Native Instruments has released Maschine 3.4, a free update that introduces an updated modulation and automation editor and more.
Here’s what’s new in Maschine 3.4:
- Modernized Modulation Editor – The editor has been rebuilt on a new technical foundation for a smoother, high-DPI visual experience.
- New Linear Point Workflow – Maschine now creates smooth, linear transitions between any two modulation points, allowing you to create predictable ramps and sweeps with ease.
- Curve Editing – You can now create smooth, curved slopes by simply holding Alt (Option on macOS) + dragging any line segment. This is perfect for filter sweeps, synth swells, and dynamic, expressive modulation.
- Optimized Hardware Automation Recording – Your hardware performances are now captured as clean, optimized linear points. This means no more cluttered lanes with micro-steps, just the smooth performance you played, ready to be edited.
- Improved Editing Tools:
- Pencil Tool: Freely draw complex modulation shapes. Turn on the grid to draw quantized, stepped automation, just like the classic workflow.
- Advanced Selection: Use the Marquee Tool to select groups of points at once , or use Shift-Click to select multiple individual points, even if they aren’t next to each other.
- Smarter Workflow & Visuals:
- Modulation in the Arranger: You can see a preview of your modulation directly on clips in the Arranger view, letting you see modulation in context.
- New Visuals: The editor has a refreshed design, a new background grid, and helpful tooltips that show you the precise value of a point when you hover over it.
- New Zoom Shortcut: Use Cmd + Scroll (macOS) or Ctrl + Scroll (Windows) for quick horizontal zooming in the editor.
- Play Series & Effects for Maschine+ – This update also brings massive new power to standalone. A selection of Play Series instruments (like Empire Breaks, 24K Keys) and studio effects (like Solid Bus Comp, Replika) are now compatible with Maschine+.
See the Native Instruments site for details.
Again another update without support for aftertouch.
Still we can’t automate Lock States transitions
Genuine question.
Why would you choose a NI Maschine over a MPC?
Is it a workflow thing? Or are the majority of owners already invested in the NI ecosystem?
Workflow. If you have the hardware, easily one of the best workflow when it comes to making beats , add to that the whole NI eco and how great it works with the hardware.
Both.
NI tends to have better 3rd party libraries, ability to search through them, and better drums out of the box. Automation and workflow/arranging is faster imo. as well.
I came from the 2000xl era, and used MPCs through the 2500 (best one in my opinion) with JJOS… then moved to the MV8800s, and finally Maschine and Octatrack. I bought an MPCx when they were first released, and ended up returning it because it was buggy (my guess is they fixed all those issues by now).
Maschine just seems faster and more logically laid out to me. Might be the way my brain works… I know tons of people who think the new MPCs are better. I like the Drag and drop to WAV or MIDI, the built-in effects, the easy step sequencing and note nudging, and sampling/resampling.
Both workflow and eco system. It’s very easy to do things in the Software or in the Hardware and I have literal terabytes of samples, synths, data from Komplete Ultimate Collectors edition and it’s just so well integrated. I use Maschine as a quick sketch pad and if I want to start building a song I just load it up into Live and get even more power.
Typical NI to force their users to upgrade their hardware to use their latest software 🙁
I’m still rocking Kontrol S49 MK1 and Machine Micro MK2 and both Kontrol 3 and Machine 3 are NOT compatible with my hardware..Why?
It’s not like NI re-Written they’re software from scratch…
NI just removed older hardware compatibility to force users to buy new hardware instead.
It’s not showing up in my Native Access.