Native Instruments Maschine+ £1,099

After years of speculation, NI launch their first standalone instrument. Si Truss asks if it lives up to the hype…

- Si Truss

CONTACT WHO: Native Instruments

WEB: native-instruments.com

KEY FEATURES Standalone music production tool for sequencing, sampling, audio recording, and composing with onboard synths. I/O: 2x TRS line outputs, 2x TRS line inputs, 1x dynamic mic input, stereo headphone output, 1 x MIDI In, 1 x MIDI out; 1 x footswitch in, 2 x USB ports for MIDI controllers/external HDDs

Few major brands have remained as committed to the software realm as NI. In that context, Maschine+ is a big move for the brand, their first product that isn’t designed primarily to work in conjunction with a PC, Mac or iPad.

Technical details aside, this isn’t some radical new product stream; Maschine+ offers nearly the exact same hardware/software workflow as 2017’s Maschine Mk3, albeit on an internal OS, not an external computer. That’s not to dismiss it – the Maschine range has become a slick, comprehensive sampling and sequencing system, and the Mk3 is undoubtedly the pinnacle. It’s a testament to the tight hardware-software synergy of that controller design that you can effectively remove the computer from the equation without hampering it.

As a concept, Maschine+ works. While there are some big limitations compared to the desktop version – which we’ll come to shortly – on the whole, this is the bonafide Maschine experience in standalone format. You can sample, sequence, compose with softsynths, perform and even work with external hardware and, crucially, I never felt hindered by the lack of a mouse, keyboard or full laptop screen using it.