Like an SP-404 or SP-555 but more flexibility? Maschine?

[MonsieurBon]

Folks,

I've got Live Suite 8 and an SP-404 and SP-555.

I like how spontaneously I can compose with the 404 and 555, but getting samples onto them is a HUGE pain. And sequencing can also be a little annoying. The lack of undo is also annoying.

I like how Live is basically infinitely flexible, great for recording, and the Slice to Midi function is awesome. But I get sick of clicking on stuff and get sick of having to drag things around, swap effects, and assign and reassign knobs to get what I want out of it. And sequencing is very flexible, but at the same time not as easy as it could be or as easy as some functions of the 555 and 404 sequencing, like holding down DEL and then hitting the pads you want to erase from a sequence.

I've tried (over and over and over) to try to get Live to behave more like a hardware sampler. I've mapped the MIDI CC from my Trigger Finger pads to select each of 16 drum rack samples, so that the Live Control knobs will let me adjust sample start/stop times. But simple things like one-button reverse and loop/gate/one-shot on the 404 and 555 require too much work in Live.

So to sum, I really like hardware interfaces and samplers for the ability to just make music and sound collage without having to deal with menus and infinite choices and presets and such, but I like how software/computers allow better source and editing capabilities.

Is Maschine the answer? Any other ideas? I've looked at some options for my Launchpad, and with Max4Live I could conceivably just make what I want, but both of those options present a longer path and more work that isn't making music, which is what I want to be doing.

Thanks!

[nowtime]

You already know the answer!

It is simply RIDICULOUS how cool Maschine is. A magical sampler/drum machine/live performance groovebox. Puts Roland to shame. And maybe even Ableton. But, of course, in defense, Live is a DAW so it would be harder for them to implement such an elegant fusion of soft and hardware. Wished Akai had done this with Live's Drumracks (plus a clipgrid of course) back in the day.

[glitchrock-buddha]

yep.

My only wish was that you could drag samples from live into Maschine like you can with drum racks. That would be even better.

[sexface]

Every time I think about buying Maschine, I realize that I could just spend an afternoon mapping stuff in Ableton and have the same result. IMHO.

[lapieuvre]

I have an SP-404, and when I saw Maschine, I was wondering how much better it was? Still comfusing about the use of Maschine. I looked at the demos of Maschine, and the sp-404 seems to be able to do the same things, though not as fast.

[glitchrock-buddha]

Every time I think about buying Maschine, I realize that I could just spend an afternoon mapping stuff in Ableton and have the same result. IMHO.

The end results of course can be the same. The same could be said for any sampler or drum machine etc. But as for the process, no you can't do most of the things in Live that you can do with Maschine. It's extremely different than using drum racks or something.You really have to see it being used to understand I think.

I have an SP-404, and when I saw Maschine, I was wondering how much better it was? Still comfusing about the use of Maschine. I looked at the demos of Maschine, and the sp-404 seems to be able to do the same things, though not as fast.

But there's a lot more to it than you're realizing. The groups and the ability to have loops sliced either over all pads or to notes on a single pad, and the ability to play each pad melodically and have a piano roll for each one. The ability to use it as a plug-in where you don't even need the hardware connected makes it very flexible, plus the other obvious benefits of having all samples stored and loaded from the hard drive. Not to mention the better (bigger) pads for playing and an excellent layout etc. But like I said above, it really comes down to the workflow and how intelligently the whole system is laid out.

[Leon Tricker]

You might want to look at one of these when they are released:

http://www.elektron.se/

I know I will be!

[malutki]

You might want to look at one of these when they are released:

http://www.elektron.se/

I know I will be!

well gobbledygook!
how much do you reckon these will be going for??

like 2000€...

[squelcht]

Every time I think about buying Maschine, I realize that I could just spend an afternoon mapping stuff in Ableton and have the same result. IMHO.

Hahaha...Guess again

You might want to look at one of these when they are released:

http://www.elektron.se/

I know I will be!

well gobbledygook!
how much do you reckon these will be going for??

like 2000€...

this.

[Leon Tricker]

Don't think the Octatrack price has been confirmed. Rumour is around €1300 / £1300.

So, expensive... But how much does the combination of a laptop, audio interface, software, and MIDI controller(s) go for these days?

Sounds like the OP wants a hardware sampler with more flexibility and better sequencing than hardware samplers usually have. I suspect the Octatrack will fit that bill.

[MonsieurBon]

Every time I think about buying Maschine, I realize that I could just spend an afternoon mapping stuff in Ableton and have the same result. IMHO.

Suuure, except I've done that many times, even coming up with plans of goals and what I need and don't need. But then ultimately, some percent into it I realize that there are a couple key things that can't be automated. Like the play types in Sampler (play once, repeat, reverse, play then reverse, etc). That said, I do have a couple template sets that are all mapped out for letting me just make music and use a handful of Loopers mapped to a MIDI pedal, along with a few simple beats as the metronome for them, and this does work well. Or at least it works until I want to work a little more on the beats or samples...

Live is awesome for letting me do really fun and wacky stuff with MIDI routing and generative music and using the Tenori-On as a sampling step sequencer, but I'm always missing the simple things from the Roland Samplers, like letting me just hit ONE (or two) buttons to get an effect that I want, or ONE button to reverse a sample, or basically just letting me improvise with the sampler as I would with a guitar or keyboard.

Sounds like the OP wants a hardware sampler with more flexibility and better sequencing than hardware samplers usually have. I suspect the Octatrack will fit that bill.

I'll look at the Octatrack.

But I just scored a Maschine, so we'll see how that goes.

[starving student]

make sure you spend time with it, you don't want to end up like some folks who buy one, sell it and then buy it again after somehow they finally understood whats under the hood, and since you've just got it def wait until you've experienced the free major software update that should be out by christmas

[starving student]

another thing is the Octatrack without a doubt is going to feel nothing like using maschine. I'm really looking forward to the Octatrack coming out, I think the next couple of years are going to be stellar for sampling and samplist. I definitely want to try it out. People need to understand that maschine doesn't feel like the hardware that it looks like today so there is no way in hell that it's going to feel like the Octatrack, that thing looks like it's going to feel very distinctive indeed....no overlap from this angle

[Chicle777]

Isn´t it possible to map out the majority of the SP functions on an APC40 and get that feel but still keep the LIVE editing edition funtions?

Remapping the APC 40. Skip to 2:50 for SP DJ Looper function.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdpAodqfX7A

Dibiase on the SP-404
http://soulfood7.blogspot.com/2010/10/d ... al-in.html

[sexface]

I guess that i am going to have to try it out and see. To be honest, the ability to click one thing and reverse a sample is not worth several hundred dollars+learning curve to me. I have heard some great things, though, so maybe there is something besides ease that I am missing out on. Plus I heard Lorn's album was made on it and that sounds great!