NATIVE INSTRUMENTS Maschine+ £1,100

For a long time, this writer had an overly ambitious idea to take a small compact computer running Windows and get it to fit within the spacious Maschine Studio controller case. When the Maschine MK3 arrived on the scene, we soon forgot this plan in favour of the MK3’s smaller size and portability. The need behind this idea has of now been answered with the all-in-one Maschine+.

This writer first joined the Maschine platform at about software version 2.0, attracted by the potential for a 98 per cent hardware workflow, a workflow that was also unique to what we’d already established with the Ableton Push set-up. This was before the easier navigation of that came with colour LCD screens had arrived on the scene but creating a full song from an empty sketch pad was still possible on the earlier-generation monochrome displays. This is worthy of note as the discipline of not using your laptop keys or screen and focusing on a hardware workflow has become more widely popular now – and with good reason.

Visually, you can be presented with too much information when using a computer. Not only is there a wealth of music software options but you also have to be disciplined enough to steer yourself away from other computer-based distractions while working. Imposing constraints on yourself as an artist is a topic stressed by many great thinkers and it’s a real seed towards a more creative state of mind.