Pretty great way to start spring break ~~arranging schmaltzy acid-type house~~ Been a while since I’ve used the APC40. Thanks Jackson for leaving the keyboard with me. ~
The nanoKontrol is mapped to Yehezkel’s amazing melodic step sequencer. Check that out right here.
laurencefishburn asked: Hey there, I was looking through your blog and noticed that you have a maschine mikro. I'm looking into getting one, and I just wanted to see if you think it accomplishes everything you really need it to. I'm just not sure I want/need to spend the amount of a maschine/mpc or the mikro, where I might experience some drawbacks. Anyway, peace.
a whoooole lot of factors should be considered before I could recommend the Mikro with great confidence. First - What kind of music do you produce, and do you perform, or do you intend to perform? I do not use the pads to play in phrases the way I imagine many hip-hop oriented producers would. Since I’m geared more towards techno, I find that playing in parts is only useful for live. One of the reasons I really wanted the Maschine Mikro initially was the step sequencer function, which is absolutely phenomenal for putting together techno loops on the fly - which is why I ask if you intend to perform. I think it is great for live improvisation using the step sequencer.
Anyway, with that said, I do not want to discourage you from getting the Mikro if you do not produce, but I think that if you intend to only produce with it, you are better off with the full sized Maschine rather than the Mikro, which lacks knobs that make production easier. BUT, you get the same software, samples, and Komplete Elements with either. SO - if you are looking to START producing, from point zero, Maschine is a great place to start. Also, I dont even use the hardware if I am not performing, but I use the Maschine software in every single one of the tracks I am currently working on. It’s a phenomenal piece of software.
However, I don’t think Maschine software can stand alone fully. it needs a DAW to complete the tracks. I use Ableton. this raises two issues: Live 9 and Push are coming out probably within 4 months. Push is going to have a step sequencer and is likely going to integrate a very large portion of Maschine’s functionality. it might be better to save and invest in Ableton Push. Also, Maschine’s pads experience very irritating latency in Ableton 8 because of the way Ableton deals with MIDI input. It tries to compensate for latency, but there is some weird interaction with Maschine that creates latency. I guess this is usually the case with the computer’s integrated sound card. When I am using my Komplete Audio 6 and have Ableton’s audio set to its ASIO drivers, the latency is removed. I am not sure if this is the case with all soundcards using ASIO, of if it is specifically because it is a Native instruments soudncard.
How wonderful it is to finally have this beautiful, beautiful interface! I have been in need of a functional interface with actually usable outputs for a while now, an I finally feel like I am actually performance-worthy with an interface that allows monitoring. And it arrived today, the day I went to ship off the derpy Lexicon Lambda I have sold after having for such a while now. Goddamn the Audio Komplete 6 is so beautiful.
WAIT WHAT THE FUCK? MASCHINE Mk II HAS BEEN REVEALED?
I did not see that coming at all… but are you serious? The new version of Maschine is going to come with Massive… at no extra cost? seriously? That makes me a little bit grumpy, but at least I can console myself with the knowledge that maybe I could purchase an unwanted piece of full sized maschine hardware for cheap when Mk II actually drops on september 21st. would be a nice upgrade from the mikro.
more info is here, on the NI form, taken from guitar center page for the Mk II
arranging a track earlier today using the APC 40, and using Maschine to add more life to the drum track. For the tracks currently in the works, I have been lovingly crafting intricate drum racks, but have often found there to be a lack of motion or diversity in the percussion once the track has been arranged. I’ve been using Maschine to patch more “life” into the drum track after arrangement. I like working in stages and layers like that. It gives everything a chance to settle in the track and in my head so that I can really feel where what is and if it sits well, and lets me find where it does and doesn’t.
Last night I acquired NI’s Dark Pressure. Like I mentioned in a previous post about my Maschine Mikro, I think it is primarily going to be used as a tool for live performance. And I have to say, it is absolutely incredible for that. Dark Pressure is pretty much instant tech-house.
in other words, exactly what I was looking for and exactly what my Maschine needed before I add it to my currently in-the-works live set in Ableton for my very first show on May 4th!
I honestly think this is one the best controllers that has ever been produced. It might not be as flashy or stylish as the other Ableton controllers like the CNTRL:R or Ohm64/RGB, and lacks the extra three rows of the launchpad’s 8x8 grid, but it’s incredibly well integrated with Ableton. and LED rings?! You can’t even say no to that! Only thing I would change is make the pads “click,” like the buttons on the Kontrol X1 do. I find the APC’s buttons are a bit… shaky.
What I like about the APC40 is that I can put together a track on the fly and be able to tweak exactly what I need, when I need it. I dont like putting together tracks in the arrangement view, I like to play them and put them together based on feelings. the APC40 lets me do that.
Every time I use it, it begins to make just a little bit more sense. I am beginning to really love the Maschine Mikro, even though it took a little bit to get acclimated to the different workflow and layout of scenes and patterns/clips. I really got the Mikro for the step sequencer, which makes it absolutely phenomenal for live-time improvisation, but not that useful for production. I think I’m going to be using this for live sets, but last night I was experimenting with sketching out a track with Maschine as a plugin in Ableton.
So far I haven’t used Maschine in any tracks, but it might come in hand when working on tech-house oriented tracks. By the way, I am currently working on another deep/tech house EP. Updates soon!
