Maschine+ will be great if...

Features request to summarize all things in one tread. Some of my propositions are not new, they are all from my point of you.
And also, all propositions are for a standalone use case only, not combine with PC or Mac, in other word : what the Maschine+ can (could) do without a Pc or a Mac.

Maschine+ will be great if :
- Midi CC from external gear can be recorded
- Recorded automations are visible on Pattern/Clip mode (without setting macro)
- Recorded automation are editable (actually we have to re-record the automation from the beginning)
- Macro editiing (creation) is possible
- An Autosampling function exist
- Midi file import and export is possible
- Tag editing (for preset and wav file) is possible
- Midi mapping is possible
- Automation are not display in percentage (or the possibility to choose)
- Automation are sent without setting 2 values
- Synchronizing presets from Maschine software to Maschine+ is done with one clic

Addentum (from other users) :
- Automations are editable as simple as midi note
- Renaming recorded samples is possible
- File browsing/management (and not only Presets browsing) is possible

 

Add renaming of recorded samples to your list and we are set.
This one thing is my #1 mandatory thing to come.
So tired of finding sampled files

 

Obviously yes !

 

I’m sure you can already do this , I’ve not got a + anymore , but I use to rec cc from a mc101

Edit - it’s probably not that good at recording it tbh , the mc101 has motion(plock)per step , I could record that because it was synced, but recording freehand is a different matter

 

I do some test and yeah, you're right : Maschine+ record CC from external gear, but it is impossible to see that CC was recorded and what was recorded, I mean : no feedback... Certainly the CC I try to record previously was too subtle.

So I will change it on my list.

 

It definitely needs improvement, I could only achieve what I wanted with the mc 101

 

M+ could evolve to a really standalone device without any cables, wanted. The disadvantage of this: Costs.
Looking at hardware specs, I would like to see an internal/changeable battery pack as well as a more powerful CPU.
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Apart from M+, hopefully, the next steps of Maschine development are more focusing back on Maschine software core.
Currently, there are two (for me different) approaches to the Maschine environment. The traditional one that was neglected the last months and the M+-approach which was more supported the last months. IMO, those two approaches are lacking in finalizing required and meaningful features.

 

IMO I would be agree to pay 1500 bucks if the Maschine+ will have :
- internal HDD/SSD slot
- internal battery
- internal speaker
- ethernet port
- usb 3 port
- Ram slot to upgrade it (as the old MPC)
But it is sadly hardware thing that can be upgraded... I don't say that your features are not great, they are definitivly, but it is upgrade that are not possible since it will need a new product, a Maschine+ 2 (or Maschine++ or Maschine+²...).

i don't think that the CPU power is the problem, but software optimization. For me, mostly focus on the midi part, the CPU and RAM are enough, and I would say too much for a rightfull and complete midi implementation and sequencing (see the squarp pyramid...). For the VST part, NI where too far. I mean, when using only the Sampler/Audio device, Polysynth, Basssynth, Drumsynth, it is ok. II think they could just improve some functionalities like more oscillators for the Polsynth, more LFO and more matrix modulation possibilities, and that's it. And then perhaps on other update adding some "VST" but with the care of the hardware ressources.
But yeah, you're right, if the idea is to put all the main VST of NI on a box, a more powerfull CPU and 8 GB of RAM at least would be necessary. But IMO too much kill the game, I meant : a good midi controller and a PC or Mac will be better.

A groovebox of today, IMO should have at least :
- a complete midi implementation
- a sequencer with different pattern per track
- At least 10 bars length pro pattern
- Song mode (arranger or sequence scheduling)
- Quantized pattern triggering (like Ableton) for live performance
- Computer-like file management
- Internal HDD/SSD port
- SD card slot
- USB 3
- Easy sequence/pattern importing from others projects to a new project
- Midi file import and export
- Class compliant audio interface management (at least 16in/out)
- Sampler
- Internal synth plugin (a Polyphonic one, one with Wavetable, a Bass, Drums synth, at least)
- Multisample instrument with autosampling (and why not, that accept SFZ file format)
- Disk streaming
- Midi per USB in/out
- Midi learn

I would pay 2000€ for it without hesitating. It is technological possible, since if we put the best feature of old and existing Roland / Yamaha and Akai groovebox, we have it.

I didn't follow the Maschine software development, I am new on the Maschine "environment", but from far I always thought that it is a sketch software for song ideas, not like FL studio or Bitwig, which have more complete features.
Now that I own Maschine and Maschine+ I understand your point. Personaly I didn't sketch idea on Maschine software, I have to use it to tag presets or audio file, and create midi macro... It is very boring...

 

While I was skimming through a 2100+ post long thread about M+ today ( @ elektronauts), there were two posts from someone "in the know" who said that autosampler is in beta already, so we should see that feature in the near feature. That same poster also said that rumour has it that 2022 will be a year when the M+ devs will be focusing on further DSP optimization, and thereby extending the available CPU "mileage" of the unit.

I've made my peace with the CPU performance aspect of M+ (meets my needs) and I have no use for autosampler, but it's good for the product that these things are being addressed. For me, the things I am most looking forward to are improving external MIDI sequencing capability (NRPN / CC / program/bank change automation & automation editing) as well as introducing some way to record a performance into song mode in real time.

 

I have heard rumours also about the autosampling, I hope it will be true !
I hope NI will soon publish a mindblower firmware like the MPC 2.10 firmware was.

The autosampling thing is probably for guys like me, who want to go away from computer and accept to deal with hardware limitation by sampling vst. I have collection of hardware synth, so VST (except for particular patches) I don't really need it.

 

Automation, automation and automation!
Oh and the ability to copy automation when copying a note/notes.

 

Automation...
Has it already been mentionned ?

 

I don't personally use autosampling because I prefer straight up audio recording of my synths. IMHO autosampling a synth patch, note by note, just to recreate it later rarely sounds as good as just sending a synth some riff over MIDI and resampling the result as a complete phrase. But like I said, seems to be a huge deal to other people so it will be good for the platform to have it onboard.

 

Exactly this was in my mind. I´m fully aware of the current model limitation. And of course, there can be always more features.

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Around Maschine (including M+), we saw so many good feature suggestions the recent years. Now it is all about priorities and (technical) possibilities behind a determined strategy.

Personally, I hope that M+ (and possibly further versions of that device) will not dominate the development of the Maschine environment. The userbase around other Maschine devices is much bigger - and can even grow more with huge impacts if new (suggested) features and/or new devices will be applied. But there's always the other side of the coin: strategy, resources, and technical possibilities.

IMO, M+ is a niche product based on some requests as well as the competition with Akai.

Overall, I think Maschine has a very good basis for further groundbreaking development. This should be exploited in accordance with the right priorities and a long-term view. I´m pretty sure that most people within the Maschine community will agree with this. The question is how...

 

User sample file management is my #1 issue with the M+. I wish that it at least had a directory browser like the one on the MC-707.

 

File browser and not only preset browser, is a thing that should be done from the release of Maschine+...
Each time I play with it, each time I find little basic miss... As example the complexity to import Reaktor ensemble or Kontakt instrument. For the first time I try to import Reaktor ensemble from the community, and it is a pain...
So I think Maschine+ should take the example of the MPC : loading a *.ens file should load Reaktor with this ensemble without have to create a preset with the ensemble.

 

Some video I saw show that the best use cases of Maschine+ is working on our own projects "outside" the studio. But since synchronizing presets are a pain, NI fail also to this use case.
So, clearly it would be great if synchronizing presets could be made more simply, I want to say : in one clic. especially for Kontakt and Reaktor presets.

 

I hope it won’t take NI 4 years to implement basic features like Akai…

This isn’t a problem of Maschine+ but of Maschine / Komplete Kontrol in general and the way how Kontakt and Reaktor presets are managed originally. You run into this as soon as you want to transport projects (of any DAW) which use Kontakt or Reaktor plugins between different computers (even more so if on different platforms).

NI products tend to use absolute paths for resources referenced by presets (samples for Kontakt, location of Ensemble for Reaktor), which wreaks havoc as soon as you move preset files away from the original system where they were created. It’s a major PITA. But it has very little to do with the M+.

 

I am new on Maschine environment, sadly I discover it...
It is a nonsense, else Maschine is in fact a kind of "Rompler" on computer... That is a shame compare to the power computers have today. Even the window of Komplete Kontrol that can't be resized... WTF !

 

"only 2" dealbreakers for me (but big ones)

1) The possibility to edit automations!
Not necessarily "automation curves" (given the Maschine+ small and non-touch screens)
but at least "step by step" (so that we can also create automations from scratch)

2) where you set your program change messages, guys? (essential for those who work with external devices)
for each Pattern, the possibility of simply entering a number from 0 to 127 for the three following midi messages:
Program Change, CC#0, CC#32 (PC / MSB / LSB)
in order to associate a pattern with a specific "program" of a synth, a drum machine etc.
(and retrieve these settings when loading a project)

but this could be easily fixed by "1)" (automations editing) I guess...


a step-by-step entry with an external midi keyboard could be really useful too..
-hold a pad
-play a chord (or a note)
-it is recorded on that pad(step)

also
where is the "legato" function?
to automatically adapt the length of the selected notes and perfectly link the notes between them.
(and thus avoid overlaps or on the contrary small gaps between the notes, triggering the "glide" function of certain synths etc.)
do you have a workaround for that?