Maschine - is it for me (Traktor integration)

KidMerlyn

So yeah - I have an S4 Mk3 and I run Traktor with it, but I want to make some parts of a song and then trigger them as samples or stems or whatnot (I havent figured that part out yet) - mostly drum breaks and UK Hardcore Basslines and such like that. Would Maschine be sufficient for what I want to do? To take the question a step further I don't understand what a DAW is and how it would relate to maschine If I got one Do I need one or would I be well served by going head first into a DAW

Also can I make a mapping for maschine so that I can use it as a controller for traktor along with my s4 mk3? Can I run Maschine syncd to Traktor's midi clock and "play" the Maschine like an instrument, do I need a special cable (MiDi cable?) to hook them together? Would I be able to still have some custom mappings for traktor while I'm running maschine with traktor?

What are the pros and cons of the different major DAWs and do I need (or want) a keyboard for writing songs - I can't play piano so I would just be plinking and trying to find something that sounds good

Also what are all the instrument things that NI sells I thought that Maschine would come with plenty of sounds - If I want to make Hardcore Basslines and some synth patterns along with drum breaks will I want some of the other stuff NI sells.

Anyway thanks for looking at my post and if you answered anything thankyou in advance

D-One

@KidMerlyn said:

Also can I make a mapping for maschine so that I can use it as a controller for traktor along with my s4 mk3?

Yes, with the Maschine Controller in MIDI Mode - This means the HW no longer controls the Maschine SW but became sort of a generic MIDI device. It's easy to switch back and forth between Maschine Mode and MIDI Mode.

To take the question a step further I don't understand what a DAW is and how it would relate to maschine If I got one Do I need one or would I be well served by going head first into a DAW

I'd say that if you don't plan on producing full tracks a learning DAW is too big of a commitment, unlike DJing software it's not something you learn in a couple of weeks. Learning Maschine is way easier but still complex, perhaps a bit easier if you want to quickly make some drums and synth lines to add on top of your DJ Set.

Can I run Maschine syncd to Traktor's midi clock and "play" the Maschine like an instrument, do I need a special cable (MiDi cable?) to hook them together? Would I be able to still have some custom mappings for traktor while I'm running maschine with traktor?

You can use MIDI Clock or Link, the latter is easier to setup and tends to be more stable, no especial cable required. Yes, you can use multiple MIDI controllers.

What are the pros and cons of the different major DAWs and do I need (or want) a keyboard for writing songs - I can't play piano so I would just be plinking and trying to find something that sounds good

Hard to answer as this is very subjective, for your needs I'd say go for a DAW that has Live Performance features, such as Ableton Live, Logic, etc instead of just focusing on linear multi-tracking.

Also what are all the instrument things that NI sells I thought that Maschine would come with plenty of sounds - If I want to make Hardcore Basslines and some synth patterns along with drum breaks will I want some of the other stuff NI sells.

MAS comes with plenty of synths that you can use to make any genre, once you learn them, that will take a while if you have no production experience tho. I wouldn't go about buying a bunch of stuff at once, start small and get more stuff as you progress.

olafmol

If you want to play some additional samples and loops, Traktors features might be enough (remix decks, sample player)

If you want to add additional musical lines and sounds you want to play melodically, Maschine could do it but this might also be overkill. You need an additional laptop, or Maschine +, to keep things stable.

You could also add a tablet to the mix with a basic sample app, and add a pad or keyboard controller to play notes.

A DAW is for music production in the studio, multitracks, audio and midi.

D-One

@KidMerlyn said:

Also can I make a mapping for maschine so that I can use it as a controller for traktor along with my s4 mk3?

Yes, with the Maschine Controller in MIDI Mode - This means the HW no longer controls the Maschine SW but became sort of a generic MIDI device. It's easy to switch back and forth between Maschine Mode and MIDI Mode.

To take the question a step further I don't understand what a DAW is and how it would relate to maschine If I got one Do I need one or would I be well served by going head first into a DAW

I'd say that if you don't plan on producing full tracks a learning DAW is too big of a commitment, unlike DJing software it's not something you learn in a couple of weeks. Learning Maschine is way easier but still complex, perhaps a bit easier if you want to quickly make some drums and synth lines to add on top of your DJ Set.

Can I run Maschine syncd to Traktor's midi clock and "play" the Maschine like an instrument, do I need a special cable (MiDi cable?) to hook them together? Would I be able to still have some custom mappings for traktor while I'm running maschine with traktor?

You can use MIDI Clock or Link, the latter is easier to setup and tends to be more stable, no especial cable required. Yes, you can use multiple MIDI controllers.

What are the pros and cons of the different major DAWs and do I need (or want) a keyboard for writing songs - I can't play piano so I would just be plinking and trying to find something that sounds good

Hard to answer as this is very subjective, for your needs I'd say go for a DAW that has Live Performance features, such as Ableton Live, Logic, etc instead of just focusing on linear multi-tracking.

Also what are all the instrument things that NI sells I thought that Maschine would come with plenty of sounds - If I want to make Hardcore Basslines and some synth patterns along with drum breaks will I want some of the other stuff NI sells.

MAS comes with plenty of synths that you can use to make any genre, once you learn them, that will take a while if you have no production experience tho. I wouldn't go about buying a bunch of stuff at once, start small and get more stuff as you progress.