MPC 3.0 How will NI respond?

cl3an! · July 26

I have both products MPC and Maschine and I like both. MPC is now a fully fledged DAW. Maschine Hardware Build is still more premium but the software is wayyyy behind. MPC One is the Akai "Entry Level" device but is providing more features and a better overall user experience thane NI's Flagship Device Maschine+ …. That says a lot.

macchinista · July 26

With some much touchscreen usage, might as well get an iPad and a MIDI controller…. having said that, kudos to Akai for the continued improvements to their products and listening to users' requests 👏

djneural · July 26

If I am not mistaken, product management has said there is a major update coming for the Maschine/M+ during July.

I don't expect as many changes as the workflow is already pretty good but they can still improve in the piano roll and in the song mode and bring some new plugins in at the occasion (or at least announce them).

Now if they counted on revenue coming from a paid upgrade, they might need to change their plans 😃 That's what I like with competitive markets 😅

OhulahanBass · July 26

I’m not looking to jump ship, I love my +, but that MPC workflow/DAW in a box, and stem separation is something I want to try. I would likely never even install the soft on my comp and just experience the MPC One in standalone. What a beast!

nickstomp · July 26

the problem now is that I'm trying to sell my maschine+ for like 3 months and nothing is moving nobody wants it with the lack of updates and support(especially considering it's not cheap!!)

i think I'm gonna remain stuck with it.

and i likes the ni software packets but they didn't port almost anything to maschine if they start just porting their plugins they have the better software in the market but like this is useless

it's a shame as a system was a really good setup but now akai has a ton more features

MorrisEd · July 26

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/168449#Comment_168449

All NI hardware basically becomes a doorstop at some point. Akai hardware holds its value way better. The problem with older NI hardware is it stops working unless you keep your old computer. The Akai stuff has always been stand alone, so works fine as long as you compare.

growers · July 27

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/168453#Comment_168453

How will M+ become a doorstop? It's standalone....

skolarr · July 27

The moment I saw Akai's video for the MPC 3 software update, it occurred to me just how far M+ is lagging behind the competition. Between Akai's software update and what Ableton is doing with the most recent update for Push 3 (and what appears to be their vision for the future of Push 3), NI has a lot of catching up to do if they want to stay relevant.

That said, I really like the workflow of the Maschine series. It's so fast and intuitive. Even more so than my Push 3. Akai really isn't my thing. So I don't see myself jumping ship anytime soon. As I've mentioned elsewhere on this forum, I would like to see a hardware update with a single large screen and MPE. Though not necessarily as large a screen as the MPC. I'm not against a touchscreen, but it's far from a priority for me. I don't need a full fledged DAW-in-the-box with all the bells and whistles of MPC 3. But I would like a basic arrangement view that I could record into in real time with both MIDI and audio tracks. From there, I can transport to the software on my computer if I need to do more granular editing and arranging.

I'm excited to see what awaits in the Maschine 3.0 software update. But will it be enough to silence the skeptics?

djadidai · July 27

hopefully it will be enough to silence one’s own doubts

Braz · July 27

I'm thinking about selling my M+ + but the massive price drop on second hand market makes it a too big loss of money.

I guess I'm stuck there

djneural · July 27

I think it is a mistake from NI to systematically release something on price then drop it almost half the price.

it’s almost like recognizing its product is inferior to what they thought.

When I bought my Maschine+ over $1300 and I received it, I didn’t feel like I had paid too much for what it is. It is 10 times better built than an MPC One/+, just that adds at least 200 bucks to the price.

Inside, the compute module is x86 if I recall well, with twice the RAM. It’s a choice, I don’t know if it is a good one but it is way more costly than a basic ARM SBC.

It comes with quite a lot of software already. The quality of the plugins is excellent.

For me NI should never have let one sale at less than $1000 in their distribution channel. The list price should have remained at around 1200 and with rebates closer to 1000.

It is quite a shame because even if we can find brand new MPCs @$700, M+ being @$800 or a bit over $1000 would have changed nothing on people deciding to go with MPC or Maschine workflow.

Even more than synths, we choose/keep our grooveboxes based on the workflow and the feeling with the unit. And though, yes MPC does start to seriously catch-up on the workflow, the build quality (which I believe is also part of the feeling) is just starting to get close if you get an MPC Live II or X.

Unfortunately NI has had this strategy with pretty much any of their hardware, including DJing hardware. And even their loyal user base is desperate about this.

BigPictureSound · July 27

I have both Maschine and MPC One and prefer Maschine. MPC 3 update looks to make arranging easier than in Maschine. I need to see notes and audio tracks in separate lanes, and dislike this aspect, which hopefully gets an update in M3.

I like composing rich compositions spanning many different genres, and Maschine with Komplete allows me to do that. Most noise made on social media about which platform is better is by people who make pretty basic music, hardly anything inspiring or that hasn't been done 100,000 times before. Trap beat #56,000. They buy and sell new gear trying to catch the latest hype train instead of mastering the tools they already have, and the quality of their music reflects this.

MPC 3 looks like it makes it faster to do basic tasks that were an unnecessary chore in previous releases. If you're happy in standalone mode with a few dozen tracks with minimal automation and 90% less functionality than a desktop based DAW from even 10 years ago, either MPC or Maschine+ is perfectly fine.

PK The DJ · July 27

I don't think NI necessarily need to respond - because it's not a race. All these comments about who's in front or who's behind are irrelevant IMO.

Just because there are two cars on the road, doesn't mean they have to race, or that one needs to be better than the other. You should pick your car based on your needs. If you like the feature set (that's what it does now, not what it might do in the future) you buy it.

Cretin Dilettante · July 27

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/168561#Comment_168561

This is capitalism, broseph. Sorry.

skolarr · July 28

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/168561#Comment_168561

For me, it's not so much a matter of "winning a race". It's about meeting minimum expectations. For example, if I purchased a laptop or a tablet that did not have a built in wifi antenna, I would be critical of such a product because it does not meet one of the minimum expectations for devices of that category.

When it comes to standalone grooveboxes, there are also minimum expectations. These expectations evolve as new features are added by various manufactures within the groovebox category. Those that fail to adapt are in danger of being abandoned in favor of devices that meet their needs. You may consider this unfair, but it is the reality of the situation.

This is not to say that all products have to have all the same features. I own both a Push 3 and a M+, and I switch between the two all the time. Sometimes it's because one device offers something that the other doesn't. And sometimes I just want a change of scenery. I like that they take different approaches to music making.

In my prior comments, I was clear that I'm not asking for a future iteration of Maschine standalone to have all the same features as MPC 3. But I do believe that going forward, having a basic linear arrangement timeline is going to be one of those minimum expectations. If you were to browse the Ableton forums, you will see that Arrangement View for Push 3 standalone is one of the most requested features. I'm expecting Ableton will make this a reality in the near future. At some point, this will be seen as a necessity for standalone devices of this caliber. If NI is not able to meet the bare minimum, then people will look elsewhere. Sorry, that's just the way it is. I say fall this as someone who is a fan of NI and wants to see Maschine succeed.

MPC 3.0 How will NI respond?

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