Maschine Jam vs. Push 2

Discuss Push with other users.
WillThaArtist
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Maschine Jam vs. Push 2

Post by WillThaArtist » Sat Oct 15, 2016 5:48 am

I'm an Ableton user who does not have either the Push or Jam but if any of you do, what would you consider would be the better option to use with Live?

yur2die4
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Re: Maschine Jam vs. Push 2

Post by yur2die4 » Sat Oct 15, 2016 6:40 am

I love Maschine, but in Live you really can't go wrong with Push 2.

I'd suggest Push 2.

Mark Williams
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Re: Maschine Jam vs. Push 2

Post by Mark Williams » Sat Oct 15, 2016 11:47 am

I have both, but if your just using Ableton then its gonna be Push all day..
Live 11, M1 Mac Mini, Push 2, Scarlett 18i20 & ADA8200, Softube Console 1 Mk2, Deepmind12, Hydrasynth, Cobalt 8M, Moog Subsequent 25, IK Uno Synth Pro, Plethora X3, Nord Drum 3P

InLight-Tone
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Re: Maschine Jam vs. Push 2

Post by InLight-Tone » Sat Oct 15, 2016 12:29 pm

If you spend the majority of your time producing in Live then Push is a must. One of the best integration's of hardware and software going.

Maschine I never got along with and having a funky, crippled second hand sequencer is redundant...

lyovino
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Re: Maschine Jam vs. Push 2

Post by lyovino » Sat Oct 15, 2016 4:40 pm

Maschine is very good but for navigating and control in Live, PUSH is a no brainer hands down.
I have and use Maschine Studio along side of PUSH and sometimes Maschine just gets in my way, even with the templates I have set up.
I'm not knocking Maschine but PUSH can do pretty much what MS can and control Live without a hiccup! PUSH 2 is amazing!
Mac (Retina 5K, 27-inch,) Catalina
3.6 GHz 8-Core Intel Core i9, 64 GB
Apollo/x6, PUSH 2

jestermgee
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Re: Maschine Jam vs. Push 2

Post by jestermgee » Mon Oct 17, 2016 12:52 am

These guys all use Live, they also use and recommend push. Be like these guys. Get Push.

starving student
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Re: Maschine Jam vs. Push 2

Post by starving student » Mon Oct 17, 2016 8:02 am

these guys also use maschine, be like these guys and use Push.

molefonken
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Re: Maschine Jam vs. Push 2

Post by molefonken » Mon Oct 17, 2016 10:16 am

Push 2 is amazing. If you use Ableton Live, then go for Push. It's that simple.

lovelight
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Re: Maschine Jam vs. Push 2

Post by lovelight » Tue Oct 18, 2016 7:36 am


saintjoe
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Re: Maschine Jam vs. Push 2

Post by saintjoe » Tue Oct 18, 2016 1:05 pm

Generally most of us here are going to suggest Push of course :)

However, it's always good to ask yourself what you're looking for from a controller, while Push is a purpose made companion for Live, some prefer
other things like Launchpad, APC, and could like the way Jam works with Live

I own Jam but haven't tried it with Live, I prefer dedicated controllers for whatever program I'm using so I don't have to think about what a button or anything does but again
it really depends on you're looking for.

As already mentioned by others...Push with Live is really a great way to go but there are many factors that go into choosing a controller and everyone has different
workflows or needs that will "push" them one way or another ;)
Push Tutorials - video manual and tutorials for Push - PushTutorials.com

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bobbyduracel
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Re: Maschine Jam vs. Push 2

Post by bobbyduracel » Fri Dec 16, 2016 6:39 pm

What level are you with your music? I mean to say, are you better off spending $399, or nearly double that amount, for your controller of choice? That's the first place to start.

I own both controllers. Here is the basic rationale:

1. Push 2 is superior to Maschine Jam for Ableton - and only Ableton

2. Maschine Jam can control Ableton, with 96% of the functionality as Push 2, albeit with no screens and less-awesome pads.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJEJRrY71J8

3. Jam can also be quite powerful with Traktor, for $19.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clkXvut0USs

Push 2 has amazing screens, awesome touch-sensitive pads, solid knobs. Jam has none of those things, but a very smart implementation of the touch strips, which does make up for the lack of 8 knobs (technically speaking).

They are both amazing. I really enjoy the Push, but I find that I use it less and less these days. Lately NI updated Machine and Traktor with Link capability, so they can both sync with Ableton. They also expanded the remix decks to include "step sequencer decks" which are simple right now, but I think in short time will be more advanced. To a fairly basic/new producer, simply having remix decks you can bounce Maschine clips into, and then play with in Traktor, is plenty to start!

Yes, I am an NI-fan. I am also an Ableton fan. I usually start in Maschine + Traktor and eventually end in Ableton. Maschine still has some serious limitations, but they are working them out. That is besides the point.

For a few less dollars, you lose the better pads, screens. You don't really lose much control over Ableton Live, because the mapping is really nice with Jam already. Jam can control racks, synth parameters, etc. It's a toss-up. I own both! That said, with the recent Ableton mappings, I decided to spend a few hours in Ableton without the Push, just to see if Jam gave me any headaches. It did not.

I worked around missing the touch-sensitive pads by purchasing a used Machine MK2 controller on eBay for $250. Yes, I am advocating for two controllers vs. one to get the job done and I realize how that sounds. But, at closer glance: owning both controllers gives you the screens, 8 knobs, and BIGGER touch-sensitive pads, similar to the benefits Push offers. It also gets you a fully portable-standalone Maschine controller for sketching beats or triggering cues in traktor. You then have Jam alongside, for your more "session view" days, or to use with ableton... They also work amazingly side-by-side in Maschine.

Lately, Push 2 stays home. The Jam is in my bag every day. These are the basic reasons:

1. Push 2 is larger, thus it does not fit in as many packs
2. Push 2 requires external power to really light up. I hate plugging my controllers into the wall when I'm trying to be portable
3. Push 2 cannot control Machine like Machine Jam can control Ableton, so I get 2-for-1 functionality with Jam
4. When I "need" touch-sensitive pads, I pack MK2 along.

I can sandwich MK2 and Jam in my MONO backpack and roll out, but the Push 2 will not fit in the backpack by itself!

If you decide to go Push 2, mine is for sale as of this week. It'll be on eBay in the next few days.

Would I love to have both? Sure. Do I "need" both? No way. In fact, having multiple things to master = distraction. It's enough to have Ableton, Machine, Traktor and the massive libraries/plugins to learn... Let alone multiple workflows for the same program, based on different control units.

I hope my meanderings helped.
#livefullycharged

saintjoe
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Re: Maschine Jam vs. Push 2

Post by saintjoe » Sun Dec 18, 2016 5:35 pm

Having spent some time using Jam with Live I can say that it does work very well. I still wouldn't see it as a replacement for
Push personally, however I can see it being a replacement for an APC as that is what it reminds me of the most.

However, it does really feel at home in Live, they definitely spent some time making it "make sense" in the Live environment. As
mentioned above, it is definitely smaller to throw in a bag as well and I honestly wouldn't feel lost with just a Jam and
a small keyboard while mobile with Live.

A good thing about it is that a lot of the buttons on Jam do what they say in Live, that's always one of the things I don't like about
non dedicated controllers, having to remember which button does what lol, not a problem with Jam imo.

As usual I think it just comes down to what is important to you in a controller and your workflow. Push 2 is definitely more
immersive 1 to 1, and of course you get full control of sampling/recording audio and routing directly from Push. But Jam is
well laid out and if you're mainly looking for session/device control, clip launching, step sequencing, etc, it may be a good
fit.
Push Tutorials - video manual and tutorials for Push - PushTutorials.com

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yur2die4
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Re: Maschine Jam vs. Push 2

Post by yur2die4 » Sun Dec 18, 2016 9:47 pm

I'm starting to view Jam as the perfect complimentary controller for those who already have a Push and/or Maschine.

It has small conveniences which it can offer to either the Maschine or Ableton workflows which make the more dedicated controllers even more convenient to use.

Particularly, in both cases you have pattern/scene/clip/whatever launching and you have volumes and mutes for multiple channels.

You can change all this on either the Push or Maschine, but it makes you stop using device control or note inputs in order to do so.

Great compliment. And as a bonus, it is the most portable. Somehow it manages to fill in somewhere between a launchpad and a LaunchControl without quite being either.

saintjoe
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Re: Maschine Jam vs. Push 2

Post by saintjoe » Sun Dec 18, 2016 10:20 pm

I definitely agree with the fader/volume aspect of it and not having to switch modes on Push to control that.
Push Tutorials - video manual and tutorials for Push - PushTutorials.com

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starving student
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Re: Maschine Jam vs. Push 2

Post by starving student » Mon Dec 19, 2016 9:09 am

I don't know about that 96%, the screens on the push 2 alone and what they convey is worth way more than 4%, then consider that push without the screens is still more capable than the jam regarding ableton.
also unless you need those size pads on the mk2 in particular then I don't see what the mk2/ maschine offers in the way of sampling and sample editing that would be worth getting into when ableton is going to be your last stop anyway. I agree on the 'focus' part though and the distractions but imo getting a jam, an mk2, and traktor would be a whole lot of distraction especially since the jam is not working all the way smooth yet and the maschine software is going through some growing pains right now.

allot has been said about the jams touch strips but for the price I would probably go with adding an iPad to the equation, you'd get all of the touch strips you need if that's what you need not to mention a zillion isomorphic keybeds and controllers, plus a ton of other useful programs that you can use and even allot of apps that you can use to control ableton if you're trying to get away from changing screen views on the push... not to mention that the iPad is quite portable and is something you can pull out anywhere and sketch some ideas or even do some serious music making, allot of music apps are adding ableton project export as well which is quite useful as is the 'Link" feature which is becoming a standard in apps as well..... so in my opinion the only real reason to go the other route is if you really only need to use maschine cause if you're going to be using ableton anyway, then you could grab a push and get start learning and becoming good at using that long before native instruments irons out the kinks with the jam, maschine software etc....and the iPad will give you an additional dimension of usefulness and bang for buck that's hard to beat, it's the perfect companion for the push..... just another view to chew on

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