New Maschine from Native Instruments!

[MBTC]

I haven't had much need to look at the MS Surface tablets, because I've got my iPad for everything I'd use a tablet for, and "real computers" for everything else. However, over the last couple of months, two of my friends picked up Surface Pro's and both are gushing about them, and how useful it is to have a "real computer" in a tablet form. Both of these guys are primarily Apple fans (one is a confirmed MS hater). Remember the Surface Pro is not the same as Surface RT, it's more like the equivalent of having an iPad that can run either iOS or OS X on the same tablet, albeit at the speed of a Mac Book Pro! Meaning use a real mouse/keyboard/monitor with it if you want, otherwise use it like a tablet.

Then I saw this vid, and realized what a nice solution this might be for someone that was highly dependent on Maschine workflow and/or wants to use it like a standalone piece of gear. Not where I personally am headed with Maschine, but a nice setup for some:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=cMdvdBr9OOo

[Berni]

just downloaded the new Maschine 2.0 software...lots of new stuff to explore this weekend

[MBTC]

Originally Posted by Berni

just downloaded the new Maschine 2.0 software...lots of new stuff to explore this weekend

How's the drum synth? Anything else stand out as a must-have?

I was actually going to download this last night, then I realized the e-voucher I had reserved for this purpose was only valid with an expansion pack. So I'm still going to do it but it dropped on my priority list a bit

[Berni]

Originally Posted by MBTC

How's the drum synth? Anything else stand out as a must-have?

I was actually going to download this last night, then I realized the e-voucher I had reserved for this purpose was only valid with an expansion pack. So I'm still going to do it but it dropped on my priority list a bit

Drum synth is pretty cool & is utilized in the latest D&B Maschine expansion pack. The sidechaining is also a nice feature & the ability to import midi. The newly revamped interface with the mixer, plug in strip etc is also a big improvement on the old one so all in all $99 well spent. You really can't go wrong for the price if you already own an older Maschine.

[MBTC]

Originally Posted by Berni

Drum synth is pretty cool & is utilized in the latest D&B Maschine expansion pack. The sidechaining is also a nice feature & the ability to import midi. The newly revamped interface with the mixer, plug in strip etc is also a big improvement on the old one so all in all $99 well spent. You really can't go wrong for the price if you already own an older Maschine.

I upgraded to 2.0 a few days after posting that and forgot to come back to update. I'm liking the new software and as you said the drum synth is quite useful. I've always got this aversion to using anything out of the box like drum loops for example (it's just sort of like an originality obsession I guess), but one of the nice things about the drum synth is that to get a track off the ground quickly, you can reach for a kit that's close to what you want, then modify the patterns a little, then (here's the cool part) replace some or all of the samples with drum synth counterparts and tweak to your liking. The end result will definitely be unique and not sound anything like the out of the box kits.

All in all I agree, a worthwhile upgrade.

[Berni]

Yeah it has totally replaced battery which I used to use for my drums/percs. It is so flexible, use it stand alone or as a plug in & the new features make it even better. I'll probably upgrade to the studio when the next gen comes out in a year or two, but for now this upgrade rocks.

[MBTC]

Originally Posted by Berni

Yeah it has totally replaced battery which I used to use for my drums/percs. It is so flexible, use it stand alone or as a plug in & the new features make it even better. I'll probably upgrade to the studio when the next gen comes out in a year or two, but for now this upgrade rocks.

As much as I praise their software, I have give them a neg for something too: the one area I wish NI would improve is their update process. This is not really a Maschine issue per se, as updates are fewer and far between, but once you have Maschine + Komplete Ultimate, the idea of going into service center to see what needs to be updated becomes something you dread. It wouldn't be so bad if they didn't require you to download and apply each update as a separate installer, but go a few months without updating anything, and you return to "update hell", something like half a day job of attending installation routines for a gazillion different plug ins and packs, each of which need to be extracted separately and installed. It's probably not too bad if you're making music every day and staying on top of it, but I don't do that.

They need to have just a unified update service that allows you to grab what you need and install them unattended in one fell swoop, otherwise the problem just gets worse every time they add a new instrument to their line up.