Ableton Forum

In some ways it feels like ages since I last gave NI’s Maschine MKI a try, but it’s been something I’ve been watching mature ever since. I loved the sounds, and the hardware integration felt pretty complete, if a bit long-winded in some cases. At the time though (pre-Maschine v1.5?), there were still too many things you needed to revert to the computer to do. And if I’m honest the basic mono-chromatic displays were a tad on the generic side. It didn’t exactly ooze character and I found it would take me awhile to locate where I was in various menus sometimes.

All-in-all I was impressed, but it wasn’t quite the hardware groovebox replacement I had hoped it would be. After a brief affair, I sold it and set about mastering the Octatrack instead. Well, now the Octatrack has come and gone, and I’m once again interested in Maschine, specifically the new Studio version with it’s fancy displays. With the recent NI price drop during May, along with Guitar Center holiday deals on top, it was a no brainer that now was the time to give it another go.

I won’t go into every function of Maschine in great detail, there’s a ton of reviews out there with that info already. What I want to look at is does it function as a true groovebox now, and how does it compare to something like Push? (a question I see all the time lately)

The hardware itself is the same solid controller body NI has been using for awhile now on things like Maschine MKI and the Traktor controllers. Largely plastic, but with some heft to it that makes it feel a bit more sturdy. Only the lower portion of the faceplate has an aluminum skin, the upper portion is the same fingerprint-attracting gloss plastic that the S4 uses. Grr. Hopefully NI makes some skins for the Studio series, I rather liked the old gun-metal blue one for the first generation.

The pads and buttons all feel nice and responsive, and the knobs are solid and feel like they’ll stand up to a lot of tweaking. The new jog wheel is a little less solid-feeling, but it works well for scrolling in any list, and for moving and editing your recorded notes after the fact. The outer ring lights up to let you know when you’re in a menu or edit function that the jog wheel will be active for, and luckily it’s not too bright even in a dark studio. Ditto the pads and buttons, they looked really bright in some videos I saw online, but in use they’re nicely dim enough to not be annoying. The displays can be independently brightened as well.

One awesome new feature is the fold out legs under the Studio, I was curious about how sturdy it would turn out to be. In use they’re great, very solid feeling and it puts the Studio right at a perfect angle IMO. I use Blue Lounge’s Cool Feet to tilt all my tabletop gear, so having this built in and working so well is a huge plus for me.

On to the main key feature of the Studio though, those new displays. When I first powered it on, I was a bit shocked that my first reaction was “wow, they’re not retina clarity”. Not that I expected them to be, nor should they be necessarily, just that it’s been awhile since I’ve seen LCDs that weren’t, doh! All kidding aside, they new display looks great and NI has done a fantastic job using them to help you navigate and edit your projects as efficiently as possible.

Notice I said “edit”. One of things that sticks out to me the most about the new Studio controller, is that it makes using Maschine feel like you’re working at a dedicated editing station. NI have done such a good job of giving you easy and direct access to all the controls you need to edit your performances after the fact, that it feels like that’s the focus more to me than typical grooveboxes.

Continue Reading: -> http://tarekith.com/maschine-studio-review/

Excellent review, and comparison of Push with Maschine Studio. I find they complement each other almost as if the two companies are in cahoots.... I was a Live user, who purchased Maschine Mk2 next, then Push, then Studio, and haven't regretted any of my purchases in the least...

Tarekith wrote:
Continue Reading: -> http://tarekith.com/maschine-studio-review/

Thanks! They really are very different bits for different purposes, not as much overlap as people would think.

That was a helpful review, thanks.

I am curious if you have tried integrating the Maschine with your Push/Ableton set up yet. It seems there is so much potential with the two combined but I can't say i have really found a workflow that really does it for me quite yet.

I haven't no, and if I'm honest I really don't see myself having a need to. My intention with Maschine is to use it standalone to create solid ideas for songs, either to perform live or turn into studio songs. If I need to expand on a track for arranging and mixing, I'd probably reach for other options first at the moment.

You'll be delighted and blown away when you run Maschine inside Live as a VST....
Especially with Push's ability to trigger scales, keys, etc..,.

Sounds complicated, I like simple.

Not only that, I just sprang for Guitar Midi - by Jam Origen (see separate post), which allows me to play my nylon string Flamenco into any midi synth; it even converts strummed chords. And works amazingly well.

I used Live, with the Guitar Midi VST, and Maschine 2 as a vst WITHIN Guitar Midi as a host (within Live). Worked flawlessly as much as I've tested it - tracks instantly. I might have to use some sort of gate to cut off the MIDI on some of the pads, but it is all eminently doable.

So much for my You Rock guitar, the Roland converters, etc. This requires no hardware; just plug your instrument (or mic, or anything with a pickup into an A/D converter and begin experimenting. Absolutely awesome...

Yeah, I've been using Guitar MIDI for awhile myself, it's such a great app. Good for iOS stuff too. Still not sure I want to go that route with my guitar set up, but I can totally see the attraction

Fair comparison and good review of the Studio. I have to say if the Studio would have been the MK3 at the old MK2 price (I know economically probably not feasible), I would have gotten weak myself and may have plunged back into Maschine world.
But I'm glad it didn't because having everything in one program (and that was always to be Live for me) just frees your mind of that stress of having to route it all between programs or getting a half finished idea back into Live. (and being proficient with two controller/software combinations)

I'm happy to see where NI is taking this though and I hope that the Abes will have something so solid by their MK3 version of Push.

My Maschine MK1 (1.8 version) introduced me to a sort of workflow though, that has done wonders for my creativity, not just back then when I used it, but even now, because trying to recreate some of this workflow (especially for drums) in Live with Push, makes for a very strong Push workflow.
If you make a DrumRack track in Live try to behave like a group in Maschine (which unfortunately takes quite some setting up to do - the Abes should have really spend some time on making a few DrumRack presets that tie in smoothly with Push and give you DrumRack send control that only PXT Live does ATM), will give you a Maschine group on steroids. Especially if you use racked Samplers with 128s on each pad.
For me it was never really about the finger drumming, but the step sequencer. So it's great that Maschine always had a good step sequencer, but 16 pads in a 4x4 grid just can't possibly compare to 64 pads in an 8x8 grid. And anyone who cares about step sequencing should get the Push and supplement it with PXT Live. (This doesn't mean though, that you shouldn't get Studio too, if funds permit)

The hardware itself is the same solid controller body NI has been using for awhile now on things like Maschine MKI and the Traktor controllers. Largely plastic, but with some heft to it that makes it feel a bit more sturdy.

I always liked the feel of the Maschine hardware and sometimes wish that Push would have went with using more plastic as well, because as nice as Push feels, that thing is HEAVY! (Not just for carrying around, but even resting it on your lap gets uncomfortable after a while.)

One awesome new feature is the fold out legs under the Studio, I was curious about how sturdy it would turn out to be. In use they’re great, very solid feeling and it puts the Studio right at a perfect angle IMO.

And the Abes didn't even manage to make a separate stand....

NI have done such a good job of giving you easy and direct access to all the controls you need to edit your performances after the fact, that it feels like that’s the focus more to me than typical grooveboxes.

This is a very good development, because it really didn't used to be that way. How is it when it comes to longer pieces or even when you get to the Arrangement part? That has always been one of the weakest link in the Maschine experience so far.
But the Abes in regard to Pushs Arrangement integration have dropped the ball as well. And since API access to Arrangement view is so limited this is not even something that third party developers can remedy much.

Most grooveboxes have boring effects in the first place.

Are you saying Maschine doesn't anymore?!
I mean a few were nice like the Graindelay and the TransientShaper, but the Reverbs, Compressor or EQ were really weak.
How is the EQ integration with Studio btw, do you see spectra on the display and do you see visual representation of your frequency bands while editing them? Having something like EQ8s display on a controller screen would certainly be wicked.

And then assign whatever controls you want to macros at the same Sound, Group (kit), Master levels.

GOOD! It always drove me mad in 1.8 that there were no macros for each sound but only for groups and master.

Other than naming a new project and changing the colors of the groups (another very useful feature I use constantly)

Another place where the Abes dropped the ball. You don't even have differently colored drum pads on Push!

And of course, you do still need a computer and soundcard to use it. It does such a good job at working like a groovebox, a couple times I have literally been carrying it to another room to work in new surroundings before I remembers it wasn’t a standalone product. Sigh. A small case, a Mac mini, and a way to temporarily use an iPad as a display could almost make it standalone I guess.

I have often dreamed up a set up like this, someone should make a kit out of the mentioned components and sell that for both controllers Maschine as well as for Push.
I really can't imagine going to the limited power that a real groovebox gives you, but to make a groovebox on Steroids and Meth out of a real computer running the respective software and all your plug-ins and samples, a small multitouch display like the iPad and the controller, sounds like a wet dream
(For the Push/Live one I could imagine the iPad running TouchAble to control Live)



tl;dr
I'm fixed in Live/Push land now, especially because of the step-sequencer and the openness of the Push/Live architecture which makes something like molding it to different workflows and different scripts like PXT possible, but I am glad to see Maschine become so powerful and really hope that competition will push (hehe) some of this over to the development of Push MK2.

Tarekith wrote:Yeah, I've been using Guitar MIDI for awhile myself, it's such a great app. Good for iOS stuff too. Still not sure I want to go that route with my guitar set up, but I can totally see the attraction

Pure joy and happiness await your enlightenment....

It looks like Mqschine got a bunch of Traktors effects, so that's good. One other thing I forgot to mention, lives EQ is much nicer sounding than the NI one.

Tarekith wrote:It looks like Mqschine got a bunch of Traktors effects, so that's good. One other thing I forgot to mention, lives EQ is much nicer sounding than the NI one.

I always used third party at the time, because it was so weak. EQ8 is pretty nice, I also like the good display that hugs the GUI so that it's never in the way!