It's a pleasant surprise finding out that you're actually putting your superpowers to work in the real world! I've always enjoyed the musicality of your reviews. I don't go to live shows anymore but if I knew you were playing, I'd have to see it. You're a musical force.
Your reviews are now pretty much industry-standard and expected for any major synth release. This sort of video gives them additional weight because finishing music is much harder than noodling an example for a review. Even more so if the music ends up being good. And even harder if you are performing live. So kudos! I loved this 🤘🏻
what a coincidence! I was not even a week ago in the same situation with the same choice of grooveboxes and I had exactly the same thoughts as you! It's good to see only a few days later this video as confirmation - especially from someone I appreciate very much.
Love it! Thanks for giving some insight into how you build a live performance. I totally agree we are spoiled for choice, and it always amazes me how each person mixes and matches gear to make their own unique sound and performance. Great content (as always)!
Excellent video. I just ordered a Maschine plus finally. About 3 years late to the party but ive been wanting one for a long time. This video helped reduce my buyer's remorse. 😅
I have a Maschine plus, and I have lightly performed live with it. It works fine although you might run into bugs and CPU issues as said in the video. It works with MIDI like a charm, and I would defiantly recommend it.
I'm new to your channel and new subscriber. I'm still trying to learn how to use my MASCHINE Jam as I purchased som years ago and never learned how to use it. I see these new ones out in production. Very nice. I'm trying to get back to the studio to make some music. Nice video.
You are the VaatiVidya of synth-heads and electronic music. Your information has been so clean and easy to follow you earned a sub before I even bought any of my stuff and because of you and your tutorials I ended up buying a Beatstep pro and Keystep37. Thank you.
in case you wish to make fast changes in multiple tracks at once, I'd recommend APC 40 + ableton. you can midimap the faders to 'wash out' tracks and easily return to full mix by moving multiple faders
Just swapped my MPC live for a Maschine plus so your Video is perfect on time for me. Thx for that. My "brain" ist the Akai force. The Mic pre Amps and the pad Layout pulled the Trigger. Bur Love to have Maschine as an addition for Beat programming.
It's great to see your work in a live setting. Your expertise in selecting equipment based on the limitations of each is the best part of this video for me. The limitations of each piece of equipment is the most important learning curve for me, for the exact same reason. Thank you so much for that! Keep up the great work!
You can workaround the MPC plugin limit by saving your custom preset and auto mating a change to that preset in another sequence within the save plugin instance.
A great accessory to add synths, or even FX, to a Force, MPC or other groovebox is an iPad (or iPhone). Great for overcoming the 8 instrument limit on the MPC/Force. The synths and FX on an iPad are excellent. With a standards compliant audio interface, you get up to 32 channels in/out, plenty for routing sends or synths on separate channels (e.g. if using an external mixer), or the iPad can be the mixer for your setup (using AUM, Loopy Pro, Beatmaker 3, Drambo, etc.). Or just use the iPad as the groove box. The best setup on an iPad right now is arguably Loopy Pro with an Akai APC40 MKII or Novation Launchpad, adding a midi keyboard if desired. Loopy Pro gives a completely customizable mixer/UI setup (with MIDI/audio looping and clip launching), and you can run the entire show from MIDI hardware without touching the iPad screen with sweaty fingers. For people moving "out of the groove box" (attaching things to their hardware groove boxes), an iPad should be considered more often. I mention this primarily because of the goal in the video of doing the music composition and sound design on the go away from the hardware groove box. If the groove box is your iPad, you can do the design using the touch screen, then hook up the MIDI controllers for finishing the composition, practicing, and the live gig. There are so many ways to achieve a musical result. The iPad is far too often overlooked for a variety of uses, simple or complex. Thanks for this different content, Loopop! Very informative. I hope you can do more "full setup" videos like this.
I think that another super power of Maschine is that you can change a scene while it's playing, without having to wait for it to end, for the second one to kick in. This is game changer in a live set (I never owned any of the other sequencers you mentioned so I am not sure if they can do that as well)
Hey bud. I had Tue Maschine Plus but I found I couldn't use it live precisely because I couldn't (or possibly didn't understand how) 'arm' a scene/sequence to end at the end of its natural bar length. The only thing I could do was either mute or stop a sequence, which doesn't lend itself to a smooth workflow. As a result I returned it (also due to the horrible CPU issue). But I'd reconsider if there was a way to start and end scenes/sequences in this way. I also have a Deluge, which has a superb sequencer, and does precisely this, so it's a breeze in live performance
@@JackAcidOn M+, you hit shift & Grid, which takes you to the choices between how you want Scenes and timing changes to happen.... Super easy and powerful feature, and if you add Maschine Jam, you can change Scenes on the Jam while staying on mixer screens and others on the M+ ITself.... Once again, extremely powerful in live use 🤙🌌
Reviewed this once again, very nice walkthrough with some great ideas and insights for using the M+ for live performance 👍🏻 So frustrating to see that NI still didn’t improved some of the mentioned cons, especially where it comes to transferring projects or using wifi for it. Also, they still didn’t fix some of the issues with for instance the audio interface compatibility. Such a great device, but Akai moves so much faster. Hopefully they will keep up with MPC3 already in public beta and Maschine 3 still in the works; with the M+ even not on par with the latest release of the desktop version…
Indeed hopefully NI continues investing in M/M+, however, there are still things Maschine can do that MPC can't - like clip launching and morphs, but the gap is getting narrower and certainly many things MPC can do that Maschine can't
@@loopop absolutely, that’s why I’m seriously considering the Akai Live 2 next to the M+. But first I’ll wait for the Maschine 3 software beta to see what’s in store, and what features COULD make their way into the Maschine+ standalone (but at this point NI really has to regain my trust, so disappointed in their behavior as a company and brand). And with the MPC3 software already in public beta (first on standalone, one of the big Pros of Akai’s approach!), it also seems logical to me that MPC Live MK3 is the first device that could / should be upgraded. Until then, Maschine Plus it is.
Hey. You are one of my last patreons. You may not realize this, but your kindness shows through in your reviews. As to my live sets, I opt to make as many things as independent as possible. I use an octatrack to grab 4 bars for transisitions. The less dependency between devices, the better.
Great video! I use a Maschine+ fed into an Sp404 MK2. I want the flexibility of being able to load the projects individually to play the instruments or drums and then use the SP404 for master effects and to play interlude tracks while I’m loading the next project in Maschine+.
Thanks very much! I actually toyed with that idea at some point (I mean actually put it at the end of the chain) but preferred to keep the setup smaller. It's a great pairing though
Now this is kool. Love performance material... very kool to see some stuff and also getting out there and doing it! Like you said "getting out of the comfort zone" Super cool man! Cheers! 🔥👊🧡👍🔥
This is great! It came at the perfect time. I've also recently been trying to decide on a groovebox for live performance. I'd narrowed it down to the Deluge and the Maschine+. The fact that the Deluge is still receiving such strong support has sold me on it.
The new screen on the Deluge will help a lot for live use, its pretty stressful to find things on the fly on the old one. My solution was to use a performance-specific SD card but that is kind of a pain in the ass.
I have a Deluge and love it's sequencing abilities. I had the Maschine Plus too, but I couldn't figure out how to prepare/arm a sequence to end naturally at the end of its chosen bar length; rather, I had to stop or mute them, which was always too jarring. I returned it because of this and also due to the CPU problem (very, very real unfortunately). But I'd perhaps get another if I knew how to prepare a sequence to stop naturally without hitting STOP/MUTE.
My takeaway from this is if I was going to do a live set I'd just take one force and play an MP3 file and maybe one of my other synths while I was loading up another project. If that went better than my dreams of playing live then I'd get a second force. I think it's great having 25 different sound generators in a studio but live. I think I just want maximum 2units. And look after your ears. Don't go overboard on volume. You can get quite cheap amps that can blast your eardrums these days, but you only get one set of eardrums. They're not replaceable.
I recently started doing sets after about 2 years in Batcave mode. And after my first set I immed cut out 1/2 my Hardware & pared down to one synth , circuit tracks, an old MacBook Air, mini fuse 2, Launchpad Mini, and launch key Mini mk3. And a guitar. I still feel like it's too much but my home studio is just not something I want to bring out, let alone set up and break down on a stage before or after other artists lol. Wish I could be there to see your performance and thanks for the helpful info on maschine!
I think anything can be used for live sets, it all depends on the person's skillset, also people are wired differently, so what works for some might not work for others.
@@loopop Good to see the body and face behind the hands, when people have poked fun at you for just being hands, here you are proving that you are so much more. Congrats, and keep em coming!!!
for us the limitation was the "no program change" in midi patterns, which means we had to use one instance of Massive for each sound we needed, Same for the Minitaur, we had to manually change presets (which is not so easy in a dark club). So we gave up after we realised the CPU was saturated after a few instances of Massive, If there was a program change on the virtual instruments and we could use only 2 instances of the plug in thru the whole set, that would solve the issue. Our set is 20 different tracks, so it was impossible. if the set is 3 to 5 tracks, it should be possible to use it live
@@dvdny definitely, but the point was a "no computer" set. that said, Maschine+ sounds FANTASTIC and we use it a lot in the studio. We didn´t totally give up at bringing in on stage, we might use a Force for all "Ableton live" replacement (midi, synths...) and Maschine+ for drums only
I believe program changes are stored and transmitted in the Maschine Lock States. So if you use those, to flick through your scenes, you can control the program changes appropriately with your external synths or internal VST’s like Massive
@@schmapps1 we were actually in touch with the great people at NI (as we got a sponsor from them), we talked with the product managers and we couldn´t find a solution. The issue was left "we know the issue, wait for a further update"...still waiting.
mate, big fan of the channel, and funny enough, I am doing something similar, having the Maschine+ as the big boss, with Cycles being MIDI controlled by a Minilab 3 (so I can use the faders for Cycles tracks) but running audio into Maschine so I can use FX (especially sidechain and filter). Also have a Cobalt 8x as my main keyboard in the setup. Now it's just the balls to start making some videos (lol). You're an inspiration, bud.
This was great! It was awesome to finally see your face, and also to know your music is being heard live.. All throughout the video I couldn’t stop wondering what would it be like to have the Roland sp404 mk2 as a brain in such live performance setup
Thanks very much! Since I really needed synths I didn't consider it, but I did toy with including the SP404 MK2 here as an end-of-chain processor/fx/transition tool. Might do it at some point!
@@loopop my live rig is just an SP404MK2 (I sample from the synths in my studio and field recordings) and it’s midi sequenced by a digitone which provides all my synth layers. The polyphonic midi channels on the digitone really empower you to make the most of the 404s capabilities!
Thank you for this detailed look into your setup. I got the Plus precisely with this in mind. Doing Scene based songs is an especially useful tip! As always, thank you for the inspiration!
Probably not - I'm a backup freak... for me the ability to just run a project off my laptop in case of a disaster is important, plus there are features in Maschine like synths, macros and the clip grid that I find really useful
Great video, thanks! I`ve been developing a live set and have been considering the same options. Maschine+ kinda seems like a hassle, Akais offerings all seem unstable and buggy and the others just arent powerful enoughfor my use. So a computer with Ableton Live, a few synths and controllers it is I guess…
The M2 Mac Mini due to be released in March + Ableton Push 2 and Babyface Pro FS, would make for an ideal zero latency live setup. Ableton has been rock solid on my M1 Pro MBP - with the exception of only a couple native plugins being too crash prone to use, (sadly, Korg OPSIX and Modwave.). I stick to all native AU plugins , loading tracks full of UH/E, Arturia, Omnisphere synths , Soundtoys, Fabfilter , etc - and the laptop doesn’t even break a sweat. Paired with the Babyface, it’s been a dream.
i am a 3+ years Mk3 user and it stopped working with my laptop, that i’ve bought specifically for live shows, that i play bunch of with artists i produce. i hope the + will be a usable followup, because i really don’t want to switch to akai. the maschine production workflow is unmatched for me
Have you considered the Circuit Tracks instead of the Launchpad? Pros include more knobs (to your point about maximum knobs) and a degree of fallback redundancy if the Maschine crashes. Cons, it's bigger and you'd probably have to put the H90 (or whatever) below it due to the cabling. It's slick how the Launchpad cable cozies in there. Lastly, if you were to swap out the Sirin and micro keys for some integral unit from your arsenal what would you pick?
crap my answer got deleted so I'm re-creating... Tracks would be a good option, I didn't consider it! I needed to have a MIDI keyboard for M+ so I wouldn't consider an integrated unit. I wouldn't swap Sirin because I love the way it sounds and is controlled, but if I had to consider alternatives Synth Pro X, a Volca or Roland S-2 come to mind - I'm sure there are others...
I honestly don’t see the big deal of lugging around a MacBook and an audio interface. That being said, I like that this device is a bit more powerful. I do think that the standalone nature of this device is a bit overstated. If you really like the idea of taking this everywhere and sampling or performing, is it really all that much more encumbering to bring an m1 and an audio interface? At the very most it’s just a minor convenience and I don’t see it being worth double the price.
another advantage of a computer+interface is that you can use plugins on your computer. for me personally I already had the Maschine+, a show (for me at least) is a stressful situation so the less gear the better, which is why I preferred it
MacBook doesn’t provide tactile memory. You need to connect external gear (midi controller) to get tactile interface. M+ provide everything you need for it 🤷♂️
Cool! Thanks for sharing how you arrange all that hardware together for performing in a live set 👍I think the biggest disadvantage of using Launchpad as a "scene-switcher" is that you can't figure out what scene is currently playing by looking at Launchpad's pads, since it doesn't light up the pad of the current scene 🤷🏻♂️
I agree with the other comments. Very satisfying to see you bring it all together for a live show. You'd definitely sell tickets if you came to London.
Great analysis! And so rare. Few people are in your position, with such a range of gear to choose from. Like many others here, I would love to hear your whole set. And hit me up if you ever come to Ireland.
Akai Force has its own version of Lock, called Snapshot. Has had it for some time now. I much prefer Force workflow over Maschine+, and plug-in limit aside - it’s a far better machine IMHO.
True, though it's only one snapshot per scene if I'm not mistaken, so it wouldn't work as per the way it did here for multiple transitions in a scene. That said, Force is awesome and if it wasn't for the 8 plugin limit you might have been seeing it here!
@@loopop - for multiple transitions a Scene, you just copy/paste your Scene and save your new Snapshot - yes, you’d have to switch to the new Scene for the unique Snapshot, but functionally your end result would be the same as Lock on Maschine+. But yeah - that 8 plug-in limit. I’m afraid Force (and MPC) current SoC is showing it’s age.
which midi codes are capable to change scenes seen @8:27 with the launchpad. is it C-2 C#-2 etc? What settings have to be set on maschine+, just midi receive all channels?
For akai instead of giving more than 8 plugins which needs a different harware as in cpu and ram prob. they can solve it by giving us bank and midi change messages inside of the clips so the clips in scenes can switch sounds. Need a bit of planning beforehand for us but i believe it’s a much easier and faster fix.
All the issues you pointed out, the extended reboot time - and yeah, actually just thinking I'm surprised it doesn't have a cloud wifi sync. For what is essentially a $750 difference between this and the MK3, I'm not sure the Maschine+ is worth it at all. I'm glad I went with the Mk3. I'd rather take around a small laptop.
Thank you for this video ! I have got the same set up for life but I choose the aka I mpc Just because on machine plus you can’t change tempo between scenes
Master Level 🎚️ Meter is present for years ( when I started with MK3 in 2019 Master level was there on MK3 and later on M Plus ) but it's nice to see that you build your setup 😉 every channel and Group with Master can be automated .
can you record notes into the step sequencer per step using an external midi keyboard like if you hold a step then play something on your keys? i know you can live record or change the note with the rotator but not a big fan of those styles
What a great insight view how you setup a live set. Watching nearly all of your reviews cause they all are not only excellent tutorials and in depth view but also musically well done. Every device has its own workflow and its a big mystery how you can dive into them like you use them for years. I would be very happy if you could make a video with Synthstrom Deluge replacing the Machine in a live Situation. As you mentioned it has its cons against Machine (for sure) but limitations sometimes open new doors :-)
TOTALLY confused when you hit shift and swapped "banks" at 10:00 - what is that mode? I've never heard or seen it anywhere, and I certainly can't access it by hitting shift in mixer/pad mode.
I have a question about lock states, I get how they work and it's pretty great, but not sure my workflow with them is optimised yet lol Am I right in thinking it's probably best to set up lock states when you've pretty much finished the track? Because, at least the way I've been doing it, you end up changing things or adding plugins, etc, and forgetting to update each lock state individually.... Otherwise I might be mixing drums, etc, adding an effect to one state, and it turns out it's now also on in another state where I didn't want it to be.... So it's a constant game of updating each lock state as I go, which feels a bit hard to keep track of over time, or maybe I'm approaching it all wrong haha that wouldn't surprise me.. Any advise glady accepted :)
I don't think there's a right or wrong way to use them - personally, I use them as an undo to a specific place in the sound design phase, and then as mini scenes in a performance
@@loopop Yeah the idea of using it as a quick undo is something I need to experiment with more, that's a great idea.... I've been using it just to create scenes so far (just need to keep track of changes that might, or might not update to those scenes idk I feel like I'm doing something wrong but.. yknow, usually get there in the end :) Pretty dope feature though. Great tracks at the start of your video here btw (the little live part). Very nice
Btw since you automate on mpc which includes patches so you can err well its not perfect but get round patch changes on mpc also something like circuit may be able to patch change on mpc but so far automate is best fix I come up with😁 love ya loopop💗💗💗
If you had to choose between MPC Live and Force which would you choose. Would you use it as mixer with an external audio interface and synths. That’s what I’m experimenting with.
@@loopop I’m experimenting with the Force too. I sold a Live II and bought the Force. It seems a better live option and I’ve seen MADIS use it, but not as a mixer for external gear. I’m trying that with its ability to expand its IO using a class compliant audio interface.
Great performance, very musical and creative! If you were to use Ableton Live + Push 2, how would you switch between songs? The only hack I can thing of is by doing a round-robin between two Live instances, where you load a new song in the secondary instance while the main one is playing and then switching roles. I saw performers that resample some tracks into audio clips and place them in scenes, keeping a bare minimal set of live plugins for live control - these are mostly workarounds. Hardware latency is another limitation I have with Live when syncing external gear, especially when reaching high CPU for plugins and effects. Finally, unless I am missing something here, while Push 2 is great for controlling a specific track, it quite sucks as a controller for multiple tracks' and plugins parameters, and the screen is totally useless when in pure midi controller mode. I would love to hear your thoughts.
Thanks very much for the kind words! I haven't done it yes, but I actually plan to "convert" this set to Live just to see how it would work for a video coming soon... as I did here, I would not use two instances or two projects, I'd just keep everything as one long project, with a few scenes per song, just like I did here, one on top of the other. For song transitions, I'd either just stop and restart if I didn't mind a pause between songs, or prepare "transition scenes". Live lets you set BPM per scene too which would save me a step here. Too bad there are no locks though! I think there's a max for live script that does it. As far as controlling multiple parameters in multiple tracks at the same time, that's another thing I need to give some thought to, but worst case I'd use a MIDI loopback... kind of hacky but should work!
wait, you have a Force? I'd love to see one of your signature deep dives (unmediated by company reps) now that it's fully baked (3.2) with features. plus, you've made me reconsider Maschine, a box I'd dismissed long ago.
Wonderful video. I got Machine+ for live gigs as soon as it supported Maschine JAM and I love the combination of both, offering a large surface for performance which still fits back to back into a slim DJ bag. However, I ALWAYS run into CPU issues with Machine+ in standalone mode. Even when I refrain from using CPU-hungry effects like the lovely "Raum", it might suffer from CPU spikes - or not. The unpredictability of it's CPU performance made me use Maschine+ in control mode with a Macbook, just because I can't rely on it's stand-alone stability. It seems that you did not have this issue and I wonder what I might be doing wrong.
I use Raum in this project (1 instance, as a send), multiple instances of Massive and sample based tracks (loops, kits, multisamples). CPU was at about 60%. If you're at more or less the same, I wonder if it's JAM that's causing the problems? Try without it?
@@loopop thank you for the answer, I have not considered Maschine Jam yet to be a possible problem. What makes you think it could be part of the problem? Isn't it just a mere conroller like the Launchpad you used in your video?
I'm considering buying the Maschine Plus as a new brain for a dawless set up, however, I read somewhere that you can't easily program time signature and tempo changes into a project. If you have a set number of songs in one project on the Maschine Plus and they're all in different tempos and some not in 4/4 how would you switch between these? thanks
thanks for the in depth review! don’t you find the limited amount of outputs confusing, or maybe have you found a way around it? do you send just LR to the sound guy when you perform? there are not many interfaces with lots of outputs, and maschine doesn’t seem to properly work with majority of them, but then again NI haven’t release any of their own interfaces to cover multi output scenario. thanks again for your work
you're welcome! yes, I routed everything through Maschine and sent the output to the sound desk. I haven't tested the reliability of third party interfaces - NI have their own that's suppose to work well if you need a few more outputs
Nice to put a face to the hands. Love animals and synthesizers.
It's a pleasant surprise finding out that you're actually putting your superpowers to work in the real world! I've always enjoyed the musicality of your reviews. I don't go to live shows anymore but if I knew you were playing, I'd have to see it. You're a musical force.
Thanks for taking the time to write - it means a lot - hopefully one day!
Your reviews are now pretty much industry-standard and expected for any major synth release. This sort of video gives them additional weight because finishing music is much harder than noodling an example for a review. Even more so if the music ends up being good. And even harder if you are performing live. So kudos! I loved this 🤘🏻
Thanks very much for taking the time to write :) 🙌🏻🙏🏻
what a coincidence! I was not even a week ago in the same situation with the same choice of grooveboxes and I had exactly the same thoughts as you! It's good to see only a few days later this video as confirmation - especially from someone I appreciate very much.
Thanks, and yes it was a tough choice!
Love it! Thanks for giving some insight into how you build a live performance. I totally agree we are spoiled for choice, and it always amazes me how each person mixes and matches gear to make their own unique sound and performance. Great content (as always)!
Thanks very much!
Excellent video. I just ordered a Maschine plus finally. About 3 years late to the party but ive been wanting one for a long time. This video helped reduce my buyer's remorse. 😅
I love that there's so many ways we can address these puzzles of how to make everything work. Nicely done.
I have a Maschine plus, and I have lightly performed live with it. It works fine although you might run into bugs and CPU issues as said in the video. It works with MIDI like a charm, and I would defiantly recommend it.
I'm new to your channel and new subscriber. I'm still trying to learn how to use my MASCHINE Jam as I purchased som years ago and never learned how to use it. I see these new ones out in production. Very nice. I'm trying to get back to the studio to make some music. Nice video.
You are the VaatiVidya of synth-heads and electronic music. Your information has been so clean and easy to follow you earned a sub before I even bought any of my stuff and because of you and your tutorials I ended up buying a Beatstep pro and Keystep37. Thank you.
Brilliant ! I am considering using the Maschine as a live brain too, still learning all the possibilities, this video really helps!
in case you wish to make fast changes in multiple tracks at once, I'd recommend APC 40 + ableton. you can midimap the faders to 'wash out' tracks and easily return to full mix by moving multiple faders
Just swapped my MPC live for a Maschine plus so your Video is perfect on time for me. Thx for that.
My "brain" ist the Akai force. The Mic pre Amps and the pad Layout pulled the Trigger. Bur Love to have Maschine as an addition for Beat programming.
It's great to see your work in a live setting. Your expertise in selecting equipment based on the limitations of each is the best part of this video for me. The limitations of each piece of equipment is the most important learning curve for me, for the exact same reason. Thank you so much for that! Keep up the great work!
These kinds of extensive tutorials are very valuable.Thanks a lot!
You can workaround the MPC plugin limit by saving your custom preset and auto mating a change to that preset in another sequence within the save plugin instance.
is it possible to just make a preset change/switch?
Loved this video. I was so happy with my progress on the M+ this video made me feel like a baby trying walk. This is the best advertising for NI M+.
Thanks very much! Not meant as an ad but they did a great job with this for sure
A great accessory to add synths, or even FX, to a Force, MPC or other groovebox is an iPad (or iPhone). Great for overcoming the 8 instrument limit on the MPC/Force. The synths and FX on an iPad are excellent. With a standards compliant audio interface, you get up to 32 channels in/out, plenty for routing sends or synths on separate channels (e.g. if using an external mixer), or the iPad can be the mixer for your setup (using AUM, Loopy Pro, Beatmaker 3, Drambo, etc.).
Or just use the iPad as the groove box. The best setup on an iPad right now is arguably Loopy Pro with an Akai APC40 MKII or Novation Launchpad, adding a midi keyboard if desired. Loopy Pro gives a completely customizable mixer/UI setup (with MIDI/audio looping and clip launching), and you can run the entire show from MIDI hardware without touching the iPad screen with sweaty fingers. For people moving "out of the groove box" (attaching things to their hardware groove boxes), an iPad should be considered more often.
I mention this primarily because of the goal in the video of doing the music composition and sound design on the go away from the hardware groove box. If the groove box is your iPad, you can do the design using the touch screen, then hook up the MIDI controllers for finishing the composition, practicing, and the live gig.
There are so many ways to achieve a musical result. The iPad is far too often overlooked for a variety of uses, simple or complex.
Thanks for this different content, Loopop! Very informative. I hope you can do more "full setup" videos like this.
Great job. I specifically like the idea of one project and using the different banks for each song on the Maschine+.
I think that another super power of Maschine is that you can change a scene while it's playing, without having to wait for it to end, for the second one to kick in. This is game changer in a live set (I never owned any of the other sequencers you mentioned so I am not sure if they can do that as well)
Hey bud. I had Tue Maschine Plus but I found I couldn't use it live precisely because I couldn't (or possibly didn't understand how) 'arm' a scene/sequence to end at the end of its natural bar length.
The only thing I could do was either mute or stop a sequence, which doesn't lend itself to a smooth workflow.
As a result I returned it (also due to the horrible CPU issue).
But I'd reconsider if there was a way to start and end scenes/sequences in this way.
I also have a Deluge, which has a superb sequencer, and does precisely this, so it's a breeze in live performance
@@JackAcidOn M+, you hit shift & Grid, which takes you to the choices between how you want Scenes and timing changes to happen.... Super easy and powerful feature, and if you add Maschine Jam, you can change Scenes on the Jam while staying on mixer screens and others on the M+ ITself.... Once again, extremely powerful in live use 🤙🌌
My issue is crashing during project switches. Have to say with a much more expensive SD card its been a lot better though.
Reviewed this once again, very nice walkthrough with some great ideas and insights for using the M+ for live performance 👍🏻 So frustrating to see that NI still didn’t improved some of the mentioned cons, especially where it comes to transferring projects or using wifi for it. Also, they still didn’t fix some of the issues with for instance the audio interface compatibility. Such a great device, but Akai moves so much faster. Hopefully they will keep up with MPC3 already in public beta and Maschine 3 still in the works; with the M+ even not on par with the latest release of the desktop version…
Indeed hopefully NI continues investing in M/M+, however, there are still things Maschine can do that MPC can't - like clip launching and morphs, but the gap is getting narrower and certainly many things MPC can do that Maschine can't
@@loopop absolutely, that’s why I’m seriously considering the Akai Live 2 next to the M+. But first I’ll wait for the Maschine 3 software beta to see what’s in store, and what features COULD make their way into the Maschine+ standalone (but at this point NI really has to regain my trust, so disappointed in their behavior as a company and brand). And with the MPC3 software already in public beta (first on standalone, one of the big Pros of Akai’s approach!), it also seems logical to me that MPC Live MK3 is the first device that could / should be upgraded. Until then, Maschine Plus it is.
Hey. You are one of my last patreons. You may not realize this, but your kindness shows through in your reviews. As to my live sets, I opt to make as many things as independent as possible. I use an octatrack to grab 4 bars for transisitions. The less dependency between devices, the better.
Much appreciated! and indeed an octatrack is a powerful live tool!
Great video! I use a Maschine+ fed into an Sp404 MK2. I want the flexibility of being able to load the projects individually to play the instruments or drums and then use the SP404 for master effects and to play interlude tracks while I’m loading the next project in Maschine+.
Thanks very much! I actually toyed with that idea at some point (I mean actually put it at the end of the chain) but preferred to keep the setup smaller. It's a great pairing though
Now this is kool. Love performance material... very kool to see some stuff and also getting out there and doing it! Like you said "getting out of the comfort zone" Super cool man! Cheers! 🔥👊🧡👍🔥
Thanks very much!
i bought mine yesterday...based on this video. thank you for the demo :-)
This is great! It came at the perfect time. I've also recently been trying to decide on a groovebox for live performance. I'd narrowed it down to the Deluge and the Maschine+. The fact that the Deluge is still receiving such strong support has sold me on it.
The new screen on the Deluge will help a lot for live use, its pretty stressful to find things on the fly on the old one. My solution was to use a performance-specific SD card but that is kind of a pain in the ass.
I have a Deluge and love it's sequencing abilities. I had the Maschine Plus too, but I couldn't figure out how to prepare/arm a sequence to end naturally at the end of its chosen bar length; rather, I had to stop or mute them, which was always too jarring.
I returned it because of this and also due to the CPU problem (very, very real unfortunately).
But I'd perhaps get another if I knew how to prepare a sequence to stop naturally without hitting STOP/MUTE.
It's cool to see M+ "won", was handy, and your crafty use of it!
My takeaway from this is if I was going to do a live set I'd just take one force and play an MP3 file and maybe one of my other synths while I was loading up another project. If that went better than my dreams of playing live then I'd get a second force.
I think it's great having 25 different sound generators in a studio but live. I think I just want maximum 2units.
And look after your ears. Don't go overboard on volume. You can get quite cheap amps that can blast your eardrums these days, but you only get one set of eardrums. They're not replaceable.
Wait, I thought you were just a pair of talented hands, but you actually have a full body! Mind blown!
I recently started doing sets after about 2 years in Batcave mode. And after my first set I immed cut out 1/2 my Hardware & pared down to one synth , circuit tracks, an old MacBook Air, mini fuse 2, Launchpad Mini, and launch key Mini mk3. And a guitar. I still feel like it's too much but my home studio is just not something I want to bring out, let alone set up and break down on a stage before or after other artists lol. Wish I could be there to see your performance and thanks for the helpful info on maschine!
Thanks very much and hopefully one day!
@@loopop if you want to perform in Portland OR we could totally set something up with promoters! 😀
Thanks and noted!
@@djofortunato5799 Ditto on Portland!
Finally the info i‘ve searched for so long 😊 thankyou very much! 🤗
Great to see you, see you playing live, and to hear your music developing further.
Great video as always! I use Maschine plus in my live sets too. It has been great. I think it's highly under rated.
I think anything can be used for live sets, it all depends on the person's skillset, also people are wired differently, so what works for some might not work for others.
True
@@loopop Good to see the body and face behind the hands, when people have poked fun at you for just being hands, here you are proving that you are so much more.
Congrats, and keep em coming!!!
"Locks" function is in model: CYCLES as
a "temp save"(if i remember corectly). Great for performance with no remorse.
for us the limitation was the "no program change" in midi patterns, which means we had to use one instance of Massive for each sound we needed, Same for the Minitaur, we had to manually change presets (which is not so easy in a dark club). So we gave up after we realised the CPU was saturated after a few instances of Massive, If there was a program change on the virtual instruments and we could use only 2 instances of the plug in thru the whole set, that would solve the issue. Our set is 20 different tracks, so it was impossible. if the set is 3 to 5 tracks, it should be possible to use it live
So I wonder if you would have had less of a resource issue if you used hosted Maschine with a beefy mac/PC?
@@dvdny definitely, but the point was a "no computer" set. that said, Maschine+ sounds FANTASTIC and we use it a lot in the studio. We didn´t totally give up at bringing in on stage, we might use a Force for all "Ableton live" replacement (midi, synths...) and Maschine+ for drums only
I believe program changes are stored and transmitted in the Maschine Lock States. So if you use those, to flick through your scenes, you can control the program changes appropriately with your external synths or internal VST’s like Massive
@@schmapps1 we were actually in touch with the great people at NI (as we got a sponsor from them), we talked with the product managers and we couldn´t find a solution. The issue was left "we know the issue, wait for a further update"...still waiting.
I’m in the market,, your video has further influenced me. I run MKIII and always wanted dawless portable gear… thanks
mate, big fan of the channel, and funny enough, I am doing something similar, having the Maschine+ as the big boss, with Cycles being MIDI controlled by a Minilab 3 (so I can use the faders for Cycles tracks) but running audio into Maschine so I can use FX (especially sidechain and filter). Also have a Cobalt 8x as my main keyboard in the setup. Now it's just the balls to start making some videos (lol). You're an inspiration, bud.
how did you connect the minilab to the maschine? and how you teach the faders to it?
Absolutely Amazing!
The Launchpad addition for what it does was Cool.
Thank you Very Much for Sharing!
This was great!
It was awesome to finally see your face, and also to know your music is being heard live..
All throughout the video I couldn’t stop wondering what would it be like to have the Roland sp404 mk2 as a brain in such live performance setup
Thanks very much! Since I really needed synths I didn't consider it, but I did toy with including the SP404 MK2 here as an end-of-chain processor/fx/transition tool. Might do it at some point!
@@loopop my live rig is just an SP404MK2 (I sample from the synths in my studio and field recordings) and it’s midi sequenced by a digitone which provides all my synth layers. The polyphonic midi channels on the digitone really empower you to make the most of the 404s capabilities!
@@Screenshot1015 nice! I will explore that at some point!
@@loopop can’t it receive audio from synths or summing device?🤔
@@RamRevivo i’m not sure which you mean by it, but both can receive and process incoming audio
Thank you for this detailed look into your setup. I got the Plus precisely with this in mind. Doing Scene based songs is an especially useful tip! As always, thank you for the inspiration!
If you were to remake this video today, would you potentially choose the Digitakt 2?
Probably not - I'm a backup freak... for me the ability to just run a project off my laptop in case of a disaster is important, plus there are features in Maschine like synths, macros and the clip grid that I find really useful
Great video, thanks! I`ve been developing a live set and have been considering the same options. Maschine+ kinda seems like a hassle, Akais offerings all seem unstable and buggy and the others just arent powerful enoughfor my use. So a computer with Ableton Live, a few synths and controllers it is I guess…
Best demo of Maschine. I am IN!
The M2 Mac Mini due to be released in March + Ableton Push 2 and Babyface Pro FS, would make for an ideal zero latency live setup.
Ableton has been rock solid on my M1 Pro MBP - with the exception of only a couple native plugins being too crash prone to use, (sadly, Korg OPSIX and Modwave.). I stick to all native AU plugins , loading tracks full of UH/E, Arturia, Omnisphere synths , Soundtoys, Fabfilter , etc - and the laptop doesn’t even break a sweat. Paired with the Babyface, it’s been a dream.
i am a 3+ years Mk3 user and it stopped working with my laptop, that i’ve bought specifically for live shows, that i play bunch of with artists i produce. i hope the + will be a usable followup, because i really don’t want to switch to akai. the maschine production workflow is unmatched for me
Really great vid, picking up a used Maschine Plus tomorrow…14:53 sounds very Polynomial C - Aphex Twin ! ❤️
Good video 👍. The Maschine+ was never on my radar but I can see how this setup works better than the MPC One.
your brain is amazing with this stuff man! thank you for sharing it with all of us.
Have you considered the Circuit Tracks instead of the Launchpad?
Pros include more knobs (to your point about maximum knobs) and a degree of fallback redundancy if the Maschine crashes. Cons, it's bigger and you'd probably have to put the H90 (or whatever) below it due to the cabling. It's slick how the Launchpad cable cozies in there.
Lastly, if you were to swap out the Sirin and micro keys for some integral unit from your arsenal what would you pick?
crap my answer got deleted so I'm re-creating... Tracks would be a good option, I didn't consider it! I needed to have a MIDI keyboard for M+ so I wouldn't consider an integrated unit. I wouldn't swap Sirin because I love the way it sounds and is controlled, but if I had to consider alternatives Synth Pro X, a Volca or Roland S-2 come to mind - I'm sure there are others...
I honestly don’t see the big deal of lugging around a MacBook and an audio interface. That being said, I like that this device is a bit more powerful. I do think that the standalone nature of this device is a bit overstated. If you really like the idea of taking this everywhere and sampling or performing, is it really all that much more encumbering to bring an m1 and an audio interface? At the very most it’s just a minor convenience and I don’t see it being worth double the price.
another advantage of a computer+interface is that you can use plugins on your computer. for me personally I already had the Maschine+, a show (for me at least) is a stressful situation so the less gear the better, which is why I preferred it
MacBook doesn’t provide tactile memory. You need to connect external gear (midi controller) to get tactile interface. M+ provide everything you need for it 🤷♂️
Cool! Thanks for sharing how you arrange all that hardware together for performing in a live set 👍I think the biggest disadvantage of using Launchpad as a "scene-switcher" is that you can't figure out what scene is currently playing by looking at Launchpad's pads, since it doesn't light up the pad of the current scene 🤷🏻♂️
You're right - it's just faster than paging to scene mode on the M+
finally the video I dreamed about.makes me want to swap the mpc for m+ I came too late for your show but looking forward for next one
thanks for coming! hopefully there will be other opportunities...
I agree with the other comments. Very satisfying to see you bring it all together for a live show. You'd definitely sell tickets if you came to London.
Thanks for the comment and noted! It would be fun to perform there for sure :)
How would new Push 3 standalone enter in this comparison now? Any shortcomings vs Maschine+ for this kind of setup?
Wow. You have a lot of knowledge in this area. Thanks for sharing this.
Great analysis! And so rare. Few people are in your position, with such a range of gear to choose from. Like many others here, I would love to hear your whole set. And hit me up if you ever come to Ireland.
Thanks very much! Right now the set is only available on Patreon, but it's at the $1 and if you don't like it I'm happy to issue a refund
Very comprehensive and complete review as always, better presentations than the makers page. Thanks 🍻
You could have run the gear through the Roland aira mixer, which has effects as well.
force mention! lol (with 3.2.1 it seems as secure and full featured as ever if there was anytime for a walkthrough 🙏🏽)
@loopop sound presets i make on the desktop are saved with the project. or mine are at least [massive, kontakt and reaktor].
I think Fred already answered this question emphatically yes.
Akai Force has its own version of Lock, called Snapshot. Has had it for some time now. I much prefer Force workflow over Maschine+, and plug-in limit aside - it’s a far better machine IMHO.
True, though it's only one snapshot per scene if I'm not mistaken, so it wouldn't work as per the way it did here for multiple transitions in a scene. That said, Force is awesome and if it wasn't for the 8 plugin limit you might have been seeing it here!
@@loopop - for multiple transitions a Scene, you just copy/paste your Scene and save your new Snapshot - yes, you’d have to switch to the new Scene for the unique Snapshot, but functionally your end result would be the same as Lock on Maschine+. But yeah - that 8 plug-in limit. I’m afraid Force (and MPC) current SoC is showing it’s age.
@@EnochLight true and good workaround!
There’s some Telefon Tel Aviv vibe there and I like it. And Setup is nuts.
which midi codes are capable to change scenes seen @8:27 with the launchpad. is it C-2 C#-2 etc? What settings have to be set on maschine+, just midi receive all channels?
yes it's notes - I don't remember by heart which ones, but it's in the manual
not every controller can send c-2
The Ni forum says its not possible :-))) The manual says nothing about scene midi note allocation.@@loopop
i use a maschine JaM connected to maschine+, that does the job more than any launchpad.
@@lwpweb I assure you I didn’t fake it
For akai instead of giving more than 8 plugins which needs a different harware as in cpu and ram prob. they can solve it by giving us bank and midi change messages inside of the clips so the clips in scenes can switch sounds. Need a bit of planning beforehand for us but i believe it’s a much easier and faster fix.
Agree, or better yet they can just handle it behind the scenes without even telling us
Loving it. Really digging that track in the first minute, where can I hear the entire track?
All the issues you pointed out, the extended reboot time - and yeah, actually just thinking I'm surprised it doesn't have a cloud wifi sync. For what is essentially a $750 difference between this and the MK3, I'm not sure the Maschine+ is worth it at all. I'm glad I went with the Mk3. I'd rather take around a small laptop.
Thank you for this video ! I have got the same set up for life but I choose the aka I mpc Just because on machine plus you can’t change tempo between scenes
My pleasure and indeed that's one of the "pros" for MPC - it really disappointed me that Maschine can't do that.
Master Level 🎚️ Meter is present for years ( when I started with MK3 in 2019 Master level was there on MK3 and later on M Plus ) but it's nice to see that you build your setup 😉 every channel and Group with Master can be automated .
can you record notes into the step sequencer per step using an external midi keyboard like if you hold a step then play something on your keys? i know you can live record or change the note with the rotator but not a big fan of those styles
What a great insight view how you setup a live set. Watching nearly all of your reviews cause they all are not only excellent tutorials and in depth view but also musically well done. Every device has its own workflow and its a big mystery how you can dive into them like you use them for years.
I would be very happy if you could make a video with Synthstrom Deluge replacing the Machine in a live Situation. As you mentioned it has its cons against Machine (for sure) but limitations sometimes open new doors :-)
Thanks! Yes I do want to get to Deluge when I have time and get my hands on one with the new screen!
TOTALLY confused when you hit shift and swapped "banks" at 10:00 - what is that mode? I've never heard or seen it anywhere, and I certainly can't access it by hitting shift in mixer/pad mode.
I dropped my Akai Force and broke it. I've been torn between buying a new Force or trying out the Maschine+ instead.
Once again, an excellent and thorough video. Cheers 🎉
I have a question about lock states, I get how they work and it's pretty great, but not sure my workflow with them is optimised yet lol
Am I right in thinking it's probably best to set up lock states when you've pretty much finished the track?
Because, at least the way I've been doing it, you end up changing things or adding plugins, etc, and forgetting to update each lock state individually.... Otherwise I might be mixing drums, etc, adding an effect to one state, and it turns out it's now also on in another state where I didn't want it to be.... So it's a constant game of updating each lock state as I go, which feels a bit hard to keep track of over time, or maybe I'm approaching it all wrong haha that wouldn't surprise me..
Any advise glady accepted :)
I don't think there's a right or wrong way to use them - personally, I use them as an undo to a specific place in the sound design phase, and then as mini scenes in a performance
@@loopop Yeah the idea of using it as a quick undo is something I need to experiment with more, that's a great idea.... I've been using it just to create scenes so far (just need to keep track of changes that might, or might not update to those scenes idk I feel like I'm doing something wrong but.. yknow, usually get there in the end :)
Pretty dope feature though.
Great tracks at the start of your video here btw (the little live part). Very nice
@@loopop Cheers for the reply, enjoy your videos a lot. Big ups!
Wow. Live sets - the most useful content to me. Thank you 🫶
Revisiting, very nice.
Where does the Fumes - Speech Bass preset belong to, though? Couldn't find it my own collection.
Thanks! It's a preset I made in Massive
Btw since you automate on mpc which includes patches so you can err well its not perfect but get round patch changes on mpc also something like circuit may be able to patch change on mpc but so far automate is best fix I come up with😁 love ya loopop💗💗💗
🙌🏻🙏🏻
Interesting stuff as always hero💗
Maschine is entirely underrated and underrepresented in the liveset community. Very powerful, these units!
I think I rated it quite high here!
@@loopop yes! glad to see you shedding some light on it.
It will crash that's why!
@@marcofedez seems good enough for Fred Again!
Interesting vid, really enjoyed the explanation
Please do an Akai Force Deep review.
This setup video is really interesting BTW please make more :-)
I'd go to a Loopop gig gladly any day of the year.
.....and I'd take care to only watch his hands during the performance to keep the mystery. (;
If you had to choose between MPC Live and Force which would you choose. Would you use it as mixer with an external audio interface and synths. That’s what I’m experimenting with.
Personally, I prefer the clip launching and 8x8 grid of Force
@@loopop I’m experimenting with the Force too. I sold a Live II and bought the Force. It seems a better live option and I’ve seen MADIS use it, but not as a mixer for external gear. I’m trying that with its ability to expand its IO using a class compliant audio interface.
With a bit of jiggery pockery you can bypass the 8 plugin and audio track limit on the Mpc.😉
Great performance, very musical and creative! If you were to use Ableton Live + Push 2, how would you switch between songs? The only hack I can thing of is by doing a round-robin between two Live instances, where you load a new song in the secondary instance while the main one is playing and then switching roles. I saw performers that resample some tracks into audio clips and place them in scenes, keeping a bare minimal set of live plugins for live control - these are mostly workarounds. Hardware latency is another limitation I have with Live when syncing external gear, especially when reaching high CPU for plugins and effects. Finally, unless I am missing something here, while Push 2 is great for controlling a specific track, it quite sucks as a controller for multiple tracks' and plugins parameters, and the screen is totally useless when in pure midi controller mode. I would love to hear your thoughts.
Thanks very much for the kind words! I haven't done it yes, but I actually plan to "convert" this set to Live just to see how it would work for a video coming soon... as I did here, I would not use two instances or two projects, I'd just keep everything as one long project, with a few scenes per song, just like I did here, one on top of the other. For song transitions, I'd either just stop and restart if I didn't mind a pause between songs, or prepare "transition scenes". Live lets you set BPM per scene too which would save me a step here. Too bad there are no locks though! I think there's a max for live script that does it. As far as controlling multiple parameters in multiple tracks at the same time, that's another thing I need to give some thought to, but worst case I'd use a MIDI loopback... kind of hacky but should work!
@@loopop 🙏Thanks! Looking forward to seeing the results of these experiments!
Your set was like listening to Risk of Rain 1! awesome
wait, you have a Force? I'd love to see one of your signature deep dives (unmediated by company reps) now that it's fully baked (3.2) with features. plus, you've made me reconsider Maschine, a box I'd dismissed long ago.
wow. love your cosmic vibe.
Deluge is still great for live lol but there we go. Are you going to get the OLED for it??
For sure it's great and yes I will!
WOW!!! 😊 We finally get to see your face!! 👍🏼
Hey can we have a proper review of the force? The new firmware updates made it a spectacularly different beast from what it was
Congrats LP!
Wonderful video. I got Machine+ for live gigs as soon as it supported Maschine JAM and I love the combination of both, offering a large surface for performance which still fits back to back into a slim DJ bag. However, I ALWAYS run into CPU issues with Machine+ in standalone mode. Even when I refrain from using CPU-hungry effects like the lovely "Raum", it might suffer from CPU spikes - or not. The unpredictability of it's CPU performance made me use Maschine+ in control mode with a Macbook, just because I can't rely on it's stand-alone stability.
It seems that you did not have this issue and I wonder what I might be doing wrong.
I use Raum in this project (1 instance, as a send), multiple instances of Massive and sample based tracks (loops, kits, multisamples). CPU was at about 60%. If you're at more or less the same, I wonder if it's JAM that's causing the problems? Try without it?
@@loopop thank you for the answer, I have not considered Maschine Jam yet to be a possible problem.
What makes you think it could be part of the problem? Isn't it just a mere conroller like the Launchpad you used in your video?
@@MijkvanDijk I don’t know, it’s just a “voodoo style” guess since you said it’s an otherwise similar project 🤷🏻♂
@@loopop yeah, I'm gonna give it a try.
@@MijkvanDijk nice! Deffo let us know if this fixed it?
Loopop the kind of guy to make you genuinely want to turn your adblock off just for his videos.
I love the ergonomic's of the maschine+. That said, It's a bit disappointing compared to the MPC Live/Live 2 (Akai OS bugs aside).
I'm considering buying the Maschine Plus as a new brain for a dawless set up, however, I read somewhere that you can't easily program time signature and tempo changes into a project. If you have a set number of songs in one project on the Maschine Plus and they're all in different tempos and some not in 4/4 how would you switch between these? thanks
Indeed I don't know if that's possible, but perhaps reach out to NI tech support/forums
thanks for the in depth review! don’t you find the limited amount of outputs confusing, or maybe have you found a way around it? do you send just LR to the sound guy when you perform? there are not many interfaces with lots of outputs, and maschine doesn’t seem to properly work with majority of them, but then again NI haven’t release any of their own interfaces to cover multi output scenario. thanks again for your work
you're welcome! yes, I routed everything through Maschine and sent the output to the sound desk. I haven't tested the reliability of third party interfaces - NI have their own that's suppose to work well if you need a few more outputs