starving student wrote:DrXparaMental wrote:Jeff Brown wrote:Did anyone who owns Stylus RMX post an opinion here? I don't have RMX or Maschine, but my understanding was that they were really different -- RMX's main appeal was that it could "intelligently" mangle your beats, whereas Maschine was a hands-on drum machine.
One of the guys that is involved in a mutual project with me uses Maschine. I'm not all that impressed. I think you can do pretty much anything Maschine can do with drum racks and a decent midi controller (APC40 or your choice)
I have used Stylus RMX extensively for several years and once you actually get into the program's real internal controls, it's insane.
It really depends on your needs. If you are DJing, I have to believe Maschine or the APC40 are the way to go, however if you are a live performance musician where real instruments are involved, Stylus RMX is MUCH better.
RMX is really not even close to what the Maschine is. Maschine is a controller/sampler. RMX is a unique soft instrument and design tool. Neither are limited to being "drum machines", although that's exactly what both are predominantly marketed as and used for.
IMO, bottom line: Maschine 4 DJ, RMX 4 studio & live performance.
doc would you mind going in depth a little about what you mean about rmx being good for live performance, I think most people think probably the other way around but I know that eric persing is as bad at marketing and making app skins
as he is a genius at everthing else.
It's a selfish and quirky statement on my behalf, but ultimately, it's the truth. Here's the hidden poop in my convoluted little performance world.
In a live scenario I use my bass as a midi controller as well as an instrument in and of itself. I also use an M-Audio Axiom 49 in conjunction with it. I actually am sending three independent signals at all times. 1) is midi notation, 2) is a floor controlled Roland V-Bass which in turn is sent stereo through a stereo receiving floor looping device, and 3) the signal from the P-Bass itself.
The bottom line is that I need everything to function within Ableton Live itself with respect to remote midi control. With Maschine you only get a fraction of it's capabilities if you use it within Live as a plug in. By itself it's not an external midi controllable multi timbrel instrument. It can only play a single patch at a time. With the combination of Stylus RMX and Live, the possibilities are endless with respect to external control. That's really simply because Stylus is designed to enhance and facilitate random sequencing programs where as Maschine is more so an instrument unto and of itself while being facilitated by core or visa versa.
Naturally, because of Live's channel to channel midi routing ability, those external primary controls as applied to triggering Stylus clips in groove mode could be likened to multi timbrel travel based on either (a)Stylus being a solid interdimensional space folding means (expecting scathing professional scientific criticisms from TD any moment), or (b) using Maschine as a row boat on a duck pond.
In this sense, admittedly the comparison is a very selfish one, but it's extremely real for my needs nonetheless as well as many other live looping/midi synthesis performers.
When you get right down "to it", I would bet my perception and understanding of both these tools is completely dependent on the fact that Live is the only sequencing program I know, or care to. It's possible you could do a lot more with Machine with whatever proprietary means Native Instruments offers up. I have the highest respect and admiration for NI imaginable, but that's another thread altogether.
I use RMX extensively with a pad kontrol and UC 33 - set up in a way to control everything via the hardware- almost. To me the set up works similar to Maschine. I've tried Maschine and there is nothing I can do on maschine that I can't on my current set up. With version 1.8, RMX offers plenty more
Both are tools... only lmited by the abilities of the individual putting them to use!