Description
The Maschine Groove Production Studio from Native Instruments combines the flexibility of computer-based music production with the ease of a groove box into one powerful creative tool. Utilizing on-board samples or your own audio files, Maschine's symbiosis of hardware and software not only ensures a fast and fun work-flow, but lets you easily turn your ideas into professional productions. Maschine comes loaded with over 5GB of production-ready sounds and patterns. Everything from fat drum kits to state-of-the-art synthesizer sounds and pristine acoustic instruments have been sampled, sliced, and tagged for your convenience. It also features studio-quality effects ranging from dynamics processors to beat-mashers and even mastering tools—all tweakable in real time via the hardware controller.
The pattern-oriented concept of Maschine frees you from the limits of linear arrangement. Build song scenes by layering patterns, and re-arrange the scenes on the fly. It offers external sampling through your computer's audio interface as well as internal re-sampling, precise editing, and slicing, auto-mapping, effects, and an ultra-convenient browser—all perfectly attuned to the hardware controller.
The MASCHINE hardware is both instrument and controller in one. 16 illuminated, velocity-sensitive pads form an interface to intuitively make beats, tweak sounds, create patterns, and sequence whole songs with the powerful Maschine software. Two large, high-resolution displays with eight corresponding rotary encoders, buttons, and transport controls integrate perfectly with the Maschine software.
Maschine unifies and vastly improves on familiar groove production work-flows. Using the its hardware controller you can jam out ideas in a pattern-oriented environment and use them as the building blocks to create your track within Maschine. New samples, loops, effects or arrangements can be added, edited, and tweaked in the same intuitive way, utilizing the ultra-convenient hardware interface.
Feature Details:
Controller
Maschine intuitively channels your creative impulses into total interaction with the software. The controller offers a very high fun factor with mouse-free operation of the Maschine software at every level, from initial spontaneous jams to complete arrangement of your finished tracks.
Browser
A sophisticated and easy–to-use tag-based browser gives you instant access to any sound, loop and instrument. You can browse for projects, scenes, patterns, kits, single samples and effects; search by key words or attributes using the search field in the software; use the controller knobs to filter search results; keep track of your samples with the convenient tagging function of the browser and cycle through similar sounds while patterns continue playing.
Effects
Maschine's built-in effects section contains a powerful arsenal of studio-quality effects to shape and supercharge your sound, including dynamic effects, modulation, distortion, delays, reverbs, filters and EQs. There are flexible routing possibilities: two effects units each for every sound, group and the master slot; you can create multi-effect chains by combining effects into their own groups; record automation of all effect settings via hardware or software on the fly; and assign effects via drag-and-drop from the browser or using the hardware controller.
Full-Featured MIDI Controller
The Machine Controller can not only be used with the Maschine software - it is also a powerful universal hardware controller for use with any MIDI-compatible hardware or software. You can easily assign any button, pad and knob to a MIDI function – from software to hardware synths, samplers, sequencers and effects; switch control from Maschine to other gear instantly with a dedicated hardware button. In fact pre-produced templates for many Native Instruments and third-party instruments are included in the box; alternatively you ca easily create your own custom Maschine Controller settings using the included MIDI mapping software.
Sampler
Maschine is based on a high-performance sampler engine, allowing audio recording of internal or external sources and precise sample playback with maximum audio quality. It features extensive voice, velocity and pitch settings as well as diverse envelope and modulation pages. You can record all internal audio paths or external audio through your soundcard - all without stopping your audio: sample an external audio source or rearrange/remix the loops you created in Maschine; resample in a pre-selected length (e.g. 4 bars); slice loops by transient detection or a preselected grid; and auto-map the slices to the controller pads and re-arrange on the fly without stopping audio.
Sequencer
Maschine lets you easily create rhythms, bass lines, chords and melodies, and arrange them into complete tracks on the fly. The sequencer is pattern-based with 64 patterns per group and eight groups can be arranged in the scene arranger.
Studio Integration
In contrast to conventional groove boxes, Maschine provides seamless integration as a plug-in to your host sequencer. Produce the whole song in Maschine or move it to another sequencer for further processing and arranging. Maschine offers the same incredible feature set both as a standalone application and as a plug-in within any DAW or sequencer that supports VST, AU or RTAS. As a plug-in, Maschine retains all of its capabilities including total recall and routing up to eight stereo outs to your host's mixer.
System Requirements
Windows®: XP (SP2, 32-bit)/Vista (SP1, 32-bit, 64-bit), Pentium® or Athlon XP 2 GHz, 2 GB RAM
Mac OS®: X 10.4, Intel® Core™ Duo 2 GHz, 2 GB RAM
USB 2.0 Port, DVD drive, 5 GB free disk space for full installation
Supported Interfaces: Runs as a standalone application, or as a VST®, Audio Units™, or RTAS® (under Pro Tools® 7/8) plug-in. ASIO™, Core Audio™, DirectSound, WASAPI™