The latest episode of 100 Things I Do details their epic journey to restore a ‘very broken’ Fairlight CMI IIx synth workstation.
The Fairlight CMI II was introduced in 1982 and – while limited by today’s standards – represented the state of the art in sampling synthesis and sequencing at the time.
If you want to see the full journey of repairing this rare instrument, watch the playlist below:
Native Instruments has released Maschine 3.4, a free update that introduces an updated modulation and automation editor and more.
What’s new in Maschine 3.4:
Modernized Modulation Editor – The editor has been rebuilt on a new technical foundation for a smoother, high-DPI visual experience.
New Linear Point Workflow – Maschine now creates smooth, linear transitions between any two modulation points, allowing you to create predictable ramps and sweeps with ease.
Curve Editing – You can now create smooth, curved slopes by simply holding Alt (Option on macOS) + dragging any line segment. This is perfect for filter sweeps, synth swells, and dynamic, expressive modulation.
Optimized Hardware Automation Recording – Your hardware performances are now captured as clean, optimized linear points. This means no more cluttered lanes with micro-steps, just the smooth performance you played, ready to be edited.
Improved Editing Tools:
Pencil Tool: Freely draw complex modulation shapes. Turn on the grid to draw quantized, stepped automation, just like the classic workflow.
Advanced Selection: Use the Marquee Tool to select groups of points at once , or use Shift-Click to select multiple individual points, even if they aren’t next to each other.
Smarter Workflow & Visuals:
Modulation in the Arranger: You can see a preview of your modulation directly on clips in the Arranger view, letting you see modulation in context.
New Visuals: The editor has a refreshed design, a new background grid, and helpful tooltips that show you the precise value of a point when you hover over it.
New Zoom Shortcut: Use Cmd + Scroll (macOS) or Ctrl + Scroll (Windows) for quick horizontal zooming in the editor.
Play Series & Effects for Maschine+ – This update also brings massive new power to standalone. A selection of Play Series instruments (like Empire Breaks, 24K Keys) and studio effects (like Solid Bus Comp, Replika) are now compatible with Maschine+.
Thingstone shared this intro and overview of the Track8, a new 8-track hardware arranger.
The Track8 is designed to let you capture your creative ideas, without the distractions of working with a Digital Audio Workstation on your computer.
Features:
Full sized Connections:
1/4” Headphone output
XLR Mono 60db Preamp Input with +48V Phantom power
1/4” Mono Line Input
1/4” Stereo Line Input
Full Size DIN Midi Input / Output
2 x USB-A for Midi and Storage Media
Standard USB-C for Power Delivery
Audio:
8 Audio Tracks
Copy, Cut, Paste up to 8 minutes of audio including multiple Tracks
Bounce multiple tracks in place
8 minutes of Undo Stack
Count In, Punch In
Level, Pan & Mute for individual Tracks
120GB of internal Storage
Record up to 4h long Projects
Each Track is one float 32bit WAV file for easy export
Audio Edit
Volume/Pan Automation
Detail editing
Nudge Audio
Zoom in up to 2048x
MIDI
8 MIDI Tracks
Copy, Cut, Paste Single or multiple Tracks
Each Track can be sent to Midi Channels 1-16
Mute individual Midi Tracks
MIDI Edit
Automate MIDI CC, Modulation, Pitch Pend
Step Record single and Multiple Notes
Detailed Editing of individual Notes
Velocity and Quantization Adjustments
Master FX
Delay and Reverb Effects
Master Compressor/Limiter
Detailed Clipping detection
Track FX
HP, LP, BP, Notch Filter
Track Compressor
Delay and Reverb Send
File Browser
Load Audi/Midi Files from USB
Easy copy and pasting into Tracks
Export Clipboard content to USB as Audio or MIDI file
Pre-listen Midi Files with Midi Channel selection
Misc
Create Multiple Projects
Mixdown Project as a single WAV file to USB
Export Project Stems to USB
Connect via USB-C to a Computer and access the internal SSD
Details on pricing and availability are to come at Thingstone site.
