Maschine 3

Name: Maschine 3
Price: 79 USD
Author: Native Instruments

by Native Instruments · Sampler · Groove production software and sampler

Not rated yet

Native Instruments' pattern-based beat-making environment, with a sampler, drum and bass synths, effects and arranger, usable standalone or as a plugin in a DAW.

Version 3 added iZotope-powered stem separation for sampling and ships with the Maschine Central library plus Massive, Monark and Reaktor Prism.

Best for: Drums, Keys & Synths, Sound Design. Genres: Hip-Hop & Trap, Electronic & EDM, Lo-Fi, R&B & Soul.

Keywords: sample-based, basses, clean, drum machine, live performance, lo-fi, multisampled, polyphonic, sound design, standalone app, thin.

What it does

Maschine 3 is NI's "beat making and music production software": lay down beats, sample, arrange and perform with its instruments or your own sounds, "solo or in a DAW," with or without Maschine hardware.

Stem separation: import a track and split it into bass, drums, vocals and other parts for sampling, powered by iZotope RX technology.
Built-in instruments and effects: Drum Synths, Bass Synth, Poly Synth, an integrated sampler, and compressors, reverbs, delays and modulation effects.
Workflow: a tag-based browser, Ideas view for sketching patterns and scenes, Song mode for arranging, tempo per scene, a redesigned modulation editor and improved mouse MIDI editing.
Maschine Central: a library with presets for Massive, Monark and Prism, over 700 drums and 144 multi-sampled Kontakt instruments.
Bundled software: Massive, Monark, Reaktor Prism and iZotope Ozone 12 Elements.

It works with Maschine MK3, Mikro MK3, Studio and Maschine+ hardware, and Maschine Central is included.

Source: Native Instruments product page

When to use it

Maschine 3 is the pick when you want a whole groove workstation (patterns, sampling, synths, effects and arrangement) inside one plugin, especially with Maschine hardware. It covers more than focused drum instruments like NI's Battery 4 and XLN's XO, or Serato Sample, which handles quick sample chopping, while Kontakt 8 is the deeper sampler platform.

Best for: beat making, sampling and chopping, pattern-based sketching, and hardware-driven production and performance.
Genres: hip-hop, trap, lo-fi, R&B, house and other electronic music.
Look elsewhere if: you only need a drum sampler inside your DAW; Battery 4 or XO are lighter.
Standout: stem separation feeding straight into Maschine's sampler and pads.

What producers say

MusicRadar found the core workflow still fun but the 3.0 upgrade thin after an 11-year wait.

MusicRadar (2024) Si Truss said stem separation produces clean, usable results and the new library is high quality, but called it "a somewhat underwhelming step into a supposed new generation."
Gripe: the same review noted no new instruments or effects, very basic MIDI editing tools, and that stem separation is "hardly groundbreaking."

Native Instruments Maschine 3.0 software review | MusicRadar

Where to buy

Native Instruments: $79

Tutorials and reviews

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