The Maschine & Ableton Love Thread ;) [upon user request]

[hiphopdontstop]

The more I'm experimenting with Maschine, the more I love it---

case in point--- using knobs to edit sample start/end times... being able to zoom and scroll... with knobs.

Abes, you guys got your work cut out for ya.... I'm about to fully convert to Maschine for hip-hop beat production. The only thing keeping me with Ableton right now is the ability to import MP3s (I like to chop MP3s from old soul album downloads I have), and how easy it is to slice to midi....

If Ableton can get the damn knob-controlled start/end point chopping (in Simpler especially!) and without it JUMPING .8%.... I'd be the happiest sumbitch alive.

I truly feel Ableton is ignoring our requests for the mappable start/end points with a few knobs.

I LOVE how Maschine can easily do this just by:

1. hitting the Sampling button
2. selecting "Edit"
3. hitting a pad.... twisting knobs. Done. hitting a second pad. twisting knobs. Done. Repeat.

Thank you, NI.

[delicioso]

Abes, you guys got your work cut out for ya.... I'm about to fully convert to Maschine for hip-hop beat production. The only thing keeping me with Ableton right now is the ability to import MP3s (I like to chop MP3s from old soul album downloads I have), and how easy it is to slice to midi....

On the mac, you can route the iTunes signal to sample directly in Maschine by using Soundflower or Jack:
http://www.native-instruments.com/forum ... hp?t=88094
Another way to bypass Live for this would be to use something like Audio Hijack (or Windows equivalent) to "sample" the mp3 output (i.e. iTunes) to wav/aif to bring into Maschine.

Live is still very useful for when you need to timestretch and arranging after drag and dropping audio/midi, not to mention hosting plugins and running rewire.

[hiphopdontstop]

Yes. I noticed that the arrangement in Machine is seriously lacking. Is it ONLY triggering scenes, that start and end by the bar? If so, there's where Ableton shines....

I'm trying to figure out the best way to use Maschine and Ableton together. I'm guessing run Machine as a VST... any tips?

BTW, delicioso... I love my Nocturn... it is truly a beast. Small, easy to use... I got the Automap Pro and modified guille's template so on page 2 of the Inst section, I can use three of the buttons for snap to grid off/on (so I can easily chop in Arrangement View), another button for Split (CTRL-E) and another for consolidate (CTRL-J). Seems that the best/easiest way to chop samples is like this.... I really wish I could use Simpler... and I wish the damn mouse wheel could zoom in and out in Arrangement View....

Again, any tips for getting the best out of Maschine within Ableton?

Thanks!

[SubFunk]

drag & drop is where it's at... just let your creativity flow and make the best of it. done.

[mholloway]

Do people here really think Maschine is competitive as a DAW? That seems just absurd to me, unless your needs for songwriting are very, very basic. I absolutely love the thing but it boggles my mind to read people saying they're gonna drop Ableton because of it. A million reasons why -- no plugins, no 3rd party anything, no real arranging beyond the basic (and it's QUITE basic) matrix setup...no mixer, noooo....

These people shouting "watch out Abes" as if Maschine alone could drive away ableton sales, errrrrrrr....

just my take though!

-M

[SubFunk]

^^^ well,

yes and no.

it surely can't replace fully a DAW.

but ableton was once intended to be a performance tool for the stage... that direction they totally lost and at this point maschine can fully replace it.

yes it is much, much simpler exactly what makes it so beautiful! and you (i did already) can make a full song with all it, anyone claiming it does not all it needs to make full songs can't produce for shit and has no creativity whatsoever (sorry, for my typical harsh words again, but really!!!) it's like saying you can't make music with a piano and a voice... for example.

it has a mixer (not in the traditional sense, but you can mix whatever you want) it has enough plugs to make a good sounding track and you can arrange whatever you want, if your are still stuck treating it as a drumachine or MPC replacement, well that is your problem... get out of it, free your head and you will discover that a lot more is possible,

all that said i personally have no intention to drop or leave ableton whatsoever, but yes, i also say abes watch out, because they will loose the 'performance' market they where once focusing on... they need to focus on a direction again, it's that simple... (and i assure you they know that!)

they already dropped the official marketing for it as a DJ tool, which makes sense, flame me, but they don't see it themselves as such anymore, it is plain stoopid to try to go against a king kong like traktor for that segment. unless they implement everything needed to make it a true DJ tool, and not just a halfarsed product, hence the try of 'the bridge' collaboration to get more recognition from professional DJs.

Logic, PT, Traktor, Serato, Maschine are all products to name but a few that all have clear market segments they focusing on... ableton lost that...
right now it's not fish and not meat as we say in german.

maschine is a way better more intuitive and foremost dead, dead stable performance tool that is fun to use, ableton is not fun anymore, bloated, complex unstable headache it is. i have to say at this point that 8.1.3 is a great, great step ahead, but still far away from where it should be.

and i hope that will change in the future and i am sure it will... to get back to the days it was fun and bliss to use... and was more a pure stage tool.

my2cents

P.S. and i think people say that as well only, because maschine simply gives them a lot of what is in the feature requests since years for ableton live.
but ableton never properly listened what is really important for the enduser. (within the last few years of their development)

EDIT: i corrected a few typos, i think

[supamonsta]

Do people here really think Maschine is competitive as a DAW?

I don't think so, Maschine being really far, far, far from being a DAW...

and I didn't see a single person here saying they will let ableton down since they got maschine??? it would be really foolish, as indeed Maschine is not what live is, and we're just talking about complementarity.

and, for the "Live Tool" side of the question, perhap's Ableton Live was really much more intuitive and reliable before, but it has NEVER been a complete setup like maschine, with its own hardware,

so I think we can't blame Ableton in comparison with maschine, Live has'nt been shaped as a specialised tool like maschine, and is way more open.

but indeed it seems to have grown more and more to become something perhap's now a bit too complex and less reliable than before...

But I still fully TRUST my live 7 software, even for live gigs, I NEVER encountered ANY crash with live in a live situation, since 4 years of use and mistreatment

cheers

[SubFunk]

but it has NEVER been a complete setup like maschine, with its own hardware

that is probably one of the major points

the complete integration, the UNIT that works so flawlessly together...

one more example of what i essentially mean... look on how many people cry for a mouse free APC 40 operation, the APC 20 is coming... what is it?
it's not that they advanced and further developed the APC 20, no it's just a lame strip down half size version...

WTF?

those are some of the points ableton has to simply learn from.

or things like the faderfoxes even have, a battery OPTION for making it PSU independent, etc.

really, abes wake up!!!

and features promised and people paid for are not fulfilled, like share... the bridge is still far, far away...

all things that ableton does not put into the best light possible, or is it?

[filterstein]

I just don't see why live has become less fun.
Apart from crashes, you can just ignore the new things you don't need.
I compare maschine more to an old setup where you had an 808 and a simple sequencer that ruled your hardware; limited, but very hands on and quick to get results.
Live has never been like that in my opinion.
But now that there is something which works like those setups some people are starting to realize what they miss.
My guess is live will catch up with this and in the mean time they'll rely on max.
(which is not the answer to this)

[SubFunk]

I just don't see why live has become less fun. Apart from crashes

crashes take all the fun in the world and the fact of realising, because of maschine, how little intuitive it is in comparison, maschine is an eye opener!
as much as live is lightyears ahead of other sequencers, when it comes to intuition and ease of use, that much is maschine ahead of live... go figure.

My guess is live will catch up with this and in the mean time they'll rely on max.

my guess, too... they need to catch up. they really need to move fast and heavy.

[filterstein]

I'm not sure live is light years ahead.
A few years back, yes. But now?
What set live apart were the pattern mode (session view) and the warping.
Even pro tools can warp now. Logic has both pattern and warp.
They might not be exactly the same, but the unique selling points are gone.
It's going to be much more difficult to stand out for live.
And it will be much harder to integrate the way maschine does because live is so versatile.
Maschine ties you to a way of working, that won't work for live I think.

[The Carpet Cleaner]

hey, when switch to midi controler, doesn maschine can navigate in Live's browser (the left pane) ?
cheers

[earthloop]

I have been really keen to get N.I. Komplete 6 for a while, and even more so now with the Komplete 6 + Core 2 bundle deal. HOWEVER! Since I have been reading about Maschine I can't decide whether to get them all or one or the other!

I have been unable to work out if there is a lot of duplication between core 2 and machine (apart from Maschine's control surface that is: I currently use a keyboard controller).

My question really is: Is Maschine going to add enough extra functionality and sounds that it is worth the extra money? Or would I be better off just getting Komplete 6 alone ....... or the Komplete/core 2 bundle? I am confused!

Just to clarify what I am doing, I come from a 'real' instrument background -guitar and a little piano- but I am trying to put together a computer based studio setup more for composition/production of music for 'songs' and also film and t.v. work.

I am using live 8 studio (newbie), PT le8, and Logic 8 studio (upgrading to 9 soon)

Sorry about the long post. I wanted to provide a good background for any advice.

Oh, and I am on a Mac, if that makes any difference? (Macbookpro C2D 2.66/ 4G ram and an iMac)

Cheers!

[supamonsta]

My question really is: Is Maschine going to add enough extra functionality and sounds that it is worth the extra money?

I don't think so much for you, since you got komplete.... with battery 3 in it.

so if you buy maschine, don't focus on the sounds it will give you, but on the workflow it can improve.
For me the sounds provided with maschine are totally accessory, I got them, but I could absolutely live without 'em.

=>for this "workflow" concern, read the whole thread's 25 pages

Oh, and I am on a Mac, if that makes any difference?

yep, you seem much more cool

cheers!!

[filterstein]

@earthloop

Not familiar with core, so I can't say anything about that.
Is making beats or step sequencing a big part of what you do?
Then i'd say yes.
It's mainly about groove production, so for filmwork I think it wouldn't suit very much i guess.