Looking for a list of Maschine plus add ons (effects, etc)

I’m having trouble finding a comprehensive list effects or add ons that are compatible with Maschine plus stand alone. I only use my Maschine plus in stand alone so anything for the Maschine 3 software is useless to me. I’m looking for effects or non-sample based instruments in particular.

Any advice or direction would be helpful, Native certainly doesn’t make it easy to navigate what’s possible and what’s not for Maschine plus only users, I’ve already been through the ringer trying to figure out how to use Reaktor user instruments and effects only to find out that Reaktor is running in a timed demo mode on Maschine plus unless you own the full version so there’s no actual Reaktor player which I wish I knew before I spent several days combing through the RUL and loading stuff. Anyways I use the Maschine plus as the heart of my hardware set up, I write and compose with my gear then I transfer the audio into Ableton to arrange, mix and master so any kinds of full features effects and instruments that work in standalone are very much welcome.

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PK The DJ

Well basically the stuff that came installed on the Maschine Plus is the only stuff that is compatible - unless you have desktop computer versions of products, at which point those things will be available too.

See the latest Maschine Plus update, which lists the newest stuff (if it's running Maschine 3, which also requires a license).

AsylumSpeaker

I’ve already been through the ringer trying to figure out how to use Reaktor user instruments and effects only to find out that Reaktor is running in a timed demo mode on Maschine plus unless you own the full version so there’s no actual Reaktor player which I wish I knew before I spent several days combing through the RUL and loading stuff.

This is the behaviour for Reaktor everywhere, not just on M+. If you don't have a full licence you can't play User Library content. Reaktor Player is for NI licensed content like Monark, Razor, or Blocks Free.

Matthewsavant

I was seeing stuff like the Solid compressors and the tube distortion etc and wondering how I’d get them and what else there is. Presumably I could buy them via my native account and then download them in Maschine plus? Although I’m not particularly looking for sample based instruments I wouldn’t mind checking out 3rd party (free) Kontakt instruments if they’re interesting I just don’t want to go down the pointless rabbit hole I did with trying to get Reaktor instruments/effects working.

Matthewsavant

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/246145#Comment_246145

it really is too bad, I love the workflow of Maschine, I’ve been using it since v1 and couldn’t wait for a standalone version but tbh I can’t help but feel ripped off since they advertised that it would have stuff like Massive, FM8, Reaktor etc in standalone only to find out that it’s just presets with limited controls or like in Reaktor’s case that it’s not compatible with RUL instruments without an additional license. I still like Maschine plus stand alone as the main hardware daw in conjunction with all my other hardware but it’s far from as full featured as they indicated it would be especially for someone who likes to make everything from scratch. I bought it when it was brand new at full price…If I knew all this then I would have put in the extra cash and bought the Push 3 standalone for all its full featured instruments with full control over them :/

But since it’s what I have I’d like to get as many effects/instruments in it as I can in standalone.

AsylumSpeaker

I can’t help but feel ripped off since they advertised that it would have stuff like Massive, FM8, Reaktor etc in standalone only to find out that it’s just presets with limited controls

It's exactly as advertised, though? It does run Massive, FM8, and Reaktor fully. There was never any promise to redesign the plugins to make them fully programmable through the M+ control surface alone. That would essentially be impossible anyway, in terms of things like Massive modulation assignment, FM8 Operators and envelopes, and almost everything about Reaktor. So it would have been an unreasonable expectation. M+ was always billed as letting you take a software Maschine project and run it on dedicated hardware. The "plug-out" concept of programming with a computer based interface, then performing with a limited control set in hardware is well understood, and isn't some kind of bait and switch by NI. In fact, putting so much stand alone programming into M+ is a triumph in my opinion, when there would have been a real market for something as limited as Ableton Move instead.

The only common gripe about M+ that I fully agree with is the years when complete 1-1 compatibility wasn't being maintained between software and hardware, leading to Massive in particular being hard to port easily. There should have (and should still be) M+ compatible branches of every plugin sold as being M+ compatible, so we can all run definitively compatible versions at all times. Native Access should be able to do that easily.

Matthewsavant

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/246216#Comment_246216

While it's possible that it technically does not fall under false advertising as Yes it does RUN Massive and FM8 but being that the main function of a synthesizer is to create sounds (vs a ROMpler which would only be to play presets with basic controls) it certainly is a slimy move from them even the copy on Native's site under Maschine plus instruments says stuff like "think of a sound and dial it up" it's heavily implied and easily assumed that one would have access to all parameters and be able to actually program these synths in Maschine plus unless it's specifically otherwise stated. What we ended up with is more Massive and FM8 patch players with very limited control over parameters. Closer to a ROMpler's functionality than a Synthesizer's functionality. If they had advertised it that way there would have been a lot of griping and rightfully so at this price point. If I had known I would have just bought the Maschine 3 for half the price OR I would have spent the $1000 or so more for Ableton push 3 standalone since you can have full access to actually program their synths in standalone.

I think Native intentionally omitted that fact and assumed most people wouldn't care (in that it seems, Weirdly, they may have been right),

As far as the practicality of having total control over all of the parameters in Massive and FM8 I 100% expected to and I assumed it would have been a lot of menu navigation. I've used plenty of hardware synths over the years that have crammed some kind of deep menu navigation scheme to control a complex amount of parameters so it's very far from impossible and I don't mind the menu diving

All in all I feel really let down and disappointed with Native, I've been buying their products since the early 2000s whey they only had stuff like the Pro53 and later Fm7 and Battery. Native instruments products have been part of my set up pretty much since the beginning and like I said I love everything about Maschine plus besides this one major and glaring exception.

I thought maybe this newest update would alleviate it a bit but, for me, all they added was the ability for me to give them more money for some effects

A reasonable solution from Native would be to offer scaled down versions of Massive and FM8 that run in m+ and are fully programable, a scaled down 2 osc wavetable synth with some modulation options and a simple 4 operator FM synth with the same, hell they could even build them in Reaktor.

PK The DJ

the main function of a synthesizer is to create sounds

I guess that could be true if you're talking about early synths that had no presets, but since presets became a thing, famously people have used them, and not gone anywhere near programming.

Yamaha DX7, Korg M1 etc. the presets are famous. Not everyone buying a synth is doing it because they want to program it.

"think of a sound and dial it up" could just as easily mean if you want a trumpet sound, you can find it.

I agree, it seems you've set your expectations too high. It's not marketed as a synth. It's a groovebox. It's a sampler with a few extra features. Ditto with MPCs. Very few would call them synths or expect to delve in and start programming sounds.

Compare it with smartphones. Yes there's a camera built in, but it's not the same thing as a DSLR. If you want the full capabilities, you buy the dedicated device.

AsylumSpeaker

A reasonable solution from Native would be to offer scaled down versions of Massive and FM8 that run in m+ and are fully programable, a scaled down 2 osc wavetable synth with some modulation options and a simple 4 operator FM synth with the same, hell they could even build them in Reaktor.

I'm afraid I disagree. It's hard to imagine anything less reasonable than expecting NI to do tons of work to redevelop existing synthesisers into new versions that do far less, spending money and development time to make their product less featured and less desirable. But regardless of that, the NKS Init patch for Massive, with the newly remapped controls with wavetable selection is there for you to use, so NI have now offered what you say is the solution anyway. Doesn't that help?

If I had known

Did you run out the door on release day and come home with a new groove box without doing even a little research, or reading anything in detail about the feature set? If so, Caveat Emptor. If not, then you'd have known all this and not have any reason to feel mislead.

I wish with all my heart that Reaktor user ensembles were fully supported, and that there was an official M+ API in Reaktor to access the screens, sample libraries, signal flow, and MIDI across the device. But there isn't. There never was, either. I'm not "let down" that M+ isn't exactly how I'd want it to be, no matter how much I wish it were different. It's exceptionally good at what it is, and wasting time feeling let down that it isn't some other way is a waste of my time and energy.

Psyearth5

WOW, only personal experience can be useful for comparing the different devices.

Massive is so much flexible for sound design in the M+ standalone mode.

I made this demo just to show one Massive playing 3 different costume sounds morphing between each other.

https://youtu.be/atTuByjB6QI?si=uJisZTM-V1DGXHMf

Just one example ☝️😃

LostInFoundation

”It's hard to imagine anything less reasonable than expecting NI to do tons of work to redevelop existing synthesisers into new versions that do far less, spending money and development time to make their product less featured and less desirable”

It seems to be not so unreasonable, since that’s what Akai does to port NI Play Series instruments to their MPC. And then selling them for few bucks (btw… they are sold by NI, with probably an accommodation between the 2 companies).

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