The MASCHINE+ Feedback Thread
Hey MASCHINE+ users,
We finally moved and we wanted to make sure you all have a place to share general feedback about MASCHINE+ and your experience with the unit so far.
As a quick reminder, here are the latest changes introduced with MASCHINE+ 1.3.2:
Whilst MASCHINE+ 1.3.2 mostly contains underlying technical and stability improvements to Native OS, there are also some small user-facing benefits. These are as follows:
- This update includes the latest Factory Library, fixing the falsely added Tag “Fix!”
- Users will also be able to deploy the license information of third party packages used in the MASCHINE+ operating system to the SD cards
MASCHINE+ firmware update 0.1.9:
This firmware update addresses the MIDI issue where MIDI information would stop to being received by the Maschine Plus. The issues with Maschine Plus as the clock master are still being worked on. If you don't have any issues with MIDI you can skip this firmware update.
Next comes MASCHINE+ 1.4 with some new features, more details tbc ...
Comments
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Ok, my comments on Maschine+ so far:
I bought M+ as soon as it was announced, and received the unit early on. In the beginning the OS was buggy and I experienced crashes almost every time I used it. In addition to this, any and all Reaktor content, even the included Factory Sounds, had an issue where the instances would make no sound after reloading the project. I also had issues with the DIN MIDI i/o, which would mysteriously stop working after a while or after a restart. So things didn't start out well..
Now, a bit over a year later I am happy to report all of my early problems have been addressed. Reaktor sounds work even after reload, my DIN MIDI connected master keyboard never misses a beat, and even the crashes have gone from occurring at least once every session to only occuring once in a blue moon. So I'd say M+ has reached a state of maturity which, addmittedly, it should have had since its product launch.
M+ was my first introduction to Maschine, and I'm really hooked on the workflow. Writing beats on M+ feels very fast and hassle-free. The UI is well laid out and having developed an intermediate muscle memory to it, it is fun to use. The included factory content is top notch and offers good scope and variety. So there is a lot to like about it in my opinion.
But there are also things I think need to be criticized about it.
Firstly, the biggest omission in Maschine+ presently is the lack of standard MIDI sequencer capabilities such as sending and defining MIDI Program and Bank Change Messages. I use a lot of hardware synthesizers with my M+, and I have to rename my MIDI groups and sounds with patch notes so that I know what MIDI presets I used for each MIDI sequence. This needs to be addressed ASAP.
Another issue for me is the lack of any visual editing capability for automation, as well as the inability to assign macros in standalone mode. These are all things that competitor's comparable hardware sequencers handle better (cough Akai cough).
Third issue for me is the lack of any possibility to "perform" a song arrangement in realtime and being able to record it into the Song mode. I have used ableton live since version 3, and it has become a must-have feature to me for programming song arrangements; Once I have built up my patterns and sections, I always record the first arrangement "skeleton" in realtime to the arranger, and continue editing and refining things from there. This is a vital feature for me, because without it, my arrangements end up lacking energy, and I lose motivation even before I have the full arrangement fleshed out.
It must also be said that importing your own custom content into M+ is not handled as well as it could be. NI would do well to offer more in depth tutorials covering this aspect of the M+: Show us how to best tag and organize our own samples, how to import our Kontakt and Reaktor content into the M+, and so on. Not everyone who uses M+ wants to only rely on the precooked Maschine expansions as content for their music making.
I hope Maschine+ will outgrow its original state and end up becoming a "future classic" for sampling and sequencing! All that is required from NI is continued commitment to making it a great hardware platform.
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@tetsuneko Thanks for sharing your thought, very insightful.
This is probably useful for everyone but I would usually advise folks to keep things a little shorter so its more accessible to everyone.
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I agree. I’m a mk3 hold-out, waiting for a few things before I jump on to a Maschine+:
- 3rd-party encoded Kontakt library support. I’ve got a huge set of sounds that are central to my music-making
- Properly implemented automation visuals and editing
There’s lots more I want to see (a proper modulation + routing system, v2 hardware with more CPU, etc.) but those two are must-haves for me. I hope it doesn’t take too long… I don’t know if I can make it another year without jumping over to another system!
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Can't see too many differences with the MK3, but I would still get one if I got one for free 😎
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I must say, coming from years in m1 and m2 software with an mk2 controller, I have learned so much more by using M+ about the m2 ecosystem. I prefer to work with the “limitations” M+ comes with but I make much better music because of that. The M+ potential is enormous. Even in current state (functions, possibilities) it is a superior music creating unit. I still experience a few crashes and freezes, but I’ve learned to save projects continuously. I have the M+ since launch. The addition of the Poly synth was really eliberating in terms of creative freedom.
What I wish for (and maybe I should not have to ask for it) is not any features that I probably won’t use, the workflow is insanely awesome, but 100% stability so I can trust it to play live.
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I absolutely agree, stability of M+ should be top priority above all else. I feel like NI agrees with us, considering how most of the OS updates we have seen so far have mainly been addressing bugfixes and stability improvements over new features.
I do not think we need too many new features either. It is perfectly all right for Maschine+ to be a specialised groovebox and not a DAW replacement. But even in the current scope of the product, some refinements should be introduced eventually.
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My impression on the M+ so far, after using it for over one year :
Great :
- Very inspiring workflow : learning curve past, once it's quick and efficient
- Very inspiring sounds : very good quality, very well curated and organized sounds
- Great hardware : the material used, the inspiring design
- Excellent sound engines and FX : they do sound very good and the FX sound magic.
Bad/Ugly/Improvement requests :
- This is NOT "standalone" : still needs to be tethered. NI needs to develop a stand/handle accessory with built-in battery and why not a speaker, it will quickly become a must have for any M+ user
- Needs to be more open : free diving, search and tagging into our own .wav samples collections right from the unit, support for and recording of .wav based multi-samples right from the unit, support for user-made expansions
- Needs vocal FX : every other serious groovebox now has auto-tune/vocoder/doubler/etc... type FX for voice processing.
- Stability & performance : let's be honest, we are still in beta phase, early adopters paid this product way too much, we deserve some free expansion coupons or the battery-handle for free
NI has an amazing foundation to make the best groovebox in the planet with the current hardware, it's all about making the firmware more stable, more open, add a few features/plugins in there and making the unit truly standalone with some accessory.
The ecosystem is cool, but please don't keep it as a walled garden, that strategy would fail for NI as it is currently positioned on the market. It pisses off many of us who are ending up converting our expansions for the MPC and moving to this product.
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Yes. I agree so much with this part. This is why I'm seriously considering selling my M+. It does not work well at all with all my other devices. I need the M+ to be able to send pattern changes to other devices if I'm to use it as a hub for my setup.tetsuneko said:Firstly, the biggest omission in Maschine+ presently is the lack of standard MIDI sequencer capabilities such as sending and defining MIDI Program and Bank Change Messages. I use a lot of hardware synthesizers with my M+, and I have to rename my MIDI groups and sounds with patch notes so that I know what MIDI presets I used for each MIDI sequence. This needs to be addressed ASAP.
And, no visible/editable automation is also kinda a dealbreaker.1 -
First post on the new forum. Great work guys!👊🏽💥. Looking forward to dark mode. I have safari extensions for that but they slow it down and aren’t very stable.
As for M+, hope to see quicker and more consistent bug mashing and stability updates in 2022. Infants are supposed to grow exponentially faster than adults but I don’t see M+ improving quickly at all. It’s much better than it was at launch but that ain’t saying much one year after asking $1400 + tax.
If we’re being honest M+ is giving Beta vibes. It’s not stable. It’s not ready for pro performance despite pro pricing. I mean it is technically standalone (no computer necessary) but cmon guys 🤥…where’s the official battery attachment it’s 2022?
Personally, Id love to see NI make M+ class compliant and allow it to control a beefed up iMaschine 3 on M1 iPad Pros. Together, you have the best touch screen in the world, speakers, and best portability on the market screwing Live 2.
Even if you don’t want to port an M2 version to IPad Os in some form which is definitely doable…allow it to control what’s in App Store now.
As it stands, I can honestly do pretty much everything Maschine does and actually significantly more with iPad Pro + Beatmaker 3 (one man dev shop and hasn’t even been major updated in years and it’s still on par with Maschine and MPC today 😳) and all of the world class synths and effects available in App Store for pennies on the dollar in comparison to desktop counterparts. Fab Filter, Eventide effects plus Moog, Korg and Roland synths galore on App Store right now so we know all the big guns see the future. It is iPad.
Only thing missing is great pads and knobs to control them. At some point, someone will make a midi controller as amazing as MK3 and it will be game over. Why? You’ve already done it…just firmware upgrade M+.
For $1400 M+ should be that controller (lends another reason to upgrade from MK3) plus what you have promised it would be (live performance ready standalone). Today…that certainly ain’t the case.
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I'd like to see more Pattern editing capabilities. There should be a couple of mathematical/geometric functions like transpose available:
- time stretch by factor (2x, 0.5x as presets)
- pitch stretch by factor
- reverse (classical use, think J. S. Bach)
- inverse (classical use, think J. S. Bach)
- quantize to scale
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Name editing improvements:
- one click way of deleting the default name of anything instead of multiple backspaces.
- (from the old forum) a list of common names so you can quickly name things, as many projects are similar. Eg scenes could be offered Intro, Verse, chorus, Middle, End etc, groups and sounds could be offered Bass, piano, Pads, Strings etc.
- (or preferably) a dynamic list of recently/often used names (per named object type). That way it would be more tailored towards the individual naming habits of the user.
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I'm still getting over the learning curve of the Machine+, but the one thing I'm really missing is a solid piano instrument and an electric piano instrument in the library. Just something more "acoustic" than the numerous (imo) cheap-sounding synth presets that come with Massive. I want to use Komplete for rough songwriting ideas and the occasional live performance, but none of the instruments in there give me the reliable expressiveness of a simple piano. I've already got a Komplete license, and if I could just use 'The Maverick' piano library I'd be all set.
I got Maschine+ so that I could have a standalone performance instrument without using a computer. Unfortunately, all of the best Kontakt libraries I own (pianos, session strings, session horns) are not usable.
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While I completely dig my M+ I do understand the perspective given here. This iPad idea for an iMaschine 3 update may be one of the best ideas I have seen that would be a complete improvement for me. I use my iPad in conjunction with my M+ all the time. Fingers crossed this happens!
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This iPad idea for an iMaschine 3 update may be one of the best ideas I have seen
The lifespan of iPad is 3 to 5 years max, 2 years for a new model to come out and 1 year for the next iOS with potentially huge breaking changes.
As a developer, I wouldn’t want to build a vital part of an application on a platform with such short lifecycles.
As a user, I neither want to be forced to update everything continuously and buy expensive hardware every 3 years to stay compatibile, nor have the desire to become stranded on a legacy platform if a software developer can’t keep up with the lifecycle pace of the platform. (see the Access Virus TI desaster)
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I would think iOS compatibility would be important for Maschine MK3 more than for Maschine+. I prefer standalone music hardware without touchscreens; if I wouldn't object to using a touch screen, I would use MPC live already.
By all means, improve iMaschine functionality, and make it compatible with the Maschine controllers, but please leave any ideas about having to use iOS with M+ at the door 😎
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