sold it immediately but not before coming to the realization that THE MASCHINE IS A GAME CHANGER. anyone complaining about the update cost OR the cost of the STUDIO have obviously not been using electronic instruments for too many years. i recall a time when tools even approaching1/2 the power of this maschine would cost you 20 Grand. we sure have become a society of GIMME GIMME people. its a STEAL at twice that price
Ah! NOW we see where NI budgeted R&D time and money. After the chorus of disharmony concerning the S4 MK2, Native Instruments’ rebuttal…
Maschine Studio
This looks amazing and, as an MK1 user who didn’t cop for the MK2 “smoke and mirrors” (really, colored lights and.. that was all, right?) release, this is refreshing.
And I think I’ve traced the negative feedback to an overall character flaw of our collective consumer driven psyche.
In a land where newer is better, consumers stay dissatisfied with previous versions of anything. The only thing we can do is buy the new thing, or bitch and moan because we cannot.
I was extremely happy and satisfied with my time using Maschine MK1, upset when MK2 dropped (I wanted pretty lights, but the overall upgrades weren’t enticing enough to pay for), and overjoyed with the latest iteration.
Since I have no plans to design, create, and market software or hardware, I realize that I am at the ‘mercy’ of those that do in order to fulfill my desire to create music along the lines that interest me.
I may not always be satisfied with the offerings, but I am aware that constructive criticism is preferred to outright naysaying, at least where it concerns my offerings, so I must assume the same is true for others.
I say all of that to say this. If you find yourself unhappy with the offerings of our software/hardware producers, be constructive with your criticisms. I am most certain that the developers want to hear from their customers. Write an email detailing your complaints. Be polite and cordial. Engage them in their pursuits to develop the best hardware/software possible.
Or stay pissed. I would venture to say that that anger stems from elsewhere.
can you drag audio clips using cubase 7 on windows from the project window onto a pad in macshine yet?
Get jobs bitches. 1000 bucks aint nothin. Stop cryin. Why yaw so broke?
Im not impressed with that maschine studio and they have the nerve to charge you 99 dollars for an upgrade really NI…they put out all these fukin products then u run and go buy one maschine and months later they come out with another…they do the same with their dj controllers the x1 comes out then they come out with the f1 all do the same shit come on NI you are a gear blood sucking company fuck the studio i stiil have the 1st maschine
If they made the maschine studio a standalone unit it would make it harder, if not impossible to upgrade the hardware. I think its more about processing power at this point and when has any company ever released a CPU update for their hardware?
correct me if i’m wrong but NEVER!
MPCs, octatraks, and any other hardware sampler are just computers built around software and hardware specifically designed for making music. They all have Ram, a cpu, hard drive, and an OS. now-a-days it is more about the software and processing power.
if you really want to, all you need is a MIcrosoft surface and you pretty much have your stand alone Maschine unit.
I wonder if a plug/play modular hardware sampler would work. like if you want to upgrade the CPU, add filters, thicker pads, additional pads, additional audio outs, a new effects unit , ethernet/wifi connectivity, USB soundcard, you can just remove or add a new module. It could also have a companion app/VST plug-in that detects what modules you have installed so you can use it in your DAW of choice along side your other VST’s.
Does he have the Maschine studio connected directly to the Z2?
I’ll buy it just because i love gear.
If only this was a standalone unit. Meaning no computer need but it is an option. This is the direction NI needs to be headed in.
If only this was a standalone unit. Meaning no computer need but it is an option. This is the direction NI needs to be headed in.
ya the $100 dollar upgrade is pretty lame one of the reasons why I bought into the maschine hardware is so I can be tied into the awsome software that came with. the upgrade fee just seems like another way to stick it to us. anyways I hope the change it.
The comments about not being able to produce anything but trap or hip-hop on the maschine are funny.. Reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelly? How long you been in the game son?
hummm 999 euros,with this money you can buy a regular Maschine and a
ableton push… or a maschine Mikro ,a ableton push and a launchpad
,,,,or a Access virus TI snow….99 euros update for already customer is
a rip off…so if you buy a maschine today,u ll have to pay extra 99 euros for update in 1 month? LOL
Till
today NI was doing all near perfect ,this may be the turn and the
beginning of a desaster for them…. whatch out elektron out there
coming big style…and dont neglect access ,as you may run all your vst
in Maschine(i own it also) but no VST sounds so good as a Virus,,,,and
at the end what matter is sound,so if u havent got maschine,my advice is
buy the mikro and with the rest buy a asecond hand virus…because
mikro maschine does exactly all the feature the Maschine studio can do (
i know it as I own it ,lots of shortcut to get the same result as the
big maschine) in state to develop a amaschine studio ,i wish NI has
spend some time to figure a way to be able to assign knobs to vst in a
midi learn way) this strategic commercial is a failure ,too expensive
for a sns live maschine(as it is too big)and when you really end in your
studio ,you end also use a mouse and your screen and the NI Maschine
studio new tiny screen is then just a (useless but nice) funky bonus not
worst so much money….
Better go real hardware for this kinda money like Elektron Octatrack or Analog4
fuck expensive electron shit, fuck the virus. laidback luke and many other produce great tracks on laptops while on tour. no virus no hardware. i dont belive that any of you´re tracks sound better and is more successful than laidback lukes. remember the avicci guy uses fl studio and nexus vst and sylenth one…. no hardware snobism needed.
wtf yiu talk about nerdy, the avvici guy? hardware snobism? I don t know what you talk about? A access virus TI cost now the same price as The Maschine studio, I have nexus and all expansions(who was sample from the virus by the way nerdy) but it doesnt sound so deep ,,my music don t need to be successfull as the most succesfull music is usually commercial and crap!just as you seems to be !
fuck avici! little kid with think & flat sounds!…computer hackers – no musicians…fuck skryllex! – maschine is great…but if you ever use a TI2 polar or similar – you know what real sound power is….makes your pants vibrate! – there’s a reason why some of that costs $3K….it has SOUND!….doesn’t sound flat!…..you put that in Pro Tools 48bit summing- and you know where DEEP Bass lives.
I’d like to know why Native Instruments did not use a touch pad instead of the job wheel? There are a lot of features on the Drum Machine that would benefit from an X-Y pad and yet, the only piece of hardware from Native Instruments with any touch control is the X1 Mk2. I stand behind my purchase of the Mikro Mk2 and Remote 25 SL mk2 as it remains a better combination of controls than this even though I have to look at my laptop monitor (gasp) to see what I’m doing in the program.
true
I am kind of annoyed that most of the articles that I have read does not answer the one question of whether or not this iteration of Maschine will support Mp3’s? If anyone has the answer please share.
maschine has always support mp3 ,but mp3 quality is shit as hell
Maschine never supported mp3’s.
Only WAV/Aif.
I think you can convert MP3s to WAV in the software… at least I thought I read that somewhere.
No it cannot. You can only use an external software (like iTunes for example…) to convert mp3’s.
You cannot.
talking about nerds but praising hardware like software is nothing…
If you need something that you only have on mp3 just transcode it back to wav/aiff.. maschine was never meant to solely do traktor/dj like stuff hence no support for mp3.. It’s a studio tool, and barring ableton live, there isn’t much of a reason to use mp3s in production work… find an alternate high quality source for your sound..
Here comes a comment up for discussion:
In modern EDM production i find that producers take full advantage of the current possibilities of a full blown DAW like Ableton or Logic.
On machine video’s I only see demo’s of trap / hip hop production. The machine workflow lends itself very good for these genre’s because it’s a modern interpretation of the MPC workflow. But apart from those musical area’s I just don’t see the machine having a very prominent role in the world of producing.
Sure, the machine can be a fun tool to get started on a track, or to get some quick inspiration. But I think modern producers need much more complex functionality to get tracks on pro level. And those functionality is best controlled with ordinary mouse and keyboard.
Any thoughts? Anyone has some pro producers examples that use machine as their primary software for production?
Greetings,
I have similar questions. It is a beautiful piece of hardware, and it has my inner gearmonger sweating, but since I’m not heavily invested in hip hop/trap beats, would I be better of with investing in the Push or something else?
Akai MPC 2500 ,1000 or 5000 for hip hop still is the King .and you don t need no pc ,I was using PC and Maschine mostly for VST capabilities ,but since I bought My Access Virus and my Elektron Analog4 I realize I was wasting my time and money on those software…Hardware (real hardware) sounds miles away better…but Now with this announcement is a perfect match for me to go back hardware ,no screen front of the eyes,no waiting for the PC to turn on,no distraction watching emails…harware will make you more productif in your musical workflow and no bullshit expansion for cash or ripp off update 1 month after you buy a softhardware…
I use only VST in my Maschine and produce ambiant and Trance,but I agree all video on youtube are the same,but guess what people who can relly use Maschiine and sounds great and different have no video on youtube,cause I spend my time doing music and no Bullshit ego trip video on youtube,,,as a matter of fact ,I have never seen a video a a guy usin90% of vst , i use drums only on 1 group all the rest are vst or sampling my Virus
You sound like you have a very narrow viewpoint on how electronic (and other types) artists work.. It’s a tool.. No artist works the same way and I doubt very much that any artist of any type uses only one tool from start to finish.. Its not the tool but the artist that puts genius into the work.. A good artist should be able to do all of their work in a tool like this.. or just one function.. and still get great results.
I dont think my viewpoint is that narrow. Have been producing for many years now, released on vinyl and have seen the producing process of many producers who live of their music (and absolutely no one puts a lot of time in using tools like machine).
I do agree with the points you make though! I can see that the machine can be a great tool you can use amongst your others tools for production and not just as your primary instrument. However NI is giving the machine more and more functionality that would replace the time you spend on the computer. However I think that the non-pc workflow is getting more and more outdated because EDM production is becoming more complex.
Interesting discussion =)
fuck that EDM abbreviation! who came up with that and when? it’s Eectronica, or Electronic music. Dance is another genre…. EDM – stop saying that, it’s not a genre…maybe to you guys in the U.S.A finally catching up to the late 90ies- with greedy black artists hip hop cash out – guys trying to get that cool sound!… internationally it means nothing!.
Electronic Dance Music is just used as a term to describe music made with the computer man, just like “Electronica, or Electronic music”. I dont know how that term is being used in the USA, and I also dont care.
Do you wish to add anything to the discussing we are having?
Maschine is great at sampling live elements to include in one’s workflow.
With a device like the Audio 6, one can essentially produce an entire track through Maschine using live recorded samples in place of MIDI or sequenced data.
Couple that with Komplete Ultimate and I fail to see how the Maschine hardware/software array is limited in any capacity.
And I concur, great conversation!
Jeremy Ellis uses his Maschine(s) live without anything other than the Maschine software. I saw him live recently and all I can say is wow.
Jeremy Ellis is truly a master in performing with the maschine, but I was talking about production.
On a side note: The drumsynths look promising. I hope NI will release this tool for non-machine users as well in the future.
The days of plugging in ANY midi instruments or VSTs & having Machine Studio seamlessly recognize them and play nice will soon be here. I’d love to make this the center of my producing/remixing and just dump it all into Logic or ProTools. Sign the big agreements with the likes of Avid, Logic, etc already NI…ahh the freedom of taking my sessions into any studios would be greaaat 🙂
wtf you talk about? plugging in ANY midi instruments or VSTs is already available in your regular MK2 8 I USE PRACTICALY ONLY vst nerd1119 ,I guess you don t have a Maschine and just talk nonsens!
OMG that thing is sexy!!!! I have an MK2 and a Push so I don’t think I’ll be getting one anytime soon at $1000. Someday I’m sure!! Psyched for 2.0 though!!!!!
Hope there will be realtime timestretching in 2.0.
i DON T EVEN THINK SO:::
Can you guys post a photo or tell me if they’ve revamped the screen info on the MK2 ?
I was eager to see at least a pattern grid (like on JJOS) in there.
this seems like a good upgrade from the current version. the product design doesnt seem…well thought out. i know the looks of an item isnt everything, but i feel they could have done better. Push is a sexy beast. sex appeal=$$$, ask apple.
i really dig the added midi outs. this is something i wish my current G.A.S love (dsi tempest) had.
sex
— just wondering, has Anyone completed a song in Maschine that is on Beatport or any Charts ? I have Maschine MK2 and like it for what it is. (Of course Mastering would be done else where.) But with all the talk about Maschine, does anyone (of note) really do their music (completely) in Maschine ? (versus a DAW?)
I could not achieve that. Thats exactly what I’m wondering for this Maschine 2 software. I really can’t wait to see how they improved the sequencer and if the new hardware is going to be useful for it or if the mk2 is going to be good enough…
I do or I did should i say since today I am selling my maschine..
If Maschine 2.0 doesn’t work seamlessly with Traktor then I ain’t gonna buy the $100 upgrade until it goes on sale or is free. I don’t need Maschine software since I have Ableton Live 9.
The new hardware is compelling and beautiful. The new S4 and S2 should have been this drastic in change. It would’ve caused positive waves for NI.
Now I wanna see Zach or Ean rip on one of these!
i want a daw like (ableton+fl) software.
reading mid, mp3, automation(not that crap automation from maschine 1.8)
timestreching like ableton, and so on..
is this possible ?
lets wait and find out..
I like that Maschine isn’t a DAW. There are a lot of DAWs on the market. Maschine leaves out some DAW features and focuses on the hardware workflow, which is what makes it appealing. I think Maschine would be less appealing if it were more DAW like.
now it is a DAW with 2.0…i get your point – a drum box…intuitive and inspirational – the opposite of a DAW!… doesnt have to “complete” songs… that gets done in Pro Tools or Logic!…. but NI wants to get in teh NI market..oh boy !
You can use Maschine (as a VST) in Ableton if that’s what you’re asking.
Just bought Maschine and Komplete Ultimate, 4 weeks ago! so a little upset that this is ANOTHER 99euro update, BUT more upset that I did not wait.. as I would have purchased the new Maschine Studio ;(
dont worry and wait 6 month and the price of the Maschine studio will drop to 699 for sure,as they wont sell that much at this outragous price,just like the Beat thang was selling at 1300 dollars for a year and drop to 699 ,will be the same,
it is never wise to buy a maschine the first month ,let the ritch bitch test the negative feature for you ,and wait for price drop or second hand you can already find few weeks after release
Well I think the price for the software is fair considering that it includes a full version of MASSIVE, PRISM and SCARBEE MK1 in the package (they could have included Absynth though). It’s perfect for those who want to buy a Maschine controller.
As for the price of the new controller one word OVERKILL. I’ts almost like 3 Maschine Micros. I think that 799-899 would be a more proper price range.
Fair? They offer me prism for free few month ago as it was a Prism action!
I paid 579 euros For maschine mk2 as well as a new lenovo I5 for 1000 euros (to make the Maschine run smooth with lots of vst) 4 month ago now a update for 100 equal 1679 , i would never have paid 1679 euros if I knew this new update politics, and the again 100 dollars new update i 6 month and maybe again a new controller in 1 year?leaving you the feeling you r always behind,,, ,I would have go for something else like I do now,,,NI Piss on their previous customer and kind of blackmail them ,as if you have already bought so many NI product you feel kind of it s too late to change! Well it is not,do like me have some guts to say FUCK YOU NI; I GO Hardware now!!!
you paid for what you got! its like complaining about a new car because one year later a newer model comes out and you dont get it for free!
BULLSHIT! ….i give you money – you OWE me! that’s how it works in the world of software… I invest in you!
Nice work Djtt.com!
Also, I was surprised by no mention of Traktor integration, but they may be holding off to work out bugs, and for a bigger Traktor release (3.0).
After a quick look, using this with a Z1 would make a hella nice Traktor set up. Control FX and Cue points from MS and faders and eq from Z1.
Map it correctly, and this could be an uber X1.
If the displays allow track or library info to be displayed, you may never need to glance at the laptop while playing…
track or libraryinfo are already on actuel mk2 and mk1 screen,all they did new is to immitate Arturia Spark librairy presentation on screen.(fucking useless to see a picture of the library)
This looks pretty incredible. I just got my Push and I’m very happy with it, but I would dust off my maschine mk1 if the improvements to DAW integration are what we have all been waiting for. I hope NI put some thought into what a complimentary, side-by-side Push/Maschine workflow might look like.
CAN YOU SIDECHAIN COMPRESS WITH THE NEW SOFTWARE? SORRY FOR YELLING, I just really want to know.
YES YOU CAN! You’re welcome
Glorious. Absolutely beautiful piece of hardware.
yes it look good and great opportunity to suck youu 100 bucks if you r already a Maschine owner! so we r basically paing to at leat looking
at it..
Sounds like a personal problem.. For those that already have one.. Sour Grapes stories are a dime a dozen.. I have one for not getting a Z2 at the discount price that happened recently.. Dev costs money.. So do many things.. Shit sucks yo, but thems the breaks.
Oh cool, this looks like it might be a great heart to a live performance rig! Maybe I’ll start saving up for—wait, it’s 1000 DOLLARS?!?!?!
Lol NI, sometimes you really suck.
Software and hardware development cost money.
1000$ is very reasonable for this package.
hardware development? 90% of the maschine is the same and was already deveelopped(are you blind?) It is just a Controller! Nothing more
I see your point, but “very reasonable” is a stretch, don’t you think?
Divy that price up among the parts.
This new Maschine is a beefier Maschine, so let’s say it’s worth $650 for the hardware alone (the normal Maschine is $600 including the software).
That means they’re valuing their software at $350, which is roughly in the same neighborhood as many major DAWs. Reason is $400, Logic is $200, Live is $450. It costs as much as an MPC1000, a dedicated standalone hardware unit (that is built out of metal, not plastic). This package is overpriced.
yep absolutely
They do
WoW !!
Kontrol S4/S2 released yesterday. New Maschine announced today. Traktor fans waiting for the evolution of the next Kontrol…this is a hint of what’s to come for us. Give it 3-6 months and the next landmark traktor controller from NI will be here. Waiting patiently….
I’m pissed that I got the Maschine Mk2 a year ago. and now maschine 2.0 software is a paid 100 dollar upgrade? Fuck you NI. I thought you cared about us. Thats one way to burn bridges with people that have just adopted you into their workflow and playflow.
Come now, $100 to upgrade your software to a much more feature rich version a year after your purchase is not that much to ask.
Software development isn’t free. In fact it’s very expensive and very difficult.
Ry,
I’m no stranger to development ; I am a current Software Engineer/Architect at Ontario Systems LLC with extensive web development work under my belt too.
My frustration is the price for the upgrade, even though the Mk2 less than a year old.
Note that I haven’t generalized at any point.
I have a problem with the price as a RECENT adopter of the Maschine.
I feel as though people with recent licenses like myself, or even all Mk2 owners, should be entitled to a more flex-friendly price point, lets say like 30 dollars, the average upgrade price on today’s full operating systems, like the one running on your computer.
I don’t like the fact that I’m asked to fork up another 100 bucks on top of the 599 I already paid for; any and all expansions i’ve voluntarily purchased myself are of course a different story.
Didn’t mean to get you butt hurt Ry, … But I’m butt hurt about the price 😉
—
I am super excited about the software. I’m a proponent of NI’s hardware and software. I’m really drooling over the new LCD screens, but the controller itself doesn’t look like its changed too drastically (I’m happy to stay with the mk2).
I agree. I’m a first generation adopter, so for me paying $100 for the software upgrade seems reasonable. But for people who have purchased something as expensive as the mk2 within less then a year there should be some form of discount. $50 for less then a year, free for less then 3 months or something along those lines.
AGREED
Agreeing with you so hard right now.
And how much do you charge clients for your software licensing? You are no doubt familiar with the cost of employing software engineers—it ain’t cheap. And this ain’t simple software either.
Unlike your operating system (which, the $30 upgrade pricing set up by Apple is a relatively new development, and they make their money off of hardware sales anyway, and you can’t run OS X without their hardware… easily) the market for Maschine is much smaller. Given the pricing of software such as Ableton, Traktor, etc., I really don’t find this unreasonable for a major version update.
Besides, who’s making you update? Is your software broken now?
yeah fully agree ,NI ir turning this year to assholes and will loose many customers , just like this summer when they was ofering all expansions pack for 100 dollars ,and I did pay 49 Euros a Piece ,and bought ffive of them just few weeks before for 250!!!
I upgrade from Mikro a MK2 5 month ago,and now I should pay 100 again ? fuck you,keep your maschine..I go Elektron ,back to true Hardware…at the end this is Just a Controller!!If your computer dies,your Maschine dies with it. I guess the concurrence must be Happy of NI mistake ,especially Ableton with their ne PUSH who cost half price and offer Incredible new feature and twice more pads for live action…however,back to school with true hardware;Thank you Native Instruments,you just woke me up that it is time to cut the crap with your soft
you suck dick for NI ,100 euros short after you bought a Maschine is sure a ripp off…they will loose a lot of customer like me,i m selling my maschine now,it s enough of bullshit
Sweet.. It’s nice to know that there will be more second hand discounted maschines on the market.. I’ll keep it in mind for touring hardware when I don’t want to move my maschine studio around. Cheers.
little prick !
Boo Hoo.
One thing you should be clear of with NI, they care less of existing users than they do the new ones. Regardless, NI don’t owe you anything and $100 for such a huge update, pah – a drop in the ocean!
Valid point. Was just thinking that my comment would be widely understood here rather than a personal email to Keir where nobody would see the common frustration with the lack of flex marketing (at least amongst colleagues here)
I feel sorry for Keir – he practically single-handedly IS the public liaison for NI. But yeah, I feel you on the ‘cost’, I got Maschine about 6 weeks ago (for the second time I’ll add). I don’t begrudge $100 for the upgrade though I think $1000 for the package is a bit on the steep side – compare it to MPC Renn. though and it’s a bargain, IMO.
Compare it with Ableton Push and its pretty damn steep. Who’s even competing with the MPC anymore?
Given that the Maschine is designed on MPC, I figured it was a fair comparison – If we’re comparing Live/Push and Maschine then it’s fair to say Live Suite 9 with Push which is, roughly, the same cost as the full Studio package £850. Live 9 Suite with Maschine Studio appeals more to ME than Push – I’m sure I’ll live with only 16-steps…
i have both. and its beautiful when both are running within the Push environment. I use ableton to sequence Maschine so i can use Push to dial in intial grooves on the fly.
i use ableton nowadays by itself.. no more maschine.
anyway, never used push in my life.
you’re 100% spot on! no question about it. for you (under a year) it should be free or no more than $191! hey if Mavericks costs $19…. for people over a year $50 would be negotiable…
Is NI running out of cash ? Are they in trouble? Go collect from plug-in buyers. They are already releasing new packs and subscriptions every single month…
Chill for a minute, and stop the global growth madness.
yes they OWE !… if i give you 600 dollars for a hardware box – you owe me satisfaction to keep me current and workable. I didn’t buy a software. I bought hardware. You never said I’ll have to pay again for the software portion. I smell legal action!
Lol, go smoke a bowl dude. Then realise no one is taking anything away from you. Maschine 1.8 will still work so you get what you paid for
so, when you buy a laptop with win7, you expect microsoft to give you win8 for free?
I don’t think that $100 for upgrade to a new version is outrageous. As a Maschine 1.0 buyer, I already got Massive and a few other plugins for free, which cost more than $100 in sum. And it’s not like they’re taking anything from me, or obligating me for upgrade — if I choose not to upgrade, I still have everything that I had before. What’s there to be mad about?
Free?nothing is free in this world,exept on piratebay
YARRRRRR, that be true, matey.
nothing is free… even pirate bay, you pay your isp for service and don’t forget the aggravation for installing flaky cracked software.
yes they are…coz your current software ENDS as soon as windows 9 or Mavericks or a new Intel chipset hits. Or do you think they will continue developing 1.8?
To develop and to support are two different things. Judging from my experience with NI, I think that they will support the old version for reasonable time.
Max do you know if the new software will work for Maschine 1.0? I tried to find it mentioned in articles/press releases but I haven’t seen Maschine 1.0 mentioned specifically. I own 1.0 and understand the value of paying for this update.
Now make a Traktor version of this! :O
A bridge o/ o/ o/
s4 mk3 with LCD showing waveform info etc. would be AMAZING. Would take performance away from the laptop even more, and put you more in front of the controller and crowd. Wish NI did this with the MK2 S4.
Unfair: New Maschine announced on the same day that the new GoPro is announced. Tough. Choice.
I’m sure this is where the hardware side of NI is going, I don’t doubt them including LCD screens in the new controllers in the years coming. Seeing as they are making them already compatible with IPADs. They really want to go for an all in one package screens included! I’m really excited for the next iterations.
How useful is seeing the waveform on the controller vs. on the computer? Is it worth the redundancy for the price? I think this “solution” was an answer looking for a problem.
WAAAAAHHHHHH WAAAH WAAAH …. 1000€ .. I will definitely have to wait a bit (quite a bit in fact).
This is the price of Komplete 9 ultimate without any advantage like machine MKII or others can give you. In my sense you have more possibilities with all the plugins offered by Komplete. Even if it look amazing, my money will go somewhere else first !
https://soundcloud.com/poukav
I haven’t had my Maschine MKII for more than 5 weeks. Kinda sucks even when the MKII isn’t even that old. BUT the studio looks amazing…then again it is 1000…I will be holding off on it for a long time. I am definitely interested in the newer software update though.
You have to remember that the Maschine Mk2 is still something that you *might* fit in a DJ booth (I say might because it’s a pretty big unit to plop down next to your DJ controller), whereas the Maschine Studio isn’t really aimed for that purpose, the Mikro Mk2 definitely is.
Having all the bells and whistles available to you in the booth isn’t all that important, using what you have to make your set something special is.
OMG
This looks amazing, now I’m regretting getting the Mk2 a month ago.
As will A LOT of ppl!
I also thought the same thing. I bought my MK2 some months ago.
But then I realized the Studio one is much much bigger than the MK2 which would make it almost impossible to use it in a live DJing setup. So the MK2 still has its value. 😉
As does the Mikro Mk2.
yep ,there is nothing or nearly nothing you can t do with the Mikro,same functionnality,just short cuts,,,,even way better is the Mikro for travel and live act if you just lear the shortcuts(who r pretty easy to learn actually..)
I would say the best thing would be to have a Mikro MK2 to, as you said, bring to gigs / live acts, and then the Studio one to keep it at the (!) studio.
I really believe this new version can change the way producers create music, since the workflow of the current version is not that easy.
the current version is dead easy to play live,maybe you r looking for a machine who does the music for you? and just face you got no skills,cause this maschine is damm easy,,,
Are you fu***ng kidding me? Have you read any line of what I wrote? Maybe you should be looking for some reading/interpretation classes or even a brain who understands everything for you? YOU should just face you got no skills on reading and even comunicating with human beings, cause I must say it’s quite easy… and also easy to be polite to people.
maybe you r right,last night I was in a pretty bad mood.,,I apologize
but still fuck NI and theire 100 buck update
WOW>…some guy got ugly with someone on a comments page on a website and then the next day he apologizes for it…..is this a sign of the end times? you are one rare individual and i salute you!!!!! we need more negotiators in this world and less assholes. looks like your doing your part! oh and THE UPDATE IS ONLY A BUSINESS TRYING TO STAY IN BUSINESS IN A WORLD OF FOLKS WHO THINK NOTHING OF DOWNLOADING STUFF FOR FREE AND STEALING IT.
Yeah, I use the Mikro (Mk 2) when I play out, but I really like the features I get added when I use my (Remote 25 SL Mk2) keyboard (which is very hard to place in a crowded DJ booth) at home mainly because the “Studio” element of knobs, sliders, dials, and pads (oh my) seem to unlock everything I want at home. As with any gear/setup, you have to spend a lot of time getting used to the gear, more time using the gear together, and even more time configuring the setup so you have different configurations for home/away use. I could not be happier with the “modular size” of the Mikro Mk2 for playing out (in addition to my DJ controller) because it gives me something extra that most DJs just don’t bring to their sets.
I am still a little irked that Traktor and Maschine don’t play well together (as one would expect them to, even moreso because they’re from a German company and they’re known for making “solutions”, not just answers for problems). This is a true let-down as Native Instruments could have made everything work seamlessly and even added functions for having Maschine gear attached while Traktor is up and running… it could have been an answer to “the Bridge” and it could have been truly a force to be reckoned with.
It seems that Native Instruments wants to make Maschine a DAW without making a DAW (for unknown reasons). I’ll agree that there is a pretty steep learning curve for advanced features in Maschine, but you really can use it once you plug it in and set it up… again, time and effort is needed to make using the Maschine as natural as DJing (which, as we all know ALSO takes time to become good at).
Hi DJ_ForcedHand .. I have been trying to play with Traktor and Maschine synced and I totally miss the point of the “Sync with external clock” (don’t remember exactly the name), which should do all the trick for us, but instead, we still need to set the clock delay compensation in Maschine in order for the two of them get in sync perfectly.
How do you deal with it? Do you ever use the internal sync or you just beat match them separately?
Sadly, that’s still a problem so I keep my synced parts short. Free drumming on the other hand is easy to keep time with. I would make a macro that synced every 128 measures, but I don’t recall how to work with time in Traktor for macros.
Sorry for the dumb question but.. what do you mean by macro in this case? Could you explain more about it please?
Oh, my definition is a script that is triggered by one key. I can’t remember how to do “Sync, wait, wait, wait, (wait 125 more times) then start over again. The problem is I don’t remember how tie a wait command to a measure. Synching all the time would be a horrible waste of resources, but since Native Instruments still treats their own software like a foreign program, this is the best conclusion I can come up with.
I’m sure I’ll noodle around with solutions in the future unless someone (including Native Instruments) comes up with a simple solution I can use in the meantime. I just have too much on my plate right now to deal with researching this issue.
Is there a way of creating such macro in Maschine or Traktor? Or do you mean inside Ableton Live, for instance?
You can create a macro inside Tractor, but it’s very cryptic.
… It takes multitudes of greater time learning to actually write and play live music well than it does DJing though… on the order of 10-100x more time. Anyone who says otherwise probably can’t write or play live music at all.
If you’re comparing a DJ who randomly plays popular tracks, to a Live Musician, I totally agree. Anything that requires getting something right (most of the time) with great speed is going to be harder than load-play-sync.
I consider the music that I’m playing/filling with, relatively equivalent to “riffing” or “jamming.” I would honestly say that once I learned to play my musical instruments, it became something I did to do something I wanted… it was easy to make this association to playing cue markers for all the notes/songs I wanted in my DJ sets.
I would not however, under-estimate the skill needed to DJ mix at a Masterful level. The DJs that are constantly busy blending, scratching, dropping with precision-timing (and/or what-have-you), are every bit as much a professional musician as Live Musicians are… with the main difference being that a DJ doesn’t play all the notes and the DJ is a little more capable of playing the “electronic one-man band” thing a little easier.
If I had to make a crude comparison (this is what these roles mean to me), the DJ is more like the Conductor when compared to the Live Musician, and to the DJ, the Live Musician is more like one segment of the many layers of music.
so u gonna have to pay a extra 100 buck for update…this announcement from NI today make me end my friendship with them and i will sell my maschine and go harware elektron so no need of screen at all and no bullshit pay for update,I have already spent too much money on those virtual soft who give in term of sounds nothing compare ta a Access virus TI or a Elektron Analog4
Considering how huge an update this is, and how much the software will improve $99 is a steal.
I’m going to buy the update if for no other reason than along with getting a new, improved program, I’ll probably get a voucher for one of the sound packs as well. I’m eagerly awaiting the next 9 for $99 deal again (hopefully, this time I can pick and choose which packs to get).
I’m wondering why I haven’t seen (maybe it’s out there and I just haven’t heard anything about it yet) the Traktor Remix Deck map for the Maschine controllers.