Maschine or Live + Push 2? Or OT?

The Lounge Other Gear
#1

Hi everyone.

I did the ITB to semi-OTB thing some time ago and am very happy I did. I have an A4, AR and a few other bits and bobs and it’s great not sitting in front of a computer during my creative time.

However, my output is less complex/deep than it used to be - I used to do a lot of sampling and audio mangling to add layers, and want to get back to this. I have and use a DAW but don’t like writing in it when I have to use a mouse and keyboard. Having some hardware boxes has made sitting at the PC to make music very unappealing!

What I want to do is sit there with my machines - sequencing them, recording them, building loops, chopping loops and arranging as I go. I’d like to be able to pull up Omnisphere 2, program some chords, bounce to audio, and mangle further. I’d like to keep screen/mouse/keyboard usage to a minimum, and my hardware needs to be as tightly integrated as possible.

Hopefully you get the idea. Key points for me are quickly being able to sample multiple sources, easy access to the recorded audio and mangling potential. I would like to be able to sequence VSTs quickly as I’m no keyboard player. Options seem to be:

Push 2. This would probably mean getting Live also, which I’d rather not do. I like the look of it’s chords/scale mode but I can’t get a handle on how much it would help with the sampling and mangling, or if I’d be looking at the PC screen all the time.

Maschine Studio. Not sure how good it is at sequencing VSTs, and I think it’s aimed primarily at drums and this is not what I’d use it for. However, the high level of integration means reduced PC screen usage, and the sampler is supposed to be good.

Octatrack. I used to own one, and loved the potential, but I’m not sure if the lack of Overbridge integration would bother me, seeing as I have the A4 and AR (this would be less of an issue if OB could act as master). The OT certainly ticks the ‘no PC screen’ thing - until I want to sample a VSTi.

Just realised this is a very long post, but if anyone has been in a similar situation it’d be great to hear your thoughts!

#2

With Maschine and NKS compatible plugins (Heavyocity, V-Collection) you would in theory use the power of those complex VSTs out of the box and not to look at the screen.

#3

I don’t touch Maschine any longer now that I have Push 2. Totally forgotten the name of the guys who pulled this together but I have Komplete completely mapped and browsable from Push which is brilliant.

NKS might make things interesting going forward but with what I use, you can browse Kontrol which, in theory, should allow for the other 3rd party NKS vsts to show up.

An OT and Push 2 though… now that’s a serious combo!!!

#4

I’ve only played with Maschine in the store and cannot really comment, but as I understand it it is not great for sequencing VSTs. You might want to look into this further.

I just swapped my Octatrack for an Analog Keys, because I found it to be largely redundant after transitioning to Live Suite & Push 2. I love the Octatrack, but ultimately I discovered that Live/Push is far more flexible for my needs and gets me into arrangement and completing tracks faster, whereas with the OT it seemed like I was always faffing around with all the possibilities. The other big factor in my choice was the lack of Overbridge for the OT…I always found myself doing a dance when it came to tracking, trying to route things to the outputs and still have some flexibility for multitracking/mixing. I miss the OT already and will very likely get a MKII if/when that happens, but as for now Push 2 essentially gives me a hardware workflow with the flexibility of a DAW, to the point that my brain doesn’t really see it as any different than hardware.

1 Like
#5

Thanks, lots of positive comments about Push… Do you do a lot of sampling hardware, mangling etc?

#6

Push 2 vs Elektron gear

#7

I have push 1 & Maschine, i use it still. I think Maschin offers a lot of integration and lets you sample whole groups very fast.

Problem is: when i start with it, i tend to overlayer sounds. I think when you will really work with it, you need to restrict yourself, as the software allows endless tweaking.

What sucks in Maschine is that you dont get a master automation track. So i create some ideas on Maschine, and bounce it to audio, then import it into Live. Then its mouse wiggeling time, as its still faster as working with push.

It is faster to work ITB, but the question is are you really in need of working fast? What is with enjoying the process ?

I create samples in Live, and then export the loops back into the octatrack.

#8

Thanks for the link, interesting reading.

And of course, it’s not about speed. It’s more to do with a minimum of computer work when I’m in the flow.