NI has split the screen in half, one half featuring the instrument logo or name, and the other half scrolls through all the different patches. Firstly, you scroll through your instruments and sounds using the right-hand screen. There are a few caveats which will have you looking up from the unit from time to time. But best of all, it includes the name of each sound associated with the pad, making it a great instant visual reference for live performance. MASCHINE 2 NATIVE INSTRUMENTS FULLWhile the Maschine MkII has a simple mixer with levels associated to pads, the Maschine Studio mixer features full colour-coded metering of eight channels at a time. But keeping track of unlimited options is difficult. With the Maschine 2 software, you can have an unlimited number of groups, and you can also stack different sounds into the same bank. Though even with the built-in stand angling the screens toward you, you’ll need to resist the urge to constantly hunch over the unit.Īnother great bit of visual feedback is the mixer. You simply transition from pads to buttons and knobs, without ever taking your hands off the device. But you had to look at your computer screen and switch to a mouse and keyboard to edit the take you just laid down. It’s all things you could do prior to Maschine Studio. Once you’ve selected the note with the page left and right buttons, you can adjust Position, Length, Pitch and Velocity with the knobs. Hit ‘Events’, then select the instrument you want to edit by hitting the pad for that instrument, and you’re in. Now when you nudge and adjust notes using Maschine, you can see what you’re doing on the unit. You can go really deep into editing on the device. You can also zoom horizontally and vertically on both screens with the twist of a knob, which alone is an improvement over mouse and key combinations. So on one side you might have your scene pattern, and the piano roll or pad layout on the right. While the right-hand screen takes you deeper and deeper into your workflow, the left-hand screen tags along one step behind, always making sure you’ve got a look at the bigger picture. This is most noticeable when working with the arrange panes. NI has set up the dual screens to constantly work in tandem. In use, it’s a lot more friendly then it might appear. If you run into anyone giving you a Maschine Studio demo, at some point in the spiel, they’ll close the lid on their laptop and keep playing along like it’s a no-look pass. While not quite Retina-level resolution, it’s like staring at a pair of smartphone screens.Īnd this is where Native Instruments is hanging its hat these two little screens are supposed to supplant your computer’s. Those connections would be killer additions in a live setting - say, playing guitar and starting and stopping backing tracks with my foot - which is not what the Studio was designed for.īack to the surface, and the first thing you notice - also the fundamental difference between the older units and Studio - are the upgraded screens. Which makes me wish my MkII had more than just the 1-in/1-out MIDI interface. On the back you also get three MIDI outputs and one MIDI input as well as two footswitch connections. When you put it in a sentence like that, it doesn’t sound revolutionary, but controllers are all about workflow, and the Studio amps-up tactile interaction with Maschine more than you can tell by looking at pictures of knobs. What do you get with that additional real estate? 19 extra buttons, a jog wheel, level meter and master control section, and two high-resolution full-colour displays. You could definitely schlep it around, but not being able to shove it in a laptop bag makes it feel like it’s meant to stay put. MASCHINE 2 NATIVE INSTRUMENTS PORTABLEIt’s not as portable as my Maschine MkII, coming in at an extra 60% in total size, and an extra 50% heavier. It’s funny though, because while I’ve been focusing on the live side of Maschine, I’ve also had the pleasure of playing around with the new Maschine Studio controller - which, as the name says, is leaning in the opposite direction. MASCHINE 2 NATIVE INSTRUMENTS HOW TOBut recently I’ve been trying to work out how to integrate it into my band’s live show: a combination of Maschine, Ableton Live and a full band. I’ve had a Maschine MkII for a few years now, mostly using it to produce tracks and complement my Logic workflow. I was hooked it was a ‘next step’ moment for me. The buffering, the sounds, the ability to adjust entire sections without ever slowing down or having to stare at a screen seemed liberating for someone who’d always played traditional instruments. I was at a music conference watching an artist build songs completely on-the-fly, pure improvisation but with any sound at his fingertips. The whole reason I got into Native Instruments’ Maschine was because of performance.
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