ilovefuzz.com

Thinking of getting an older version - Push 1 or MK2 Maschine. Both seem to be around the same price - the Maschine being maybe a little less.

I have maschine without the controller and it's pretty sweet. Ableton as well but wondering how much the controller would make a difference.

Oh this is relevant to my my interests

I have not tried push but I had a Maschine and just did not jive with it. The push buttons on it weren't to my liking and it was a bit more complicated than I prefer with drum pads. That being said, if you can get used to it, I've heard people do incredible things with it. I just couldn't. In Ableton Live however, I can do just about anything. Personally I like the work flow of Ableton better.

How much do you want it to dictate your workflow? The Push (and Ableton) are designed to give you a lot of freedom. Maschine seems like its designed to make specific things faster/easier to do, but limits your ability to get weird. But that said, all digital music makers heavily influence your workflow, so you'll have to learn to work around the limitations and pressures of either.

The upgrade from Push 1 to Push 2 was significant enough for me to warrant a purchase so I'd definitely say get a Push 2 if possible.

I've used Push 1, 2, and Maschine MK1, 2, and both sequels are great. Maschine has a different workflow than Ableton - it's a little more immediate and the sample manipulation/cutting is super fast. Ableton can be fast too, once you get used to it - and the program as a whole is more powerful. Using Maschine inside of Ableton is also a decent idea.

Pad-wise I'd say Maschine MK2 and Push 2 are just about level. I really like the clicky pads on Push 2 for restart and play, and the drum pads respond really well to velocity. Push 2's pads are much better than Push 1's.

Muse FTW wrote:The upgrade from Push 1 to Push 2 was significant enough for me to warrant a purchase so I'd definitely say get a Push 2 if possible.

I've used Push 1, 2, and Maschine MK1, 2, and both sequels are great. Maschine has a different workflow than Ableton - it's a little more immediate and the sample manipulation/cutting is super fast. Ableton can be fast too, once you get used to it - and the program as a whole is more powerful. Using Maschine inside of Ableton is also a decent idea.

Pad-wise I'd say Maschine MK2 and Push 2 are just about level. I really like the clicky pads on Push 2 for restart and play, and the drum pads respond really well to velocity. Push 2's pads are much better than Push 1's.

I use Maschine asa VST in Ableton cause I like the sequencer layout of Maschine more, though the clip trigger layout on Ableton makes more sense. I usually make MIDI tracks in Ableton that send the MIDI to various instruments in the Maschine VST.

I mean I guess it depends on much I want to work on it. I was thinking I'd drop the $200 for creative enhancement but if Push 2 is that much better than I may look at it as a larger investment down the line. I like a lot of the Maschine kits too.

Anyone know if the beat repeat ratio - 1/16, 1/32, etc. - can be different for the pads? Like one pad would be 1/16, another 1/32.

I would imagine you could do that but I'm not totally for sure. It seems like they've upgrade the Machine quite a bit if that's what you're talking about. For Ableton, if it doesn't do that, I'd be really surprised. It seems like you can pretty much make pads do anything from what I've seen but I haven't specifically looked at beat ratios because I haven't needed to at this point, I also don't have Push, so not sure if that's a feature. I would think yes but I'm not sure how to find out other than reading the manual or trying it out.

For what it's worth. I looked at the new Maschine and if it's as good as it looks, it's WAY better than when I had it. I had a version 1 or 2. LOL. So a long time ago. I never gave it another shot however because IMO it was terrible. If they fixed button sensitivity and other things like it looks like they have, might be a viable option now. You can always use it with Ableton unless it's restricted on proprietary software (hah, I fucking hate these companies...serious...like why).

If I were you, I'd go into GC and ask the Pro Audio guys. Chances are, one of those guys knows and if they don't, you can buy it and return it if it doesn't work for you. They take stuff back with almost no questions asked, even midi controllers/pads. I know, I've returned them. hah. But for real, I'd ask them. I found a super knowledgeable dude there and that's how I got started with Ableton. He hooked up the knowledge with several 30-40 minute convos.

I very much disliked Maschine... granted I had an earlier version (1 or 2, can't remember) but felt it clunkily integrated with Logic. I'd be much more inclined to go with the Push, as it's directly designed for a DAW, vs just as a VST.

I agree. I have the Akai MPK 47 and the pads are amazing on it. The standalone is the same pads. You can increase sensitivity, assign pads for s different sounds to have better work flow, you can fade in and out easier by manipulating how you touch the pads. Imo it’s just a better experience overall. Plus it’s like a hundred bucks new and I bet you can find a used one. The pads I mean, not the full controller.

Bump