#Native instruments maschine studio mk2 how to#
#Native instruments maschine studio mk2 portable#

While the right-hand screen takes you deeper and deeper into your workflow, the left-hand screen tags along one step behind, always making sure you’ve got a look at the bigger picture. This is most noticeable when working with the arrange panes. NI has set up the dual screens to constantly work in tandem. In use, it’s a lot more friendly then it might appear. If you run into anyone giving you a Maschine Studio demo, at some point in the spiel, they’ll close the lid on their laptop and keep playing along like it’s a no-look pass.

While not quite Retina-level resolution, it’s like staring at a pair of smartphone screens.Īnd this is where Native Instruments is hanging its hat these two little screens are supposed to supplant your computer’s. Those connections would be killer additions in a live setting - say, playing guitar and starting and stopping backing tracks with my foot - which is not what the Studio was designed for.īack to the surface, and the first thing you notice - also the fundamental difference between the older units and Studio - are the upgraded screens. Which makes me wish my MkII had more than just the 1-in/1-out MIDI interface. On the back you also get three MIDI outputs and one MIDI input as well as two footswitch connections. When you put it in a sentence like that, it doesn’t sound revolutionary, but controllers are all about workflow, and the Studio amps-up tactile interaction with Maschine more than you can tell by looking at pictures of knobs. What do you get with that additional real estate? 19 extra buttons, a jog wheel, level meter and master control section, and two high-resolution full-colour displays. You could definitely schlep it around, but not being able to shove it in a laptop bag makes it feel like it’s meant to stay put.

#Native instruments maschine studio mk2 portable#

It’s not as portable as my Maschine MkII, coming in at an extra 60% in total size, and an extra 50% heavier. It’s funny though, because while I’ve been focusing on the live side of Maschine, I’ve also had the pleasure of playing around with the new Maschine Studio controller - which, as the name says, is leaning in the opposite direction.

#Native instruments maschine studio mk2 how to#

But recently I’ve been trying to work out how to integrate it into my band’s live show: a combination of Maschine, Ableton Live and a full band. I’ve had a Maschine MkII for a few years now, mostly using it to produce tracks and complement my Logic workflow. I was hooked it was a ‘next step’ moment for me.

The buffering, the sounds, the ability to adjust entire sections without ever slowing down or having to stare at a screen seemed liberating for someone who’d always played traditional instruments.

I was at a music conference watching an artist build songs completely on-the-fly, pure improvisation but with any sound at his fingertips. The whole reason I got into Native Instruments’ Maschine was because of performance.