WOW…. just WOW Not sure what to even say. If NI is working on a new version of Maschine, its got it work cut out for it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1XbD59wDeM
People already complained that the MPC 3 update changed the OG workflow, now this goes a step further and the MPC effectively becomes a Force / Push clone.
They would if they were but they arent. Been saying this for a while, genuinely think the Mk3 is the last one, I dont see how new hardware fits NI's new position in the market, they going to pare HW down to the bone. I dont think Maschine Plus was the success they hoped for and its made them hesitant. Maybe if Maschine was getting crazy new updates and upgrades to incorporate new hadware tech I might believe it but its still the same old drip drip so yeah, i seriously dont see a next gen
Oh yeah and NI has been porting over its Play series to MPC while none have appeared for the Maschine plus, whats that tell you? Thats right, you can still make money selling to new hardware without the financial risk!
Ive been on Machine since MK2, so its been 13 years now and honestly was never too bothered with missing features. I just found my own workarounds and got on with it. Learned to live with the bugs, but if there was a fix or an update I always considered it icing on the cake. Maschine 2.0 was stable, at least for me, but when 3.0 came around I figured I'd update and that's where I probably should have stayed on 2.0. I cant even download the latest version of 3.0 on my Win10 system, I have to use my wife's Win11 laptop to download the latest version on Native Access. Some of the new features are nice, I do use bounce in place quite a bit, although not exactly essential since I could always resample before. I just wish they'd work on stability before adding more features. MIDI is buggy, cant have more than one midi out device checked without midi drops on external hardware, still no plugin delay compensation, random intermittent crashes for no apparent reason. It's a bummer. I know Maschine is long in the tooth, but I still think the Maschine workflow is fantastic, at least for how I like to work. But watching that MPC Live video really breaks my heart because Maschine has so much potential. And if it got the kind of care and attention that it really deserves, it would still be a powerhouse and then some. Having a massive community of people who love this product but seeing it fade out this way is so disheartening.
All the stuff in that video though, is on the standalone device. Just one device in their range. Those are not features of the desktop software. When they released MPC 3 OS for standalone, they had no timeline for the desktop software at all. Even now the desktop version is finally out, it's still a semi-functional beta.
Akai's software and hardware has bugs and missing features too.
Fun Fact: Force Beta was introduced in May and it is still in its beta phase…🤣
I am an original MK1 maschine owner. Native instruments had the game on smash while akai had to take a back seat.
While we all thought the mpc line had faded, now look.
I own the live 2 and Maschine +.
The maschine plus had so much potential and still does them converted kontakt instruments inside it sound 🔥🔊
But what are you really gonna do with just 50 factory presets 😂
Any how I will likely end up buying the live 3 because akai is clearing the standalone kings 👑
And they deliver to their customers, what it is we want.
Porting the play series over to the mpc is only confirming who is king 👑
While my maschine plus collects dust
All akai needs to do now is allow more 3rd party developers and it's game over (propeller head)
the main aspect that stood out from my observation…
was the integration of a DAW feeding backward & forward between the hardware and software.. and vice versa
at least that was the impression i got!!
how much dual integration it has in reality… needs further investigation
the 4in1 pad control was a clever touch too!! certainly maximising flexibility
So Akai finally changed the internals, thats great.
Not completely sold on the new MPE pads though. having each pad break into 4 quadrants feels a bit fiddly, especially given how the pads are still the same size overall.
Lot of new bells and whistles, lets see how stable it is and if the basic workflow is still unaltered.. I'd personally rather have dependable tools than toys. A bit of a shame Maschine 3 took the stability and reliability back a notch, will take a couple years to get em back
The 4 quadrants thing for different samples is not something I'd see myself using very often but MPE/XY as a general feature gives the ability for bends, vibrato or all sorts of modulations, that sounds really cool, it's sort of like the ones on the Push 3 but without the ability to slide between Pads? 4x4 Pads are around since the MPC60 from 1988, it's cool to finally see new stuff after almost 40 years.
I think it's cool they lost their fear of changing the workflow, again… sticking to 40 yr standards because people are afraid of change is bad moto IMO.
Some of the videos are now mentioning that there's an MPC 3 Pro Pack that will add some of the new functionality to older generation MPCs. It'll cost you $99.99 though, and that's just the intro price. After the intro period it's $199.
LINK
Say what you want about the Live 3. The reels that NI released today made choke with laughter.
Fail to deliver the update for the Maschine+ after messing up multiple deadlines. (Still waiting on that Kontank content that was supposed to be a part of the update).
Proceed to port even more play series to the MPC.
Akai announces the Live 3.
What would be a good idea to please the angry customers?
"hey, I know it's late". Automation update.
"Coming soon".
It's just too good 😂😂😂😂
It's funny. I typed out this big long thing about.. well, the same thing a lot of us have been complaining about for years but I just don't feel like it's worth explaining anymore. I'm moving to mpc. My patience has run out. So what if they add automation to maschine or even Maschine plus? Mpc has had that for a while now, along with tons of other things users here have spent over a decade asking for, over and over to no avail. The plus is dead. I really don't see NI making new standalone hardware, which is what it would take at this point to stay competitive.
Its been fun y'all.
The Plus is still an amazing piece of kit. And the Maschine ecosystem—even with the bugs and issues in version 3—is still better than anything from Jack’s companies. All their software is basically in a constant beta phase, which doesn’t look good. They even seem to forget about their own products—just a couple of weeks ago they sent out an email and started an online campaign to promote the VST version of the Channel Strip, which has been inside the MPC since MPC 2. The freebie phase ended and guess what? It’s still not listed on their effects product page :DD Why? I’d say it was, in fact, just another beta… So, if you want to switch to MPC, keep in mind they have their own demons too.
https://www.airmusictech.com/summer-offer
I’m going to buy the MPC 3 Pro Pack for my Force and One+, and that’s it. I also have the MPC Studio 2, so I’ll be able to activate the license on all three devices. I really like the idea of improved time-stretching, and the Ableton import for MPC looks super cool. Clips are finally coming back to the One+—this time with an even more Force-like style. Overall, I really like this Pro update, even if it’s not exactly cheap.
This! … and that video from Tefty Music Tech convinced me to get the Pro Pack:
