Maschine or Akai MPC

[MBTC]

Originally Posted by Berni

Damn now I really want one...MPD24 for sale, anyone?

I had a MPD16 once upon a time... It was okay for the price, but without something like the software that comes with Maschine and all the drum kits, it was always more work to get it into a useful state than I wanted to mess with. The pads were okay but a little mushy for my taste.

Take your hand and lay it flat on a table -- now tap all your fingers in a fluttering motion, as if you were doing super-fast arp hits. That's how fast these pads will respond to your drum roll attempts Plus velocity pick up is great and the knobs feel nicer to work with than my Novation Remote SL.

I saw a review on youtube where some guy prefered the Akai style where you can kind of hold a pad partially down and nudge it a little for the next note, and his complaint was only that the Maschine was going to change the playing style he was used to.... but most folks like it including me.

I'm mostly experimenting with it right now. You know all those drum loops you encounter, yet refuse to put them into your music because it feels too auto-pilot and karoke-like, robbing you of ownership of the track, even though they sound perfect? You won't need them with this... its very quick and intuitive to put together wicked good loops them bounce them down to a .wav file at whatever tempo, and what's better is they are yours - you played them yourself A lot of stuff comes together for me with this that just isnt possible using a keyboard with weighted keys (or even one without).

[MBTC]

Originally Posted by oscillator

Cool, let us know your future experience of songwring inside a DAW, and how Maschine tracks interacts with it. Have fun!

I'll write more when I've spent more time with it inside the DAW. The integration so far is fantastic, the Maschine plugin inside the DAW works without a hitch, as does running the standalone Maschine software and accessing plugins (you can use the Maschine as a DAW in other words).

Then you can hit SHIFT-CONTROL on Maschine to toggle between MIDI mode (where it is like any MIDI controller controlling sounds in the DAW), or Maschine software mode where it is your DAW. It's really quite seemless.

I think only the recent FL beta lets you drag and drop your Maschine patterns directly into the DAW, and I want to stay with official release for now. But, supposedly you can drag your work on the Maschine in as an audio clip or MIDI data! I can't emphasize what that does for you in terms of workflow. This is really the future of hardware/software integration. Some folks say they are happy to just compose using Maschine alone! Me I am much more into complex melodies and need a keyboard for that, but my beats and bassline type of work is getting put down with this thing going forward.

[Berni]

Yeah I've been on the fence about the maschine for a while now but heard nothing but good things about it. The Akai pads I have are a pain to work with so I don't use them much but miss putting down beats with them. I also used to be a drummer.
I have been using Traktor for my DJ gigs for about a year & a half now & it is rock solid & reliable. I think the maschine would not only be a useful studio tool but I could also integrate it into my DJ sets...ok I'm sold, ordering one next week. Now if only access could produce something as intuitive & reliable ; )

[MBTC]

Originally Posted by Berni

Yeah I've been on the fence about the maschine for a while now but heard nothing but good things about it. The Akai pads I have are a pain to work with so I don't use them much but miss putting down beats with them. I also used to be a drummer.
I have been using Traktor for my DJ gigs for about a year & a half now & it is rock solid & reliable. I think the maschine would not only be a useful studio tool but I could also integrate it into my DJ sets...ok I'm sold, ordering one next week. Now if only access could produce something as intuitive & reliable ; )

If you get the full model, try to order from a vendor that includes a free Decksaver cover for it if you can. I ordered from ZZounds and the cover was a free pack-in... they cost about $70 US otherwise, and you will definately want one of these or similar to protect the front, either from dust just sitting in the studio or being banged around when in a bag. Also you'll get a $30 voucher from NI to use toward one of the sample packs, so might as well listen to the demos for them ahead of time and decide which one you want Each of them comes with tons of kits, more than the demos would have you believe.

[Berni]

Thanks for the heads up on the Zzsounds deal, the cover will come in handy. Just a waiting game now ; )

[feedingear]

Let us know how you go Berni. A uni friend of mine produces a lot of tech stuff and he loves Maschine - http://www.beatport.com/#/artist/ketracel/150911

[Berni]

Originally Posted by feedingear

Let us know how you go Berni. A uni friend of mine produces a lot of tech stuff and he loves Maschine - http://www.beatport.com/#/artist/ketracel/150911

Hey Matt,
Will do but I'm to cheap to pay for fast shipping so it's coming ground...should get it by next week...4th of July is gonna slow things down here in the states.

[MBTC]

Originally Posted by Berni

Hey Matt,
Will do but I'm to cheap to pay for fast shipping so it's coming ground...should get it by next week...4th of July is gonna slow things down here in the states.

If you want a teaser to keep you busy while you're waiting and have an iOS device, download the iMaschine app. Not quite like the real deal but might get you through the holiday week

http://www.native-instruments.com/#/...cer/imaschine/

[Berni]

Originally Posted by MBTC

If you want a teaser to keep you busy while you're waiting and have an iOS device, download the iMaschine app. Not quite like the real deal but might get you through the holiday week

http://www.native-instruments.com/#/...cer/imaschine/

yeah been playing with this for a while on my iPhone ; )

[FSTZ]

yeah.. this thread makes me want to go buy Maschine

I am a fan of the iPad app but I would love the hardware and the decksaver to boot.. I have them for most of my gear, except my TI polar