Native Instruments’ Maschine Studio: The Finest Groove Production System

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For all those producers who are looking to enhance their flow of production you must check out this great tool. There are plenty of new features on the Maschine Studio that let’s you actually keep your heads off the computer screen and literally get your hands into the process of music creation. Instead of small monochrome screens we have seen in the previous edition, this system has 2 large high-resolution OLED screens.

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The left screen gives you an overview of all the patterns and scenes in the timeline. The right screen gives you a detailed view that allows you to zoom into a particular scene and make the edits quite easily. These screens let you choose the UI layout that matches your desired workflow; this is a major upgrade with respect to the previous Maschine controllers. Having the pattern names and colors along with the visual representation of the mixer on the screens allows you to concentrate on the controller and keep away from the computer.

In terms of the quality and design of the Maschine Studio, there have been a few improvements. Collapsible legs have been added on to the bottom of the unit. On the back of Maschine Studio are 3 MIDI outputs and two foot-switch controller inputs in addition to a standard USB connection and a power socket.

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This is the first non-bus powered Maschine. This may be a letdown for those who would have wanted to use it on the go. But we must remind you that this piece of hardware belongs inside your studio.

VU meters and the editing jogwheel are amazing additions, which really improve the workflow. It does a great job at reducing laptop interaction. The jogwheel with a beautiful LED ring indicator makes browsing and editing simpler than the previous Maschine models, and makes it significantly easier to edit volume, tempo and swing for samples and groups.

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All in all this is a huge upgrade. Most definitely one of the best tools for all music producers out there!

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