Meet Maschine+, Native Instruments’ latest and most advanced iteration of their renowned series of production workstations. Maschine+ takes the Maschine format to new territories, featuring a standalone design that delivers Maschine’s familiar soundscaping and composition tools and a whole lot more — with no computer required!
DAW-less electronic music production is having a moment right now; some artists are ditching the computer in favor of standalone hardware. Why go DAW-less? Well, proponents will argue that it engages your creativity in a way unique from working in the box by being more immediate, visceral, and unpredictable. Electronic producers at Sweetwater enjoy both in-the-box and standalone production, and Maschine+ lets you enjoy both methods. However, its standalone design isn’t all that makes Maschine+ so impressive. So, let’s take a peek under the hood of this inspiring new instrument from Native Instruments!
Liberated from the Box
Whether you’re in the studio or onstage, Maschine+ is a total production and performance system. Like legacy Maschine instruments, Maschine+ gives you complete freedom to shape sounds and compose tracks, and it features a deep set of synths, effects, and samples. Seasoned Maschine users at Sweetwater were pleased to find the familiar and intuitive workflow that has made Maschine one of the most popular production systems on the planet. Untethered from the digital audio workstation, Maschine+ allows artists to create anywhere and derive inspiration from Maschine+’s tactile interface. If you’ve never used a standalone production system, then you’ll be surprised by how invigorating it can be to work outside of a computer!
The Most Powerful Maschine Yet
On top of its standalone design, Maschine+ is the heavyweight titleholder of the Maschine family, powered by a quad core processor and 4GB of dual-channel RAM. That means you’ll never have to sacrifice creativity for processing power — go ahead and drench your tracks with buckets of effects! For storing content onboard, Maschine+ arrives at your door with a 64GB SD card. And, with a coming firmware update, Maschine+ will support a terabyte or more of stored content via an external USB hard drive!
Durable, Gig-ready Build
Maschine+ was designed to withstand the rigors of the road, featuring top and bottom plates, touch-sensitive display knobs, and a 4D encoder all made from attractive and tough anodized aluminum. Maschine+’s high-resolution display is crisp and clear even in dim clubbing settings, and it offers easy access to Maschine+’s expansive functionality. And, as good as Maschine+ looks, it feels even better! Sixteen ultra-responsive pads invite expressive finger drumming and nuanced articulations for velocity-sensitive keys, strings, and synths. Additionally, a Smart Strip ribbon controller provides a fun way to control modulations, bend notes, and amp up effects during a performance.
Wireless Sync and Ableton Link
Even though Maschine+ is standalone, it still keeps you connected via onboard Wi-Fi. So, you can download new sounds, virtual instruments, and effects and even update the system directly from the internet without having to connect to your computer. Like Maschine MK3, Maschine+ is compatible with Ableton Link, making it simple to tie it into your creative ecosystem with other music applications — no MIDI cables necessary!
Conclusion
With Maschine+, Native Instruments has satisfied a longtime request from Maschine users — a standalone production system with everything that makes Maschine great. Whether you’re looking for your first system or itching to upgrade, Maschine+ has everything you need for serious sound design and pulse-pounding performances. Want to learn more? Reach out to your Sales Engineer at (800) 222-4700 to get the details on this much-anticipated release from Native Instruments!
