Native instruments maschine packs update#
Native instruments maschine packs full#
Native instruments maschine packs software#

Native instruments maschine packs update#

The headline feature for many will be the bundling of NI's legendary Massive synth with the update - a pretty amazing freebie, and surely a sign that Massive 2 is on the way.Īfter that, it's the independent ofﬂine timestretching and pitchshifting that's going to be most enthusiastically received. 'The headline feature for many will be the bundling of NI's legendary Massive synth with the update'

Native instruments maschine packs software#

The Maschine 1.8 software is a free update for existing Maschine users and is exactly the same no matter which generation or size of controller you use with it - and that includes the new colour-coding system, although obviously the mkI hardware doesn't reﬂect it.

With the velocity sensitivity cranked up, even the lightest of touches are effective, yet there's never any crosstalk or double triggering - it plays beautifully.įinally, on the hardware front, the previously confused USB and MIDI ports have been grouped and moved over to the left side of the backplate.

Maschine's pads have always been supremely playable, and Maschine mkII is even more so. But the feel of the buttons has changed: they now have a satisfying click rather than the unresponsive 'squish' of old. Other than that (and the top Transport buttons now being slightly narrower), all the buttons are in the same places on the fascia and serve the same purposes they always have.

This all certainly enhances Maschine's workﬂow, but MIDI Control mode fans might be a little dismayed at the loss of two knobs. And, with Maschine Mk2 in Browse mode, it can be used to scroll through menus and make selections. It's the added functionality of the encoder that pushes things forwards, though: with the Volume, Swing and Tempo buttons all inactive, it acts like a jogwheel, replicating the Transport section's Step buttons. On the original Maschine, this comprised Volume, Tempo and Swing knobs, and the Note Repeat button now there's just the one detented push-button encoder and buttons to switch it between Volume, Tempo and Swing modes, as well as single step buttons (the equivalent of one encoder detent left or right), an Enter button (the equivalent of pressing the encoder), and the aforementioned Note Repeat button. In terms of physical layout, the new hardware is identical to the old, with the exception of the Master section, which has been totally redesigned. Also on a visual tip, the dual backlit screens are now 'inverted' - i.e., white text and waveforms on a black background - making them clearer in low light and just better looking generally. 'Colours can also be assigned to individual patterns and scenes, which makes jumping around within projects intuitive'Ĭolours can also be assigned to individual patterns and scenes, which makes jumping around within projects similarly intuitive. Set your main drum kit group to red, say, your bass instrument group to blue and your pads to green for at-a-glance identiﬁcation of your general instrumentation then colourise the sounds/pads inside each group - kick drums blue, snares red, hi-hats green, etc.

Native instruments maschine packs full#

A cut-down alternative to the full enchilada, Mikro was a triumph of reductive ergonomics but it didn't actually add anything new to the Maschine concept.Įnter Maschine mkII, a seemingly major revision to the pad-tastic box we know and love, arriving at roughly the same time as (and only supported by) version 1.8 of the software.Įvery group and every sound within each group can be set to one of 16 colours in the Maschine software, with assignments mirrored in the hardware. But, apart from some minor tweaks, the hardware remained alone and unchanged until the release of Maschine Mikro last year. Over the last three years, the software has been updated many times, watershed improvements including drag-and-drop of MIDI and audio from Maschine into a host DAW, and VST/AU plug-in hosting.

It's possible to work up complete projects or perform live on the Maschine controller without touching the host computer's mouse or even looking at its screen. One of the package's main selling points is the integration between the controller and the software, which is so tight that pretty much every function of the software can be operated directly from the hardware. 'Enter Maschine mkII, a seemingly major revision to the pad-tastic box we know and love'