New Maschine from Native Instruments!
 

http://www.native-instruments.com/en...schine-studio/



just keeps getting better and better... :cool:

Looks like they're really moving toward Maschine being a replacement for DAW and computer with the new displays. I wonder if they will put DSP/CPU in future models and make it pure standalone hardware? Not sure I'd have a use for that, but will be interesting to see where the product line goes.

I don't think they will go down that route at all. I think their strategy is very similar to what's been done with Ableton's Push. The idea is that a computer is running things in the background, but this new devices offer the chance of having a workflow that is similar to working with hardware, they feel like real instruments instead of just computer work.

I see them as one of the companies that really put faith on the software side of things, but are now trying to feel the gap between physical interface and the software with this new insightful devices. In other words, the emphasys is now on the interaction between the packages of software and the user at the physical level and accessibility in terms of design.

It's funny how they are all related: Ableton with Native Instruments for example, they've worked together on a number of projects and share a very similar approach. And Akai - that's helped with many controllers for Ableton and also Push, and perhaps Novation whose phylosophy with generic controllers and Live suited ones...

But would not be surprised to see a full featured DAW arrive some day by Native Instruments at all... more komplete then that is impossible

Yeah looks cool, kinda like the big old Akai MPC's like the 4000/5 series which I guess is the inspiration for the whole maschine concept. What to me is really disappointing is still no soundcard in it. At a $1000 it really should have audio outs/ins so it could really function without having to buy a seperate interface for real sampling/playback. My S4 controller has these ins/outs so why not this? I would love to be able to hook up a turntable/CD player/mic etc. & do some real sampling with it. For me thats the deal breaker, so I'll stick with my first generation one for now. I'll probably spring the $99 for the software update though as it has lots of cool features that have been lacking in the latest OS even if it's just to be able to import midi...how did that feature get left out soooo long?

Yeah, the 1000$ price range is very high, considering that a i7 PC costs less!
I have Ableton Push that is great, and 500$ are a better value, even if it's a little high priced.

I understand the uniqueness of these controllers, but without the computer they are unusable...

Push and Maschine are somewhat similar concepts! They can't live without a computer behind the scenes, but they feel like an instrument non the less, making use of the extensive software libraries from Ableton and Komplete respectively. These people are very closely related, they are friends, they've shared some projects and the other player that keeps getting mentioned here, Akai, is also on the friends list! Push has been developed with the help of the know how from Akai, whose recently placed some MPC stuff on the market that runs on software as well. With fast and cheap processors out there, doesn't make much sense to use DSP, let alone from the likes of Native Instruments whose focus has always been on the software side.

I think the level of integration with both Push and Maschine is spot on! When you're using software and it feels like you're just playing an instrument, something snaps and the process becomes more intuitive! thing they're up to something very cool if you ask me!

This is why I think part of their strategy may be to get folks hooked on using the Maschine software as their primary sequencer/DAW, then the next step is put the CPU on Maschine itself (as well as the audio interface etc as Berni said). Hopefully if they do that, they will continue offering the lower-end less integrated Maschines, because not all of us want more size or tons of features piled onto the existing units. I'd be happy knowing I can buy same again if mine ever dies.

So the fully integrated approach is not necessarily what everyone wants, but there are a lot of Maschine users who would really like it to be a true standalone workstation, and as the price increases and features get added, it begins to approach that. For Native-Instruments, becoming one of the major DAWs overnight, completely independent of PC or Mac, would be a hugely powerful situation to find themselves in.

Personally I love my $400 original Maschine (bought right before introduction of MKII for 1/3 off the price). I wouldn't use the displays or standalone behaviors if it had them, I need big screens for my sequencing work.

I guess they could be heading in that direction. I think many people, specially those who have grown using the MPC as their main machine would welcome a standalone Maschine with sampling abilities included.

I think that, in present times such a feature (AD converters and pre-amps) would be kind of redundant, since most of those wanting to buy this probably have an audio interface already in their studio.

And I think Native Instruments is one of the companies who have struggled a lot to prove that software instruments can have great quality, both in terms of sound and features, that it would be surprising to see them hit the market with a standalone hardware machine. I think it's much more likely for them to present a DAW somewhere in the future, so they'd really be on top of their game, providing everything one needs to produce music. But then again, with them having such good relationship with Ableton - no coincidence Maschine works so well under that environment - it would also be a bit redundant, so I expect them to keep developing their Maschine software instead - bringing more features and better performance to the table, AND quite possibly extend this to better performance features as well for live usage.

Not really when you factor in the price of the Live software. The Maschine already comes with the software included in the price & of course everything like this nowadays needs a computer to run including all the latest Akai MPC range.

But Live and Push are separeted, one can buy a Launchpad instead, just for price-scaring of Push alone. It depends on what you play and your workflow.

I would not see a new controller every year (like NI do), because that 'Apple-like-approach' is too aggressive for me.
A new maschine every year is like a new iPhone every year; I really cross fingers for not to see a new Push in the next 4 years!