The MASCHINE+ Feedback Thread

Matt_NI
Matt_NI Administrator Posts: 1,105 admin
edited March 2022 in Maschine

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 ...

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Comments

  • Matt_NI
    Matt_NI Administrator Posts: 1,105 admin

    @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.

  • Trevor Meier
    Trevor Meier Member Posts: 69 Advisor

    I agree. I’m a mk3 hold-out, waiting for a few things before I jump on to a Maschine+:

    1. 3rd-party encoded Kontakt library support. I’ve got a huge set of sounds that are central to my music-making
    2. 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!

  • Antarikhya Mohapatra
    Antarikhya Mohapatra Member Posts: 6 Member

    Can't see too many differences with the MK3, but I would still get one if I got one for free 😎

  • tetsuneko
    tetsuneko Member Posts: 586 Guru

    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.

  • totskij
    totskij Member Posts: 1 Newcomer
    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.

    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.

    And, no visible/editable automation is also kinda a dealbreaker.
  • GoKeez
    GoKeez Member Posts: 79 Advisor
    edited January 2022

    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.

  • ozon
    ozon Member Posts: 1,301 Expert

    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
  • ozon
    ozon Member Posts: 1,301 Expert

    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.


  • Wall Bird
    Wall Bird Member Posts: 5 Member

    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.

  • Justin Lipsey
    Justin Lipsey Member Posts: 4 Member

    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!

  • ozon
    ozon Member Posts: 1,301 Expert
    edited January 2022

    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)

  • tetsuneko
    tetsuneko Member Posts: 586 Guru

    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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