Native Instruments Maschine EDU vs Studio versions

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Ninjazz

New member
The Native Instruments Maschine is a bit out of my range of affordability but I noticed that there is an Educational/Academic version which, as I am a student studying audio engineering and recording, I would be eligible for. Here's my questions:

What's the procedure if I someday want to use it to produce a track and that track subsequently earns me money? How would anyone know if the track I made using Maschine was done on an Academic or Studio license? Don't see how. At any rate, would there be a small upgrade fee to upgrade the license? Frankly I coudl just use profits to buy a new Maschine but...Chicken & egg scenario.

If I bought an Academic version listed as 1.6 can I upgrade to 1.7 or otherwise latest version for free?

Thanks
 
You are looking too deep into it. The academic version will just keep you from being able to take part in some paid upgrades in the future.

There is also a guy on this forum that works with NI if I am correct. Locate the right Maschine thread and you will find him. He can probably answer some of you questions about the Academic version.
 
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Hey thanks for getting back to me. Most of my cash goes to school so any dollar I can save helps. What are considered paid updates? Like version 1.6 to 1.7 or like 1.x to 2.x?

Cheers
 
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Ninjazz said:
Hey thanks for getting back to me. Most of my cash goes to school so any dollar I can save helps. What are considered paid updates? Like version 1.6 to 1.7 or like 1.x to 2.x?

Cheers
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There have been zero paid updates for Maschine thus far, and there might never be any.

I have an EDU version of Maschine because it was cheaper. The biggest thing is that you cannot re-sell your license if you end up deciding that you don't like Maschine and want to sell it. Also, you can install on only one computer at a time instead of up to three, I believe. To my understanding, you can do paid updates that might occur, and that an update automatically upgrades you to a full version rather than an EDU version.

As far as your making profits goes, I'm fairly certain that there's no clause in the EULA about nonprofit use requirement. Even if there was, nobody would know or care.
 
I don't know how accurate the information is but a sales rep at a local music store told me that the audio samples included with Maschine EDU edition have a "digital signature" and that NI will indeed make an effort to find out if you are using the device commercially. Really, with the restrictions, it seems the EDU version is only meant for those schools that specialize in teaching people how to use the device like DubSpot, and the like. It makes no sense, for a budding producer, to pay near full price for gear that will in the long run end up being a fancy doorstop because you can neither pass it on or profit off it with your own music creations. I can dig that there are schools that will teach people how to become Maschine savvy and that they should receive a discount for their demoing units (if anything it's like promo/selling their product to new users) but for the individual...Better off to get the Mikro.

I do wish it was more like some DAW developers who offer significant discounts to students in music production/engineering programs. I'm pretty sure that is one of the reasons Pro Tools has managed to continually be the industry standard. So students get a break and the company behind the product still profits well.
 
[F_or_DEAF] said:
[...] they charge for MOST [..]
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yeah... that.

---------- Post added at 10:07 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:06 AM ----------
Ninjazz said:
I don't know how accurate the information is but a sales rep at a local music store told me that the audio samples included with Maschine EDU edition have a "digital signature" and that NI will indeed make an effort to find out if you are using the device commercially.
Click to expand...

i don't know how accurate this information is but a sales rep at a local music store is probably getting a larger commission in getting you to spend more money.

sales reps say all sorts of funny things to get more money. for example: "macs are better". lmao.

As a side note, everyone who offers you advice has some sort of incentive. Which would you rather take:
a) the advice from someone who gets an ego boost by providing correct answers and useful information
or
b) the advice of someone who gets a pay boost by providing more expensive solutions
 
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You're right to be cautious about commercial work using EDU licenses. I know most EDU software licenses specifically state you shouldn't do any commercial work at all with it. I think you'd need to speak to NI direct about it if it's not made clear enough by their EULA/Terms.

Of course you could say 'they may never know', but you could say that about pirated software too.

Just out of curiosity, is there really that much of a discount? Over here in the UK, Maschine is £499, and the EDU price is something ridiculous like £460. I'm intending to purchase one at some point and was looking at the EDU version, but for the sake of £60 I'm just gonna go for the retail version to cover any potential commercial use.
 
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