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Hey guys,

Over the past few months I've been getting into Native Instruments hardware and software. I got Komplete 12 Ultimate and it's opening a new universe for me. I also picked up a Komplete Kontrol S61 MK2 keyboard and I really love it. I balked at the price but my god is the keybed a joy to play compared to my prior entry level MIDI controller. And the light guides are something I thought was a gimmick but when I started using the keyboard to play drumkits and keyswitches for certain instruments, I found this feature to be very important.

I had thought about going with the Komplete 12 Collectors Edition, but the main difference in price was all the extra Expansion Packs in the Collectors Edition-- maybe 30 more than in the Ultimate. Until Yesterday I didn't even know where to find these expansion packs or how to use them-- the loops and one-shots never appealed to me, but I'm figuring out how to use them. Now I'm really finding some value in the expansion packs. Yesterday I started making trap beats for the first time and experimenting more with hip-hop and EDM genres-- and I would like to start working on these type of listings.

However, I think these expansion packs are primarily made for the Maschine platform-- and mostly marketed toward "beat-making", I have the Maschine software and tried to mess with it in standalone mode using my keyboard and I didn't understand it at all. I do have access to a Maschine tutorial.

So my question is this: If I use Logic X (not going to 10.5 until I get a newer Mac) and use the Komplete Kontrol keyboard and Komplete Kontrol plug-in to work within Logic, is there any benefit to learning how the Maschine software works (and integrates with my keyboard) and then incorporating that into my workflow with Logic? To me, Maschine looks like a bit of a learning curve and I was wondering if there's anything it would enable me to do, better, more easily or faster than I can my current setup. Also is there any benefit of looking into Maschine hardware if I already use a Komplete Kontrol S61 MK2?

When I see pics of a lot of home studios it seems like every setup has a keyboard on the desk and then a Maschine or Maschine type piece of hardware nearby. I always wondered if they are used more for their advantages as a piece of hardware or whether they are used more to work with a particular software which is separate from the native software of the DAW, if that makes any sense.

Thanks,

Ted

I realize this topic is a few weeks old, but I'll take a shot at it.

First off, I'm also a long time Logic Pro X user and also recently started using Ableton. I love love LOVE Maschine. I have the Mikro MK3. I just love the workflow and having a hardware device that is also an instrument in itself. Working with Maschine completely changes the way I approach a piece. I really like working with scenes and creating the different ones that then get strung together to create a piece. It's also pretty thrilling chopping up an old track you're stuck on, loading it up on the pads, and coming up with something completely different and new that works. There is a bit of a learning curve, but I seemed to take to it pretty quickly. Lots of times now when I'm going to work on anything tension or ambient related, I reach for Maschine first.

Incidentally, I never use the Mikro as a controller or device with Logic (or Ableton, for that matter). I always just use either one or the other. Anyway, my humble .02.

Hey I appreciate the reply!

I'll have to watch some more videos to see what the specific advantages of Maschine are. I really like my Komplete Kontrol keyboard-- i don't use a lot of the crazy features yet, but It's cool that I can grow into it more all the time. But yeah, I tried to mess with the Maschine software a little and it was like the least intuitive thing I've ever tried. That's probably just me. Granted I didn't spend a lot of time with it, but I just always wonder what it is that the Maschine system (the software as well as hardware) does that a Komplete Kontrol keyboard and a DAW couldn't do better.

I think part of it is having a lot of the NI expansion packs which are really supposed to be optimised for the Maschine environment. I mean, I have the Maschine software so I kinda want to get some use out of it, but I don't know if it would be worth the effort-- because I don't understand exactly what it is yet.

Thanks again!