Maschine + Keyboard

Lee Stone
Lee Stone Member Posts: 7 Member
edited July 2022 in Maschine

Since the release of the Akai MPC Key 61, I wonder if NI will merge a Maschine + unit with a Komplete Kontrol MK2 in the future?

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Comments

  • hubiedubie
    hubiedubie Member Posts: 12 Member

    I think a Komplete Kontrol-type standalone keyboard would make sense but if they just plonked a CPU and some RAM in the existing KK Mk2 format that would be a disappointment.

    I’d like to see a genuine evolution on the design with an expanded feature set e.g:

    • 8 faders for envelope and mixer control.
    • Open platform / instrument store with the ability to host 3rd party plugins …would happily pay for these.
    • Wider support for Komplete instruments and FX in standalone e.g the Play series, Pharlight, Arkis, Massive X, Noire, Replika XT,
    • A new granular synth like Tasty Chips GR-1
    • Proper use of dynamic screens to display plugin graphics, oscilloscope, spectrum analyser, compressor gain reduction etc.

    The ‘new’ instruments bundled with the Akai MPC key 61 are just OK. Passable for getting an idea down perhaps. NI have a much stronger back-catalogue that they can draw upon for an instrument like this and would be wise to leverage that.

  • Lee Stone
    Lee Stone Member Posts: 7 Member

    Interesting ideas Hubie, would you also like 4 or 8 drum pads on the Komplete Kontrol/Maschine standalone?

  • hubiedubie
    hubiedubie Member Posts: 12 Member

    Personally, I wouldn't be too pushed either way re. pads on the device.

    I'd be more interested in something that nailed the integration with their instruments e.g. Play series etc really well. The Maschine piece would be an added bonus for me but I do see the appeal of having an all-in-one product.

  • D-One
    D-One Moderator Posts: 2,811 mod
    edited July 2022

    @hubiedubie said:

    - Open platform / instrument store with the ability to host 3rd party plugins …would happily pay for these.

    - Wider support for Komplete instruments and FX in standalone e.g the Play series, Pharlight, Arkis, Massive X, Noire, Replika XT,

    - Proper use of dynamic screens to display plugin graphics, oscilloscope, spectrum analyser, compressor gain reduction etc.

    Very hard to imagine all that happening for a potential standalone Keyboard if it didn't for the M+ in two years and probably never will.

  • Olihop
    Olihop Member Posts: 152 Advisor

    I don't see how to integrate 8 faders in the current maschine architecture. But interesting idea.

    For this type of keyboard I would see an S series keyboard with the addition of a 16 pad matrix (for drums and slicing), an XY pad (to manipulate different effects) and a volume rotary. A touch screen would be interesting but the price would go up.

    Of course to be able to run kontakt instruments or at least the play series instruments. And a dynamic graphical display of the effects like on ableton push yes.

    For the price, less than 2000 euros

  • RedwardMc
    RedwardMc Member Posts: 84 Advisor

    Not really necessary, just plug your KK into Maschine plus

  • Lee Stone
    Lee Stone Member Posts: 7 Member

    Great comments and opinions! Seems like there may be a an interest surrounding a portable sampling keyboard version of the Maschine + that has extended hardware and software implementation. I think you all may be on to something!

  • D-One
    D-One Moderator Posts: 2,811 mod
    edited July 2022

    Portable? I'm confused... How can a gigantic master keyboard be portable tho? Low mount of keys? Tiny keys like the M32?

    I don't think interest is a problem, people are always interested in lots of stuff but implementing all the ideas is where it all falls down. If it happens and has 1 or 2 of the suggested things but not enough I don't see people giving away 2000$

  • hubiedubie
    hubiedubie Member Posts: 12 Member

    The faders would be for synth control (envelopes probably best fit) and mixer level control .

    Arturia have done it quite nicely with Keylab series. The knobs and faders typically control the same parameters regardless of the instrument / preset you have loaded.

    Obviously some of these are going to be controlling different parameters depending on the plug-in loaded. But more hands-on control than the 8 knobs currently available is much needed ( and the KK keyboards have plenty of real estate to play with here).

    Creating sounds from scratch with KK is possible but painful due to the lack of physical controls and requirement to navigate across multiple pages to find the parameter you want.

    There’s zero scope for muscle memory and I don’t get the illusion that I’m working with a hardware instrument.

    Rolands approach with the System-8 is much better…controls are hardwired to parameters so muscle-memory can kick in and everything is fairly logical (admittedly remembering which filter type is 1 vs 2 etc can be challenging but a small oled screen could fix this)

    I think between a combination of colour screens, expanded hardware controls and oled displays for parameters a much better interface for NI instruments could be created.

  • Lee Stone
    Lee Stone Member Posts: 7 Member

    Sounds like you guys would want more than a standalone unit similar to Akai's 61 Key MPC-like unit? Is my understand correct?

  • hubiedubie
    hubiedubie Member Posts: 12 Member

    For me personally no, the Akai Key 61 too much of a jack-of-trades, master of none. It lacks the control and IO of the MPC-X and the portability of the Live/One.

    I’d like to see something that feels more like a cohesive instrument than the existing KK keyboards. More controls, and dedicated ones at that. Happy for them to leave Maschine out of it and just focus on creating a deeply integrated multi-timbral synth instrument that allows a true hardware experience for their offerings such as the Play series, MassiveX etc.

  • hubiedubie
    hubiedubie Member Posts: 12 Member

    Agreed, it’s highly unlikely. The pace of development of the Maschine / M+ platform has been painfully slow since it launched. However it’s a fairly stable product now so there may be scope for more exciting updates. When you look at the last 2 updates Akai have dropped, Machine’s have been fairly lacklustre in comparison.

    I wonder if the current hardware is even capable of running the more recent Kontakt instruments (Play series, Pharlight, Ashlight etc). However the Scarbee EPs and basses shouldn’t be too problematic resource-wise so would be nice to have at least those on board at least.

    The only hope is that the experience of releasing and supporting M+ over the last 2 years heed them well and helps them make the right decisions for any new products going forward.

    NI still have a huge advantage over Akai with their content / back-catalogue IMHO. If they can innovate and provide cohesive standalone instrument to showcase that back-catalogue, the could be onto a winner.

  • drewhjava
    drewhjava Member Posts: 31 Helper

    NI still have a huge advantage over Akai with their content / back-catalogue IMHO. If they can innovate and provide cohesive standalone instrument to showcase that back-catalogue, the could be onto a winner.

    The catalog doesn't mean anything if it just sits there. It just feels like Maschine+ is going nowhere, to be honest.

  • ozon
    ozon Member Posts: 1,302 Expert

    It just feels like Maschine+ is going nowhere, to be honest.

    Mine is going places, all the time.

  • Flexi
    Flexi Member Posts: 366 Pro

    I doubt Maschine+ is even on Soundwides radar at this point, best we can hope for is updates so that it keeps working as a controller in newer OS.

    If there was any chance that extra effects or instruments would be added from the back catalogue, it would have been done already.

    A MK2 or keyboard is extremely unlikely, when Soundwide send you emails, it is worded something like this "Hey look, Izotope, Hey look, Plugin Alliance......oh hrmph, that NI stuff too"

    There is a whole series of plugins that use the same back end as Raum and Phasis for example, if they are not able/allowed to even port those (Bite/Choral/Dirt/Flair/Freak) then forget about it, it is what it is and use it as it is.

    At the end of the day, if they fix the stability, then we bought what was advertised and nobody can complain, but it needs to be rock solid before they discontinue it.

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