Native Instruments Maschine+ Vapor Grey Standalone Controller

General

While boasting superior performance, the Native Instruments Maschine has always been a humble controller. But change is afoot with the dawn of the Maschine+. That little '+' indicates something pretty big since this controller doubles as a fully standalone workstation so you can finally lose the laptop and just play. Since this is not the first example of this kind of hardware, we wonder if a fresh trend is being set for the on-the-road producer and DJ. Instead of relying solely on the boundless power of your laptop, the controller is taking a more independent stance and stepping into the realm of an all-in-one system. As such, this magic box comes with a 32GB memory, 4GB RAM, two USB stick slots, and an SD card reader.

Features of the Uncompromising Native Instruments Maschine

The housing is comparable to the Maschine MK3: robust with solid feeling encoders lined up below the display screens, and the larger encoder on the left functions as a push-button and cursor. You also get a fat bank of buttons for track editing while two colour display screens provide all the info you're going to need. In fact, if you're an MPC producer, then you're going to be handsomely accommodated by the Maschine+. While it's a standalone unit and provides audio itself, it functions just as beautifully as a controller of old, but since it's a standalone unit, it comes with its own on-board audio interface. In full standalone mode, you get 44.1kHz signal quality, or use it as an audio interface and get 96khz signal quality - guaranteeing quality across the board.

Other Charming Characteristics

Native Instruments have also been generous enough to include a nice software package in the form of a special version of Komplete Select. While the content differs a little from the normal version of Select, you can upgrade to a larger edition as needed. Another great detail is that other NI devices like their USB/MIDI keyboards or Komplete audio interfaces can be hooked up to the Maschine+. Add a keyboard and the potential of this production studio in-a-box is expanded even further - but that's not to say that the pads provided aren't just as good as any keyboard.