
By Blue Haze
Sun Apr 25, 2010 4:21 am
mjames4208 wrote:Blue Haze wrote:Groovebox workflow and Workstation workflow.
Two different concepts and two different equipment use in dance music production.
A groovebox is a drum sequencer with a sampler/synth build in. It is more like a ESX electribe, Roland 505 and Yamaha RS7000 made to build patterns and sequences with drums and loops. Most come with loop slicing build in for sync loops with the pattern and they all have pre programming loops installed to get producers going. It is common to connect the groovebox with a another synth, sampler, or drum machine to run in tandem in a studio or live event. But they are not meant to be the center of the studio but pieces of a unit hence the one midi in and one midi Using loops and grooves from records, tape, and what have you grooveboxs can automate the timeslicing to get the patterns to work together.
Classic setups is a groovebox with a synth as the samples are mainly loops can be that can be sliced up automaticallly in the groovebox itself.
A workstation is a midi control station along with audio should as a DAW, keyboard workstation, or tabletop workstation. A workstation includes a sequncer, multitracker, mixer, virtual instruments of synths, samplers, arranger, and the ability to send midi tracks to multiple midi output ports which in turn can control numerous external instruments connected to the midi outs separately. A workstation has many levels of editing, automation,effects, routing and arranging of midi data to send to multiple programs assign to channel send to an particular synth, sampler, or sound module connected to a particular port like midi port A on a 4 port multiple midi out. And routing of audio tracks and busses. MOST important is the fact a workstation allows a user to get the track within the sequencer to a particular port whether it is external midi out port or virtual internal midi out port. These is important for layers patches or programs of various keyboards and sound modules from one midi track.
Why is all this elementary midi 101 important is to differate the two types of equipment at hand and clarify the two. A groovebox is fun, easy to use and meant for a simple job drum pattern creation along with slicing of loops and grooves with added synths sounds a cornerstone for djs and dance producers in the studio with a Main Arranger/Multitracker DAW or harddisk recorder to record the tracks or used live.
A Workstation is meant for studio use to be all in one unit for production composing, tracking, mixing, arranging, and the central midi controller with sync and timing for all other gear in a hardware studio. Or these days a software synths, sampler, and percussion instruments too. Mainly build for studio productions hence the size and weigh of the units. The studio workstations tend to huge, heavy and expensive so not many cats take the expanded editions out on a live set all the time. A small lite version is the usual case.
The maschine is more of a groovebox like the ESX as I say before at the begining of the thread.
The 4k is more of a midi workstation without the audio components of the 25k or the 5k but it can still bounce tracks.
They are meant for two different enviroments and purposes.
The 4k is a midi control Center to be the centerpiece of a studio especially a hardware studio since the day is was invented.
The Maschine is a groovebox not a workstation it is meant to be part of a studio not the centerpiece controlling the studio which is why it was build to work within a Workstation aka DAW not be the Workstation.
It is silly to buy something and assume it is going to work a certain way or cry out for a upgrade for which it wasn`t designed for. You have work with what you have.
I like grooveboxes they are cool, but a workstation they are not. Logic is my workstation along with my 4k whenever I decide to use it again.
why can't the Maschine be both? i don't think that making it capable of recognizing a MIDI Interface's MIDI Ports would make it less of a Groovebox or make it overly complicated...... but, i do understand your point.
we all want/need different things....
in my case, i'm ready to retire my MPC... all i use it for is sequencing anyway(I HATE sequencing inside of DAWS). i feel that the Maschine has SO MUCH potential to be a great sequencer without taking away from what it does well all ready... anyway... just my 0.02.
If you have Live then you may remember it took up to version 4 or 5 I think to add midi control allowing midi control of external instruments and third party plugins. Live in the first incarntion was a looper essentially. But eventually it has become a full fledge DAW capability of many things. But it took some time. Between that time it was able to work through rewire with other DAWs. It is what is was a great audio looper with excellent timestretching with the added capabilites of a DAW. DAWs is what we have to use if we don`t have access to a decent hardware studio. But I hope to that it will get there one place. And from NI history it would be there first foray into making any kind of DAW. Excellent plugin makers and virtual instruments is their forte.


