Native Instruments' Maschine 3.0 software arrived late last year and was met with a somewhat mixed response from many users (us included).
Although v3.0 added features including stem separation, new MIDI edit tools, custom tempos per scene and audio bounce in place, many considered it a fairly lightweight update, particularly given the 11 year wait for a full version upgrade from Maschine 2.
Combined with a lack of new Maschine hardware and controversy over the discontinuation of some older units, NI has some work to do keep the Maschine community onside.
To that end, the company is now back with another update – Maschine 3.1 – which is free for existing version 3 users and offers a much-requested user chords feature. This allows users to save banks of chord progressions for use across projects or to share with others.
3.1 also notably adds a new fullscreen mode in the standalone app version – something that has, incredibly, not been included until now.
The release is likely to please some users more than others though. While the new update will be coming shortly to PC and Mac, users of the standalone Maschine+ will have to wait a little longer.
NI is promising that Maschine+ will receive the 3.1 update later this year, but bearing in mind that users are still waiting for version 3.0 to arrive, this might sound like a slightly hollow promise.
The 3.1 update does, however, add Ableton Live integration for Maschine+ when used in controller mode.
Quiet obsolescence
The recent history of Maschine has been something of a mixed bag for users.
Back in October NI ditched support and compatibility for its latest Maschine software with the Mk1 and Mk2 Maschine controllers (having previously quietly ditched Komplete Kontrol compatibility for its Mk1 keyboards). While this isn't an uncommon practice for hardware brands, it does leave users of older controllers unable to upgrade to the latest version of the software.
More jarring is the lack of significant updates for the standalone Maschine+, which is now a version behind the desktop software, and has had little in the way of new functionality since it arrived in 2020.
What's more, given the constraints of the Maschine+ hardware, it's unclear whether Maschine 3's headline feature – stem separation – will be available on the hardware at all. In recent updates, NI has indicated that, at least initially, Maschine+ will be able to play but not generate stems when the v3 update arrives.
It’s understandably something that owners of the pricey Maschine+ (£1019) aren’t happy with, particularly since it follows soon after the news that Maschine+ wouldn’t be getting access to the software version’s Play Series instruments and Expansions sound packs. This despite the fact that the company's hardware rival, the similarly standalone Akai MPC, would.
The move seemingly tipped Maschine+ users over the edge, claiming that NI were fracturing and planning to abandon their beat-based DAW altogether, an uproar which prompted a rapid backtrack by NI.
However, with this update NI is promising full 3.1 and reinforced Play Series compatibility with Maschine+ for later this year.
As to how long the existing Maschine+ can keep up, and when a yet-to-be-announced update to the Maschine+ hardware may surface, remains to be seen.
Read full details of the Maschine 3.1 update at Native Instruments' website.
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