I make better music in Ableton.... | Best Maschine workflow?
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- Опубліковано 9 лют 2025
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Maschine was a really great stand alone option while I was learning the ins and outs of making music, but I out grew it and needed to take the next step. That meant moving back to Ableton and I couldn't be feeling more creative than I do right now!
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I think one of the strengths of Maschine is it's limitations. It's easy to get analysis paralysis when working in a fully fletched daw with an endless amount of options, so I use the Maschine to get into a different mindset when working on ideas.
That's a really great point, and very, very true -- the more things you have around you, the more you can get overwhelmed by it all. There's something about working inside a groove box to get ideas out, totally with you on that! Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment!!!
Video is super fire. Been feeling the same way. I use studio one and used to the the linear workflow but they lack kreatve tools. So I'm on this Ableton journey right with you.
Thank you, thanks for watching! Yes, I was on a Studio One kick for a while but then the program started crashing on me left and right, I moved over to Maschine and just stayed there...but really loving being back in Ableton. Enjoy it as well, glad to hear you are digging it!
@@BlakeHeart wow i’m at a similar point in my journey. just got a push 2 and was primarily working in with maschine studio and then exporting out to studio one for vocals.
i used to use ableton before i even knew what i was really doing and miss the organic linear vibe of it a lot.
how are you liking it after all this time from this video?
push 2 isn’t in yet but i’m watching mad videos and yours reaffirmed the right choice and i’m super excited to use both together actually lol
I am totally on your wavelength! I was feeling stuck and limited just with Maschine. I love it for all the reasons you said...it’s so fun its so much more “hands on”. I was even trying to hold out bc Native Instruments said they were planning on making it a “full DAW”, but I just got too impatient! At first, I tried to route the pads and got too frustrated so I just use it like you said, drag and drop. Favorite part of this video: “Really Siri?” 😂😂😂
Hah, yes!! I’m curious to see what happens with the Maschine software myself...someone was saying they expected a release should be happening about now but maybe all the Covid stuff has held them up?!
Great video Blake, love the content
Thank you, appreciate you watching!!
Great video Blake! Might be checking out Live for the first time soon...
Ohhh, nice! It seems like there was this mad rush of people who wanted to start using Live this past year!
Same here! I go back to Maschine Studio, which I still use, but then got Push 2 for similar reasons. Love your videos, sister!
Ahh, thank you for the love!!
This was sooo helpful! Nobody has made a good video about this topic!! Peace!!
Ahhh, glad to hear it was helpful. I need to make a follow up to this video because Maschine is super awesome and definitely still a part of my workflow! It's so great for ideas...
I love your meta-commentary text bubbles that pop up. They are hilarious and as someone who is always on the verge of finding the right word, I really enjoyed seeing that play out just so. Great video -- you answered all the questions I had!!
Lol, thank you! Thanks for watching, I appreciate it and I am glad it was helpful!
I have never used machine but I do have Komplete 12 and Ableton 10 suite. And the max for live concept is just incredible. I love just sitting down and DEEEEP diving into a sound or beat. And I can get lost with in racks. Im like you. I feel more creative Ableton. Everything is at my fingertips.
There are so many free devices for max for live, and the paid stuff is reasonably priced and incredible!
WHAT midi do you have?
I recently got the Maschine standalone and honestly the sounds it packs are so good, I'm considering just recording the audio from my Maschine straight into the daw instead of dragging and dropping
Right, you can definitely do that -- there are so many different workflows out there, the best thing to do is try things and figure out what works best for you. And yes, the sounds are really good, Maschine is -- in my opinion - very underrated...
Great vid! I'm a huge fan of Maschine... but you're right. Until they create a linear timeline for it... it's annoying as hell, putting together a full track. But, in my experience-- chopping samples, like a traditional MPC.. NOTHING is faster than Maschine. Duplicating pads, chopping more, etc. It takes literally less than 2 minutes to edit a handful of chops across 16 pads. Or you can do it instantly, via slicing. Nothing is faster, for hip-hop.
I've found that Maschine as a plugin inside Ableton to be very, very handy... especially when you separate the Groups across 8 different tracks.... I do this with Reaper as well. FAST. That's truly the best of both worlds... the only thing is, you have to use Maschine in MIDI mode to record the MIDI directly into Ableton or Reaper, which isn't a big deal, considering how you can completely customize the Maschine controller to do what you want, in MIDI mode (especially with Reaper). Such a huge timesaver, and fun.
Push 2 (I have it as well)... I really like it, but it's overpriced. And considering you don't get Live Suite with it, is annoying. The screens could have been bigger, like Maschine Studio or MK3. It's very handy, but it's strictly a Session View controller. There's hardly any support for it, with Arrangement View... unless you grab some Max4Live stuff, or 3rd-party things. They could have done so much better, especially as it's not the first version of Push.
I think NI nails it, though. Used as a plugin... it's really, really... REALLY powerful. More so than Push 2, I feel. And certainly cheaper.
You can get a Launchpad X and have the 8x8 grid for only $150 new (price has been low for a while, which is cool... normally $200)... then Maschine MK3 for $650... total $800, and you get Ableton Live Lite free with the LPX, and the full Maschine software with Maschine. To me, a much better value and more powerful.
I've used Ableton since probably version 7... I have yet to finish more than 10 tracks with it. With Maschine I've completed 200+ instrumental beats, then brought into Reaper or Ableton for vocal tracking with friends or just me. I always just dabble/goof around with Ableton and Session View... I rarely make anything complete. It's fun to "jam" like DJ-style with Session View but I'm not quite... I dunno, comfortable I guess, with Ableton. I really enjoy it, but I hate how certain aspects of the program are COMPLETELY limited... such as midi-mapping basic program functions (Quantize, etc). You can't. You need a dedicated controller for that, or Bome's MIDI Translator... just so much workaround/M4L tweaking... it's annoying as hell and turns me off from the actual "music-making".
Reaper and Maschine, even standalone... easy. And all the customization (completely free, basically ALL program functions) with Reaper... an absolute win.
Look forward to more and more of your vids. Recently discovered your channel and really dig the journey! :)
Thanks for leaving such a long and well written comment here, this will be really helpful for others to read. At the end of the day, there are so many options out there and it takes time for each individual to figure out what works best for them, and what their ideal workflow is...and well, that even changes, lol!! And if you get caught up on the shiny new thing, well, it all gets even harder because you are stuck never learning one thing as best as you can... Right now I am enjoying Ableton and maschine inside of Ableton, I can't imagine ever going back to anything else really... Thanks for the love, thanks for subscribing, thanks for following my journey, because it is truly a journey!!!
@@BlakeHeart Thanks for the reply! It truly is a journey. I've been at this for years and years... and with every new thing that comes out and distracts me from sticking with something... I lose time / creativity. This is the thing they prey on, ya know? Our insecurities.... it's literally gear gear gear... UA-cam influencers that upload a review of the same Novation or NI product within hours of Novation themselves... it's really manipulative. The gear is so great but ugh. The options.. too many options is a bad thing. I love it, but rarely does it ever help get things done at a constant pace. :)
Amazing comment, I learned so much, thank you :)
Cool!! I was wondering why you stopped using it after having all that time on it. I use a lot of stuff but I haven’t left Ableton to do it. There’s nothing else available that gives you an faster workflow.
Agreed...I left because I need to learn, and Maschine gave me that space to paint and learn...but then I grew out of it...so glad I found my way back to Ableton!!
Same! Turns out I already knew Ableton but for some reason I picked Maschine mk3 and learned Maschine. 1 month in and I'm already feeling extremely limited due to the things you mention. Bummer. I'm selling my mk3 to get a push 2 :)
It's all an experiment - and what works for one person may not work for another. Being able to pivot and try things out is really key, so that you can find your best workflow!
I got Maschine about 9 years ago and didn't like or understand the point of the workflow. No matter how many videos I watched I just didn't click with the workflow. Then I discovered Ableton and got that with a Push 2 and the iPad controller app TouchAble. It's been great however NI's sound library is killer so I used Maschine mainly for drum/percussive stuff as a vst (and Komplete for other sounds) in Ableton. About two months ago I watched NI's how-to videos and the small life-changing machine production tips I've picked up man. For me now that I understand the limitations of Maschine and how to use it to my advantage it's opened up more avenues for creativity using both. Just one small example Maschine's swing can be applied per drum pad/sound or globally. I have to jump through hoops to apply swing per drum sound in Ableton. However the same is true the other way around too. So I 100% agree with the best of both world's arguments. Why limit yourself
Thanks for this comment, glad you’re experiencing the best of both worlds!!
Thank you for this video! I am so into using Maschine but was getting frustrated with the lack of DAW-like ease arranging and creating in certain ways. I recently had a realization that maybe Ableton would be a good choice in terms of comparable workflow and this validates that thought! Now I'm giving Ableton a go. Cheers!
Yay, I hope Ableton does you good, I am having a lot of fun with it!!
Im trying to decide if i shoud sell my MK3 and stay only in one musical environment....... this video is very helpful. thanks
Lol, all tough decisions, and everyone finds something eventually that works for them, and then they inevitably switch it up again!
Thanks, will give it a go
What daw are you using now? I had fun listening to your music, checked out your youtube channel, really cool!!
Blake Heart morning Blake...long time ago huh. Ok, I’m using Maschine Mk3 mostly, with serato sample, the new update for Logic is pretty cool too. Still play my fretless bass..just to keep it real..ish. 🇬🇧🛬🇳🇿 hey thanks for compliment! ❤️. You’ve got me back on Ableton!
I feel the same way
Thanks for watching!
Awesome tee
Thanks 🙂
Hey Blake ... as a complete beginner to both playing music / using Ableton and the Native Instruments stuff, I would kinly ask you to keep making videos :-) Loving it so far and hope you will be able to teach / show me a lot more and maybe inspire me to make my first track. Oh ... loved the Pharlight stuff. Just bought the Komplete Ultimate but think I might get the Pharlight one too now. Was really lookign for some sample work using Pharlight and really like what you did there. Keep up the good work.
Ahhh, thanks for this nice comment, definitely inspires me to keep going and making videos! That's awesome about Komplete Ultimate, enjoy it! Pharlight is definitely fun too, glad you enjoyed that video! Thanks for watching and have fun making some awesome music!!!
I made my "best" music with reason. Now I use ableton but it's not meshing well with me. Ableton is such a powerful tool and I'm getting overwhelmed by it lol. I'm gonna try out maschine next.
Why not go back to Reason? Just wondering...I know a lot of people really like it. Ableton is awesome, so is Maschine, good luck and have fun!!
Ive been doing everything on Maschine for 6 years now.
Making beats, arranging beats and mixing and mastering but now i also feel limited in terms of putting full tracks together and that’s why i thought about switching to Ableton or FL.
There is nothing better than creating ideas with Maschine that’s absolutely true but if feel like it’s less powerful in terms of sound Quality / Loudness overall due to it not being a full fledged DAW or is that a wrong statement to make ?
Would you even consider mixing and mastering in Maschine ?
Best wishes !
If you are going into a DAW that's new to you - I would choose Ableton. I am somewhat biased because I have never used FL, but just my 2 cents! I think the sound quality is great in Maschine, I don't think that is an issue. It's just more limited because it is not a full fledged daw. No, I would not personally mix and master in Maschine. Thanks for watching!
I like your T-shirt.
Thanks! Johnny Cupcakes!!
Hey, when I drag midi into Ableton from Maschine, there’s no sound when I played the midi pattern in Ableton ? Any idea why ?
You are so sympathetic!!! :) I left you a sub and a sweet sweet like! (Also also own both Push 2 and Maschine 3 and looove them both)
Thank you so much!!
Interesting perspective! I definitely agree that Maschine is somewhat limited. I use Logic primarily but recently started using Maschine and I love the workflow! I think it's great for creating ideas and getting into a flow state but I still bounce all the stems to Logic for mixing.
Absolutely, it's awesome for creating ideas, makes it super easy and intuitive and fun! Glad you are enjoying it!!
wow, i found this. im gonna watch this in a few hours. is this the best for me to watch? please reply so i get notification to remind me
wow, 1 min in and im HEARING YOU, thats why i want to SEE THIS!!!
Yeah, I will do another video about my workflow that’s in motion using both Maschine and Push in ableton...it’s the best of both worlds
Hey. Thanks. I watched it and yeah, all you doing is explaining your love.. So I'm very excited to see how you do it.
I just tried to fiddle with mine but couldn't work out best way.
Eagerly waiting
Great vid! I have felt the same way about Maschine and honestly hate automation in the program. I have tried to work in Ableton but often get confused with it. I don’t want to just limit myself to just using Maschine but it has been the only user friendly DAW for me even when I easily get bored with it. 😐
Keep going with Ableton, it's worth the time and effort to learn the ins and outs of it, I definitely am thankful for the 12 months that I spent in maschine, but wish I moved back into a linear daw more quickly BUT I learned so much from my time with maschine and it definitely benefited me, so whatever your journey is, trust it is right for you!!
@@BlakeHeart I feel you on that, I will surely give it another try...
give a try to bitwig as well , its now my main daw im still using ableton for some live performance though
Yes, I have heard good things about it, maybe I will try it one of these days!
LMHO.... congratulations on your decision BlakeHeart!!! I came from Cubase, went to Maschine MK3 for exactly 4 weeks because of that hype you mentioned, realizing very quick this is a pain in the backside as I am used to linear composing.... went back to Cubase 10.5 and I use Maschine now as my new soundcard. :-). I never understood how anybody can like composing with just 16 pads. And I kept asking myself: what an effort - why don´t he/she not try a decent keyboard instead?
Right!!! This video gave me comfort in knowing I am not the only one that feels like this!!!
When I started using Maschine coming from other software and previously using hardware the lack of linear arrangement and the stunted effects automation envelopes threw me WAY off. I've gotten used to both but also recognize the limitations. I just installed the free Ableton Lite that came with my Focusrite Scarlett this morning. I'm not in the mood to have to learn a whole new piece of software right now though. I'm sure I'll get around to it. I'm also looking forward to the supposed "DAW-like upgrades" eventually coming to Maschine.
I can't wait to see what happens with Maschine, seems like we have been waiting forever. Maschine is awesome, definitely takes a while to figure out, I still haven't figure it all out, lol! I've been working on a new workflow - using maschine and Ableton, dragging audio and midi into Ableton, and it's been working out pretty good...I hear you about learning new software, I feel like I want to be a master of at least one daw, but I am not there yet...still dabbling in a few, lol!
Totally ,totally agree .I think I've spent too much time trying to master something that isn't developed enough and therefore wasted too much time and dare i say money on 2 machines .The software as you demonstrate can be used as a VST and as a adjunct to Ableton .Should have ditched the hardware a while back ,now i will .Thanks
I think that Maschine is awesome, it just has it's place and for me, it is awesome for getting out ideas, and then moving into Ableton to further craft those ideas, arrange, and create the full song. I just still think it's a powerful tool, it gets me moving, gets me making something vs. just staring at a screen looking for inspiration....
I agree. I switched back to Ableton. I feel I can get more detailed with the music. And the MK3 uses way to much CPU.
I like to use both, I still start ideas in Maschine, I think it's an amazing tool to just get ideas out and start creating, and then move to Ableton to finesse everything, building on more, add effects, and arrange...
So what controllers do you recommend for ableton then
The Push 2 -- it's made by Ableton for Ableton, it's the best one out there...
Machine is a notepad for ideas. A DAW is for music production, IF you know your ideas daw is better, but for composing DAWs are not very inspiring for me.