Native Instruments – Maschine 3 for WiN/MAC

Maschine is everything you need to bring your musical ideas to life. It’s there at every step – from creating beats and sampling to arranging and performing your tracks. Use it with virtual instruments or your own samples, either on its own or as part of a DAW. And if you’re ready to take things to the next level, bring a hardware Maschine to work with.

What’s new in Maschine 3?

Dividing the stems

Import any track and Maschine will isolate bass, drums, vocals and more with the click of a button. Stem splitting opens up a world of sampling possibilities, all thanks to iZotope’s legendary RX technology.

Features requested by the community

Maschine 3 has been developed with feedback from the Maschine community in mind. First, there’s Bounce In Place, which lets you render sounds, patterns, and ideas as audio, saving CPU power and opening up new creative possibilities. 

We’ve also added support for compressed file formats and per-scene tempo for deep control over the flow of a track. Additionally, Kontrol MK3 features core keyboard integration with transport controls and keyboard mapping for Maschine modules and thousands of NKS partner plugins.

No equipment required

Creating a track from start to finish without any additional equipment has never been easier thanks to Maschine 3’s new and improved mouse-based MIDI editing tools. These include split, join, erase, mute, MIDI notes, keyboard shortcuts, computer keyboard, MIDI note audio previews, and more.

Machine Central

Get everything you need to create tracks in any genre. Maschine Central is a completely redesigned library with presets of iconic synths Massive, Monark, Prism, over 700 drums and 144 multisampled Kontakt instruments. Buy it separately or in a bundle with Maschine 3.

New Key Features in Maschine 3

Workflow Improvements

The workflow update in Maschine 3 addresses long-standing user requests for a more intuitive workflow. The updated piano is smoother and more DAW-like, ultimately improving MIDI editing and making it easier to create melodies. 

The arranger has also been improved, now offering a clearer timeline structure that allows users to better visualize their projects, improving both sequencing and sound design. These changes are a testament to Native Instruments’ responsiveness, but for some experienced users they may feel more incremental than transformative, especially when compared to the variety of layouts in DAWs like Ableton Live.

New Instruments and Features

Maschine 3 introduces new synths and effects modules that expand the program’s sound design capabilities. A hybrid approach that combines analog warmth with digital precision gives Maschine’s library more depth and reduces reliance on third-party plugins. 

However, despite all these improvements, some users may still feel that Maschine 3 is not a full-fledged DAW replacement. The new instruments and effects are versatile, but they do not fundamentally change Maschine’s role as a groovebox-focused tool rather than a full-fledged DAW.

Performance and compatibility improvements

For users working with complex projects, Maschine 3’s performance improvements will be a welcome addition. Updated support for multi-core processors allows for smoother processing of multiple audio streams, reducing interruptions in the workflow and increasing stability. 

Additionally, Maschine 3 is fully compatible with the latest operating systems, reducing compatibility issues that previously plagued workflows. However, as Maschine matures, some limitations such as the lack of VST3 support and real-time time stretching may become more noticeable, indicating that Maschine still has some catching up to do compared to DAWs with a wider range of features.