MOTU MachFive Universal Sampler Plug-In (Mac)

Compatible with existing sampler libraries and notation software, MachFive is the ultimate plug-in for empowering your sound design capabilities.

Overall User Ratings (based on 58 ratings)
  • Overall:
    2.5 out of 5 stars
  • Sound:
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Features:
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Ease of Use:
    3.5 out of 5 stars
  • Quality:
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Value:
    3.5 out of 5 stars
  • Manufacturer Support:
    1.5 out of 5 stars
  • The Wow Factor:
    1.5 out of 5 stars
Overall: 2.5 out of 5 stars
(58) (see rating details)
Submitted November 9, 2003 by a customer from hotmail.com

"Best software sampler. nothing else comes close"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
Sound
Sounds great. period.
Features
Many features for the buck, it took my sound to a new level, im going back to old tracks and breathing new life into them. the sample import needa a little more work however, sometimes it doesnt see my akai disc.
Quality
great quality, cool interface.
Value
way worth the asking price, and i hardly ever use my mpc2000 for drums anymore.(that is miraculous, i swore i would never track drums without it)
Manufacturer Support
i havent had any reason to contact support as of yet with the mach five.

Musical Style:

All pretty much
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Submitted March 9, 2008 by a customer from yahoo.com

"Addendum to below review-THIS SOFTWARE ONLY RUNS properly ON MAC. finally installed on MacbookPro DUAL CORE 2.6 GHZ with 4GB"

Overall: 2.5 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
I will use it until I die. Gonna learn it inside and out and just stick with what I know. Now that I converted to MAC, I am sure all will be good with it.
Sound
THIS SOFTWARE ONLY RUNS properly ON MAC. Sound is very subjective question, and depends on your perceptions, soundcard convertors, drivers (latency, anyone?- CoreAudio Mac vs. ASIO PC) et. al- Crap in, crap out- as your engineering skillz are. I use this as a VST plugin within Cubase Studio 4.1 rewired with Ableton Live 6.0 and Propellerhead's Reason 4.0. I use the MACbook Pro (new one) as my CUBASE host sequencer and VST plug-in player and compostional platform, as I can take those anywhere and just midi into the Mac with any old little midi keyboard (I use M-Audio Oxygen8 v2-cheap, good). The MachFive sits within Cubase nicely. I use the Macbook Pro ONLY as a sequencer and VST player, no Audio-don't think it is powerful enough to do both so I don't risk it; I then audio out the MOTU traveller into a Tascam DM 3200 digital mixer, and sync the Mac and The DM 3200 via MOTU Traveller MIDI to get my outboard synths included in the mix. The Firewirecard in the DM 3200 sends all the audio to Cubase 4.1 on a home built Shuttle XPC barebones I built from scratch running Intel Q6600 Quadfour processor under Windows XP 64 bit and 8GB RAM. This was the cheapest setup I could build to get semi-pro results
Features
THIS SOFTWARE ONLY RUNS properly ON MAC. MachFive has a goofy browser interface when looking for files, but still better than NI Kontakt, so since there isn't much competition, what right do I have to complain? It runs any sample libray format, where no one else does. That seals the deal for me. I grew up in hardware samplers, and it loads my old EMU libraries, I am happy I don't lose years of sample work.
Ease of Use
THIS SOFTWARE ONLY RUNS properly ON MAC. I like the graphics..sweet....the single screen interface and the color scheme is a rich, deep blue hue so if your screen is relatively high contrast and greater then 15", you'll have no eye fatigue using it unless your vision is not correctable. You might have trouble with a little screen. Nice thing is, MachFive has no multiple windows to fuss with so it isn't cluttered. I suggest running your 'puter into your HDTV if your eyesight sucks like mine. This makes it easy to see the little icons and control the program while sitting in bed looking at the TV (no, really!). Just need a long Midi cable from your controller and a wireless USB keyboard.
Quality
THIS SOFTWARE ONLY RUNS ON MAC. It is software, so it has no moving parts to break. It has not crashed once on My 2.6 ghz 7200 rpm 4 Gb Macbook Pro running OSX and CoreAudio. If your laptop will hold up on the road, so will MOTU MachFive. I'd automate everything within your host sequencer. I Would hate trying to manipulate everything in this with no mapped controller.
Value
THIS SOFTWARE ONLY RUNS properly ON MAC. No, Mac?, don't buy it.
Manufacturer Support
THIS SOFTWARE ONLY RUNS ON MAC. I tried to install Machfive on 4 different PC systems and I got install DLL errors, stating upon firing up MachFive, "The software cannot find the required user interface DLL. Please reinstall the software and try again." This occured on both an XP 64 based XPC barebones system and on three different ( Toshiba, Sony and HP) laptops. After repeated installs and uninstalls, the only system that would run it was my HP dv 8301nr turion 64 bit ready system, but not without adding removing hardware, RAM, drives and reinstalling Windows Vista. I finally gaveup after MachFive screen would sluggishly hang when I tried to run it within cubase and crash within Ableton Live. I left an email, no response for a week. When I did get response, where the tech Ben stated: "The user interface DLL error is actually an issue with Windows Vista. Please try logging into another user account and launching MachFive 2. If this works, you should contact Microsoft to correct the user DLL error. I did as ben directed and the same problem. I gave up. MOTU sucks for tech support. From their website they are looking for engineers that can write C++ and tech support folks. Must be a high turnover if I had to listen to people like myself all day on tech support, I'd quit too. MOTU DP supports only Mac as does their audio software that comes free with the interfaces. I suggest they quit lying, address the issue before a class action lawsuit comes their way. Comeon, simply ditch PC support and stick with Mac. It works flawlessly on a Mac OSX system.
The Wow Factor
I wanted it to work so bad, had to buy a MACbook Pro So, in all it turned out to be a $3500 dollar multi-format sampler.

Musical Background:

years and years of electronica

Musical Style:

downtempo, ambient, triphop
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Submitted April 17, 2008 by a customer from yahoo.com

"on PC, use only on a Vista or XP 64 bit system with more than 4GB of RAM"

Overall: 2.5 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
IF MOTU gets the PC install bugs worked out, it'll be a great system. Until then, this is A Mac product thats been half-assed code chopped Frankenstein style to work on a PC format. As you can see from my below posts, the only thing I could ever get it to load on properly in standalone mode was a Macbook Pro with 4GB RAM. When I tried it on my PC laptops, nada, never not gonna happen. Same was true for my XPC shuttle with 4GB RAM. Forget it. I finally got it to run partially on Windows Vista 64 bit, with ASUS P5E-VM HDMI mobo using Intel G35 Express chipset, running an Intel Core II duo E8400 at 3Ghzwith & 8 GB of RAM and 7200 RPM Seagate SATA II harddrive, but only within a VST host. When I built the above system, installed Vista 64 bit, then installed the 64 Bit Interlok software for the stupid usb dongle MOTU uses, it would not load version 2.01 or 2.02 of Machfive. Once installed, You'll get 'Intitialization Error'-"This software could not find the required user interface DLL. Please reinstall the software, and try again." I did, ad naseum to no success. I was about to take MOTU to small claims course when a miracle happened. All was not lost! I installed the 64 bit early release beta version of Cubase Studio 4 from the Steinber website and placed the Machfive into my x86 programs files Steinber VST folder. When I initialized Cubase, MachFive loaded just fine as a VST instrument within Cubase. About Damned time! Finally! wooo hoo! I'm up and running and since I'll sequence it anyway, I don't care if I run it standalone. Odd how I still get the DLL error trying to run it standalone on a system where it fires right up within a VST environment. I have a decent amount of RAM, so that could be a MAJOR factor in it running for when I loaded it on a 4 gig system, it was sluggish as hell and unusable, but that was a different MOBO (see other reviews I wrote on it) The caveat to all this is that if you are running an xp or vista 32 bit system, you cannot use more than 3.5 GB of RAM as the OS is designed to not see more than that, so you are screwed trying to run Machfive and must install either Vista or XP 64 bit, and your mobo and chipset must be designed to run on 64 bit OS, so if you got an older system, build yourself a newer, bigger and badder machine, or simply get a Mac. I'm cheap and like more muscle for less money, so I have stuck with PC but to run MachFive properly as much money into my system now, with software yada yada than you'd have if you just went out and bought the basic Macbook and added your own RAM and 7200 RPM laptop drive (don't pay apple to do it, it's a 400 dollar scam for 40 bucks worth of memory).
Sound
Sounds good, does what it should. You better have a lot of RAM (IE at least 4GB and preferable 8GB), which means you HAVE to be running XP 64 bit or Vista 64 bit. I had to buy Vista 64 bit ultimate since Steinberg stopped supporting XP 64 bit with Cubase. I tried to install MOTU on XP and it did run, but once I loaded MachFive as a VST, the system crashed into blue screen of death and Memory Dump Vxooooodddd yada yada began and I had to reboot, so right now, you have Vista 64 bit as your safe bet. Oddly, Machfive ran standalone on XP 64 bit, just fine so if you are using an external sequencer (MPC or whatnot) you can run the program within a third party VST host, I am sure and simply use the 'puter as a musical instrument only.
Features
it has alot of great features. If you are an experienced 'samplist' and read the product description on the MOTU website, you will lust for it, immediately.
Ease of Use
This product is easy to use, once you RTFM a few times.
Quality
I would have to say that it looks damned good. Sweet colors and user interface, but use a big screen. I HDMI'd it into my 37" HDTV so my eyes didn't have to squint to find all the little icons all over the user interface, and it works out well.
Manufacturer Support
Call them and it becomes a 'day on hold' experience, so forget it. There website sucks even worse. No user experience work arounds posted . Think I need to start a Machfive Users group off site for MOTU only refers you to their 'canned' troubleshooting pages, which covers the basic stuff that most anyone could figure out on their own. It is the installation and requirements that kill a PC user before they ever get it out of the box, and that is what really needs to be covered, but of course MOTU acts like
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Submitted March 1, 2008 by a customer from yahoo.com

"Windows Vista laptop Guinea Pig for your Troubles...that's me."

Overall: 2 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
ZZONDS ASKS: "How long do you expect to be satisfied with this product before searching for another product? Will you supplement it or replace it? What would lead you to search for another product - would you wear this out, seek some specific feaures, keep this but seek additional or different sounds and features? How would you compare this product to others you considered, and why did you choose this one (if you bought it)? Does this product help you meet your musical goals? If the product were lost or stolen, would you replace it or buy something else - if so what else? What do you wish you knew before you bought it? What do you like most about it? What do you like least about it? " ANSWER I have not used the product enough yet to know what it will but I am really impressed with the reviews I read and its sheer potential. Bottom Line. I think I gotta buy the fastest, baddest Macbook Pro on the placent, and see how it all works out. Most software now, including Mach-5, claims to be multi-platform, so I can use it on my XPC and on my Macbook without any problems, right? Sure, said the piper with one hand in your pocketbook.
Sound
I want to fair and honest in this review in order to: 1. Not slag MOTU for a truly wonderful, powerful and musically innovative product that has some serious Beta-like install issues in Windows. 2. Let buyers who are using Windows based Vista Laptops know what they will run into trying to install and run this program on their systems. I am fortunate enough to have had the luxury of four computers to have tried to install MachFive 2.01 and the most recent upgrade on the MOTU website, MachFive 2.02. My girlfrined is a computer nerd who works for one the major software manufacturers here in SF, so she has Laptops lying around like party favors, so I got to experiment in ways that most poor musicians would never have the opportunity to do at home. If you can get MachFive Version 2.01 or 2.02 to run on your Windows system, it is awesome, but then you are lucky. It is time consuming and a 80 percent chance you will not get the unit to install properly time after time of uninstalls and reinstalls. Simply put, on most Vista based laptop systems, MOTU MachFive V 2.01 is a royal PITA to install, if you can ever get it to install at all. It took me 5 days to get it to install, using four different laptops in multiple memory and hard-drive and Vista (32 vs. 64 bit) configuarations. I was possessed into gettin this thing to run and import my EMU E-5000 sample library. I was so fixated on gettting this 500 dollar program to work, that I took two days of sick leave from work and worked straight, 12 hours a day for those days, trying work arounds to install the program. Needless to say, that ultimately led to my yelling, screaming, calling MOTU on the techline to only get busy signals, emailing tech support to get no reply to my problem, posting the problem on install on their Tech Forums only to get no reply to my post after three days and a weekend, and finally, finding nothing on user forums at the MOTU website. MOTU does not have a user forum on their site that they will post unedited user questions and answers from fellow users, such as TASCAM does, so that fellow users can help each other out. I believe this is because if their are problems due to lack of end user knowledge, and they unfairly slag the MOTU product due to user ignorance and lack of 'headspace and timing', potential customers will not buy the product. In all, users helping users via their website is bad for business, especially if some of those users, such as this Humble 41 year old musician with years of running software and hardware synths, actually do know a little about installation and usage of these kinds of things, since I spend every free red cent I have on electronic musical equipment, softsynths and mixers/computers and peripherals. Be advised though, it will take time, patience, perserverence, and the 5 stages of Mourning before you get it to run, if you can get it to run. I have taken a break from trying to install in on my VAIO to write this review. Now, I know that you need at LEAST 2 gigs of RAM and a 5400 RPM HD (ever see a 10,000 RPM SATA HD at your local Bestbuy? Thought Not) Latency can be a problem if you are using your laptop internal soundcard. I suggest a cheap USB or Firewire interface such as an M-audio Transit or Presonus Firepod, both of which worked with MachFive 2.01 with little latency, on my HP DV8000 ML-34 Turion Laptop running Vista 64 bit, 7200 RPM Mitsubishi HD and Kingston 2 GB of 667mhz FSB PC 5400 SODIMMS RAM. I am being specific here, because this program is damned finnicky and I am trying to save end users a lot of pain an frustration with this program installing. If you purchase it from a vendor, 90 percent of the time, you are NOT going to return it. That is how software returns are. Example: Here is Bestbuys policy on Software: "A 15% restocking fee will be charged on returns or exchanges of any opened notebook computer, camcorder, digital camera or radar detector, unless defective. 30 days from the date merchandise was received, refunds are available on the remainder of our merchandise. Exceptions Computer Software Video Games Prerecorded Videos DVD Software Music In order to receive credit for these items, they must be unopened." How are you supposed to know that the software will work on your system unless you open the damned software! HA HA HA you're stuck with your MOTU Mach5 2.02 so you better figure out how to get to work or you are out $495.00 list price dollars.
Features
ZZOUNDS ASKS Did the product include accessories? What are the most useful features? What are the least useful features? Are there any features you wish it had? For guitars, what materials and parts were used, and how do you feel about this selection of components? Never used a sampler which had such a simple interface but such powerful features. Once I got the damned thing to run with a system that ironically did NOT meet MOTU's requirements (it ran on my HP DV8301nr with 2 GB of ram and 5400 rpm drive that came with the unit-as stated earlier). Ironically, the HP laptop I got MachFive to finally run on was designed for Windows 64 bit, and is the only machine that would run the MOTU Mach 5 out of three machines that I have already tried to install and run it on (and yes, I wiped the drives on those machines and installed both 32 bit and 64 bit versions of Vista and started from scratch to ensure that the problem did not lie within driver conflicts) Strangely, the HP had the LEAST amount of RAM and HD speed that MOTU said they require, but alas, it ran finally after repeated drive formats, windows reinstalls and ILOK key software installations *(note-Ilok is the anti-piracy key that comes with MachFive. It allows you to install the program on multiple computers, but the program will not run, unless you insert the authorized Ilok usb key into a USb port on the computer MachFive is installed on. Now, this Ilok key, has its own software and driver that is required before it can be used. MachFive compensates for this on istall, by automatically installng the Ilok drivers for you when installing the program. Then once your distinct ID is on the ILOK, you can put the Ilok into any computer ((say at the studio where you will do mixdown)) and run Machfive on their computer with your Ilok key installed.) Great idea, but makes you wonder if your ILOK and Machfive are communicating properly and if that could be the reason one gets the DLL error upon install and trying run MachFive. I am not one of MOTU's software engineers, and it is NOT my jobn to figure this problem out, but still, I have to wonder why my problems getting MachFive to install. Now, fiannly after 5 days of work, MachFive initializes, but because I have only had the software for a week, and it took this long to get it to run on any machine I have, I have not yet thrown the book at the MachFive via integration into my CUBASE 4.1 REWIRE'd with ABLETON LIVE 6; hence I cannot verify if it will melt the HP down into the 'bluescreen of death'. I am just happy that I finally got MachFive to run on one of my systems after 5 days of relentlessly trying to get it to install. I will say I tried to install it on the VAIO, got the intitalization error, then went in the back door through Abeton Live 6.01 to see if I could use it as a Plugin instrument, and it crashed my Ableton Live. So, if it will not install without the DLL error, then it obviously won't run as a plugin in any DAW software, at least Ableton. Can't verify use with Protools or any other American DAW manufacturer, as I am just one of those German/Swede loving synth and software kind of guys (Access Virus, PPG Wave, NordWave, Waldor, you get the picture). So, maybe MachFive is one of the US versus their Germans engineer rivalries where no one wants to play well together, ha ha. I have tried to get it to run on the following: a) Sony VAIO model VGN CR220e with 4 GB of Kingston PC2 5300 667mhz FSB DUAL SODIMM RAM and a 7200 RPM Mitsubishi drive that I installed myself){if Kraftwerk uses VAIOS}, they are good enough for me} End result: MachFive 2.01 will not initialize. I get an error after installing the latest ILOK software from www.ilok.com for a 64bit Windows OS and then installing the ILOK into my USB port and installing the MachFive Sopftware. The error reads ""cannot find the required user interface DLL. Please reinstall the software and try again." I have seen this error ad naseum. b) Toshiba Sattelite model #U205-S5034 Running Vista 32 Bit and 2 GB of RAM with 5400 RPM drive. Built for XP, but runs Vista 32 bit no probelm. Same DLL error. MachFive 2.01 will not run c) My coveted, self built from Fry's electronics in San Joser, XPC barebones SD37P2v2 with 8 GB of Patriot RAM and two 750GB Western digital drives in RAID 0 array (just means you can write same data to two drives at same time in case one fails you got a backup so you don't lose data) Same problem. DLL Error in Mach?Five, plus on this XP 64 bit system, the damned ILOK software for 64 bit systems, could not see the ILOK properly and kept refering me to install ILOK Client software, to which I did do, and it would refer me back to the ILOK website in a vicious circle of misery. Needless to say, MachFive 2.01 would not run.
Ease of Use
ZZOUNDS ASKS How easy is it to get great sounds from this product? Is the interface intuitive? How easy is it to modify the sound to your personal taste? How easy is it to use this product with your other products? Is there a learning curve? Is the manual clear? For instruments, how playable is it? Haven't gotten this far, but from the interface, I suggest at least 15 " screen. It is really colurful and has a pretty blue hue to it, but again, I cannot yet comment on ease of use as I am just kicking my heals with joy that it is running on my HP. I just wish I could put more memory into my HP and get around the 5400 RPM ATA drive speed and throughput limitations. One idea I had ,was to not F%^* with the install and take drive out and put into a newer, bigger and faster HP machine to see if the conflict with running MachFive is Hardware or Software related. Alas, the HP factory drive that Machfive is now working on is already antiquated by todays SATA II laptop standands and I am not going to risk a disk image copy of the old drive that it installed on , to a newer SATA II drive in a faster HP notebook with more power and have MachFive NOT run. That would be a major waste of time and money.
Quality
ZZOUNDS ASKS: Is the product made well? How is the factory quality control - how is the finish and fit, are there loose parts or cosmetic blemishes? How reliable is the product? Can you depend on it or do you worry something will break (or do you keep a backup or wish you could)? Would the product be appropriate for use "on the road"? What is the worst aspect of the quality? How long does it seem like it will last (mechanical parts, cosmetic aspects)? ME; It is software, so irrelevant. I'd say the blue ILOK key will break off if you aren't careful, so there goes another day of hell getting it replaced and your old licence transfered. The box, nice, glossy, big with believe it or not, a REAL glossy, manual to go with the software! Kudos to MOTU for this little inclusion. I don't have to tweak my eyes in Adobe Acrobat popping manual windows open and closed all day or to burn 60 dollars in proprietary inkjet off our my HP printer (meaning another trip to the store) just to figure out how to run the software. Box it came in-Too big, takes up too much space for what is inside, but then again, if it weren't that big you couldn't read the writing on the box as it is crammed with 8pt pica print you need a magnifying glass to read. Use on the road asks ZZounds. Don't risk it, yet.
Value
"zzounds asks: In short, is this product worth its typical selling price compared to other items? (Please do not comment on the price at this or any particular other retailer - you'll have a chance to do that below.) MEL For what this product is, I believe that nothing does what it does with such simplicity and finesse. It is a beautiful piece of software and any library that you put into it, works.
Manufacturer Support
zzounds asks: "Have you dealt with the company that made the product? Were they easy to reach? Were they friendly? Did they solve your problem? Have you had any experiences under the warranty? Have you needed any repairs or attempted any upgrades? Have you needed any service? If so, how did each of these turn out? " Me: I have neverhad such poor support in all my life. No support means poor support. I have had no response from MOTU in three days via phone or email. My repeated calls have encountered busy signals time after time. My Yamaha RS 7000 tech support got right back with me in a half day after calling and leaving a message. Echo at least sent a response, as ignorant as it was, when they shipped their Audiofire 12 unit with an upside down meterface (Chinese factory glitch) telling me to turn the face around. Right. New unit, I'm supposed to be electornic tech for their manufacturing error. Guy at Guitar center tore unit apart in front of me, put it back together very carefully, stuck it back in the box, for some other unsuspecting fool. Is that legal?
The Wow Factor
I love this sampler. I love it more THAN MY EMU-E5000, God rest their Scotts Valley Hardware souls. It is too bad they were bought out by Creative Labs, which is just basically consumer grade gaming soundcard stuff. Still, I would have to rate it up there with the EMU X2 SAMPLER, which at least installed and ran on my system, but which is a bit more time intensive in manipulating samples to time stretch, match etc.

Musical Background:

Many many years as studio producer, dance electronica producer.

Musical Style:

Acid Jazz, Electronica, Downtempo, Techno, trance, GOA trance, Progressive House, Drum and Bass and all of the above
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Submitted April 13, 2008 by a customer from yahoo.com

"Forget it on a PC"

Overall: 2 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
Built an Antec with ASUS P5E-VM HDMI Mobo and 8 gigs of RAM running Intel Core 2 Duo 3.0ghz. Installed within Cubase Studio 4.1 with latest upgrades from Steinberg. Downloaded MachFive v 2.02 from MOTU site. Installed on my system. Went to run machfive as a plugin within the VST environment and it crashed my program. Did the same but within XP 64 bit, and got the blue screen of death and crash vxdoooooooo error cannot blah blah...removed Machfive from VST folder and Cubase fired up fine and was stable, so it is with MachFive, not Cubase. Go figure. Ran Machfive on its own standalone within Vista 32 bit and it seems to run, but sluggishly, and screen is too large, right part of Machfive cannot be seen on my puter screen and I could not resize it with the mouse. Just a jacked up program on ANY Windows platform. Use only with a Mac.
Sound
NA
Features
NA
Ease of Use
Can't get it working
Quality
NA
Value
If you have a Mac
Manufacturer Support
nonexistent..they'll blame your program, system etc not their product. Plausible deniability. Worse than the goverment if you ask me.
The Wow Factor
nice colors

Musical Background:

Many years

Musical Style:

techno
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Submitted May 5, 2004 by a customer from yahoo.co.nz

"Don't buy."

Overall: 0.5 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
Main issue: hardware copy protection, which is not mentioned on the packaging and the motu website - makes it MORE convenient to use a pirated copy. - interface is for screens bigger then 1024x768 (!), interface glitches, midi glitches, audio glitches, realistically you need a G5 to run it at all, not well integrated with Digital Performer, manual almost useless, messes with the OS.
Sound
Good sound quality, as long as you stay away from layering, which overtaxes the processor. (1GHz G4)
Features
Unintuitive interface.
Quality
buggy, comes with a dongle, so it's unusable on laptops. Has a negative effect on the performance of the whole system. Copy protection software messes with the system (installs kernel extensions).

Musical Style:

alternative, jazz
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Submitted February 10, 2022 by a customer from gmail.com

"Expensive and not working on newer MacOS"

Overall: 0.5 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
I tought MOTU was a reliable company...I'm loosing a lot of personal sampling work :They never updated their product since november 2020 and if you ask them about any update plan, you'll have no real answer ! I spent a lot of money (almost 1000 usd) for the software and its forced updates to stay compatible with newer OS. I won't buy any MOTU product anymore, never...
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Submitted December 6, 2004 by a customer from yahoo.com

"Not and engineer? Mach 5's for you!"

Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
I've tried to use other samplers, and hated them. Mach 5 rules in my books.
Sound
On my system, wonderful sound.
Features
I'm no engineer. In fact, I didn't buy Mach 5 until I was certain this would be easy to use. And it is. Works great with Digital Performer 4. Had worried that loading samples would be beyond me: without reading the manual loaded 10 CDs full of samples. Dead easy.
Quality
I'm not fond of the toggle... was disappointed to learn that it couldn't be used with a laptop...
Value
The Mach 5 has made my recording life a dream. Love it.
Manufacturer Support
MOTU is pretty lousy when it come to support... I can't figure out why they don't take all of our questons and all of their answers and make them available. Seems to me it'd be a win/win. Oh well...
The Wow Factor
Glad my version came without bugs! I love it.

Musical Background:

active

Musical Style:

prog rock
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Submitted August 13, 2003

"best sampler in the world"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
Really hard to do better.....
Sound
Best sounds I ever heard.
Features
Really powerfull. Effects, filters are amazing
Quality
The best sampler of the world
Value
best value
Manufacturer Support
Nice Motu support
The Wow Factor
My favorite instument now to create music
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