Native Instruments has announced Maschine
(http://www.native-instruments.com/Maschine.info), a next-generation
groove production studio for beat creation and arrangement. It will
be available in March at a suggested retail price of US$699.

The system combines a software sequencer and sampler with an
integrated performance controller. Maschine is built on a combination
of groove box and drum machine workflows. It brings together step
sequencing and real-time polyphonic recording in a pattern-based
arrangement.

There are 16 pressure-sensitive drum pads that illuminate to
visualize sequence patterns and other crucial information. Eight
rotary encoders, a concise layout of dedicated buttons and dual
high-resolution displays give immediate access to all functions of
Maschine without touching the computer mouse or keyboard. By design,
all features are quickly accessible "on the surface" rather than
hidden away in hierarchical sub menus.

The Maschine hardware also doubles as an universal controller for any
MIDI compatible music gear, thanks to an included MIDI mapping
application and support of the MCU protocol for sophisticated DAW
control.