Maschine Jam’s eight dual-touch Smart Strips, located below the pad matrix, feature a broad set of functions unlocked with the free Maschine 2.5 software update: When the Variation Engine is enabled, beats and melodies can be randomly generated, based on customizable values, and then modified on the matrix. A built-in humanizer adds natural rhythmic fluctuations to programmed sequences. In Step Mode, the 8×8 matrix becomes a powerful multi-track step-sequencer for one, four, or eight sounds simultaneously. In Pad Mode, sounds are entered in real time, while Piano Roll Mode makes possible step-sequencing melodies in a wide variety of available scales. The Jam’s workflow centers around an 8×8 multicolor click-pad matrix where producers and performers can “experiment with arrangement possibilities,” using patterns and scenes: Maschine Jam offers a unique set of hardware features that, NI says, “reinforces the creative process.”
