All user reviews of 2/5 for the Native Instruments Maschine MKI

RAS on the installation, shuffle on my 11 inch with Lion. In 10 minutes everything was settled.

SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE

Flush with the side stability. But hey, I'm running Maschine in standalone, nothing goes next.

OVERALL OPINION

I used Maschine for a month. Note that I am the sampler since 1997, I thoroughly mastering a lot of samplers / sequencers material (notably the MPC4000 Akai and Yamaha RS7000, which are far from basic instruments) and I am very very very squarely disappointed with the party sampler and sequencer part of MASCHINE.
My main disappointment is that I expected to find a sampler / sequencer with lots of advanced features, when in fact everything is archibasique, and very short of what I could atendre a sampler in 2012 .... especially to run on a computer. I MASCHINE with the painful sensation of stepping back rather than leap forward. Amazing is not it?

Sampler:
It lacks basic functions like time stretch and pitch shift.
Looping samples is totally unintuitive
We lack MATERIAL CONTROLS for sample editing (the PLAY FROM, TO PLAY, PLAY LOOP MBM particular are absent).
The slice mode is OK, provided you have short samples. If you must cut the sample in more than 16 slices we retroucve with slices unusable because not mapped on the pads. It's like twelve years ago with the MPC2000XL.
No Reverse loop: the loop is still playing in the same direction, you can not read the buckles 'ping / pong' as the MPC4000.
No editing of the pan of a sample (stereo to mono for example).
The extraction of a slice from a sample slice is impossible (to map the keyboard for example). Must duplicate the sample for that.

Sequencer:
Pattern editing: Choose and edit the events with the mouse is painful and nearly impossible with the hardware. It's disappointing.
No pattern stretch.
No playback of MIDI files (that's ridiculous, frankly)

Compatibility with MPC programs:
Do not believe them, only some programs are properly imported, tired layers, the mute groups, etc. are recognized aps. Programs with more than one bank (over 16 pads) are imported from several GROUPS maschine els which makes difficult to use ...

My advice: buy one rather than MASCHINE hardware controller of your choice (cheaper) and give you a license REAPER (60euro) which is 1000 times the MASCHINE software in the sense that it offers the same features (and more) and more and more (such as audio editing, multitrack tracking etc.).

The only real plus point of MASCHINE (compared to my hardware samplers) is the host and chaining VST effects: three effects available at the GROUP, then 4 still possible at the MASTER it allows to make really sound level. It happens that I do not work like that of the blow for me is not really a plus.
The quality of PADS is also noteworthy, very responsive and pleasant to use. However in play live I do not see what use my stuff, other than for sets archisimples because the PAD MODE with its three functions available on each PAD is a bit messy.

The installation of version 1.5 was done without problem, which has not been the case of update 1.7 or nothing worked at first.

Notes updates were not at all clear. It should be galleries in obscure forums to find information.

But it's still correct, so 6 / 10

SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE

Mac ProBook DuoCore 2.6 and 4GB Ram iMac DuoCore 3.2 and 4GB Ram.

Yes, it turns easily on my setup that is not the most powerful cry last, but not the slowest either.

However, the product is still a bit unstable, but I know worse: Ableton Live 8!!

OVERALL OPINION

I used it for over a year before I decided to revendredernièrement. Primarily because it never entered my "workflow" in my way of working. I retrouvaisfinalement to enter my notes with the mouse in Reason 5 & 6 or keyboard in MOTU BPM is to say!

The controller hardware is of excellent quality, nothing to say! The pads are significantly higher than those of midi controllers Akai MPD series. They are downright fun to play with. The two LED screens are small but effective and visible. We can really do without the mouse if desired, no matter what the knobs are not worth those of my Moog synthesizer in "tournabilité" and strength. Personally, I can only hardly do without the computer screen and mouse as a matter of comfort, and that's where the bottom lies.

The interface software is simply zero. This will surely improve with time, but in the state, I find poorly thought as often in NI. Frankly, it does not invite me to work. The controller also has its share of flaws ergonomic. Of course, these are details, but it contributed to the fact that I put aside gradually Maschine: tedious multiplication of sub-menus, use the "shift" for some vital functions, the metronome difficult to engage, the absence of pre-account (like 4 clicks before recording) or automatic triggering of the recording (as on sequencers Roland keyboards), the function to be lousy swing (Roger Linn is not been there) The absence of an arpeggiator worthy of the name, and especially the height of idiocy, the function of quantification "50%" you quantify what you have done instead of focusing on your last entry. Then it might be me who does not know how to use this, but in this case, Maschine is not at all intuitive as I have watched many times in all menu options and preferences.

The bank is provided with a good quality, comprehensive and wide enough, the sounds are very typical and NI Berlin scene. Very good for all afficiados of Electro House and other genres minimum. This is not my case. I am a nostalgic and I love his old school, both for electro, hip hop, techno or progressive pop. But for those who live with their time and hype, the bank comes with a 1GB should make them happy easily. Then we can load all the samples you want, NI producing its own additional sound banks that I have not tried.

The integration of VST and Komplete 8 allow some use Maschine as a full DAW. Personally I do not like its interface and software for instrument loops if the fly, I prefer to use Ableton Live (despite its big stability problems), the functions "browser" of a DAW like Logic or Live, and the uses a keyboard sound that still largely in my favor production of melodic lines. Regarding the use of VST plug-in like effects, again, I prefer the Logic mixer or the concept of Live.

Add to this that Maschine fits poorly to a DAW, making it unstable and hyper showing latency problem, for me the dice are loaded.

In summary, if I am aware that Maschine can completely satisfy its users, particularly in "stand alone", that it is perfect music to some kind (minimal, hip hop as a solid alternative to MPC) it never managed to convince me and the finish I prefer my keyboard with weighted keys AKAI MPK88, Motu BPM Kong or 6 Reason to produce rhythm parts, and my usual two DAW (Live and Logic) to record and sequence of melodic parts. I had bought Maschine because I still have in me nostalgic for my first drum machines. Today and tomorrow I separated, I expect Tempest Dave Smith is to come in the mail a completely different product to hopefully other types of rewards.

Installation without problem, except that I galleys for updates, I also install the drivers manually, but this may be my config
Package design and nice, nice pads (thank you akai mpc is very well copied and small lights! Wouahou! LOL)

SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE

That's fucked up, but I sometimes found latencies while I have a quad core and 4 gig of ram, I do not understand, the more my pouasse with soft maybe ... it's pretty easy to use but I can not find the simplicity of the interface MPC2000, very well but all the little features I return to my MPC when sagit to work with sampling for the teckno, or the house I recognize it may possibly be more, perhaps

OVERALL OPINION

For three weeks, value for money certainly interesting, but again, for the price I must admit with a GPA, I enjoy a little home AKAI
I do it again because this choice will continue to work on MPC anyway, it's not really the same product, the two could be complementary, even with mpc I need nothing else