The New Maschine Studio: NI just BODIED the Renaissance.....

daftmunk wrote:the problem is nukai aren't innovators.. they've just been rehashing roger linn's 1988 design over & over again, doing the minimum to keep up with technology, cutting corners and introducing bugs/latency in a once rock solid platform.. roger recently commented on nukai as rearranging deck chairs on the titanic.. a prophecy that might hold true if akai don't react in a significant way.. not holding my breath..

Linn really has no room to talk in this regard, especially considering he almost made a Beat Thang of his own.
Go thing he bailed on that before it was too late.

Heavie wrote:Being a mpc head who owned a 2k, 4k, 5k and the ren.

The mpc is going to continue to hold it's own, like low bit-rate punchy sample kits. Many love the legacy hiphop beatmaking feel.

Then you should understand the company has been running a sh*tty course since Akai Japan folded.
Akai Pro has been making chaotic moves from day one.
Releasing products with obvious issues starting with the 1k through the 5000.
They tried to say the Ren was a new aspect with new customer priorities but from announcement to streets was far too long and it arrived incomplete.

They just don't seem to have a firm grasp on the aspect of regaining customer trust and support.

Look at all that nonsense they originally promoted about the hip hop guys helping them with the testing.
Hip hop guys who haven't been relevant since the 3k was an active product.
No disrespect to those guys but that shows exactly what their goal was and where their priorities lie.

They have got to focus and make the Ren what it should be........the next evolution of the MPC, before it's too late.

daftmunk wrote:the problem is nukai aren't innovators.. they've just been rehashing roger linn's 1988 design over & over again

Wow, when you put it like that, it kind of makes one think.

Undertow wrote:

Mr Varsity wrote:

Thanks.

As a Hebrew speaker I will say this is pretty sweet joint. Kilombo is a DJ source in Israel. According to their site (http://www.kilombo.co.il/) the Hebrew video of the Machine Studio is the first video to be put on the market.

Here is a description I translated from the video

One button will take them to the mixer view spectacular new extra button will show the construction of the section ( window arrangement ) Nablus new zoom options and high resolution easily replace the computer screen.

You can also scan the collection of samples mighty amazing ease , get all the tools quickly , accurately choose any preset or sampling by a general search or cutting by categories , view and modify any parameter software or tools .

Thanks to the high resolution LCD screens and size , you can make real use editing today directly from the device.


MK2 version of Maschine three buttons replaced the power swing and tempo single encoder that performs more operations.

Maschine Studio refines this concept and brings wheel cruise (jogs) the new parameters to control, from ergonomic right place, and contributing to the overall workflow of the new device.

Jogs enables new parameter changes the Volume, Swing, Tune, Channel and in addition controls the mode EDIT, allows switching between channels and of course a possibility Browse quick tour among the thousands of samples, presets, instruments, and effects that come with Maschine Studio and of course the ones you added yourself.

The new software version displays a variety of improvements and changes, from the completely new sound engine, user interface last major upgrade, can use the infinity. Groups with direct access to 64 of them hardware (by dividing banks), endless possibility Threads effects (not only four as in the previous version), synthesizer game changer - DrumSynth operation Physical - modeling and provides a sound drums from T - and R - Jeff and flexible, browser improved capabilities arrangement improved, and in fact - all that was good in the previous version - has become better further.

Samples and tools:

With this software version, was also increased bank samples Machine comes with more than 8Gb (Of course you can also load your own samples or add ons).
Plus package contains:

MASSIVE - Virtual synthesizer fine comes with smaller versions of the Machine is also attached here.

Plug guitars from Komplete 9 named Scarbee adds another shade also tremendous capabilities of this software. Prism - an excellent synth synth-based Reaktor and another whose name I will post later.

Price and Estimated Time of Arrival:

Like any device that comes to Israel for the first time, we can only estimate the final price - about NIS 4300 ($1303.82 US Dollars).

In principle it should go to stores worldwide in early November, 2013, and as usual, you will find it here near the date of his departure.

ntalec wrote:Look at all that nonsense they originally promoted about the hip hop guys helping them with the testing.
Hip hop guys who haven't been relevant since the 3k was an active product.

Was funny to see Aarab in the ads and promo vids, looking uncomfortable as hell on the Renaissance, his beats sounding wack, Akai trying to milk his current fame to give their product some street cred, then seeing him sell his complimentary Renaissance on eBay.

Dude obviously never really wanted to be a part of it.

All those promo vids with the hip hop legends obviously worked on some people though, as they keep citing them as proof of how good the Akai products are.

Upright wrote:

daftmunk wrote:the problem is nukai aren't innovators.. they've just been rehashing roger linn's 1988 design over & over again

Wow, when you put it like that, it kind of makes one think.

For real, the MPC Software and controllers really are nothing more than standard/basic hardware MPC functionality (and a lot of that functionality missing or not right), with VST effect plugins instead of Akai effects, and with the addition of VST instruments/tracks to the MPC drum sampling engine.

There is nothing really new, special, or revolutionary about MPC Software and controllers, in terms of functionality, that I can see.

I never quite understood those mpc minute vids either. Some of them were pretty bad... marly marl, babyface... those stick out in my mind. Did more harm than good imo.

I'm gonna give it one more update (1.6) before I'm convinced that Akai aren't going in a good direction with this product. I swear by a 5000, but I see a similar pattern starting here. The 1.5 update was meh imo, and with their competition dropping things like this... never a good thing. And it doesn't matter how good the product is... NI's marketing is light years ahead, and their release management seems light years ahead. Granted I'm sure they make a LOT more $$$ than Akai, so I'm sympathetic to that fact - they can make moves like this.

And although I can appreciate the frequent updates of the MPC software, I work in software, and on the other hand, frequent updates can also be a reflection of the maturity and stability of the product (or lack thereof).

Global mixer and at least 32 virtual outputs in 1.6, or I'm convinced this is just made for people making beats like you hear in those mpc minute videos. And for the record, marly marl is legend, but that mpc minute video made him look... not so much.

SimonInAustralia wrote:There is nothing really new, special, or revolutionary about MPC Software and controllers, in terms of functionality, that I can see.

I agree. I think this is mostly due to the fact that Akai is traditionally a hardware company, and now they're trying to evolve into a software company.

It's difficult to be a company that thinks hardware first (legacy MPCs), and then try to become a company that thinks software first (Ren/Studio).

It just seems to me that Akai is caught in an identity crisis. They clearly want (and probably need) to be a company that thinks software first. But they are competing against companies that have a 5 year (even more) head start.

It's not only a different mentality and business strategy, you have to be unfricking-believably innovative to compete. Akai's not there (and I'll say "yet"). There's not many companies that have succeeded with this type of shift. IBM tried, HP tried, Roland is still trying... countless others (IBM started succeeding when they just started buying the software companies... lol).

Gotta settle into this new identity. But hopefully for them it's not too late.

Eyalc wrote:
I agree. I think this is mostly due to the fact that Akai is traditionally a hardware company, and now they're trying to evolve into a software company.

It's difficult to be a company that thinks hardware first (legacy MPCs), and then try to become a company that thinks software first (Ren/Studio).

And that said, all good things must eventually come to an end. The Akai Mpc has had a nice long run and a loyal following.

Upright wrote:

Eyalc wrote:
I agree. I think this is mostly due to the fact that Akai is traditionally a hardware company, and now they're trying to evolve into a software company.

It's difficult to be a company that thinks hardware first (legacy MPCs), and then try to become a company that thinks software first (Ren/Studio).

And that said, all good things must eventually come to an end. The Akai Mpc has had a nice long run and a loyal following.

Yea it's time to move on. If I want old Akai I will buy old Akai. Nukai is a different company now. The best thing to do is move on and make music with what you have.

MASCHINE Studio 2.0

• Completely re-built software (new audio-engine, multi core support) with the same established basic workflow
• New GUI
• Mixer (with collapsible sections: I/O, plug-ins, sends)
• Plug-in Strip
• Unlimited Groups
• Unlimited Effect slots
• New visual, tag-based Browser
• 5 Drumsynths (Kick, Snare, HiHat, Tom, Percussion)
• Side-chaining
• Improved step sequencer
• Gate function for Note Repeat
• Cue bus
• Multiple Sound selection and editing
• Multiple Group selection and editing
• Improved MIDI handling and parameter mapping
• Macros on all Sounds, Groups and Master
• New Pad Link concept
• Overlapping slices & zero-crossing detection
• Improved sample mapping
• Improved routing
• MIDI file import
• Feedback mode for Compressor effect
• New Plate Reverb effect
• Auto-follow mode for Patterns and Scenes
• Timeline-based Arranger
• Customizable Metronome
• Improved looping functionality
• MASCHINE STUDIO support
• Advanced Undo
• MIDI Program Change for VST/AU plug-in presets
• Record Prepare mode
• Pad view
• Expanded factory library (+2GB)
• full versions of MASSIVE, PRISM, SCARBEE MARK I, and the SOLID BUS COMP

I hear that NI is making an audio interface for the Maschine.

Can someone confirm.

so wait, is this just another controller or can you use it independent of a computer?

The push was directed at maschine when released.

That not accurate. The PUSH was directed towards Live! users that liked the Launchpad /Monome workflow.