iMaschine 2: Full Maschine Production Suite on iOS

The original version of iMaschine was a fun beat-making app, but a lot of the advanced production features that users of the Maschine software were used to never made it into the app. Native Instruments is today launching a brand new app, iMaschine 2, that adds an Arranger, Step Mode, and Smart Play functionality. There’s a whole host of features that make this app less like a toy and more like a mobile version of Maschine’s production software on desktops – keep reading for the full details.

New iMaschine 2 Features

For iPad and iPhone users, this new app is a significant step forward from the old iMaschine – it brings some of the most commonly requested features that producers who use the normal Maschine hardware/software combo have been enjoying for years. Here’s the most notable of the new iMaschine 2 features:

  • Arranger: The new version of iMaschine adds is the tiered patterns, groups, and song sections that can be used to lay out a full track. Create patterns out of loops and scenes, and then arrange patterns across the full length of a song.

  • Step Mode: This mode allows step sequencing of drums, meaning that you can program them across the pads just like on a Maschine’s step mode. No fancy finger drumming required!

  • Smart Play: This brings the Scale (play notes in a scale), Chord (play a note and it turns it into a chord, and it also presents some suggested progressions for inspiration), and arpeggiator functions to iMaschine 2, meaning that you’ll always be adding new parts that are in-key with your project.
  • Color Coding: Songs and groups can now be color coded for easy reference throughout an entire project.

  • 3D Touch: Apple’s new velocity detection functionality on iPhone 6s and 6s Plus works in iMaschine 2 – press harder to get a stronger velocity, or adjust the rate of repeat on a hit.

Worth noting, if you’re already a dedicated iMaschine user, your projects will open in iMaschine 2 without any issues – but you will still have to buy the brand new app. And as always, you’ll be able to open your iMaschine projects in Maschine with a simple export – or just bounce them right out to Soundcloud if you’re felling confident.

Price + Expansions

The new version of iMaschine 2 is out now on the app store – and while it’ll eventually cost $9.99, the current intro special price is $4.99 until December 1st of this year. Native Instruments is also putting out a specially priced in-app bundle purchase of 36 iMaschine expansions for just $0.99 – with the hopes of appeasing anyone who spent money on iMaschine expansions in the original app and want them in the new version, as well as being a good deal for new users.

Big congratulations to our Team Supreme friend TK Kayembe for putting in work on the demo in this video!

i phoneimaschineimaschine 2IOSiOS production appmaschineNative Instruments
Comments (9)
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  • deejae snafu

    so yes..it is a vast improvement over version 1, and this is still not saying much. i guess its ok for 5 bucks.. but my opinion is just kick down the 20 bucks for korg gadget or beatmaker 2… both of those pack WAY more features than imaschine 2, and have friendlier UI as well.

  • Rob Ticho, Default Rejects

    such a huge leap forward from the previous version. the previous version was mostly a toy and useless with out a step sequencer for me. After messing around with this for the last 20 minutes, I’m seeing this as an actual tool to get sketches created.

  • ???? ????????

    What about Android version?

  • thundercat

    sequencer
    real time time stretch (NI already have Kontakt FFS)
    traktor integration
    ??

    how about some actual Maschine improvements NI!
    other than the Komplete integration what is it that Maschine has over Push now?

  • Fuller

    I just downloaded it to replace the first version, and picked up the expansion pack. I really like the improvements. I did NOT like it as much when after 15 minutes of screwing around the project I was working on crashed and all progress was lost… Hopefully that’ll be an uncommon experience, because version 2 opens the door to doing a lot more than the little sketches possible on the old one.

  • CoolD

    Fantastic! Thanks N.I. I just bought a Maschine Studio a couple of weeks ago. I was sick of waiting on Akai to bring the project export capability to iMPC Pro. They have been dragging their feet for nearly 2 years so I sold the MPc Renaissance and MPC Studio. I should have done it a long time ago:) Maschine is so much better and smoother. Integration with Komplete is tight!