Manual
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Table of Contents Table of Contents 1 Welcome to MASCHINE! ............................................................................................ 18 1.1 1.2 1.3 2 Where to Start? ........................................................................................................................... 19 What’s New in MASCHINE 2.0? ................................................................................................... 21 Manual Conventions ..............................................
Table of Contents 2.5 2.6 2.7 3 Preferences ................................................................................................................................. 54 2.5.1 Preferences – General Page ....................................................................................... 55 2.5.2 Preferences – Default Page ....................................................................................... 57 2.5.3 Preferences – Library Page .................................................
Table of Contents 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 4 3.3.1 Loading the Selected Files Automatically .................................................................. 105 3.3.2 Pre-Listening to Your Samples .................................................................................. 106 3.3.3 Loading Groups with their Patterns ........................................................................... 108 3.3.4 Displaying File Information ............................................................................
Table of Contents 4.3 4.4 4.5 5 4.2.5 Saving Sounds ........................................................................................................... 142 4.2.6 Copying and Pasting Sounds ..................................................................................... 144 4.2.7 Moving Sounds .......................................................................................................... 146 4.2.8 Resetting Sound Slots .............................................................
Table of Contents 5.2.1 5.2.2 5.2.3 5.2.4 5.2.5 6 Note Repeat ............................................................................................................... 182 Mute and Solo ............................................................................................................ 184 Choke All Notes .......................................................................................................... 188 Groove .......................................................................
Table of Contents 6.3.5 7 Multiple-Output Plug-ins and Multitimbral Plug-ins ................................................. 235 Working with Patterns ............................................................................................... 236 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 Pattern Basics ............................................................................................................................ 236 7.1.1 Pattern Editor Overview ..............................................................
Table of Contents 7.5 7.6 7.7 7.8 8 Recording and Editing Modulation ............................................................................................. 285 7.5.1 Which Parameters can be Modulated? ....................................................................... 287 7.5.2 Recording Modulation ................................................................................................ 288 7.5.3 Creating and Editing Modulation in the Control Lane .....................................
Table of Contents 8.3 9 8.2.3 Selecting VST/AU Plug-in Presets via MIDI Program Change ..................................... 359 8.2.4 Sending MIDI from Sounds ........................................................................................ 360 Creating Custom Sets of Parameters with the Macro Controls ................................................... 364 8.3.1 Macro Control Overview ............................................................................................. 365 8.3.
Table of Contents 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 10.1.3 Shared Parameters .................................................................................................... 410 10.1.4 Various Velocity Responses ....................................................................................... 410 10.1.5 Pitch Range, Tuning, and MIDI Notes ........................................................................ 410 The Kicks ...................................................................................
Table of Contents 10.6 10.5.1 Tom – Tronic .............................................................................................................. 452 10.5.2 Tom – Fractal ............................................................................................................ 454 10.5.3 Tom – Floor ................................................................................................................ 457 The Percussions ..................................................................
Table of Contents 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5 12.6 Filtering Effects .......................................................................................................................... 512 12.2.1 EQ .............................................................................................................................. 512 12.2.2 Filter .......................................................................................................................... 514 Modulation Effects .................
Table of Contents 13.1.3 13.1.4 13.1.5 13.2 13.3 13.4 Following the Playback Position in Your Project ......................................................... 557 Jumping to Another Playback Position in Your Project ............................................... 558 Creating and Removing Clips .................................................................................... 560 13.1.5.1 Creating and Removing Clips on the MASCHINE MIKRO Controller ............562 Managing Scenes ....................
Table of Contents 14.3 14.4 14.5 Editing a Sample ........................................................................................................................ 611 14.3.1 Using the Edit Page ................................................................................................... 612 14.3.2 Audio Editing Functions ............................................................................................. 618 Slicing a Sample ........................................................
Table of Contents 16 Appendix: Tips for Playing Live .................................................................................. 669 16.1 16.2 16.3 Preparations ............................................................................................................................... 669 16.1.1 Focus on the Hardware .............................................................................................. 669 16.1.2 Customize the Pads of the Hardware ......................................
Welcome to MASCHINE! 1 Welcome to MASCHINE! Thank you for buying MASCHINE! MASCHINE is a groove production studio that implements the familiar working style of classical groove boxes along with the advantages of a computer based system. MASCHINE is ideal for making music live, as well as in the studio. It’s the hands-on aspect of a dedicated instrument, the MASCHINE hardware controller, united with the advanced editing features of the MASCHINE software.
Welcome to MASCHINE! Where to Start? 1.1 Where to Start? MASCHINE provides you with many information sources. The main documents are meant to be read in the following sequence: 1. 2. 3. MASCHINE Setup Guide MASCHINE Getting Started and online video tutorials MASCHINE Manual (this document) The whole documentation set is available in PDF format and located within the MASCHINE installation folder on your hard disk.
Welcome to MASCHINE! Where to Start? MASCHINE Getting Started After reading the Setup Guide and following its instructions, your MASCHINE should be up and running. The next step is to read the MASCHINE Getting Started. This gives you a practical approach to MASCHINE via a set of tutorials covering easy and more advanced tasks in order to help you familiarize yourself with MASCHINE.
Welcome to MASCHINE! What’s New in MASCHINE 2.0? ▪ Knowledge Base ▪ User Forum ▪ Technical Support ▪ Registration Support You will find more information on these in chapter ↑15, Troubleshooting – Getting Help. 1.2 What’s New in MASCHINE 2.0? Here is a short overview of the new or improved software and hardware features in MASCHINE 2.0. New Features ▪ MASCHINE STUDIO controller support: MASCHINE 2.0 supports the new groundbreaking MASCHINE STUDIO controller.
Welcome to MASCHINE! What’s New in MASCHINE 2.0? audio interface (e.g., the headphone output) and pre-listen to the cued channels without affecting the main output of MASCHINE — great during a live performance! The Prehear feature of the Browser, the metronome signal, as well as your recordings and the Slice previews in the Sample Editor are also sent to the Cue bus. Of course, the Cue channel can be controlled via the new Mixer like any other channel of MASCHINE. See section ↑9.2.6, Using the Cue Bus.
Welcome to MASCHINE! What’s New in MASCHINE 2.0? ▪ Extended MIDI/host automation and parameter mapping: You can now assign MIDI controls and host automation directly to MASCHINE parameters independently of the Macro Controls. This is done via the new Assignment area under the Control area. See section ↑8.2, Using MIDI Control and Host Automation. ▪ MIDI tracks in Patterns: You can now create and edit MIDI tracks at the Sound level for the desired MIDI messages within your Patterns.
Welcome to MASCHINE! What’s New in MASCHINE 2.0? ▪ Follow mode for Patterns and Scenes: The Arranger and the Pattern Editor now provide a Follow option that automatically synchronizes the display to the current playback position. See section ↑7.1.3, Following the Playback Position in the Pattern and ↑13.1.3, Following the Playback Position in Your Project.
Welcome to MASCHINE! Manual Conventions ▪ Adjustable Count-in: You can now adjust various settings of the Count-in. See section ↑7.2.4, Recording with Count-in. ▪ Re-designed Choke groups and Link groups: Choke groups and Link groups are now both available in Pad Mode. All Link groups, Choke groups also feature Master and Slave mode. See section ↑5.1.4, Using Choke Groups and ↑5.1.5, Using Link Groups. 1.
Welcome to MASCHINE! Manual Conventions ► Single instructions are introduced by this play button type arrow. → Results of actions are introduced by this smaller arrow. Naming Convention Throughout the documentation we will refer to MASCHINE controller (or just controller) as the hardware controller and MASCHINE software as the software installed on your computer. The term “effect” will sometimes be abbreviated as “FX” when referring to elements in the MASCHINE software and hardware.
Basic Concepts Names and Concepts You Should Know 2 Basic Concepts This chapter will reintroduce you to MASCHINE’s main elements and terminology and explain how they relate to one another. You will also learn how to set up your audio interface and how to connect MIDI devices. Before reading this chapter it is strongly recommended that you read the MASCHINE Getting Started first. 2.1 Names and Concepts You Should Know We will start with a list defining the most important concepts and names.
Basic Concepts Names and Concepts You Should Know Group A Group contains 16 Sound slots. In addition to the Effect Plug-ins applied to each individual Sound, a Group can have its own insert effect. These affect all the Sounds in the Group. A Group can also contain any number of Patterns (grouped into banks of 16 Patterns each). Refer to chapter ↑4, Managing Sounds, Groups, and Your Project for more information on Groups.
Basic Concepts Adjusting the MASCHINE User Interface Plug-in Each Sound, each Group, and the Master can hold any number of Plug-ins. Plug-ins can be instruments or effects, and they can be internal (included with MASCHINE), from other Native Instruments products (instruments or effects), or external (third-party VST/AU plug-ins). Instrument and Effect Plug-ins can be loaded in the first Plug-in slot of Sounds.
Basic Concepts Adjusting the MASCHINE User Interface The View menu in the Application Menu Bar (Windows depicted). The View submenu in the MASCHINE menu. Full screen view is also available from your computer keyboard via [Ctrl]+[F] (Mac OS X: [Cmd]+[F]). 2.2.2 ► Showing/Hiding the Browser Click the Browser button (with the magnifier symbol) in the Header to show and hide the Browser.
Basic Concepts Adjusting the MASCHINE User Interface The Browser button in the Header. You can also show/hide the Browser from your computer keyboard via the [F4] function key. 2.2.2.1 Showing/Hiding the Browser on the MASCHINE MIKRO Controller Press VIEW + pad 13 to show/hide the Browser. 2.2.3 ► Switching between Arrange View and Mix View Click the Mix View button at the top left of the Arranger to switch between the Arrange view and the Mix view.
Basic Concepts Adjusting the MASCHINE User Interface 2.2.3.1 ► Switching between Arrange View and Mix View on the MASCHINE MIKRO Controller Press SHIFT + VIEW to switch between the Arrange view and the Mix view. 2.2.4 Minimizing the Mixer When MASCHINE is in Mix view, you can minimize/maximize the Mixer in the top part of the MASCHINE window: ► Click the arrow button at the bottom left of the Mixer to show and hide the channel details in the Mixer. Minimizing/maximizing the Mixer. 2.2.4.
Basic Concepts Adjusting the MASCHINE User Interface ► Click the arrow button on the bottom left of the Pattern Editor to show and hide the Control Lane. Click the arrow button at the bottom left of the Pattern Editor to show/hide the Control Lane. 2.2.5.1 ► Showing/Hiding the Control Lane on the MASCHINE MIKRO Controller Press VIEW + pad 14 to show/hide the Control Lane. 2.
Basic Concepts Common Operations Setting the focus on a Sound or Group is slightly different than selecting it: The focus defines what will be displayed, whereas the selection defines what will be affected by your edits. Note that a focused Sound/Group is always selected. The distinction is of importance because you can select multiple Sounds or Groups to apply your edits to all of them at once! See section ↑4.1.3, Selecting Multiple Sounds or Groups for more on this.
Basic Concepts Common Operations The focused Group is highlighted and the Pattern Editor show its content. If the desired Group does not appear in the Group List, use the scroll bar at the right end of the Arranger or turn your mouse wheel while hovering the Arranger to display any hidden Groups. You can also extend the Arranger by dragging its lower right corner vertically with the mouse. You can also select multiple Groups at once to apply changes to all of them. See section ↑4.1.
Basic Concepts Common Operations 1. Set the focus to the Group containing the desired Sound by clicking it in the Group List on the left of the Arranger (see above). 2. The focused Group is highlighted. The Pattern Editor displays the Sounds and Patterns of that Group. Click the desired Sound slot in the Sound List of the Pattern Editor: → The focused Sound slot is highlighted.
Basic Concepts Common Operations The focused Sound slot is highlighted. If the desired Sound does not appear in the Sound List, use the scroll bar at the right end of the Pattern Editor or turn your mouse wheel while hovering the Pattern Editor to display any hidden Sounds. You can also select multiple Sounds at once to apply changes to all of them. See section ↑4.1.3, Selecting Multiple Sounds or Groups for more information. 2.3.1.
Basic Concepts Common Operations Setting the Focus on a Sound 1. 2. 3. 4. If you want to set the focus on a Sound located in another Group, first select its Group as described above. Hold SELECT. While holding SELECT, press F1 (QUIET) to enter Sound selection. While holding SELECT, press the pad of the desired Sound. → The selected Sound is now in focus.
Basic Concepts Common Operations 2.3.2.1 Switching Between the Master, Group, and Sound Level on the MASCHINE MIKRO MK2 Controller On your controller: 1. 2. Press the CONTROL button to enter Control mode. Press F1 (MASTER), F2 (GROUP) or F3 (SOUND) above the display to show the Plug-in parameters and Channel properties of the Master, the focused Group or the focused Sound, respectively. → The selected tab lights up.
Basic Concepts Common Operations Selecting Channel Properties 1. At the far left of the Control area, click the Channel icon (showing a little knob) to display the Channel properties: The button lights up. The Channel Property selector appears in the left part of the Control area, showing a square of four buttons representing the various sets of Channel properties available for the selected Sound, Group or the Master: 2.
Basic Concepts Common Operations Selecting a Plug-in 1. At the far left of the Control area, click the little Plug-in icon to display the Plug-ins: The icon lights up. The Plug-in List appears in the left part of the Control area, showing a stack of all Plug-ins loaded in the selected Sound, Group or the Master: 2. Click the desired Plug-in slot in the Plug-in List to select that Plug-in.
Basic Concepts Common Operations The Parameter pages of the Sound’s Output properties: Audio (currently displayed), Aux, and MIDI. If all page names cannot be displayed at once at the top of the Parameter area, two small arrows are displayed on the left to click through the pages: ► Click the left or right arrow to access additional pages. Adjusting the Parameters In the Parameter area, each parameter includes a control element and a label.
Basic Concepts Common Operations Element Action Knob: Click the knob and drag your mouse vertically to change the parameter value. Hold [Shift] on your computer keyboard and drag your mouse to adjust the value in finer increments. Button: Click the button to switch its state. When the button is enabled, it shows a small colored LED. Selector: Click the displayed value to open the drop-down list, and click another value in the list to select it. 2.3.3.
Basic Concepts Common Operations The control elements around the display. Depending on what is shown on the display, some of the buttons might be inactive — in that case they are off. The active buttons (i.e. those that would do something if you would press them) are always dimmed or fully lit. To see and edit any parameter of any Channel properties or Plug-in in any Sound, Group, or the Master, do the following: 1. 2.
Basic Concepts Common Operations 3. Press NAV + F2 (CHNL.) to navigate Channel properties or NAV + F3 (PLUG-IN) to navigate Plug-ins. 4. While holding NAV, turn the Control encoder or press the dimmed pads to select another set of Channel properties or another Plug-in. Press NAV + Left/Right Arrow button to switch to another Parameter page of the selected Channel properties or Plug-in. 5.
Basic Concepts Common Operations 6. Press the Left/Right Arrow buttons under the display to select the previous/next parameter of the selected page, if any. 7. Turn the Control encoder to change the value of the selected parameter. For continuous parameters, press and turn the Control encoder to change the value in finer increments. 2.3.4 Undo/Redo Undoing and re-doing your last actions can be useful to cancel operations you have performed or to compare two versions before and after a change.
Basic Concepts Common Operations In the software use the following keyboard shortcuts for the Step Undo and Step Redo functions: ► To cancel your last action (Step Undo), press [Ctrl]+[Shift]+[Z] ([Cmd]+ [Shift]+ [Z] on Mac OS X). To re-execute your last action (Step Redo), press [Ctrl]+ [Shift]+ [Y] ([Cmd]+ [Shift]+ [Y] on Mac OS X). You can also select Undo Step and Redo Step from the Edit menu in the Application Menu Bar or from the Edit submenu in the MASCHINE menu.
Basic Concepts Common Operations 2.3.4.1 Undo/Redo on the MASCHINE MIKRO MK2 Controller Both Step Undo and Take Undo are also available on your controller: ► On the MASCHINE MIKRO hardware controller, perform the Take Undo operation by pressing SHIFT + pad 1 (UNDO). To perform the Take Redo operation, press SHIFT + pad 2 (REDO). ► On the MASCHINE MIKRO hardware controller, perform the Step Undo operation by pressing SHIFT + pad 3 (STEP UNDO).
Basic Concepts Common Operations ► To unpin a mode (i.e. make it a temporary mode again), press its mode button + CONTROL again. → Now the mode will only be active as long as you hold the mode button. Here is a list of all buttons on your controller that you can pin by pressing CONTROL simultaneously: ▪ All buttons in the column at the left of the pads (SCENE, PATTERN, …, SOLO, MUTE) ▪ GRID button ▪ NOTE REPEAT button 2.3.
Basic Concepts Stand-Alone and Plug-in Mode Click the Controller menu (left) or the Controller submenu in the MASCHINE menu (right) and select the controller you want to use (Windows depicted). Hardware On the controller you want to use with the MASCHINE software, do the following: ▪ MASCHINE STUDIO controller: Press SHIFT + PLUG-IN, turn the jog wheel to select the desired instance, and press the jog wheel or Button 8 to load it.
Basic Concepts Stand-Alone and Plug-in Mode 2.4.1 Differences between Stand-Alone and Plug-in Mode Transport Functions The most noticeable difference between the stand-alone and plug-in mode of MASCHINE relates to the interaction with MASCHINE’s sequencer. Indeed, when MASCHINE is used as a plug-in within a host sequencer software (e.g., Cubase or Pro Tools), MASCHINE’s sequencer is exclusively controlled by the host application: you cannot, e.g.
Basic Concepts Stand-Alone and Plug-in Mode ▪ How to route MASCHINE to multiple outputs in Pro Tools: http://www.native-instruments.com/knowledge/questions/1709 ▪ How to route MASCHINE to multiple outputs in Logic Pro: http://www.native-instruments.com/knowledge/questions/1711 For all details on the audio and MIDI configuration of your host application, please refer to its documentation.
Basic Concepts Stand-Alone and Plug-in Mode 3. Press the Control encoder to load that instance. 2.4.3 Controlling Various Instances with Different Controllers You can use two or more MASCHINE controllers of different types (MASCHINE STUDIO, MASCHINE MK2, MASCHINE MIKRO MK2, MASCHINE, and MASCHINE MIKRO) simultaneously with different instances of the MASCHINE software (possibly with one instance in stand-alone mode).
Basic Concepts Preferences 2. 3. 4. → In the Device menu in the top left corner of the Controller Editor window, select the entry corresponding to your controller in order to edit its MIDI assignments of your MASCHINE STUDIO Controller. In the Templates page on the right, click the desired MIDI Template to load it. Click the Host Transport Control option under the Template List to enable/disable it.
Basic Concepts Preferences Preferences… in the File menu of the Application Menu Bar (Windows depicted), and in the File submenu of the MASCHINE menu. The following pages are available in the Preferences panel: ▪ General: see ↑2.5.1, Preferences – General Page. ▪ Default: see ↑2.5.2, Preferences – Default Page. ▪ Library: see ↑2.5.3, Preferences – Library Page. ▪ Plug-ins: see ↑2.5.4, Preferences – Plug-ins Page. ▪ Hardware: see 2.5.5 Preferences – Hardware Page. ▪ Colors: see ↑2.5.
Basic Concepts Preferences The Preferences – General page. Setting Description Startup Reload Last Project If this option is checked, the last Project you worked on will automatically load the next time you start MASCHINE. Recording Audio Prefer Project Folder If this checkbox is marked, the Samples you record will be put in a subdirectory of the folder where your Project is saved. If not, your recordings will be saved in the generic Recordings folder in your standard user directory (see section ↑2.
Basic Concepts Preferences Setting Description Sync Offset Slave Depending on variables such as the speed of your CPU, your audio interface, your MIDI interface and the Latency value you selected in the Audio and MIDI Settings panel (see ↑2.6, Audio and MIDI Settings), you may experience a lack of synchronization between MASCHINE and the external MIDI Master. To compensate, you can adjust this Sync Offset Slave value in milliseconds.
Basic Concepts Preferences The Preferences – Default page. Setting Description Metronome Settings Down Beat Sample and Up Beat Here you can select audio files to be used as up and down beat of the metSample ronome, respectively. The fields display the locations of the audio files selected for use. Click the fields to select other files. Click the little crosses on the right of the fields to remove the custom audio files and use the default metronome sounds instead.
Basic Concepts Preferences Setting Description Bars Here you can define the default length of new Patterns. The length is measured in bars:beats:16ths. To adjust the value, click the desired number (bars, beats or 16ths) and drag your mouse vertically. See ↑7.1.6, Adjusting the Pattern Grid and the Pattern Length for more information on the Pattern Length.
Basic Concepts Preferences Factory Pane ► To display the Factory pane, click the Factory button at the top of the Library page. The Preferences panel – the Library page’s Factory pane. The Factory pane shows all factory libraries available. These includes the MASCHINE Factory Library, libraries imported from other NI products, as well as installed MASCHINE EXPANSIONS. These libraries will appear in the Factory view of the Browser’s Library pane.
Basic Concepts Preferences Element Description Location column Shows the path of each library. If you have moved any library to another location on your computer, click the folder icon on the left of that library and select its new path. Product column Shows the name of each product. These names cannot be edited. Rescan button If you have made any change to a library (e.g., changed its location), select it in the list and click the Rescan button to rescan that library.
Basic Concepts Preferences The User pane shows all user libraries currently used. These include MASCHINE’s standard user directory as well as any other user directory you might have defined. These libraries will appear in the User view of the Browser’s Library pane. Element Description Location column Shows the path of each library. If you have moved any library to another location on your computer, click the folder icon on the left of that library and select its new path.
Basic Concepts Preferences Adding Folders to the User Library In the User pane of the Library page, you can add other folders to the user content of your MASCHINE Library. To do this: 1. 2. → Click Add at the bottom of the pane. A folder selection dialog opens up. In the dialog, navigate to the desired folder on your computer and click OK (Choose on Mac OS X). All MASCHINE-compatible files found in the selected folder are added to your user content in MASCHINE.
Basic Concepts Preferences Please note that the selected folder cannot contain, or be contained within, a folder already listed in the User or Factory pane. If MASCHINE detects such a folder as you press OK (Choose on Mac OS X) in the folder selection dialog, a Duplicate Location message appears: Click OK to return to the folder selection dialog and select another folder on your computer.
Basic Concepts Preferences The Preferences panel – the Plug-ins page’s Manager pane.
Basic Concepts Preferences Element Description Plug-in column Lists all available VST/AU plug-ins from the directories specified in the Locations pane (see below). This includes all enabled or disabled 32-bit VST/AU plug-ins, when MASCHINE is running in 32-bit mode or otherwise all enabled or disabled VST/AU 64-bit plug-ins, when MASCHINE is running in 64-bit mode. On the left of each plug-in in the list, a checkbox allows you to enable/disable this plug-in in MASCHINE.
Basic Concepts Preferences ▪ If you enable the Use NI Audio Units checkbox, all Native Instruments’ AU plug-ins are enabled in the list above and are available for loading in MASCHINE. In order to distinguish them from the VST versions, Plug-in entries in the Native Instruments submenu of the Plug-in menus and in the Plug-in Browser will display either (VST) or (AU) after their name.
Basic Concepts Preferences The Preferences panel – the Plug-ins page’s Locations pane. The Locations pane also contains the following controls: Element Description Plug-in column Lists all plug-in directories used in MASCHINE. Click the folder icon on the left of an entry to change the path of that plug-in directory. Add button Click Add to add plug-in directories.
Basic Concepts Preferences Element Description Remove button Click Remove to remove the selected directory. Rescan button If you have changed the content of a directory (such as installed or removed plugins), you should rescan your plug-in directories in order to keep the list of available plug-ins up to date.
Basic Concepts Preferences The Preferences panel – Hardware page. Setting Description Pads Sensitivity Use the Sensitivity slider to adjust how sensitive the pads respond to your touch. This sets the minimum threshold at which the MASCHINE MIKRO controller will register a “hit.
Basic Concepts Preferences Setting Description Brightness The Brightness slider allows you to adjust the brightness of the display on your MASCHINE MIKRO controller. Contrast With this slider you can adjust the contrast of the display. Adjusting the Settings from the Hardware You also have access to the Sensitivity, Brightness, and Contrast settings from your controller. To do this, you first have to enter MIDI mode: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Press SHIFT + F1 (MIDI) to switch your controller to MIDI mode.
Basic Concepts Preferences The Preferences panel – Colors page. Setting Description Scene Default Selects a default color for your Scenes. In the menu you can choose the desired color from the 16-color palette or White (default setting). The color selected as default is highlighted in the menu. If you select Auto each Scene will have a different default color. Group Default Selects a default color for your Groups. In the menu you can choose the desired color from the 16-color palette.
Basic Concepts Audio and MIDI Settings Setting Description Sound Default Selects a default color for your Sounds. In the menu you can choose the desired color from the 16-color palette. The color selected as default is highlighted in the menu. If you select Auto each Sound will have a different default color. If you select Use Group Color (default setting) Sounds will by default mirror the color of the Group they belong to.
Basic Concepts Audio and MIDI Settings When MASCHINE is running as a plug-in in a host application, its audio and MIDI configuration is managed by the host, and the Audio and MIDI Settings panel is not available. See section ↑2.4, Stand-Alone and Plug-in Mode for more information on using MASCHINE in a host environment. The Audio and MIDI Settings panel contains three pages: Audio, Routing, and MIDI. Each page can be displayed by clicking the corresponding tab at the top. 2.6.
Basic Concepts Audio and MIDI Settings Setting Description Status This shows you whether your audio interface is currently running. Sample Rate This displays the selected sample rate of your audio interface. Please restart MASCHINE after changing the sample rate. Latency Mac OS X: This slider allows you to adjust the latency of your audio interface in samples.
Basic Concepts Audio and MIDI Settings The Routing page of the Audio and MIDI Settings panel (entries may vary on your computer). Element Description Inputs By clicking Inputs, you can define which inputs on your audio interface should be used for the four stereo inputs of MASCHINE. Select the inputs of your audio interface on the right column by clicking the fields: you will be presented with a drop-down menu with all the available Inputs.
Basic Concepts Audio and MIDI Settings The MIDI page of the Audio and MIDI Settings panel (entries may vary on your computer). Element Description Inputs Clicking Inputs displays a list of all the available MIDI inputs of your system. You can activate/deactivate each input by clicking the fields in the Status column, which displays the current status of the corresponding port. Outputs Clicking Outputs displays a list of all the available MIDI outputs of your system.
Basic Concepts Integrating MASCHINE into Your MIDI Setup 2.7 Integrating MASCHINE into Your MIDI Setup You can quickly integrate MASCHINE into your MIDI setup. You can use MIDI in MASCHINE in various ways. Notably: ▪ You can synchronize a MIDI Clock signal between MASCHINE and other MIDI devices: ↑2.7.2, Sync to External MIDI Clock and ↑2.7.3, Send MIDI Clock. ▪ If you connect a MIDI keyboard to the MIDI IN, you can directly play the focused Sound with it without having to set anything up.
Basic Concepts Integrating MASCHINE into Your MIDI Setup Sync to External MIDI Clock activated. You have to define at least one input in the Audio and MIDI Settings panel’ MIDI page to enable Sync to External MIDI Clock. When Sync to External MIDI Clock is checked, the Play button in the MASCHINE Header and the PLAY button on your controller are deactivated.
Basic Concepts Integrating MASCHINE into Your MIDI Setup To enable it, select Send MIDI Clock from the File menu: Send MIDI Clock activated. You can adjust the MIDI Clock offset in the MIDI page of the Audio and MIDI Settings panel. See ↑2.6.2, Audio and MIDI Settings – Routing Page for more information. If you want MASCHINE to send other MIDI messages than MIDI Clock, in particular if you want to control other MIDI-capable devices via the notes played in MASCHINE, please refer to section ↑8.2.
Browser Browser Basics 3 Browser The Browser is the place where you can organize and categorize all of your Projects, Groups, Sounds, Plug-in presets, and Samples. This is done by tagging them, which means categorizing them by using keywords. Given that the MASCHINE software has some advantages over the hardware in this case, such as a very big screen and a QWERTY-keyboard, we will start with the software first. 3.1 Browser Basics This section describes some general concepts about the Browser. 3.1.
Browser Browser Basics Note that the Library is the only other way to display and access your files: You could also navigate to the same files in your file system. The (substantial) difference lies in the fact that the Library organizes your files in a musically relevant way. Which Files are Included in the MASCHINE Library? The files included in the MASCHINE Library are all MASCHINE-relevant files found in the folders whose paths are listed in the Library page of the Preferences panel.
Browser Searching and Loading Files from the Library Click the desired tab to show the corresponding pane of the Browser. The LIBRARY pane is described in section ↑3.2, Searching and Loading Files from the Library, and the FILES tab is described in section ↑3.5, Loading and Importing Files from Your File System. 3.2 Searching and Loading Files from the Library The Browser’s LIBRARY pane allows you to search for any file in the MASCHINE Library.
Browser Searching and Loading Files from the Library The elements of the LIBRARY pane. (1) LIBRARY tab: Click the LIBRARY tab to open the LIBRARY pane described here. (2) File Type selector: This contains six icons, each representing the different files types of MASCHINE. From the left to right the file types are Project, Group, Sound, Instrument preset, Effect preset, and Sample. By clicking one of them it causes only the files of the selected type to be displayed in the Result list (8). See section ↑3.
Browser Searching and Loading Files from the Library (3) Content selector: Click the NI icon (on the left) to select factory content or the User icon (on the right) to select user content instead. Only the files of the content selected here will be displayed in the Result list (8). See section ↑3.2.3, Choosing Between Factory and User Content.
Browser Searching and Loading Files from the Library ▪ For all files, click the EDIT button at the far right of the bar to open the Attribute Editor and modify the tags and properties assigned to the selected file(s). See section ↑3.4, Editing the Files’ Tags and Properties. Overview of the Search Workflow in the LIBRARY Pane When searching for files via the LIBRARY pane, you can progressively refine your search by following this typical top-to-bottom workflow. The first two steps are mandatory: 1.
Browser Searching and Loading Files from the Library ▪ When the F1 button (FILTER) is selected, you can narrow your search by using the F3 button, the Left/Right Arrow buttons, and the Control encoder to select the file type, the content type (factory or user files), the product/bank/sub-bank, and the desired Type (and possibly Mode) tags. ▪ When the F2 button (LIST) is selected, you see the corresponding search result list. Using the Control encoder you can select and load the desired file.
Browser Searching and Loading Files from the Library → The selected icon is highlighted and the files are filtered accordingly. 3.2.2.1 Selecting a File Type on the MASCHINE MIKRO Controller On your controller in Browse mode: 1. 2. 3. Press F1 to select the FILTER page. Press the Left Arrow button (if necessary, repeatedly) to select FILETYPE. Turn the Control encoder to select the desired file type: PROJECT, GROUP, SOUND, INSTRUMENT, EFFECT, or SAMPLE. 3.2.
Browser Searching and Loading Files from the Library The closed Product selector without any Instrument selected. Selecting a Product or a Product Category ► Click the Product selector to open it. → The Product selector opens up and shows you the following: The opened Product selector (for Instrument presets).
Browser Searching and Loading Files from the Library (1) Product selector header: The header shows the product or the selected product category — if there is no selection it shows a generic label (All Instruments in the picture above) corresponding to the type of file selected in the File Type selector above. Click the header to close the Product selector. (2) Product Category filter: Shows the categories of the products that have files available in the MASCHINE Library.
Browser Searching and Loading Files from the Library Resetting the Product Selection ► To reset the selection made in the Product selector, click the little cross at the right of the product name: → The product selection is cancelled. The Product selector displays the generic label corresponding to the selected file type (Project, Group, Sound, Instrument preset, Effect preset or Sample). The tag filter and the Result list under the Product selector now include files for all products.
Browser Searching and Loading Files from the Library ► To select a particular bank for the selected product, click the Bank menu under the product icon and choose a bank from the available entries. → Upon your selection the Bank menu closes and displays the selected bank. The tag filter and Result list underneath further narrow their content accordingly. Banks can be, e.g., additional libraries (e.g., MASSIVE EXPANSIONS), different versions of the original Factory Library (e.g.
Browser Searching and Loading Files from the Library ▪ When you save Projects, Groups or Sounds, they are automatically set to the Maschine product. ▪ When you save Instrument or Effect presets: ◦ Presets for Internal Plug-ins: The product is set to Maschine, while the bank is set to the particular Internal Plug-in for which the preset has been saved (e.g., Sampler, Kick, Flanger, etc.). ◦ Presets for Native Instruments Plug-ins: The product is set to the particular Native Instruments effect or instrument.
Browser Searching and Loading Files from the Library 4. If the selected product contains any banks, press the Right Arrow button to select the BANK field, and turn the Control encoder to select a bank of the selected product. Turn the Control encoder at full left to remove any particular selection (i.e. to select all banks of the selected product). 5.
Browser Searching and Loading Files from the Library ► Click the desired tags in the tag filter to select them and limit the search to the files marked with them. Click the selected tags again to deselect them and broaden the search. Tags for Projects, Groups, Sounds, and Samples: 3 Type Levels For Projects, Groups, Sounds, and Samples, tags are structured into three hierarchical levels globally called Types.
Browser Searching and Loading Files from the Library By selecting any of these tags, say, Acoustic, you will narrow your search to this particular Sub-Type of shakers: ▪ Now imagine that you have loaded an acoustic shaker Sample and want to find a Sample for another drum instrument, e.g., a tom: You leave the Drums tag selected at the top level of the TYPES filter and directly go to the second level, where you select Tom instead of Shaker.
Browser Searching and Loading Files from the Library Tags for Instrument and Effect Presets: 2 Type Levels and 1 Mode Level For Instrument and Effect presets, tags can be of two kinds: Type or Mode. You can select them via the TYPES and MODES filter, respectively: ▪ The TYPES filter works as described above for all other file types, except that only two hierarchical levels are available. See above for a detailed description.
Browser Searching and Loading Files from the Library 3. Turn the Control encoder to select a Type. Turn the Control encoder at full left to remove any particular selection (i.e. select all Types). 4. If the selected Type contains any Sub-Types, press the Right Arrow button to select the SUB-TYPE field, and turn the Control encoder to select a Sub-Type of the selected Type. Turn the Control encoder at full left to remove any particular selection (i.e. to select all Sub-Types of the selected Type).
Browser Searching and Loading Files from the Library Selecting Tags for Instrument and Effect Presets When browsing Instrument or Effect presets, continue as follows: 1. 2. Press the Right Arrow button to select the MODE field. Turn the Control encoder to select a Mode, if any. Turn the Control encoder at full left to remove any particular selection (i.e. to select all Modes). 3.2.6 Performing a Text Search In the Search field you can enter your search query. The Search field.
Browser Searching and Loading Files from the Library The Result list showing kicks from the MASCHINE Library. If the list is too long to fit in the display, use your mouse wheel or drag the scroll bar on the right to show the remaining items. The Result list allows you to: ▪ Select the desired file(s). ▪ Load the selected file(s) into your Project (or load another Project). ▪ Delete the selected file(s) from your hard disk and from the Library. ▪ Navigate to the selected file(s) in your operating system.
Browser Searching and Loading Files from the Library You can also select multiple files in the Result list in order to process them all at once. To select adjacent files in the list, do the following: ► Hold [Shift] on your computer keyboard and click two files in the Result list to select these files and all files in-between. To select distant files in the list, do the following: ► Hold [Ctrl] ([Cmd] on Mac OS X) and click all the files you want to select.
Browser Searching and Loading Files from the Library ▪ You can load the file into a Group or a Sound slot that is not currently focused, or into a Plug-in slot that is not selected. ▪ You can load a Sample into its own Zone in the Zone page of the Sample Editor: A new Zone will be created for that Sample. See section ↑14.5.3, Adding Samples to the Sample Map for more information. Drag and drop of Groups and Sounds is possible only in Arrange view.
Browser Searching and Loading Files from the Library ▪ When dragging several Effect presets, you have following options: ◦ If you drop the Effect presets onto a Group in the Group List or onto a Sound in the Sound List, they will be appended to the existing Plug-ins in the Plug-in List of that Group or Sound. ◦ If you drop the Effect presets between two existing Plug-ins in the Plug-in List of any channel, they will be inserted between these two Plug-ins.
Browser Searching and Loading Files from the Library → The file is deleted from the MASCHINE Library and from your hard disk. When browsing factory content, the Delete entry is not available in the context menu.
Browser Additional Browsing Tools → The file is loaded in the focused Group, the focused Sound, or the selected Plug-in slot (if it’s an Instrument Plug-in, it will be loaded in the first Plug-in slot of the focused Sound). If you are loading a Project, it will replace the Project currently opened. If the current Project contains unsaved changes, a message appears in the displays asking you if you wish to save them.
Browser Additional Browsing Tools Autoload is not available when browsing Projects. Autoload is not available when browsing Samples with Prehear enabled — see section ↑3.3.2, Pre-Listening to Your Samples. Autoload is not only useful to look for an appropriate Sound, Group, Plug-in preset or Sample, but can also be very inspiring: With a Pattern playing, browse through your Library with Autoload activated and listen to Sounds and Samples you normally would not use in that context. 3.3.1.
Browser Additional Browsing Tools When Prehear is enabled, you can directly hear Samples as you select them in the Result list of the LIBRARY pane or FILES pane. ► Drag the Prehear Volume slider next to the Prehear button to adjust the volume of the Samples you are pre-listening to. The Prehear signal is sent to the Cue bus of MASCHINE. This allows you to pre-listen to Samples on a distinct output pair (e.g.
Browser Additional Browsing Tools The Prehear signal is sent to the Cue bus of MASCHINE. For more information on the Cue bus, see section ↑9.2.6, Using the Cue Bus. 3.3.3 Loading Groups with their Patterns Every Group from the factory library includes a set of Patterns that illustrate possible uses of that Group. Similarly, when you save a Group of your own to the Library for later use, all Patterns you have created for that Group will be saved with the Group.
Browser Additional Browsing Tools 3.3.4 Displaying File Information The Information button. ► Click the Information button (showing a little “i”) next to the EDIT button in the right part of the Control bar to display information on the file(s) selected in the Result list. → A box appears above with various information on the selected file(s): File Format, Date modified, File Size, Type, as well as the Author and Vendor properties, if any (see section ↑3.4, Editing the Files’ Tags and Properties).
Browser Editing the Files’ Tags and Properties ▪ At any time you can edit the tags and properties of user files already in the Library by selecting them in the Result list of the LIBRARY pane and clicking the EDIT button at the bottom right of the Browser. After you have finished editing click APPLY to apply your changes to the selected files, or click the lit EDIT button again to cancel you changes and close the Attribute Editor. See section ↑3.
Browser Editing the Files’ Tags and Properties ► Click the desired tab at the top right of the Attribute Editor to show the corresponding page. You can adjust the overall height of the Attribute Editor by dragging its upper border. The number of items selected appears in yellow in the upper left corner of the Attribute Editor. Displaying Attributes of Factory Files When browsing in the LIBRARY pane, if the files selected in the Result list are factory files (i.e.
Browser Editing the Files’ Tags and Properties 3.4.3 The TYPES and MODES Pages The TYPES and MODES pages display and let you modify the tags assigned to the file(s) selected in the Result list above. ▪ The TYPES page is available for all file types when opening the Attribute Editor both from the LIBRARY pane and the FILES pane.
Browser Editing the Files’ Tags and Properties Displaying Tags ▪ In both TYPES and MODES pages, tags assigned to the selected files are marked with a check mark right of their name: ▪ In the TYPES page, click the name of a tag to select it and display its Sub-Types in the next column to the right. In each column only one tag can be selected. The selected tag is highlighted: Assigning Tags ► Click the empty check box right of the desired tag name to assign this tag to the selected files.
Browser Editing the Files’ Tags and Properties In the TYPES page, if you uncheck a tag for which some Sub-Type tags were selected in the columns on the right, these will automatically unassigned as you unassign their parent tag. Creating New Tags You can also create your own tags both in the TYPES and MODES pages: ► To create a new tag in any column, click the “+” symbol at the bottom of the column, enter the desired tag name with your computer keyboard and press [Enter] to confirm.
Browser Loading and Importing Files from Your File System ▪ Vendor: Use this field to indicate the manufacturer of the selected files. Click the downpointing arrow on the right to quickly select any Vendor attribute already in use in other files of the Library. ▪ Author: Use this field to indicate the author of the selected files. Click the down-pointing arrow on the right to quickly select any Author attribute already in use in other files of the Library.
Browser Loading and Importing Files from Your File System The elements of the FILES pane. (1) FILES tab: Click the FILES tab to open the FILES pane described here. (2) Favorite bar: Displays all your Favorites. Click any Favorite to directly jump to that particular path and display its content in the Result list (5). See section ↑3.5.2, Using Favorites. (3) Location bar: Displays the selected path. The Location bar provides various tools to quickly navigate your file system. See section ↑3.5.
Browser Loading and Importing Files from Your File System (4) Recent Locations button: Click this button to see a list of the last visited locations and quickly jump any of them. See section ↑3.5.4, Navigating to Recent Locations. (5) Result list: The Result list displays the content (files and folders) of the folder loaded in the Location bar (3). Only MASCHINE-compatible files are displayed. See section ↑3.5.5, Using the Result List.
Browser Loading and Importing Files from Your File System ► Click any Favorite in the Favorite bar to jump to that location. → The selected location is loaded in the Location bar and its content appears in the Result list.
Browser Loading and Importing Files from Your File System The Location bar provides following tools: ▪ Up arrow: Click the Up arrow on the left to go one level up in your file system.
Browser Loading and Importing Files from Your File System The last 10 locations you have visited are stored by MASCHINE and available here: ► Click the Recent Location button and select any recently visited location from the list. → This location is loaded in the Location bar and its content displayed in the Result list. 3.5.5 Using the Result List The Result list of the FILES pane shows the files and folders found in the path loaded in the Location bar above (see section ↑3.5.
Browser Loading and Importing Files from Your File System Icons for various file types. Navigating Your File System in the Result List You can further browse your file system in the Result list by opening any of the displayed folder: ► Double-click a folder to display its content. To return to the previous folder or to select any folder outside the folder currently displayed, use the various tools located above the Result list: ▪ Favorites: ↑3.5.2, Using Favorites. ▪ Location bar: ↑3.5.
Browser Loading and Importing Files from Your File System Loading Files from the Result List You can load files from the Result list using the same methods as in the Result list of the LIBRARY pane: via double-click or via drag-and-drop. For all details, please refer to section ↑3.2.7, Using the Result List. Additional Features in the Result List ► Right-click ([Ctrl]-click on Mac OS X) any entry in the Result list to open a context menu with additional commands.
Browser Loading and Importing Files from Your File System 3.5.6 Importing Files to the MASCHINE Library Apart from the huge MASCHINE factory library, you might want to use your own samples or any MASCHINE files you received from other users. As described previously, you can load them directly from the FILES pane. If this can come in handy, e.g., to quickly check received files in a MASCHINE context, it can get tedious when using the files on a regular basis.
Browser Locating Missing Samples → All MASCHINE-compatible files found in the selected folder(s) are imported to your Library. They are added as user content (User icon selected in the Content selector of the LIBRARY pane, see section ↑3.2.3, Choosing Between Factory and User Content). Furthermore, the paths of the imported folders are added to the list of user libraries in the User pane of the Library page in the Preferences panel — see section ↑2.5.
Browser Locating Missing Samples The Missing Sample dialog allows you to locate missing Samples. Sounds referencing missing Samples are marked with an exclamation mark. Additionally, their Groups are also marked with an exclamation mark when selected. The Missing Sample dialog shows you which Sample cannot be found. Three buttons at the bottom of the dialog let you choose between following actions: ▪ IGNORE: Click this button to continue loading your Project without locating the missing Sample.
Browser Using Quick Browse The Purge Missing Samples and the Find Missing Samples entries in the context menu of a Sound whose Sample is missing. ► Select Purge Missing Samples from the Sound slot’s context menu to remove the missing Sample(s) from that Sound. ► Select Find Missing Samples from the Sound slot’s context menu to open the Missing Sample dialog again and locate missing Samples for that Sound.
Browser Using Quick Browse would now have to try to remember the name or the tags you used to find it, or browse all kick Samples (given that the MASCHINE Library already has several hundreds of kick Samples, this may take a considerable amount of time). With Quick Browse you can restore the query with just one click. Quick Browse is available for Samples, Plug-ins presets (Instruments and Effects), Sounds, Groups, and Projects.
Browser Using Quick Browse ◦ If a Sampler Plug-in is selected, it will recall the search query used for the Sample loaded in that Sampler. If several Samples are loaded in the Sampler, it will recall the search query for the Sample in the selected Zone in the Zone List.
Managing Sounds, Groups, and Your Project Overview of the Sounds, Groups, and Master 4 Managing Sounds, Groups, and Your Project This chapter explains how to handle the various objects that structure any MASCHINE Project: Sounds, Groups, and the Master. 4.1 Overview of the Sounds, Groups, and Master In a MASCHINE Project, objects are organized into three hierarchic levels, from the lowest to the highest: ▪ Sounds are played by the pads. They are loaded into Sound slots.
Managing Sounds, Groups, and Your Project Overview of the Sounds, Groups, and Master The Sound List (1) and the Group List (2) in the Arrange view of the software. 4.1.1 The Sound, Group, and Master Channels From a routing point of view, each Sound, each Group, and the Master represents a distinct channel in MASCHINE. The channels of the 16 Sounds in a Group are mixed together and sent to the Group channel, where their sum will be processed by the Group’s Plug-ins, if any.
Managing Sounds, Groups, and Your Project Overview of the Sounds, Groups, and Master When the software is in Mix view, Sounds, Groups, and the Master are represented by channel strips in the Mixer. This view provides you with an intuitive control on both the audio and MIDI routings of any Sound, Group, and the Master. Please refer to section ↑9.2, The Mixer for more information. The Mixer displaying the channel strips for all Sounds in a Group. 4.1.
Managing Sounds, Groups, and Your Project Overview of the Sounds, Groups, and Master ▪ In your Project you can have any number of Groups. You can create, fill up, and delete Groups as you see fit. If you delete a Group, all following Groups are shifted up in the Group List to fill the gap. If you use more than eight Groups, another Group bank is automatically created. 4.1.3 Selecting Multiple Sounds or Groups In MASCHINE you can select multiple Sounds or multiple Groups at once.
Managing Sounds, Groups, and Your Project Overview of the Sounds, Groups, and Master on these parameters. But you can select additional objects on top of the focused object, thereby extending your selection. Selected objects are highlighted in the Sound/Group List but their leading letter and/or number stays gray. Other Sounds were added to the selection (but they are not focused).
Managing Sounds, Groups, and Your Project Overview of the Sounds, Groups, and Master ▪ Channel properties: Parameter adjustments apply to all selected Sounds/Groups for any parameter in any set of Channel properties. See chapter ↑8, Audio Routing, Remote Control, and Macro Controls for more information on the Channel properties. ▪ Plug-ins: Parameter adjustments apply to all selected Sounds/Groups that have the same Plug-in loaded in the same Plug-in slot.
Managing Sounds, Groups, and Your Project Overview of the Sounds, Groups, and Master Action Function Click selected object Sets the focus to this object while retaining the selection. [Ctrl]-click ([Cmd]-click on Mac OS X) unselected ob- Adds the object to the selection. ject [Ctrl]-click ([Cmd]-click on Mac OS X) selected object Deselects the object — except for the focused object, which cannot be deselected.
Managing Sounds, Groups, and Your Project Overview of the Sounds, Groups, and Master Selecting Sounds and Groups via the Select mode. You have following selection tools at your disposal: Selection Tool Description Pads Press any pad to set the focus to that particular Sound slot. The pad lights up to indicate that the Sound slot is focused (and selected). Unlit pads indicate unselected, empty Sound slots, and half-lit pads indicate unselected Sounds.
Managing Sounds, Groups, and Your Project Managing Sounds ◦ Pressing GROUP then the pad of an unselected Group, or pressing the pad of an unselected Sound, adds it to the current Group/Sound selection without changing the current focus. The pad lights up. ◦ Pressing GROUP then the pad of a selected Group, or pressing the pad of a selected Sound, unselects it unless it is the focused Group/Sound.
Managing Sounds, Groups, and Your Project Managing Sounds The Pad View button. ► Click the Pad View button to show or hide the Pad view. → The Pad view replaces the Sound List on the left of the Pattern Editor. In the Pad view, each cell represents a pad on your controller and corresponds to a Sound slot in the current Group. You can select Sound slots in either the Sound List or the Pad view as you see fit, both selections are strictly equivalent.
Managing Sounds, Groups, and Your Project Managing Sounds You can also recall the search query that was used to find the Sound currently loaded in the focused Sound slot. See section ↑3.7, Using Quick Browse for more information. In your operating system, Sound files have the extension “.mxsnd” (MASCHINE 2) or “.msnd” (MASCHINE 1.x). Please refer to chapter ↑3, Browser for more information on the Browser. 4.2.1.
Managing Sounds, Groups, and Your Project Managing Sounds 4.2.2.1 Prelistening to Sounds on the MASCHINE MIKRO Controller On your controller, pre-listening to Sounds actually is the default behavior: In Control mode, when you press a pad you both trigger its Sound and bring it into focus at once. Hence, you don’t need to enable anything, pre-listening to Sounds in the focused Group is working out of the box.
Managing Sounds, Groups, and Your Project Managing Sounds 1. Double-click the name of the desired Sound slot or right-click ([Ctrl]-click on Mac OS X) the Sound slot and select Rename from the context menu. The Sound slot’s name is now highlighted and editable. 2. Modify the name of the Sound slot via your computer keyboard. Press [Enter] on your computer keyboard to confirm. If you use MASCHINE as a plug-in, some hosts will utilize the [Enter] key, as it is mapped to some function of the host software.
Managing Sounds, Groups, and Your Project Managing Sounds 2. Select the desired color in the Palette. You can also choose to set the Sound back to the default color corresponding to its position in the list by selecting Default in the Color Palette. → The pads of the MASCHINE STUDIO, MASCHINE MK2, and MASCHINE MIKRO MK2 controllers mirror the Sound colors you have selected. By default Sounds inherit the color of their Group.
Managing Sounds, Groups, and Your Project Managing Sounds ► Right-click (on Mac OS X: [Ctrl]-click) the Sound slot in the Sound List or in the Pad view and select Save from the context menu: → Your modifications are saved to the Sound file. Even if you don’t save a Sound individually, its current settings will still be saved with your Project. But once a Sound is saved and tagged, it is available in the Browser for use in other Groups and Projects.
Managing Sounds, Groups, and Your Project Managing Sounds 1. Right-click (on Mac OS X: [Ctrl]-click) the Sound slot in the Sound List or in the Pad view and select Save As… from the context menu: 2. 3. A Save Sound dialog appears. By default, the Sound file inherits the name of its Sound slot and it will be saved in your Standard User Directory (as defined in Preferences > Library > User, see section ↑2.5.2, Preferences – Default Page for more information).
Managing Sounds, Groups, and Your Project Managing Sounds To copy and paste Sounds in the software: 1. 2. Right-click (on Mac OS X: [Ctrl]-click) the Sound slot (in the Sound List or in the Pad view) containing the Sound you want to copy. In the context menu, choose Copy to copy the Sound. 3.
Managing Sounds, Groups, and Your Project Managing Sounds 4. Press the pad of the target Sound slot (this can also be in another Group, in this case first press GROUP, then the pad of the desired Group, then GROUP again to deactivate it). → All parameters of the Sound will be copied (including the Pattern content for that Sound if you have enabled the + EVNT option). The copied Sound will replace any Sound previously loaded in the target Sound slot.
Managing Sounds, Groups, and Your Project Managing Sounds 3. When the insertion line appears at the desired location in the Sound List or in the Pad view, release the mouse button. → Each Sound takes its new place in the Group. On your controller, the Sounds will be triggered by the pads whose numbers appear left of the Sound slots in the Sound List or on the cells in the Pad view.
Managing Sounds, Groups, and Your Project Managing Sounds Resetting a Sound slot. 4.2.8.1 Resetting a Sound Slot on Your Controller ► To reset a Sound slot, hold SHIFT + ERASE and then touch the pad corresponding to the Sound slot to be reset. → The Sound is removed from the pad and the pad turns off. 4.3 Managing Groups This section describes the global editing functions available for Groups.
Managing Sounds, Groups, and Your Project Managing Groups ▪ The context menu of the Groups in the Group List, opened via a right-click ([Ctrl]-click on Mac OS X) on the desired Group: ▪ The context menu of the focused Group in the Pattern Editor, opened via a right-click ([Ctrl]-click on Mac OS X) on the Group name in the top left corner of the Pattern Editor: Both context menus are equivalent: Use either menu as you see fit. 4.3.
Managing Sounds, Groups, and Your Project Managing Groups ► To create a Group, click the “+” at the end of the Group List. → A new empty Group is created at the end of the Group List with the default name and color. Automatic Group Bank Management In MASCHINE Group banks are managed automatically, so that you don’t have to create or delete them manually. Group are always adjacent in the Group List: you cannot have any gap in the Group List — nor in any Group bank.
Managing Sounds, Groups, and Your Project Managing Groups 1. 2. Hold GROUP and press the Right Arrow button repeatedly to navigate to the last Group bank. While holding GROUP, press the dimmed white pad after all lit pads. → A new empty Group is created after the existing Groups with the default name and color. Creating Groups via the Select Mode You can also use the Select mode to create Groups from your controller: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Press and hold SELECT to enter Select mode.
Managing Sounds, Groups, and Your Project Managing Groups ▪ Context menu: Right-click ([Ctrl]-click on Mac OS X) the desired Group in the Group List or the Group name in the top left corner of the Pattern Editor and select Open… in the context menu. In the Load Group dialog that opens, navigate to the desired Group file on your computer and click Open to load it. The loaded Group will replace the current Group in the Group List.
Managing Sounds, Groups, and Your Project Managing Groups 1. Double-click the name of the desired Group in the Group List or right-click ([Ctrl]-click on Mac OS X) the Group and select Rename from the context menu. The Group name is now highlighted and editable. 2. Modify the name of the Group. Press [Enter] on your computer keyboard to confirm. If you use MASCHINE as a plug-in, some hosts will utilize the [Enter] key, as it is mapped to some function of the host software.
Managing Sounds, Groups, and Your Project Managing Groups 2. Select the desired color in the Palette. You can also choose to set the Group back to the default color corresponding to its position in the list by selecting Default in the Color Palette. → The Group buttons of the MASCHINE STUDIO and MASCHINE MK2 controllers, and the pads of the MASCHINE MIKRO MK2 controller (when you hold the GROUP button) mirror the Group colors you have selected. By default each Group has a different color.
Managing Sounds, Groups, and Your Project Managing Groups ► Right-click (on Mac OS X: [Ctrl]-click) the Group in the Group List or the Group name in the top left corner of the Pattern Editor and select Save from the context menu: → Your modifications are saved to the Sound file. Even if you don’t save a Group individually, its current settings will still be saved with your Project. But once a Group is saved and tagged, it is available in the Browser for use in other Projects.
Managing Sounds, Groups, and Your Project Managing Groups 1. Right-click (on Mac OS X: [Ctrl]-click) the Group in the Group List or the Group name in the top left corner of the Pattern Editor and select Save As… from the context menu: 2. 3. A Save Group dialog appears. By default, the Group file will be saved in your Standard User Directory (as defined in Preferences > Library > User, see section ↑2.5.2, Preferences – Default Page for more information).
Managing Sounds, Groups, and Your Project Managing Groups 1. 2. 3. Right-click (on Mac OS X: [Ctrl]-click) the Group you want to copy in the Group List or the Group name in the top left corner of the Pattern Editor. In the context menu, choose Copy to copy the Group. Right-click (Mac OS X: [Ctrl]-click) any Group in the Group List and select Paste from the context menu to replace that Group with the copied one.
Managing Sounds, Groups, and Your Project Managing Groups → All parameters of the Group will be copied except for its Clips (its Patterns, though, will be copied as well). The Group previously in that position in the Group List will be replaced. If you want to duplicate a Group more than once, just keep on choosing Paste from the context menu on other Groups: the source Group stays in the clipboard, ready for the next use! 4.3.6.
Managing Sounds, Groups, and Your Project Managing Groups 4.3.7 Moving Groups You can reorder Groups via drag-and-drop in the software. It can be helpful to organize your Groups more conveniently. You can select multiple Groups to move them all at once! See ↑4.1.3, Selecting Multiple Sounds or Groups for more information. Moving Groups is performed like moving Sounds: 1. 2. Click and hold the Group.
Managing Sounds, Groups, and Your Project Managing Groups ► To delete a Group, select it in the Group List and press [Del] on your computer keyboard. You can also right-click (on Mac OS X: [Ctrl]-click) the Group in the Group List or the Group name in the top left corner of the Pattern Editor and choose Delete from the context menu. → The Group is removed. All following Group are shifted up in the Group List to fill the gap.
Managing Sounds, Groups, and Your Project Exporting MASCHINE Objects and Audio You can also export your Patterns as audio or MIDI files via drag and drop. This is described in section ↑7.8.1, Exporting Audio from Patterns and ↑7.8.2, Exporting MIDI from Patterns, respectively. 4.4.1 Saving a Group with its Samples Sometimes it is useful to have the ability to save a Group with its Samples outside of the MASCHINE Library.
Managing Sounds, Groups, and Your Project Exporting MASCHINE Objects and Audio 2. In this panel, adjust the settings (see table below) and click Save to confirm or Close to cancel the operation. Controls Description Group Displays the name and location of the Group file to be created. The Samples will be put in a folder with the same name in the same location.
Managing Sounds, Groups, and Your Project Exporting MASCHINE Objects and Audio 1. Choose Save Project with Samples… from the File menu or the File submenu in the MASCHINE menu: You will be presented with the Save Project with Samples panel: 2. In this panel, adjust the settings (see table below) and click Save to confirm or Close to cancel the operation. Element Description Project Displays the name and location of the Project file to be created.
Managing Sounds, Groups, and Your Project Exporting MASCHINE Objects and Audio You can also save single Groups with their Samples. See ↑4.4.1, Saving a Group with its Samples. 4.4.3 Exporting Audio In some cases you might want to render your Groups, Sounds or your complete Project as audio files in order to edit them further in other applications or burn a CD. The format of the exported audio files is WAV. This function is only available in the software.
Managing Sounds, Groups, and Your Project Exporting MASCHINE Objects and Audio 4. 5. If you wish, click the Options tab at the top and adjust the export options in the Options page that appears (see description below). At the bottom of the panel, click Export to start the export process, or Close to cancel the operation and close the panel without exporting anything.
Managing Sounds, Groups, and Your Project Exporting MASCHINE Objects and Audio Element Description Source Output menu and Output list underneath Selects what will be exported. The content of the Output list under the menu depends on your selection in the menu: Master Output: Select this to export the Master output signal (including all Groups and Sounds and their effects) to one audio file. The Output list underneath contains only one entry: Master Output.
Managing Sounds, Groups, and Your Project Exporting MASCHINE Objects and Audio The Options page of the Export Audio panel. Following parameters are available: Element Description Options Normalize If this option is checked, the resulting audio file(s) will be normalized, i.e. the exported audio will be brought to the highest possible level without clipping (0 dBFS).
Managing Sounds, Groups, and Your Project Exporting MASCHINE Objects and Audio Element Description Loop Optimize Optimizes the exported audio file for use as a loop: If Loop Optimize is disabled, the exported audio file will be prolonged to keep, e.g., the tail of a reverb. The end of the exported audio will always correspond to a bar division. If Loop Optimize is enabled, the exported audio file will have the exact range of the Loop Range.
Managing Sounds, Groups, and Your Project Importing Third-Party File Formats ▪ If Sound Outputs is selected in the Output menu the audio files will be named as follows: [Project name] - [Sound name] - [BPM].wav In addition, if the name of the file about to be exported is already used in the destination folder, a hyphen followed by an index number is added to the name (e.g., “ - 1,” “ - 2,” “ 3,”) to avoid any file being overwritten. 4.5 Importing Third-Party File Formats 4.5.
Managing Sounds, Groups, and Your Project Importing Third-Party File Formats 4.5.2 Importing MPC Programs to Groups MASCHINE allows you to import Drum program files (.PGM and .AKP) from the Akai MPC series to Groups. Supported models include the MPC4000, MPC3000, MPC2000, MPC500, MPC1000 and the MPC2500.
Managing Sounds, Groups, and Your Project Importing Third-Party File Formats MPC Parameter MPC500, 1000, 2500 MPC4000 MPC2000 (XL) MPC3000 MASCHINE Parameter Velocity to Level x − − − Velocity to Volume Mute Group x − − − Choke Group Importing MPC Program Files 1. 2. 3. To import an MPC Program file, open the Browser in the MASCHINE software and click the FILES tab. Navigate to the MPC Program file you want to import and double-click it.
Managing Sounds, Groups, and Your Project Importing Third-Party File Formats 4. Click OK to start the import procedure (or Cancel to close the panel without importing anything). Control Description Import All Banks Select this to import all Banks of the MPC Program file. Each Bank will be loaded into a separate Group. Import One Bank Select this if you only want to import a single Bank. Use the drop-down menu to the right to select which Bank you want to import.
Playing on Your Controller Adjusting Your Pads 5 Playing on Your Controller This chapter describes the numerous features available in MASCHINE to adjust and enhance your playing, both during live performances and when recording Patterns. 5.1 Adjusting Your Pads MASCHINE provides you with numerous features to finely tailor the way the pads of your controller react to your playing: ▪ Choose a pad mode that best fit your playing needs: ↑5.1.1, The Pad View.
Playing on Your Controller Adjusting Your Pads ► Click the Pad View button to show or hide the Pad view. When the Pad View button is enabled, the Pad view replaces the Sound List below: The Pad view replaces the Sound List. At the top of the Pad view, the grid of pads gives you access to all Sound slots of the current Group. The focused pad is fully lit; other pads containing a Sound are dim lit; pads without any Sound are off.
Playing on Your Controller Adjusting Your Pads Parameter Description Key Adjusts the base key for the selected pad. See section ↑5.1.3, Adjusting the Base Key below. Choke Configures the Choke Group for the selected pad. See section ↑5.1.4, Using Choke Groups below. Link Configures Pad Link for the selected pad. See section ↑5.1.5, Using Link Groups below. 5.1.2 Choosing a Pad Mode By default, your pads play all Sounds of the selected Group — we call this Group mode.
Playing on Your Controller Adjusting Your Pads Parameter Description KEYBD (F1) Activates/deactivates Keyboard mode. In this mode your pads play notes of the focused Sound at 16 different pitches. This is well suited for melodic instruments. See the next paragraph for a detailed description of the Keyboard mode. Please note that Keyboard mode is not compatible with 16 Velocities mode (see below). 16 VEL (F2) Activates/deactivates 16 Velocities mode.
Playing on Your Controller Adjusting Your Pads 2. 3. → Now enter Pad Mode by holding PAD MODE and lock it by pressing CONTROL (you can then release PAD MODE). Press F1 (KEYBD) to enter Keyboard mode. If you hit the pads now, you will hear that they all play the same Sound, but each with a different pitch. When you leave Pad Mode, the PAD MODE button stays dim lit to indicate that Keyboard mode is active.
Playing on Your Controller Adjusting Your Pads 5.1.3 Adjusting the Base Key In Group mode, the base key defines the key (or pitch) at which the selected Sound will be played when its pad is pressed. In Keyboard mode, it defines the key played by pad 1 on your controller; pads 2–16 will then play keys from [base key + 1 semitone] up to [base key + 15 semitones]. The base key also affects the pitch of events created via the step sequencer. See section ↑7.3.1, Step Mode Basics for more information on this.
Playing on Your Controller Adjusting Your Pads 5.1.4 Using Choke Groups When your pads are in Group mode, Choke groups allow you to build sets of “mutually exclusive” pads: A Choke group lets you force each newly triggered Sound to cancel out all other Sounds still playing — in other terms, these Sounds would never play together, the newer Sound automatically “killing” the audio of the older one.
Playing on Your Controller Adjusting Your Pads 5.1.4.1 Using Choke Groups on the MASCHINE MIKRO MK2 Controller To assign the selected pad(s) / Sound slot(s) to a Choke group and set its/their Choke mode on your controller: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Hold the PAD MODE button to enter Pad Mode (or press PAD MODE + CONTROL to pin it). Use the Left/Right Arrow buttons to display the 1/6: CHOKE GROUP parameter.
Playing on Your Controller Adjusting Your Pads You can select multiple Sound slots and quickly assign them all to a particular Link group at once! To assign the selected Sound(s) to a Link group and set its/their Link mode (Master or Slave), do the following: 1. 2. 3. Click the Pad View button above the Sound List in the Pattern Editor to show the Pad view for the focused Group.
Playing on Your Controller Playing Tools ▪ Note Repeat allows you to automatically repeat a Sound by holding its pad: ↑5.2.1, Note Repeat. ▪ Mute and Solo allow you to selectively mute and solo Sounds and Groups: ↑5.2.2, Mute and Solo. ▪ Choke All Notes allow you to cut all playing audio: ↑5.2.3, Choke All Notes. ▪ Groove allows you to give a shuffling flair to individual Sounds/Groups or to your entire Project: ↑5.2.4, Groove.
Playing on Your Controller Playing Tools The Note Repeat mode on the controller. In Note Repeat mode you can customize the way your Sounds/notes will be repeated by adjusting following settings: Element Description F1–F3 Select between three different presets — also while playing. The rate currently assigned to each button is indicated below on the display. The selected rate is highlighted.
Playing on Your Controller Playing Tools 5.2.2 Mute and Solo Muting is used to silence a Sound or a Group, whereas Solo is pretty much the opposite: Soloing a Sound or a Group mutes all other Sounds in that Group or all other Groups, respectively, so that you can listen to the selected Sound or Group alone. The combination of both is a useful means to play live and to test different sequences together.
Playing on Your Controller Playing Tools Soloing the first kick Sound. ► To unsolo a Sound, right-click (on Mac OS X: [Ctrl]-click) the number again. Soloing a Group ► To solo a Group, right-click (on Mac OS X: [Ctrl]-click) the Group index (letter + number) on the left side of the Group in the Arranger: Soloing a Group. ► To unsolo a Group, right-click (on Mac OS X: [Ctrl]-click) the Group index again.
Playing on Your Controller Playing Tools Muting a Sound. ► To unmute the Sound, click the number again. By default, the Mute on Sounds is an event mute: events for muted Sounds are not triggered, but the audio coming from previous events might still be audible (reverb tail, etc.). You can also activate audio mute for Sounds to mute both events and audio — see the beginning of this section for more information.
Playing on Your Controller Playing Tools The Solo mode on the controller. 1. 2. Press and hold SOLO to enter Solo mode. You can also pin this mode to make it permanent (see section ↑2.3.5.1, Pinning a Mode on the MASCHINE MIKRO MK2 Controller2.3.5.5). Solo Sounds by pressing their pads, and solo Groups of the current Group bank by pressing GROUP followed by the desired pads 9–16. The Mute mode on the controller. 1. Press and hold MUTE to enter Mute mode.
Playing on Your Controller Playing Tools ▪ When holding F3 (AUDIO) you can see on the pads which Sounds have audio mute enabled (see above): Sounds with audio mute enabled have fully lit pads, while Sounds with only event mute have dim lit pads. While holding F3 (AUDIO), press any pad to switch the audio mute for this Sound on or off.
Playing on Your Controller Playing Tools 5.2.4 Groove The groove controls the rhythmic relationship between events in the selected channel (Sound, Group or Master). By shifting some of the events, you can e.g. give a shuffling, ternary touch to your Patterns. The groove can be adjusted for each channel individually via its Groove properties. A groove configured for a channel affects all its contained channels: ▪ At the Sound level, the Groove properties settings of a Sound affect that single Sound.
Playing on Your Controller Playing Tools The Groove properties for a Sound on the controller. Controls Description SWING Section Amount Adjusts the amount of swing, i.e. the amount by which some events are shifted. At 0 % events are not shifted. Raise the Amount value to increase the strength of the swing. Cycle Determines on what musical resolution the groove is applied. This directly affects which events will be shifted. Values are measured in fractions of a whole note.
Playing on Your Controller Playing Tools This is how the same regular rhythm would be heard with various groove settings. The picture above only illustrates how the groove function affects the sound — adjusting the Groove properties will not effectively move events in the Patterns displayed in the Pattern Editor! 5.2.5 Level, Tempo, Tune, and Groove Shortcuts on Your Controller Your controller provides extra shortcuts for various important parameters.
Playing on Your Controller Playing Tools Press the MAIN button to enter Main mode on your controller. Level Shortcuts 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Press MAIN to enter Main mode (the button must be lit). Press F1 (VOLUME). To change the output level of the Master (i.e. the overall output level of MASCHINE), simply turn the Control encoder.
Playing on Your Controller Playing Tools Press and turn the Control encoder to adjust the value in finer increments. These shortcuts control the LEVEL parameter in the AUDIO page of the Master’s, Group’s, and Sound’s Output properties, respectively. See section ↑8.1.4, Configuring the Master and Cue Outputs of MASCHINE and ↑8.1.2, Configuring the Main Output of Sounds and Groups for a detailed description of these properties.
Playing on Your Controller Playing Tools Press and turn the Control encoder to adjust the value in finer increments. These shortcuts control the AMOUNT parameter in the SWING page of the Master’s, Group’s, and Sound’s Groove properties, respectively. See section ↑5.2.4, Groove for a detailed description of these properties. These shortcuts control the AMOUNT parameter in the SWING page of the Master’s, Group’s, and Sound’s Groove properties, respectively. See section ↑5.2.
Playing on Your Controller Playing Tools The Tempo parameter in the software’s Header. At the Group and Sound level, the shortcut works only with Sounds containing a Sampler or a Drumsynth Plug-in. The shortcuts control the TUNE parameter in the PITCH / ENVELOPE page of the Sampler, and the TUNE parameter in the MAIN page of any Drumsynth. If you hold a Group button, the shortcut will affect all Sounds of the Group that contain a Sampler or Drumsynth Plug-in.
Working with Plug-ins Plug-in Overview 6 Working with Plug-ins Plug-ins are the building blocks of all sound in MASCHINE. They can be used at all three levels of the MASCHINE audio routing system: in Sounds, in Groups, and in the Master. In MASCHINE versions prior to 2.0, Internal Plug-ins were called Modules. This chapter includes various general or specific Plug-in topics: ▪ An overview of Plug-ins and how to handle them (↑6.1, Plug-in Overview).
Working with Plug-ins Plug-in Overview The Control area displaying the content of the Sound ClosedHH Ektl A of the selected Sound slot 2. Sounds, Groups, and the Master can each hold any number of Plug-ins. These are stacked up in the Plug-in List, on the left of the Control area.
Working with Plug-ins Plug-in Overview In the Plug-in List, the processing order is always from top to bottom. In addition to Plug-ins, each Sound, each Group, and the Master also provide a set of global settings called Channel properties. These are described in section ↑5.2.4, Groove and in chapter ↑8, Audio Routing, Remote Control, and Macro Controls.
Working with Plug-ins Plug-in Overview ▪ Effects: These Plug-ins modify the audio coming from the previous Plug-in slot (or from the incoming audio if the Effect is loaded in the first Plug-in slot of a Sound). Effect Plug-ins can be loaded in any Plug-in slot. Following Plug-ins are available: ◦ Internal Effects: These are the Effect Plug-ins included with MASCHINE.
Working with Plug-ins Plug-in Overview You can also sample directly to a Sound slot. This will automatically load a Sampler in its first Plug-in slot. Read chapter ↑12, Effect Reference for more details on this. 6.1.3 Loading, Removing, and Replacing a Plug-in The procedure to load a Plug-in with its default settings is common to all levels (Sound, Group, and Master) and all Plug-in types (Internal, Native Instruments, and External, as well as Instrument and Effect): 1. 2.
Working with Plug-ins Plug-in Overview 3. → The Plug-in List is still empty, because we selected an empty Sound slot. The only visible element in the list is a “+” icon at the top left. Click the slot with the “+” icon at the top of the Plug-in List. This opens the Plug-in menu where you can select the desired Plug-in for loading (see below for a detailed description of the entries contained in the Plug-in menu).
Working with Plug-ins Plug-in Overview Removing and Replacing a Plug-in Once you have loaded a Plug-in into a Plug-in slot, the slot shows the name of the loaded Plug-in, preceded by an icon describing the type of Plug-in (Instrument or Effect), and followed by a down-pointing arrow: A few Plug-ins loaded. This down-pointing arrow lets you open the Plug-in menu for slots already hosting a Plug-in.
Working with Plug-ins Plug-in Overview → The Plug-in is unloaded from the slot. All following Plug-ins are shifted one slot upwards to fill the gap. Furthermore, the Plug-in menu also allows you to replace the loaded Plug-in with another one: ► To replace the Plug-in currently loaded in a slot, open its Plug-in menu and select another Plug-in in the menu. → The original Plug-in is replaced with the newly selected one. The rest of the Plug-in List stays untouched.
Working with Plug-ins Plug-in Overview Plug-in Menu Entry Description Native Instruments submenu Lists available Native Instruments’ Instruments (first Plug-in slot of Sounds only) and Effects. For products working both as Instrument and Effect, the Effect Plug-in name is followed by the mention FX. If necessary each entry is followed by the plug-in type between brackets: (VST) or (AU). See section ↑6.2.6, Page 6: Velocity / Modwheel for more information.
Working with Plug-ins Plug-in Overview Plug-in Menu Entry Description Save As… Allows you to save the current Plug-in settings as a preset for later use. This preset will appear in the Browser. Save As Default… (only when a Allows you to save the current Plug-in settings as a default preset. This deNative Instruments or External fault preset will be recalled each time you load the Plug-in from the Plug-in Plug-in is loaded) menu.
Working with Plug-ins Plug-in Overview 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Press F1 to select FILTER. If you have selected the first Plug-in slot of a Sound, press the Left/Right Arrow button to select the 1/2: TYPE parameter, turn the Control encoder to select TYPE from INTERNAL, NI or EXTERNAL, then press the Right Arrow button to select the 2/2: SUBTYPE parameter, and turn the Control encoder to select the SUBTYPE from INSTRUMENT or EFFECT.
Working with Plug-ins Plug-in Overview 6.1.4 Adjusting the Plug-in Parameters The procedure for adjusting the Plug-in parameters is common to all types of Plug-ins and all sets of Channel properties. It is described in section ↑2.3.3, Navigating Channel Properties, Plug-ins, and Parameter Pages in the Control Area. Native Instruments and External Plug-ins only: You can also adjust the Plug-in parameters via the own user interface of the VST/AU plug-in. More on this in ↑6.2.6, Page 6: Velocity / Modwheel.
Working with Plug-ins Plug-in Overview 4. In the Plug-in List, click the icon left to the Plug-in name (keys for an Instrument Plug-in, FX for an Effect Plug-in) to bypass this Plug-in. The Plug-in does not affect the sound anymore. The icon is grayed out to indicate that this slot is now bypassed. Use the same method to unmute the Plug-in: ► To activate the bypassed slot again, click its grayed out icon. In most cases the first Plug-in slot contains an Instrument Plug-in (e.g., a Sampler).
Working with Plug-ins Plug-in Overview → The pad turns dim lit, the Plug-in is bypassed and does not affect the sound anymore. Hold SHIFT and NAV and press the pad corresponding to the desired Plug-in in order to mute/unmute it. Use the same method to unmute the Plug-in: ► To unmute a Plug-in, hold SHIFT + NAV and press the pad of the Plug-in slot again. In most cases the first Plug-in slot contains an Instrument Plug-in (e.g., a Sampler). Be careful: bypassing the slot will mute the whole Sound! 6.1.
Working with Plug-ins Plug-in Overview 6.1.7 Moving Plug-ins MASCHINE allows you to move Plug-ins across the Plug-in List and across Sounds and Groups. Moving Plug-ins Within the Plug-in List ► To move a Plug-in in the Plug-in List, click its name and drag your mouse vertically. While you are holding the mouse button, an insertion line appears at the place in the Plug-in List where the Plug-in would land if dropped.
Working with Plug-ins Plug-in Overview → The Plug-in with all its parameters has now been moved from its original location to its target location. Duplicating Plug-ins Across Sounds and Groups Instead of selecting Cut in the Plug-in menu of the original slot (see above), select Copy to duplicate the Plug-in to another slot! 6.1.8 Alternative: the Plug-in Strip You can also manipulate your Plug-ins via the Plug-in Strip in the Mix view of MASCHINE.
Working with Plug-ins Plug-in Overview The commands for saving and recalling Plug-in presets in the Plug-in menu. Plug-in Menu Entry Description Save Saves your changes to the preset currently loaded. Save As… Saves the current Plug-in settings as a new preset on your hard disk. Save As Default… (Native In- Only available if a VST/AU plug-in (Native Instruments or External) is loaded struments and External Plug- in this Plug-in slot.
Working with Plug-ins The Sampler Plug-in For more information on how to load Plug-in presets in the Browser, please refer to chapter ↑3, Browser. You can assign tags to the Plug-in presets that you saved. This is done in the Browser in the MASCHINE software. For more information, please refer to section ↑3.4, Editing the Files’ Tags and Properties. In addition, the MASCHINE library already provides a collection of Plug-in presets for MASCHINE Internal Plug-ins.
Working with Plug-ins The Sampler Plug-in This section describes the specific parameters found in the Sampler. For a general description of the features and characteristics of Plug-ins (including the Sampler), please refer to section ↑6.1, Plug-in Overview. We show here the Sampler parameters as they appear in the Control area of the Arrange view. The Sampler also provides a custom panel in the Plug-in Strip of the Mix view. This panel is described in section ↑9.4.3, Panel for the Sampler.
Working with Plug-ins The Sampler Plug-in Sampler parameters – page 1 of 6: VOICE SETTINGS and ENGINE in the software. Parameter Description VOICE SETTINGS Polyphony Here you can define a voice limit for the Sound, that is the maximum number of voices (notes) the Sampler can play simultaneously. Once this polyphony has been reached, triggering any additional note will kill the “oldest” note still playing (i.e. the note that was triggered first).
Working with Plug-ins The Sampler Plug-in 6.2.2 Page 2: Pitch / Envelope Sampler parameters – page 2 of 6: PITCH / GATE and AMPLITUDE ENVELOPE on the controller. Sampler parameters – page 2 of 6: PITCH / GATE and AMPLITUDE ENVELOPE in the software. Parameter Description PITCH / GATE Tune Defines the basic pitch of your Sample: turn the knob to the right for a higher pitch and to the left for a lower pitch. Start Determines the start point of the Sample.
Working with Plug-ins The Sampler Plug-in The Type selector. The Type selector allows you to choose from three different types of amplitude envelopes. Depending on the selected type, the available parameters in the AMPLITUDE ENVELOPE section will differ (see table below): ▪ One-shot: This is typical vintage drum machine behavior: the sample is played in its entirety from beginning to end with no envelope. If One-shot is selected, the AMPLITUDE ENVELOPE section doesn’t display any parameters.
Working with Plug-ins The Sampler Plug-in ▪ ADSR: Typically, the ADSR envelope is used for longer, sustained Samples that require complex dynamic control. Unlike many other hardware devices, the pads on MASCHINE are sensitive not only to being hit, but also to being held — so using the ADSR envelope, you can make the pads behave like a MIDI keyboard and sustain a note only for as long as it is held down.
Working with Plug-ins The Sampler Plug-in 6.2.3 Page 3: FX / Filter Sampler parameters – page 3 of 6: FX and FILTER in the software. FX This is a small selection of basic effects, not to be mixed up with the collection of Effect Plugins covered in depth in chapter 12. Parameter Description FX Comp Basic compressor allowing you to give a Sound more density. Drive Defines the amount of saturation applied to a Sound.
Working with Plug-ins The Sampler Plug-in FILTER The Filter selector in the FILTER section gives you access to a set of different filters. Using the arrows or clicking the type currently displayed, you can choose from different filter type settings: Off, LP2, BP2, HP2, and EQ. Each type results in different parameters to the right of it: Filter Modes Description Off No filter. LP2 LP2 is a low-pass filter with Cutoff and Resonance parameters.
Working with Plug-ins The Sampler Plug-in MODULATION ENVELOPE The MODULATION ENVELOPE section offers an additional envelope allowing further modification (or “modulation”) of specific Sampler parameters according to the way you play on the pads. Its parameters are matched to those of the AMPLITUDE ENVELOPE section on page 2 (see ↑6.2.
Working with Plug-ins The Sampler Plug-in 6.2.5 Page 5: LFO Sampler parameters – page 5 of 6: LFO and DESTINATION on the controller. Sampler parameters – page 5 of 6: LFO and DESTINATION in the software. LFO The LFO (Low Frequency Oscillator) is another modulation source based on waveforms with different shapes. LFO Controls Description Type Here you can choose the shape of the LFO waveform. Available shapes are Sine, Tri (Triangle), Rect (Rectangle), Saw, and Random.
Working with Plug-ins The Sampler Plug-in LFO Controls Description Phase Defines the initial phase of the LFO waveform, from -0.50 to 0.50. Sync The Sync selector is used to synchronize the LFO with the tempo of your Project. If Free is selected, the LFO rate is independent of the Project tempo.
Working with Plug-ins The Sampler Plug-in Sampler parameters – page 6 of 6: VELOCITY DESTINATION and MODWHEEL DESTINATION in the software. VELOCITY DESTINATION This section allows you to use the input velocity in order to modulate various parameters. Parameter Modulation Destination Start Start parameter of the PITCH / GATE section on the Pitch / Envelope page (page 2).
Working with Plug-ins Using Native Instruments and External Plug-ins Parameter Modulation Destination Start Start parameter of the PITCH / GATE section on the Pitch / Envelope page (page 2). Cutoff Cutoff parameter of the FILTER section (with filter types LP2, HP2, BP2 only) on the FX / Filter page (page 3). LFO Depth Use this knob to adjust how much the Modulation Wheel affects the depth of the LFO modulation (for all targets) defined on the LFO page (page 5).
Working with Plug-ins Using Native Instruments and External Plug-ins Plug-ins of Native Instruments platform products (REAKTOR, KONTAKT, GUITAR RIG) are automatically opened in floating windows when loaded from the Plug-in menu.
Working with Plug-ins Using Native Instruments and External Plug-ins The little diagonal arrow next to the Parameter pages’ tabs. ► To open or close the floating window of a Native Instruments or External Plug-in, select this Plug-in and click the little diagonal arrow at the left of the Parameter pages’ tabs (at the top of the Control area). You can also double-click the Plug-in name in the list.
Working with Plug-ins Using Native Instruments and External Plug-ins These views are also available in the Plug-in’s panel in the Plug-in Strip (Mix view in the software). For more information, please refer to section ↑9.4.4, Custom Panels for Native Instruments Plug-ins. ▪ Edit view: The Edit view shows the full user interface of the original Native Instruments product. You can show/hide the Edit view by clicking the Edit button (showing a pencil icon) in the Plug-in Header: 6.3.1.
Working with Plug-ins Using Native Instruments and External Plug-ins ▪ You can step through the Parameter pages and tweak each parameter on your controller via the usual workflow directly after loading the Native Instruments or External Plug-in (see section ↑2.3.3, Navigating Channel Properties, Plug-ins, and Parameter Pages in the Control Area). ▪ The Plug-in parameters can be automated the same way as any other parameters (see section ↑7.5, Recording and Editing Modulation).
Working with Plug-ins Using Native Instruments and External Plug-ins 6.3.3 Setting Up Your Own Parameter Pages As with any Plug-in, the parameters of a Native Instruments or External Plug-in are organized into pages. Each Plug-in can have any number of pages, each containing 8 knobs, which can be assigned to the parameters of the VST/AU instrument or effect. Parameter pages may be assigned automatically using auto-mapping (see section ↑6.3.
Working with Plug-ins Using Native Instruments and External Plug-ins 3. Click the Pages tab in the left part of the Assignment area: → The Pages tab lights up and the Pages pane appears on its right. You are now ready to assign parameters to the Parameter pages. The Pages tab can be clicked only for Native Instruments or External Plug-ins and for the Macro properties.
Working with Plug-ins Using Native Instruments and External Plug-ins (2) Add Page button (“+” symbol): Click the little “+” after the last page label to append a new page. By default, pages are labeled “Page 1,” “Page 2,” etc. You can change page labels by defining sections within your pages via the Section Label fields (3) — see below. (3) Section Label fields: These fields allow you to define sections of parameters within the displayed page.
Working with Plug-ins Using Native Instruments and External Plug-ins 6.3.4 Using VST/AU Plug-in Presets For some of your Native Instruments or third-party VST/AU plug-ins, you might already have a set of factory or user presets (or patches, programs, etc.) that you like to use. MASCHINE lets you directly load these presets and save them as Plug-in presets within MASCHINE.
Working with Plug-ins Using Native Instruments and External Plug-ins 3. This submenu provides the list of all presets that your VST/AU plug-in has made available to the host — MASCHINE in this case. Select the desired preset in this submenu. → The preset is loaded into the Plug-in. Each VST/AU instrument or effect might handle its presets (or patches, programs…) differently. Please refer to the plug-in documentation to find out how to reveal its presets (or a particular set of presets) to the host.
Working with Plug-ins Using Native Instruments and External Plug-ins mands of the Plug-in menu (see section ↑6.1.9, Saving and Recalling Plug-in Presets). Once this is done, your preset will be available as a user preset in the Instrument or Effect category of the MASCHINE Browser. 6.3.5 Multiple-Output Plug-ins and Multitimbral Plug-ins MASCHINE allows an extended use of multiple-output Plug-ins as well as multitimbral Plugins.
Working with Patterns Pattern Basics 7 Working with Patterns Creating a Pattern is where the fun starts, because the sequencer really is the core of MASCHINE. Both your controller and the software provide you with many powerful tools to create and edit your own beats. This chapter is organized as follows: ▪ General points on Patterns and the Pattern Editor: ↑7.1, Pattern Basics. ▪ How to record Patterns in real time from your controller: ↑7.2, Recording Patterns in Real Time.
Working with Patterns Pattern Basics In every Scene of your Project you can choose for each Group which of its Patterns has to be played. In each Scene the Pattern you have chosen will be referenced by a Clip (more on this in chapter ↑12.6.3, Saturator). 7.1.1 Pattern Editor Overview The Pattern Editor is the all-in-one Pattern editing tool of the MASCHINE software. This overview of the Pattern Editor introduces you its main parts and control elements. The Pattern Editor (Group view depicted).
Working with Patterns Pattern Basics (4) Sound List: Sound slots 1–16 of the selected Group are listed here. In Keyboard view (2), click a Sound slot to display its events in the Event area (7). (5) Pad View button: Click this button to switch between the Sound List (4) and the Pad view. The Pad view is an alternate representation of your Sound slots that focuses on the pads of your controller. In Pad view you can adjust how the Sounds should be triggered by your pads. See section ↑5.1.1, The Pad View.
Working with Patterns Pattern Basics (11) Control Lane: The Control Lane provides a visual overview and editing tools for the modulation and the MIDI/host automation of each parameter. See section ↑7.5, Recording and Editing Modulation and ↑8.2, Using MIDI Control and Host Automation for more information.
Working with Patterns Pattern Basics 7.1.2 Navigating the Event Area The Event area in the Pattern Editor can be scrolled and zoomed in or out to fit your current needs. Navigating the Pattern Editor Horizontally (Time) A zooming scroll bar is available at the bottom of the Pattern Editor. This tool allows you to both scroll and zoom in/out horizontally in the Event area and the Control Lane on the time axis: The zooming scroll bar at the bottom of the Pattern Editor.
Working with Patterns Pattern Basics ▪ Double-click the main part (1) to reset the zoom and display the entire Pattern. The Event area and the Control Lane (if visible) always stay in sync on the time axis. See section ↑7.5.3, Creating and Editing Modulation in the Control Lane for more information on the Control Lane. Navigating the Pattern Editor Vertically (Sounds or Pitches) When the Pattern Editor is in Group view, a classic scroll bar is available right of the Pattern Editor.
Working with Patterns Pattern Basics Shortcuts for navigating the Pattern Editor from the MASCHINE MIKRO controller in View mode.
Working with Patterns Pattern Basics In View mode, pads 13–15 additionally allow you to show/hide (or maximize/minimize) the Browser, the Control Lane, and the Mixer (in Mix view) in the software, respectively. See section ↑2.2, Adjusting the MASCHINE User Interface for more information. 7.1.
Working with Patterns Pattern Basics The playhead in the timeline shows you the current play position. At any time you can jump to another position in the Pattern: ► Click anywhere in the timeline of the Event area to move the playhead to that position in the Pattern. Moving the playhead to another position in the timeline of the Pattern Editor automatically moves it to the corresponding position in the Arranger.
Working with Patterns Pattern Basics Example with playback on: Assuming that your Pattern is four bars long and the Pattern Grid resolution is set to one bar, if you click around the 1.4 mark (4th beat of the 1st bar) in the timeline when the playhead reaches the 3.3 mark (3rd beat of the 3rd bar), the playhead will jump from the 3.3 to the 1.3 mark (3rd beat of the 1st bar) and continue from there. 7.1.4.
Working with Patterns Pattern Basics In Group view, the Pattern Editor shows the events for all Sounds in the Group. This view is well suited for rhythmic instruments (e.g., a drum kit), since you can see and edit the events for all Sounds at once, without worrying about the pitch of the events you create or edit.
Working with Patterns Pattern Basics In Keyboard view, the Pattern Editor shows all notes for a particular Sound. If you select another Sound slot in the Sound List on the left, the whole Event area will switch to the notes for that Sound. On the left of the Event area, a vertical piano roll indicates the note corresponding to each row in the Event area. Octaves are indicated by a number on each C key: e.g., the middle C, which is noted C3 in the MASCHINE convention, will read “3.
Working with Patterns Pattern Basics 7.1.6 Adjusting the Pattern Grid and the Pattern Length The Pattern Grid defines regularly spaced-out timings notably used in following situations: ▪ Adjusting the Pattern Length (see below). ▪ Moving the playback position (see ↑7.1.4, Jumping to Another Playback Position in the Pattern and ↑13.1.4, Jumping to Another Playback Position in Your Project). ▪ Adjusting and moving the Loop Range (see ↑13.3.1, Selecting a Loop Range).
Working with Patterns Pattern Basics Adjusting the Pattern Length You can adjust the length of your Patterns to fit your needs. The Pattern Length is measured in bars and beats, and Patterns can be up to 256 bars long. When you create a new empty Pattern (see ↑7.7.3, Creating Patterns), the Pattern has the default length as defined in the Default page of the Preferences panel (see ↑2.5.1, Preferences – General Page).
Working with Patterns Pattern Basics 7.1.6.1 Adjusting the Pattern Grid and Pattern Length on the MASCHINE MIKRO Controller On your controller, the length of the selected Pattern, along with the Pattern Grid resolution used to modify this length, can both be adjusted using various methods: via the Pattern mode, the Grid mode, or the Record Prepare mode. Choose the method that best fits your current workflow.
Working with Patterns Pattern Basics To disable the Pattern Grid, simply select the OFF value: ► To disable the Pattern Grid, hold GRID, press F2 (PAT), and turn the Control encoder fully clockwise to select OFF. You don’t need to explicitly enable the Pattern Grid on your controller: It is enabled as soon as you select a resolution other than OFF. Method 3: Using the Record Prepare Mode This extra method is very useful if you are about to start a new recording.
Working with Patterns Pattern Basics By default the Step Grid is active and the step size is 1/16th. However you may use another step size or disable the Step Grid completely, as described below. Depending on the current zoom factor and Step Grid resolution, if the vertical lines of the Step Grid are too close to each other they will be hidden to avoid convoluting the display. For example, this could be the case if you display 6 or 8 bars and choose a Step Grid resolution of 1/64th.
Working with Patterns Pattern Basics Nudging events means shifting them a small amount ahead or behind their current position. See ↑7.4.4, Editing Selected Events/Notes for more information. The Nudge Grid is based on the Step Grid: ▪ The Nudge Grid is active, only when the Step Grid is active. If the Step Grid is disabled, nudging events will shift them at the maximum resolution of the sequencer.
Working with Patterns Pattern Basics The Nudge Grid is not indicated in the Event area of the Pattern Editor. 7.1.7.1 Adjusting the Step Grid and the Nudge Grid on the MASCHINE MIKRO Controller You can enable/disable the Step Grid and adjust the Step Grid and Nudge Grid resolution from your controller. Enabling or Disabling the Step Grid To enable or disable the Step Grid: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Hold GRID to enter Grid mode. You can also pin Grid mode in order to keep it active when you release GRID (see ↑2.
Working with Patterns Recording Patterns in Real Time 3. Use the Left Arrow button under the display to select the VALUE parameter at the bottom of the display: 4. Select a step size by turning the Control encoder. Adjusting the Nudge Grid To change the Nudge Grid resolution: 1. 2. 3. Hold GRID to enter Grid mode. Press F3 (STEP) to access the Step and Nudge Grid settings. Use the Right Arrow button under the display to select the NUDGE parameter at the bottom of the display: 4.
Working with Patterns Recording Patterns in Real Time ▪ The most common method is called overdub recording. Alternatively you can use replace recording. Both are described in section ↑7.2.1, Recording Your Patterns Live. ▪ Right before you record a new Pattern, you can quickly enter Record Prepare mode to adjust a few important settings for your Pattern: ↑7.2.2, The Record Prepare Mode. ▪ At any time you can enable and customize the metronome: ↑7.2.3, Using the Metronome.
Working with Patterns Recording Patterns in Real Time 2. 3. 4. Press REC to begin recording. The REC button lights up. Now hit the pads you want to record and listen to what happens. Each hit will create an event in the Pattern Editor, the event length depends on how long you hold the pad. Your pad hits keep on being added to the existing events in the Pattern, even as the Pattern cycles. When you’re done, press REC again to stop recording the pads. The REC button turns off.
Working with Patterns Recording Patterns in Real Time ▪ When you switch your controller to another mode (by pressing, e.g., SCENE, PATTERN, etc.). ▪ When you set the focus to another Group. You can also manually disengage Replace mode and switch to Overdub mode: ► While recording in Replace mode, press the lit ERASE button to disengage Replace mode. → The recording goes on in Overdub mode (see description above).
Working with Patterns Recording Patterns in Real Time 7.2.2 The Record Prepare Mode The Record Prepare mode is very useful when you are about to start a new recording. Indeed, it allows you to adjust the Pattern Length and the resolution of the Pattern Grid right before starting a recording. This way you can quickly create a new Pattern with the desired pattern length and directly start recording events in it! You can also use the Record Prepare mode to adjust the length of an existing Pattern. 7.2.2.
Working with Patterns Recording Patterns in Real Time You can also enter Record Prepare mode while starting a recording in Replace mode (see ↑7.2.1, Recording Your Patterns Live): Simply press ERASE + REC and hold REC until your controller switches to Record Prepare mode. This is also true when using the Count-in (see ↑7.2.4, Recording with Count-in). 7.2.3 Using the Metronome The metronome will help you to keep time when recording in real time.
Working with Patterns Recording Patterns in Real Time Adjusting the Metronome’s Volume and Time Signature On your controller you can adjust the volume and time signature of the metronome in the recording settings: 1. 2. Press SHIFT + GRID to show the recording settings. Press the Left Arrow button repeatedly until METRONOME LEVEL appears on the display and turn the Control encoder to adjust the metronome volume. 3.
Working with Patterns Recording Patterns in Real Time If the current Loop Range does not start at the beginning of a bar (i.e.
Working with Patterns Recording Patterns in Real Time ► Press SHIFT + ERASE + REC to start the Count-in and record in Replace mode (see section ↑7.2.1, Recording Your Patterns Live for more information on the Replace mode). Adjusting the Count-in Duration You can adjust the duration of the Count-in in the recording settings: 1. 2. Press SHIFT + GRID to show the recording settings.
Working with Patterns Recording Patterns with the Step Sequencer 2. Press the Right Arrow button repeatedly to select the QUANTIZE MODE parameter at the bottom of the display. 3. Turn the Control encoder to enable (ON) or disable (OFF) Input Quantization. → With Input Quantization enabled, as you are recording the pads your notes will be quantized according to the step size (i.e. Step Grid resolution) selected. If you turn the Step Grid off, no quantization will be applied. See section ↑7.1.
Working with Patterns Recording Patterns with the Step Sequencer For more information on the Step Grid, see section ↑7.1.7, Adjusting the Step Grid and the Nudge Grid. This way it’s easy to quickly put some drums together. A typical 4/4 line in Step mode. In Step mode events are created with following settings: ▪ The event pitch is set to the Sound’s base key. To know how to change the base key of your Sounds, see section ↑5.1.3, Adjusting the Base Key.
Working with Patterns Recording Patterns with the Step Sequencer Checking Your Sequence The Step mode on the controller displays: the first bar of a four-bar Pattern. The display of your controller provides more information on the sequence: ▪ Individual events are represented by rectangular blocks. These always mirror the steps currently represented by your pads. The event velocities are indicated by vertical bars within blocks (the higher the bar, the higher the velocity).
Working with Patterns Recording Patterns with the Step Sequencer Doubling Your Pattern You can quickly double the content of the Pattern: ► Press F2 (DOUBLE) to double the content of the Pattern. → The length of the Pattern is doubled. All events in the original Pattern are duplicated to the second half of the extended Pattern. Any events that were located beyond the original Pattern’s end are moved beyond the extended Pattern’s end.
Working with Patterns Editing Events ↑7.4.4, Editing Selected Events/Notes, ↑7.4.5, Deleting Events/Notes, ↑7.4.6, Cut, Copy, and Paste Events/Notes, and ↑7.4.7, Quantizing Events/Notes for more information on the available commands. 7.4 Editing Events Many creation and editing commands on events/notes are available directly via mouse actions in the Event area of the Pattern Editor. They will be applied according to the selected Step Grid resolution (see ↑7.1.
Working with Patterns Editing Events ► To choose a Mouse Edit mode, click the desired icon in the Edit Mode selector, at the bottom left of the Pattern Editor. You can also right-click ([Ctrl]-click on Mac OS X) in the background of the Event area and select the desired mode from the context menu. (1) Select mode: Provides an exhaustive set of actions for creating, selecting, editing, and deleting events/notes. (2) Paint mode: Provides quick actions for creating, resizing and deleting events/notes.
Working with Patterns Editing Events Action Function Selecting Notes (see ↑7.4.3, Selecting Events/Notes for details) Click unselected note Select note [Shift] + click unselected note Add note to current selection [Shift] + click selected note Remove note from selection Drag in Event area’s background Multiple selection (selection frame) Click in Event area’s background Deselect all notes Editing Selected Notes* (see ↑7.4.
Working with Patterns Editing Events ► Click in the background of the Event area and drag the mouse with the button pressed to set notes wherever you move the cursor. Notes are created only for the Sound in which you started. The other way round: ► Click a note and move the mouse cursor with the button pressed to erase all notes under the mouse cursor. Only Notes for the selected Sound are erased.
Working with Patterns Editing Events Mouse in Select Mode ► To create a new event in Select mode, double-click at the desired location in the background of the Event area. Mouse in Paint Mode ► To create a new event in Paint mode, simply click at the desired location. Click and hold your mouse and move the cursor horizontally to quickly create a series of events. You cannot create events with your mouse in Erase mode.
Working with Patterns Editing Events Action Function Selecting Events Click unselected event Select event [Shift] + click unselected event Add event to current selection [Shift] + click selected event Remove event from selection Drag in Event area’s background Multiple selection (selection frame) Click in Event area’s background Deselect all events Selecting All Events You can select all events displayed in the Event area via the usual keyboard shortcut on your operating system: ► Click anywhe
Working with Patterns Editing Events Unlit pad indicate Sounds (in Group mode) or pitches (in Keyboard mode) for which the Pattern has no events. Hence, if you press them nothing happens.
Working with Patterns Editing Events ◦ Fully lit pads indicate Sounds for which all events are selected: Press any lit pad to remove all its events from the selection (the pad turns dim lit). ▪ In Keyboard mode, each pad represents a specific pitch of the focused Sound: ◦ Unlit pads indicate pitches at which the Pattern has no notes. Nothing happens when you press them. ◦ Dimmed pads indicate pitches at which notes can be selected: Press any dimmed pad to add all notes at that pitch to the selection.
Working with Patterns Editing Events Action Function [Ctrl] + drag left/right note border Freely moves the start/end of selected notes (overrides the Step Grid quantization), thereby resizing the notes. (Mac OS X: [Cmd] + drag left/right border) Drag note vertically Group view: Moves selected notes to another Sound of the Group. Keyboard view: Transposes selected notes. Double-click note Deletes selected notes. Right-click (Mac OS X: [Ctrl]-click) Deletes selected notes.
Working with Patterns Editing Events Quantization when Editing Multiple Events/Notes at Once When you drag multiple notes (or their duplicates) on the time axis or resize them according to the Step Grid, the various notes in the selection are affected as follows: ▪ The note you click is moved or resized according to the quantizing rule described above. ▪ All other notes in the selection are moved or resized by the same amount (regardless of their own quantizing rules).
Working with Patterns Editing Events 7.4.4.1 Editing Selected Events/Notes on the MASCHINE MIKRO Controller Nudge Events and Notes Nudging allows you to shift selected events by the Nudge Grid resolution (the events’ offsets relative to the Nudge Grid are preserved). The Nudge Grid is based on the Step Grid and allows you to define even smaller jumps than the Step Grid divisions to move your events more precisely. See section ↑7.1.7, Adjusting the Step Grid and the Nudge Grid for more details.
Working with Patterns Editing Events Mouse in Select Mode ► To delete events in a Pattern, double-click or right-click (Mac OS X: [Ctrl]-click) them. This also works on any selection of events: double-click or right-click (Mac OS X: [Ctrl]-click) any of the selected events to delete them all. If some events are selected, you can also press [Del] or [Backspace] on your computer keyboard to delete them. See section ↑7.4.3, Selecting Events/Notes to know how to select events.
Working with Patterns Editing Events For more information on pad modes, please refer to section ↑5.1.1, The Pad View. In other terms when holding SELECT + ERASE you don’t need to press any unlit pad, since there are no events to delete there. If Select mode is pinned, you can release SELECT and only hold ERASE when pressing the pads to erase the desired events. See section ↑2.3.5, Pinning a Mode on Your Controller for more information on pinning modes.
Working with Patterns Editing Events Deleting Events or Notes via the Transport Functions If the sequencer is not playing, you can erase events on either side of the playhead by manually moving the playhead: ► While playback is off, hold ERASE and press the Locate buttons (in the TRANSPORT section) to jump to the previous/next step and delete all events found on the way for the selected Sound(s). Please note the following: ▪ If multiple Sounds are selected, all of them will be affected. See section ↑4.1.
Working with Patterns Editing Events → The events will be pasted according to the rules described hereinafter. If no event is selected, all displayed events will be affected: in Keyboard view these are all events of the focused Sound; in Group view these are all events of all Sounds within the Group (see section ↑7.1.5, Group View and Keyboard View for more information on Group view and Keyboard view).
Working with Patterns Editing Events ▪ If you paste the events via the shortcut on your computer keyboard while playback is off: ◦ If you haven’t changed the Sound focus or the playhead position, events are pasted one step after the original events. ◦ If you haven’t changed the Sound focus but changed the playhead position, events are inserted with the first event starting at the playhead position. All following events will retain their position relative to the first event.
Working with Patterns Editing Events 7.4.7 Quantizing Events/Notes Quantization is the process of moving events to the closest steps. You can quantize your notes at any time, no matter how you recorded them. They will be quantized according to the step size (i.e. Step Grid resolution) selected. If you turn the Step Grid off, no quantization will be applied. See section ↑7.1.7, Adjusting the Step Grid and the Nudge Grid above for more information on the Step Grid and the step size.
Working with Patterns Editing Events You can repeatedly apply QUANTIZE 50% until you are happy; you could for example apply it until the notes are close enough to the Step Grid to sound tight, but loose enough to maintain their basic “feel.” If it is too quantized for you, just press SHIFT + pad 1 to undo the last change. 7.4.8 Doubling a Pattern Your controller provides a useful shortcut to double the length and content of the current Pattern.
Working with Patterns Recording and Editing Modulation ▪ Relative (knobs only): For continuous parameters (these parameters are controlled by a rotary knob in the software), the new parameter value is defined as deviation from the actual value. Note that for selectors and buttons, modulation defines instead absolute values. Modulation vs. Automation Although both deal with automatic change of MASCHINE parameters, modulation and automation have to be distinguished.
Working with Patterns Recording and Editing Modulation 7.5.1 Which Parameters can be Modulated? All parameters that can be modulated are found in Plug-ins or Channel properties (e.g., you cannot modulate the Pattern Length or the Step Grid resolution). This means that all parameters that can be modulated are found in a Parameter page of the Control area (when the software is in Arrange view).
Working with Patterns Recording and Editing Modulation Also note that your Macro Controls can be modulated if, and only if, their target parameters can be modulated themselves by design. For more information on Macro Controls please refer to section ↑8.3, Creating Custom Sets of Parameters with the Macro Controls. 7.5.
Working with Patterns Recording and Editing Modulation ► To remove the entire modulation for a knob, simply right-click (on Mac OS X: [Ctrl]+click) its outer ring. You can also create and edit modulation tracks directly in the Control Lane. See section ↑7.2.2, The Record Prepare Mode for more information. 7.5.2.1 Recording Modulation on the MASCHINE MIKRO MK2 Controller To modulate a parameter with the controller: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. → Press the CONTROL button to enter Control mode.
Working with Patterns Recording and Editing Modulation Displaying the Modulation Pane in the Control Lane 1. 2. 3. To see and edit modulation for parameters of a Sound, click the desired Sound in the Sound List (left of the Pattern Editor) and click the SOUND tab in the Control area. To see and edit modulation for parameters of a Group, click the desired Group in the Group List (left of the Arranger) and click the GROUP tab in the Control area.
Working with Patterns Recording and Editing Modulation ◦ Each modulation track contains a variable number of modulation points, each of them defining a new value for the parameter. ◦ The zoom factor and scroll position of the modulation track is always synchronized to those of the Event area above. ◦ Left of the modulation track, a vertical scale indicates the value range for that parameter. In the modulation track you can create, edit, and delete modulation points (see below).
Working with Patterns Recording and Editing Modulation Mouse Edit Mode Available Mouse Actions (1) Select mode To create modulation points, double-click in the Control Lane — other points on this step will be replaced. To delete a modulation point, right-click it ([Ctrl]-click it on Mac OS X). To edit an existing modulation point, drag it vertically (you can also drag the horizontal segment following the point instead).
Working with Patterns Recording and Editing Modulation 2. 3. 4. 5. To create a new modulation track for a parameter of a Group, click the desired Group in the Group List (left of the Arranger) and click the GROUP tab in the Control area. In the Modulation pane click the “+” symbol at the end of the Modulator List to create a new empty modulation track. A new Modulator X entry appears at the end of the list (X is an ordering number) and it is automatically selected.
Working with Patterns Creating MIDI Tracks from Scratch in MASCHINE Resetting a Modulation Track ► To reset the modulation track of a parameter, right-click ([Ctrl]-click on Mac OS X) the desired entry in the Modulator List and select Reset Modulator at the top of the menu. → All modulation points are deleted in all Patterns of the Group and you can start designing a new modulation for that parameter from scratch.
Working with Patterns Creating MIDI Tracks from Scratch in MASCHINE ▪ When playback is on, the content of these tracks is sent in real time as MIDI data via the MIDI output of the Sound (if enabled). Configuring the MIDI output of Sounds is done in the MIDI page of the Sound’s Output properties — see section ↑8.2.4, Sending MIDI from Sounds for more information. ▪ When exporting your Pattern as a MIDI file for use in another environment, MIDI automation tracks will be included in the exported MIDI file.
Working with Patterns Managing Patterns 4. 5. 6. → At the end of the list of MIDI controls nearby, click the “+” to add a new MIDI track. A new entry appears at the end of the list reading Not assigned. Right-click ([Ctrl]-click on Mac OS X) this Not assigned entry and select the desired MIDI control from the context menu. Add and modify events in the new MIDI track via same editing tools as for modulation tracks (see ↑7.5.3, Creating and Editing Modulation in the Control Lane).
Working with Patterns Managing Patterns 7.7.1 The Pattern Manager and Pattern Mode In the software, all Pattern management operations are done in the Pattern Manager: ► To open the Pattern Manager, click the Pattern Manager button (a down-pointing arrow) at the left of the name of the selected Pattern. → The Pattern Manager appears underneath. Use the Pattern Manager to manage your Patterns.
Working with Patterns Managing Patterns ▪ On the left you can see the list of the 16 Pattern slots in the selected Pattern bank. Slots containing a Pattern show a colored bar on the left along with the Pattern name. The other slots contain no Pattern. The selected Pattern is highlighted (the Basics - Return Pattern in the picture above). ▪ On the right you can see the various Pattern banks in form of pad grids — a pad grid is a square of 4x4 cells representing the pads of your controller.
Working with Patterns Managing Patterns ▪ The fully lit pad indicates the selected Pattern slot. ▪ Dim lit pads indicate Pattern slots containing a Pattern. ▪ Unlit pads represent empty Pattern slots. 7.7.2 Selecting Patterns and Pattern Banks In the topmost row of the Pattern Editor, you can see the name of the Pattern selected: The selected Pattern is named Basics. To select a Pattern: 1. 2. 3. Open the Pattern Manager (see ↑7.7.1, The Pattern Manager and Pattern Mode).
Working with Patterns Managing Patterns → The selected Pattern is loaded in the Pattern Editor and its events appear in the Event area. Furthermore, this Pattern is referenced by a Clip for the selected Group in the current Scene in the Arranger. This Clip replaces any previous Clip for the Group in that Scene (see chapter ↑12.6.3, Saturator for more on this).
Working with Patterns Managing Patterns If you only want to quickly select another Pattern without using any of the editing commands available, we recommend you to unpin the Pattern mode so you can quickly use the shortcut PATTERN + pad to select the desired Pattern. 7.7.
Working with Patterns Managing Patterns 3. Click any empty Pattern slot in the list on the left or click any dark cell in the selected pad grid on the right to create a new empty Pattern there. → A new empty Pattern is created in the selected Pattern slot. The new Pattern is loaded in the Pattern Editor with an empty Event area. Furthermore, this Pattern is referenced by a Clip for the selected Group in the current Scene in the Arranger.
Working with Patterns Managing Patterns 7.7.4 Deleting Patterns To delete a Pattern: 1. 2. 3. Open the Pattern Manager (see ↑7.7.1, The Pattern Manager and Pattern Mode). If necessary, select the Pattern bank containing the desired Pattern by clicking its pad grid on the right. The selected Pattern bank is surrounded by a white border and its Patterns appear in the list on the left.
Working with Patterns Managing Patterns → The Pattern is deleted. Alternate Method 1. 2. 3. Press and hold PATTERN to enter Pattern mode. Press SHIFT + Left/Right Arrow to select the desired Pattern bank. Press ERASE + the pad corresponding to the Pattern you want to delete. → The Pattern is deleted.
Working with Patterns Managing Patterns If the last Pattern bank is empty, there is no “+” symbol under its pad grid and you cannot create any new Pattern bank. Deleting a Pattern Bank To delete a Pattern bank: 1. 2. Open the Pattern Manager (see ↑7.7.1, The Pattern Manager and Pattern Mode). Hover the pad grid of the desired Pattern bank with your mouse. A little cross appears at the top right of the pad grid. 3. Click the little cross to delete that Pattern bank.
Working with Patterns Managing Patterns If the last Pattern bank is empty, you cannot create any new Pattern bank. 7.7.6 Naming Patterns You can replace the Patterns’ default names with custom names of your own. This can be done in the Pattern Editor, in the Pattern Manager or in the Arranger. Renaming Patterns in the Pattern Editor To rename the selected Pattern in the Pattern Editor: 1. Double-click the Pattern name at the top left of the Pattern Editor: 2.
Working with Patterns Managing Patterns cell in the pad grid and select Rename from the context menu: 4. → The Pattern name gets highlighted and editable. Type a name and press [Enter] on your computer keyboard to confirm (or press [Esc] to cancel you change). The Pattern is renamed. In the Arranger, all Clips referencing this Pattern will mirror the new Pattern name. If you use MASCHINE as a plug-in, some hosts will utilize the [Enter] key, as it is mapped to some function of the host software.
Working with Patterns Managing Patterns 7.7.7 Changing the Pattern’s Color By default, Patterns take the color of the Group they belong to. But you can adapt the color of each individual Pattern to your needs. To do this: 1. 2. 3. Open the Pattern Manager (see ↑7.7.1, The Pattern Manager and Pattern Mode). If necessary, select the Pattern bank containing the desired Pattern by clicking its pad grid on the right.
Working with Patterns Managing Patterns 7.7.8 Duplicating, Copying, and Pasting Patterns MASCHINE provides different ways of copying/pasting Patterns. Duplicating a Pattern To duplicate a Pattern: 1. 2. 3. → Open the Pattern Manager (see ↑7.7.1, The Pattern Manager and Pattern Mode). If necessary, select the Pattern bank containing the desired Pattern by clicking its pad grid on the right. The selected Pattern bank is surrounded by a white border and its Patterns appear in the list on the left.
Working with Patterns Managing Patterns 2. Right-click (on Mac OS X: [Ctrl]+click) the Event area’s background and choose Copy from the slot’s context menu: 3. 4. Select the Group in which you want to paste the Pattern’s content. Open the Pattern Manager, select (or create) an empty Pattern, and close the Pattern Manager again. The selected (or created) Pattern appears in the Pattern Editor.
Working with Patterns Managing Patterns → A copy of the Pattern is inserted right after the original Pattern in the Pattern bank — all following Patterns are shifted to the next slot. Copy and Paste a Pattern While the duplicating method described above is the quickest one, you can also copy a Pattern to the Pattern slot of your choice via the DUPLICATE button of your controller: 1. 2. 3. 4. Press Press Press Press and hold PATTERN to enter Pattern mode. and hold DUPLICATE.
Working with Patterns Importing/Exporting Audio and MIDI to/from Patterns 2. 3. 4. If necessary, select the Pattern bank containing the desired Pattern by clicking its pad grid on the right. The selected Pattern bank is surrounded by a white border and its Patterns appear in the list on the left. Click and hold the Pattern slot or the corresponding cell in the pad grid. While holding the mouse button, drag your mouse toward the desired location.
Working with Patterns Importing/Exporting Audio and MIDI to/from Patterns 7.8.1 Exporting Audio from Patterns The Audio drag-and-drop function allows you to export audio from the selected Pattern onto your desktop or into your host software by simply dragging it onto the target location or application. This function is only available in the software. The audio will be exported as a WAV audio file and according to the current settings of the Export Audio panel (see section ↑4.4.
Working with Patterns Importing/Exporting Audio and MIDI to/from Patterns 5. While holding the mouse button, drag the icon to start the export. A pop-up message will inform you about the rendering status: As soon as rendering is finished, the mouse cursor displays the name of the Pattern you are dragging.
Working with Patterns Importing/Exporting Audio and MIDI to/from Patterns 2. 3. If you want to export MIDI from the entire Group, switch the Pattern Editor to Group view. If you want instead to export MIDI from the focused Sound only, switch the Pattern Editor to Keyboard view. See section ↑7.1.5, Group View and Keyboard View to know how to do this.
Working with Patterns Importing/Exporting Audio and MIDI to/from Patterns 3. Select Export MIDI… in the context menu (the picture below shows the context menu for a Sound). 4. In the Export MIDI dialog that opens, navigate to the desired location on your computer, type a name for the MIDI file and click Save to confirm. → The MIDI file is exported to the selected location. 7.8.3 Importing MIDI to Patterns You can import MIDI files (extension “.mid”) to Patterns.
Working with Patterns Importing/Exporting Audio and MIDI to/from Patterns Method 1: via the Group’s context menu 1. 2. 3. 4. → In the Group List (left of the Arranger), click the Group in which you want to import the MIDI file. This sets the focus to that Group and displays its Patterns in the Pattern Editor underneath. Select the Pattern in which you want to import the MIDI file. Right-click ([Ctrl]-click on Mac OS X) the Group in the Group List and select Import MIDI… from the context menu.
Working with Patterns Importing/Exporting Audio and MIDI to/from Patterns 4. Drag the MIDI file onto the desired Group in the Group List left of the Arranger. → The MIDI file will be imported to the selected Pattern of the Group according to the import rules described below.
Working with Patterns Importing/Exporting Audio and MIDI to/from Patterns ◦ For each Sound, MIDI notes will be imported at the default root note C3 — this ensures that the imported MIDI data will correctly trigger all MASCHINE factory kits. ◦ The MIDI CC data will be copied to all Sounds for which MIDI notes have been imported.
Working with Patterns Importing/Exporting Audio and MIDI to/from Patterns 3. Right-click ([Ctrl]-click on Mac OS X) the desired Sound in the Sound List and select Import MIDI… from the context menu. 4. In the Import MIDI dialog that opens, navigate to the desired MIDI file on your computer and click Open to confirm. → The MIDI file will be imported to the selected Pattern for that Sound according to the import rules described below. Method 2: via drag and drop 1. 2. 3.
Working with Patterns Importing/Exporting Audio and MIDI to/from Patterns 4. Drag the MIDI file onto the desired Sound in the Sound List (left of the Pattern Editor). → The MIDI file will be imported to the selected Pattern for that Sound according to the import rules described below. If the Pattern Editor is in Keyboard view, you can also drag the MIDI file directly onto the Event area to import it into the focused Sound! Method 3: using the FILES pane of the Browser 1. 2. 3.
Working with Patterns Importing/Exporting Audio and MIDI to/from Patterns 4. 5. → Open the FILES pane of the Browser and navigate to the desired MIDI file (see section ↑3.5, Loading and Importing Files from Your File System to know how to use the FILES pane). Double-click the MIDI file or click it and press [Enter] on your computer keyboard. The MIDI file will be imported to the selected Pattern for the focused Sound according to the import rules described below.
Working with Patterns Importing/Exporting Audio and MIDI to/from Patterns 2. Drag and drop the multiple selection onto the desired Group in the Group List. → New Patterns will be created for that Group. Apart from this, each new Pattern receiving the data from one of the MIDI files. Apart from this, each MIDI file will be imported as a single MIDI file to that Group — see above for a detailed description. To import multiple MIDI files to a Sound: 1.
Working with Patterns Importing/Exporting Audio and MIDI to/from Patterns 2. Drag and drop the multiple selection onto the desired Sound in the Sound List. → New Patterns will be created for that Sound in the Group, each new Pattern receiving the data from one of the MIDI files. Only this Sound will contain notes in these new Patterns. Apart from this, each MIDI file will be imported as a single MIDI file to that Sound — see above for a detailed description.
Audio Routing, Remote Control, and Macro Controls Audio Routing in MASCHINE 8 Audio Routing, Remote Control, and Macro Controls This chapter describes a few important topics and features of MASCHINE’s routing and assignment system. Understanding these will be of great help in numerous MASCHINE workflows: ▪ We will explain how MASCHINE’s audio routing works and how to take advantage of its flexibility: ↑8.1, Audio Routing in MASCHINE.
Audio Routing, Remote Control, and Macro Controls Audio Routing in MASCHINE By default the various channels of MASCHINE are structured in a simple, hierarchical way: ▪ At the bottom level, each Sound has its own channel. The output of the Sound’s channel is sent to its parent Group. ▪ At the mid-level, each Group has its own channel, which sums all channels of the included Sounds. The output of the Group’s channel is sent to the Master.
Audio Routing, Remote Control, and Macro Controls Audio Routing in MASCHINE Configuring the Audio Routing from Your Controller All the procedures described in the following sections make use of the Channel properties. The Channel properties can also be accessed from your controller. To do this, switch your controller to Control mode and navigate to the desired Channel properties as described in section ↑2.3.3, Navigating Channel Properties, Plug-ins, and Parameter Pages in the Control Area. 8.1.
Audio Routing, Remote Control, and Macro Controls Audio Routing in MASCHINE The Audio page of the Input properties for a Sound in the software. The AUDIO page of the Input properties for a Sound on the controller. Please refer to section ↑2.3.3, Navigating Channel Properties, Plug-ins, and Parameter Pages in the Control Area to know how to access the Audio page of the Input properties in the software and from your controller.
Audio Routing, Remote Control, and Macro Controls Audio Routing in MASCHINE As any Parameter page of any Channel properties or Plug-in, this page is also available on your controller. To access it and change its parameters, simply use the common workflow described in ↑2.3.3, Navigating Channel Properties, Plug-ins, and Parameter Pages in the Control Area. Furthermore, you will find a step-by-step use case in ↑11.2, Applying Effects to External Audio.
Audio Routing, Remote Control, and Macro Controls Audio Routing in MASCHINE 4. 5. If the Mixer currently displays the Group channels, in the top row of the Mixer doubleclick the header of the Group containing the Sound you want to configure. If the Mixer currently displays the Sound channels, single-click the header of the desired Group. The Mixer displays the channel strips of all Sounds in the selected Group.
Audio Routing, Remote Control, and Macro Controls Audio Routing in MASCHINE 6. Turn the little knob on its left to adjust the input gain. This is equivalent to setting the Gain parameter described above. 8.1.2 Configuring the Main Output of Sounds and Groups By default the outputs of all Sounds in a Group are sent to this Group, where they are mixed together and processed by the Plug-ins loaded in the Group, if any.
Audio Routing, Remote Control, and Macro Controls Audio Routing in MASCHINE The AUDIO page of the Output properties (here for a Sound) on the controller. Please refer to section ↑2.3.3, Navigating Channel Properties, Plug-ins, and Parameter Pages in the Control Area to know how to access the Audio page of the Output properties in the software and from your controller. Controls Description AUDIO Section Dest. Select where you want to send the main audio output of your channel.
Audio Routing, Remote Control, and Macro Controls Audio Routing in MASCHINE Controls Description Pan Define the pan position of the channel in the stereo field. Audio Mute (Sounds only) If you enable Audio Mute, muting this Sound will not only bypass its events but also mute its audio output, thereby muting any audio tails from notes already played. See section ↑5.2.2, Mute and Solo for more information. If MASCHINE is running as a plug-in, the external stereo outputs Ext. 1–16 available in the Dest.
Audio Routing, Remote Control, and Macro Controls Audio Routing in MASCHINE The pair of knobs for each Sound/Group allows you to quickly adjust the channel level and panoramic position. For Sound slots, the knobs are visible only when the Pattern Editor is in Group mode. In Keyboard mode, the knobs are not visible. Configuring the Main Outputs of Sounds and Groups in Mix View You can also easily configure the outputs of your Sounds and Groups in MASCHINE’s Mixer: 1.
Audio Routing, Remote Control, and Macro Controls Audio Routing in MASCHINE 2. Open the extended view of the Mixer by clicking the down-pointing arrow on the left of the Mixer: 3.
Audio Routing, Remote Control, and Macro Controls Audio Routing in MASCHINE 5. To select another destination for the channel’s output, click the first area under the level meter, and select the desired destination in the menu. This is equivalent to setting the Dest. parameter described above. 8.1.3 Setting Up Auxiliary Outputs for Sounds and Groups Each Sound or Group of your Project provides two auxiliary outputs that you can route to additional targets.
Audio Routing, Remote Control, and Macro Controls Audio Routing in MASCHINE The Aux page of the Output properties (here for a Group) in the software. The AUX page of the Output properties (here for a Group) on the controller. Please refer to section ↑2.3.3, Navigating Channel Properties, Plug-ins, and Parameter Pages in the Control Area to know how to access the Aux page of the Output properties in the software and from your controller. Controls Description AUX 1 / AUX 2 Section Dest.
Audio Routing, Remote Control, and Macro Controls Audio Routing in MASCHINE If MASCHINE is running as a plug-in, the external stereo outputs Ext. 1–16 available in the Dest. selectors of the AUX 1 and AUX 2 section will correspond to virtual outputs in your host. This allows you to send auxiliary outputs of individual Sounds or Groups from MASCHINE to their own mixer channels within your DAW, for example.
Audio Routing, Remote Control, and Macro Controls Audio Routing in MASCHINE 4. 5. 6. Navigate to the channel where you want to configure an auxiliary output: for a Sound click the header of its parent Group (or double-click it if the Mixer currently displays the Group channel strips), and for a Group simply ensure that its channel strip is visible (doubleclick the Group header if the Mixer currently displays the Sound channel strips).
Audio Routing, Remote Control, and Macro Controls Audio Routing in MASCHINE 7. Set the pre/post state of the auxiliary output by clicking the Post (or Pre) label right under the menu. This is equivalent to setting the Order parameter described above. 8.1.4 Configuring the Master and Cue Outputs of MASCHINE All channels routed to the Master are mixed together and processed by the Plug-ins loaded in the Master, if any. The result is then sent to the Master output (that is, MASCHINE’s main output).
Audio Routing, Remote Control, and Macro Controls Audio Routing in MASCHINE The AUDIO page of the Output properties for the Master on the controller. Please refer to section ↑2.3.3, Navigating Channel Properties, Plug-ins, and Parameter Pages in the Control Area to know how to access the Audio page of the Output properties in the software and from your controller. Controls Description AUDIO Section Output Select where you want to send the master output of your MASCHINE Project.
Audio Routing, Remote Control, and Macro Controls Audio Routing in MASCHINE Configuring the Master and Cue Outputs in Mix View You can also easily configure the Master and Cue outputs of MASCHINE in the Mixer. Both share the same channel strip at the far right of the Mixer. To display the Master/Cue channel strip, do the following: 1. Click the Mix View button on the left of the Arranger to switch from Arrange view to Mix view: 2.
Audio Routing, Remote Control, and Macro Controls Audio Routing in MASCHINE 2. 3. To adjust the level and panoramic position of the main output, use the channel’s fader and balance control (above the fader), respectively. This is equivalent to setting the Level or Pan parameters in the MAIN section, respectively (see above). To select another destination for the Master output, click the first area under the level meter and select the desired destination in the menu.
Audio Routing, Remote Control, and Macro Controls Audio Routing in MASCHINE 1. Click the headphone icon in the strip’s header to show the controls for the Cue channel. 2. To adjust the level and panoramic position of the Cue output, use the channel’s fader and balance control (above the fader), respectively. 3. This is equivalent to setting the Level or Pan parameters in the CUE section, respectively (see above).
Audio Routing, Remote Control, and Macro Controls Using MIDI Control and Host Automation 8.2 Using MIDI Control and Host Automation MASCHINE provides you with flexible MIDI remote control and host automation facilities that can be used in many situations.
Audio Routing, Remote Control, and Macro Controls Using MIDI Control and Host Automation Outgoing MIDI You can also sending MIDI data from Sounds. For example, when MASCHINE is running as a plug-in in a host environment, this allows you to record your performance on the pads as a MIDI pattern in your host application. This is described in section ↑8.2.4, Sending MIDI from Sounds. 8.2.1 Triggering Sounds via MIDI Notes MASCHINE lets you play your Sound(s) via MIDI notes (e.g., from a MIDI keyboard).
Audio Routing, Remote Control, and Macro Controls Using MIDI Control and Host Automation ▪ MIDI input settings of a Sound and its parent Group are merged: For example, if you configure a Group to react to incoming notes on MIDI channel 1, and one of its Sound to react to incoming notes on MIDI channel 2, this Sound will react to one incoming note on MIDI channel 1 and all incoming notes on channel 2 (according to the two rules described above).
Audio Routing, Remote Control, and Macro Controls Using MIDI Control and Host Automation The MIDI input settings for Sounds and Groups provide following parameters: Controls Description MIDI Section Active (plug-in mode only) Enables the MIDI note input for the selected Sound/Group (disabled by default). Please refer to your host documentation to know how to route MIDI signals to your MASCHINE plug-in.
Audio Routing, Remote Control, and Macro Controls Using MIDI Control and Host Automation If MASCHINE is running as a plug-in in a host and you have configured your Scenes to be triggered via MIDI notes, the Scene trigger has priority over any Sound trigger set to the same MIDI channel. To configure MIDI control for Scenes, please refer to section ↑13.4, Triggering Scenes via MIDI (MASCHINE Plug-in Only).
Audio Routing, Remote Control, and Macro Controls Using MIDI Control and Host Automation 4. Above the fader area in the channel strip of the Sound or Group you want to configure, click the bigger field on the right (labeled MIDI IN by default) and select the desired MIDI port in the menu. This is equivalent to setting the Source parameter described above. If MASCHINE is running as a plug-in you see a MIDI IN button instead. Click it to enable the MIDI input from the host.
Audio Routing, Remote Control, and Macro Controls Using MIDI Control and Host Automation 5. Click the little field on its left to select a MIDI channel. This is equivalent to the Channel parameter described above. For more information on how to trigger MASCHINE 2 sounds via MIDI Notes in a host Sequencer refer to this Knowledge Base Article: http://www.native-instruments.com/knowledge/questions/1780/ 8.2.
Audio Routing, Remote Control, and Macro Controls Using MIDI Control and Host Automation ▪ Absolute: The new parameter value is defined regardless of its current value. Automation vs. Modulation Although both deal with automatic change of MASCHINE parameters, automation and modulation have to be distinguished. The following table summarizes the main differences: Modulation Automation Source of control Internal (e.g., changes recorded via External (e.g.
Audio Routing, Remote Control, and Macro Controls Using MIDI Control and Host Automation 1. Click the down-pointing arrow in the bottom left corner of the Control area to reveal the Assignment area underneath: 2. In the left part of the Assignment area, click the Automation tab: → The Automation tab lights up and the Automation pane appears on its right. You are now ready to configure MIDI and host automation for the parameters in the current Parameter page.
Audio Routing, Remote Control, and Macro Controls Using MIDI Control and Host Automation Under each automatable parameter of the current Parameter page, the Automation pane shows an Assignment field showing the current assignment for this parameter, if any. If the parameter has no assignment yet, the Assignment field reads Learn (MIDI tab) or Enable (Host tab). If the parameter cannot be automated, its Assignment field is grayed out and inactive (see below to know which parameters can be automated).
Audio Routing, Remote Control, and Macro Controls Using MIDI Control and Host Automation ▪ In order to be automatable, a parameter must be controlled by a knob or a button in the software — most parameters controlled by selectors (e.g., for selecting an operating mode or a filter type) cannot be automated. Almost all parameters meeting this requirement are automatable, the only exceptions being: ▪ Plug-ins: ◦ Saturator: in Tube mode, the Bass Overload button (MAIN section) and Bypass button (EQ section).
Audio Routing, Remote Control, and Macro Controls Using MIDI Control and Host Automation 2. On the left of the Assignment area, click the Automation tab to show the Automation pane, then in this pane click the Host tab. 3. Click the Enable label in the Assignment field under any unassigned parameter to automatically assign that parameter to the next free automation ID. → The Assignment field displays the automation ID for that parameter. The parameter is ready to be controlled from your host.
Audio Routing, Remote Control, and Macro Controls Using MIDI Control and Host Automation → The previous automation ID is removed from the Assignment field and the parameter is not available anymore for host automation. For more information on how to automate VST/AU plug-in parameters from your host, please refer to your host documentation. Assigning MIDI Controls to Parameters Assigning a MIDI control to a parameter in MASCHINE is done via an intuitive Learn mode: 1.
Audio Routing, Remote Control, and Macro Controls Using MIDI Control and Host Automation 3. Click Learn in the Assignment field of a parameter to enter Learn mode for that parameter. In the Assignment field Learning will blink. 4. Move the desired control element (knob, button, etc.) on your MIDI controller. → The Assignment field automatically displays the MIDI message type received (CC number, PC for Program Change, or PW for Pitchbend). The parameter is ready to be controlled via MIDI.
Audio Routing, Remote Control, and Macro Controls Using MIDI Control and Host Automation ► Right-click ([Ctrl]-click on Mac OS X) the non-empty Assignment field under a parameter and select Unlearn in the menu to remove the MIDI assignment for that parameter. → The MIDI assignment is removed from the Assignment field and the parameter is not controllable via MIDI anymore. Of course, this procedure also works for Native Instruments and External Plug-ins loaded in MASCHINE. 8.2.
Audio Routing, Remote Control, and Macro Controls Using MIDI Control and Host Automation 8.2.4 Sending MIDI from Sounds Sounds can be set to output MIDI notes and automation data to the outside world, allowing you to control any MIDI-capable application and/or external MIDI gear from MASCHINE’s sequencer. With its MIDI output enabled, a Sound will send: ▪ MIDI notes corresponding to the notes played by that Sound in the current Pattern. ▪ MIDI notes corresponding to your hits on the pads.
Audio Routing, Remote Control, and Macro Controls Using MIDI Control and Host Automation The MIDI page of the Output properties for a Sound on the controller. Please refer to section ↑2.3.3, Navigating Channel Properties, Plug-ins, and Parameter Pages in the Control Area to know how to access the MIDI page of the Output properties in the software and from your controller. Control Description MIDI Section Dest. Select the MIDI port on which the Sound will send MIDI data.
Audio Routing, Remote Control, and Macro Controls Using MIDI Control and Host Automation Configuring MIDI Output for Sounds in Mix View You can also easily configure the MIDI output of your Sounds in MASCHINE’s Mixer: 1. Click the Mix View button on the left of the Arranger to switch from Arrange view to Mix view: 2. Open the extended view of the Mixer by clicking the down-pointing arrow on the left of the Mixer: 3.
Audio Routing, Remote Control, and Macro Controls Using MIDI Control and Host Automation 4. 5. If the Mixer currently displays the Group channels, in the top row of the Mixer doubleclick the header of the Group containing the Sound you want to configure. If the Mixer currently displays the Sound channels, single-click the header of the desired Group. The Mixer displays the channel strips of all Sounds in the selected Group.
Audio Routing, Remote Control, and Macro Controls Creating Custom Sets of Parameters with the Macro Controls 6. Click the little field on its right to select a MIDI channel. This is equivalent to the Channel parameter described above. 8.3 Creating Custom Sets of Parameters with the Macro Controls Macro Controls enable you to control in one location a selection of parameters from different sources.
Audio Routing, Remote Control, and Macro Controls Creating Custom Sets of Parameters with the Macro Controls The Macro properties (here for a Sound) on the controller. Please refer to section ↑2.3.3, Navigating Channel Properties, Plug-ins, and Parameter Pages in the Control Area to know how to access the Macro properties in the software and from your controller. 8.3.1 Macro Control Overview Each Macro Control can be assigned to one destination with the full range of the selected parameter.
Audio Routing, Remote Control, and Macro Controls Creating Custom Sets of Parameters with the Macro Controls Linking the same parameter to more than one Macro Control can be useful in the following example: If a parameter of a Sound is particularly important, you can link it to the same knob in the Macro Controls of that Sound, of its parent Group, and of the Master.
Audio Routing, Remote Control, and Macro Controls Creating Custom Sets of Parameters with the Macro Controls → The Pages tab lights up and the Pages pane appears on its right. You are now ready to assign Macro Controls to parameters. Once the Assignment area is open, when you switch to other Parameter pages the Assignment area follows your selection: it always shows the assignments for the page currently displayed above.
Audio Routing, Remote Control, and Macro Controls Creating Custom Sets of Parameters with the Macro Controls (3) Section Label fields: These fields allow you to define sections of parameters within the displayed page. Double-click the field above the first parameter you want to include in the section, type the desired name for the section, and press [Enter] to confirm.
Audio Routing, Remote Control, and Macro Controls Creating Custom Sets of Parameters with the Macro Controls 1. 2. → Click the Select menu (for now the only menu of the Target selector).
Controlling Your Mix Mix View Basics 9 Controlling Your Mix The default view of the MASCHINE software is the Arrange view, which contains the Arranger at the top, the Control area in the middle, and the Pattern Editor / Sampler Editor at the bottom.
Controlling Your Mix Mix View Basics The Mix View button. ► Click the Mix View button at the top left of the Arranger to switch between the Arrange view and the Mix view. 9.1.1.1 ► Switching between Arrange View and Mix View on the MASCHINE MIKRO MK2 Controller Press SHIFT + VIEW to switch between the Arrange view and the Mix view in the MASCHINE software. 9.1.
Controlling Your Mix Mix View Basics The Mix view, with the Mixer (1) at the top, the Plug-in Chain (2) in the middle, and the Plug-in Strip (3) at the bottom. (1) Mixer: At the top, the Mixer shows you at a glance the level and routing settings for all Sounds of the focused Group, or all Groups in your Project. You can change these settings on the fly, select or put focus on any channel, etc.
Controlling Your Mix The Mixer 9.2 The Mixer Sitting in the top part of the Mix view, the Mixer is ideal for quickly seeing and adjusting the level and routing settings of different channels in one go. The Mixer in the MASCHINE software. The Mixer provides a classic mixing desk layout containing a certain number of channel strips. The particular channel strips displayed along with their layout depend on the following: ▪ Which of the Sound or Group level is selected for display: ↑9.2.
Controlling Your Mix The Mixer 9.2.1 Displaying Groups vs. Displaying Sounds The Mixer provides two display modes, allowing you to focus on the current context: ▪ Group level: The Mixer shows channel strips for all Groups of your Project. ▪ Sound level: The Mixer shows channel strips for all Sound slots in the focused Group. Both display modes are described in the following paragraphs.
Controlling Your Mix The Mixer In this mode the desk’s input strips (1) represent all Groups of your Project, while the output strip at the far right (2) represents the Master/Cue channel. At the top of the Mixer you see the headers of all your Groups and of the Master/Cue channel (3). The focused channel is highlighted.
Controlling Your Mix The Mixer ► To switch the Mixer display between all Groups of your Project and all Sound slots in a particular Group, double-click the background of any Group header at the top of the Mixer. → If the Mixer was displaying Sound strips beforehand, it will display all Group strips instead, and the Group you have double-clicked will be focused. If the Mixer was displaying Group strips beforehand, it will instead display all Sound strips of the Group that you have double-clicked.
Controlling Your Mix The Mixer A channel strip in the minimized Mixer. Showing/Hiding Particular Sections of the Strips When displaying all Group channels or all Sound channels of a particular Group, the Mixer allows you to select which sections you want to show or hide in the strips displayed. Use the three buttons on the left of the Mixer, to do this: Choosing what to display in the channels.
Controlling Your Mix The Mixer 9.2.3 Selecting Channel Strips Since the Mix view is just another way of displaying and accessing MASCHINE channels, selection and focus work similarly in the Mixer as in the Arrange view: ▪ To set the focus to a particular channel (Sound or Group), click the background of its header in the top two rows of the Mixer (upper row for Groups and the Master/Cue, lower row for Sounds, if visible) or use the usual commands on your controller (see section ↑2.3.
Controlling Your Mix The Mixer ► To open the channel’s context menu, right-click ([Ctrl]-click on Mac OS X) the background of the channel header: Opening the context menu of a channel automatically sets the focus on that channel. The channel’s context menu provides the exact same entries as in Arrange view.
Controlling Your Mix The Mixer Management Command Action Deleting Group channels Open the Group channel’s context menu and select Delete. See section ↑4.3.8, Deleting Groups. Saving channels Open the channel’s context menu and select Save As…. See section ↑4.2.5, Saving Sounds and ↑4.3.5, Saving Groups. You cannot move Sounds and Groups via drag and drop in the Mixer. This is only possible in the Arrange view — see section ↑4.2.7, Moving Sounds and ↑4.3.7, Moving Groups for details. 9.2.
Controlling Your Mix The Mixer In particular, at the Sound level this allows you to quickly check the level and adjust the settings of the parent Group without having to switch the Mixer display to the Group level. For example, if a kick drum is too loud in a drum kit, while decreasing its level you can check at the far right how your change affects the overall Group level — and you can quickly adjust this Group level if needed.
Controlling Your Mix The Mixer (1) Header: Displays the name and index (letter + number) of the Group or number of the Sound. Headers in the Mixer’s top row are for Groups, headers in the second row (Sound level only) are for Sounds. If the rest of a channel strip currently isn't visible, its header additionally shows a mini level indicator in its top right corner. Following actions are available: ▪ Switch the Mixer display between Sounds and Groups (see section ↑9.2.1, Displaying Groups vs.
Controlling Your Mix The Mixer ▪ Click the little square left of a Plug-in to bypass it (the bypassed Plug-in is grayed out) or to re-insert it in the signal chain. ▪ Drag and drop Plug-ins to move them across the list. This Plug-in List is the exact equivalent of the Plug-in List in the Control area of the Arrange view. For all details, see section ↑6.1, Plug-in Overview. (5) Fader section: Allows you to adjust the channel’s level, panoramic position, Mute and Cue state.
Controlling Your Mix The Mixer pre/post tapping point by clicking the Post or Pre label. These controls are equivalent to the Dest., Level, and Order parameters on the Aux page of the Sound’s and Group’s Output properties, respectively (see ↑8.1.3, Setting Up Auxiliary Outputs for Sounds and Groups). (8) MIDI output settings (Sound strips only): Allows you to select a MIDI output. Visible only if the IO button is enabled on the left of the Mixer.
Controlling Your Mix The Mixer from the Browser (or create one from scratch), add any Plug-ins, adjust any parameters in that channel, record Patterns for that Group as you see fit, and when you are ready, insert it back into your performance! The Cue bus is also used for following features: ▪ Pre-listening to Samples in the Browser (see section ↑3.3.2, Pre-Listening to Your Samples). ▪ Metronome (see section ↑7.2.3, Using the Metronome).
Controlling Your Mix The Plug-in Chain 1. Click the header of the Master/Cue strip in the top right corner of the Mixer. 2. If the Mixer was showing Sound channels, it switches to the Group level. The Master/Cue channel strip appears and is put under focus. Click the headphone icon in the Master header. → 9.3 The Master channel strip switches to the Cue channel strip. Here you can adjust the Cue channel’s level and panoramic position, along with the destination you want to send the Cue channel to.
Controlling Your Mix The Plug-in Strip ▪ Click a Plug-in name to select it. If this Plug-in is currently hidden in the Plug-in Strip underneath, the Plug-in Strip automatically scrolls to show the interface of that Plug-in. ▪ Click the little “+” icon at the end of the chain and select a Plug-in in the Plug-in menu to load it at the end of the chain, or right-click (Mac OS X: [Ctrl]-click) a Plug-in name to replace this Plug-in with another one. See section ↑6.1.
Controlling Your Mix The Plug-in Strip The Plug-in Strip of a channel, with a distinct interface for each Plug-in. In the Plug-in Strip the Plug-in panels vary with the type of Plug-in (Internal, Native Instruments, or External): ▪ For all types of Plug-ins, the panel shows a Plug-in Header at the top: ↑9.4.1, The Plug-in Header. ▪ Internal Effects and Drumsynths have their own custom panels: ↑9.4.2, Panels for Drumsynths and Internal Effects. ▪ The Sampler Plug-in has a special, extended panel: ↑9.4.
Controlling Your Mix The Plug-in Strip Click a Plug-in in the Plug-in Chain to display its panel in the Plug-in Strip below. If the MASCHINE window is not wide enough for all Plug-in panels to be displayed at once, a horizontal scroll bar appears at the bottom of the Plug-in Strip to display the hidden part. Use the horizontal scroll bar to display the other Plug-in panels.
Controlling Your Mix The Plug-in Strip Use the vertical scroll bar to display the rest of the Plug-in. 9.4.
Controlling Your Mix The Plug-in Strip The Plug-in Header at the top of the Plug-in panel. The Plug-in Header can contain following elements, from left to right: (1) Open Plug-in Window button (Native Instruments and External Plug-ins only): Click the little arrow icon to open/close the Plug-in interface in an external window. See section ↑9.4.4, Custom Panels for Native Instruments Plug-ins for more on this.
Controlling Your Mix The Plug-in Strip The Plug-in panel of a Drumsynth and two Internal Effects. As with all other Plug-ins, the panels for Drumsynths and Internal Effects show the Plug-in Header at the top. This Header contains the name of the current preset and the Quick Browse icon — see section ↑9.4.1, The Plug-in Header above for more details.
Controlling Your Mix The Plug-in Strip Parameter modulation is not indicated in the panel for Internal Plug-ins. As a consequence, the value of modulated parameters might change even if their control element doesn’t move in the panel. See section ↑7.5, Recording and Editing Modulation for more on modulating parameters. 9.4.
Controlling Your Mix The Plug-in Strip Sampler – MAIN Pane The Sampler in the Plug-in Strip. (1) Pane selector: Click MAIN or ZONE to show the corresponding pane in the Plug-in. (2) Sample waveform: Shows the waveform or the Sample used in the selected Zone. It provides the same features as the waveform found in the Sample view of the Zone page in the Sample Editor: Start and End markers, zooming, etc. For more details, see section ↑14, Sampling and Sample Mapping.
Controlling Your Mix The Plug-in Strip (4) VOICE & ENGINE section: Allows you to adjust the Polyphony, Glide, and Mode parameter from the Voice Settings / Engine page in the Control area, and the Reverse button from the Pitch/Envelope page in the Control area. For more details, see section ↑6.2.1, Page 1: Voice Settings / Engine and ↑6.2.1, Page 1: Voice Settings / Engine, respectively. (5) TUNE section: Allows you to adjust the Tune parameter from the Pitch/Envelope page in the Control area.
Controlling Your Mix The Plug-in Strip The Sampler in the Plug-in Strip. (1) Pane selector: Click MAIN or ZONE to show the corresponding pane in the Plug-in. (2) Zone List: Allows you to manage your Zones. This is the same as the Zone List available in the Zone page of the Sample Editor. For more details, see section ↑14, Sampling and Sample Mapping. (3) Sample Map: Allows you to adjust the key and velocity ranges of your Zones.
Controlling Your Mix The Plug-in Strip (4) TUNE / MIX and MAP sections: Allow you to adjust the tuning and gain parameters as well as the key and velocity ranges of your Zones. These are the same as the TUNE and MAP sections from the Zone page of the Sample Editor. For more details, see section ↑14.5.7, Adjusting the Zone Settings. As with all Internal Plug-ins, parameter modulation is not indicated in the panel for the Sampler.
Controlling Your Mix The Plug-in Strip ▪ ABSYNTH 5’s Default view shows the main elements of the Perform window of ABSYNTH 5: MASCHINE MIKRO MK2 - Manual - 398
Controlling Your Mix The Plug-in Strip ▪ MASSIVE’s Default view shows specific parts of the Synth view (the eight Macro Controls at the top and the Modulation pages underneath): MASCHINE MIKRO MK2 - Manual - 399
Controlling Your Mix The Plug-in Strip ▪ GUITAR RIG’s Default view shows a mini Rack with a reduced version of the Global Header at the top: As with all other Plug-ins, the panel for Native Instruments Plug-ins shows the Plug-in Header at the top containing a button for opening the Plug-in in a floating window as well as the name of the current preset and the Quick Browse icon — see section ↑9.4.1, The Plug-in Header above for more details.
Controlling Your Mix The Plug-in Strip Click the little “+” in the Header to switch between Default and Additional view. Mac OS X users: The VST plug-in of a Native Instruments product must be installed for this product’s Default view (and Additional view, if any) to appear in the Plug-in Strip. If you normally use the AU version of this Native Instruments product, please check that its VST version is also installed on your computer to ensure the perfect integration of this plug-in into MASCHINE.
Controlling Your Mix The Plug-in Strip The generic Plug-in panel for an External Plug-in. The Plug-in panel shows following elements: (1) Plug-in Header: See section ↑9.4.1, The Plug-in Header above for more information. (2) Plug-in name. (3) Preset menu: Click this menu to select a preset from those available for your VST/AU plugin. Each VST/AU plug-in might handle its presets (or patches, programs…) differently. See section ↑6.3.4, Using VST/AU Plug-in Presets for more information on this.
Controlling Your Mix The Plug-in Strip ► To undock a Native Instruments or External Plug-in and open it in its dedicated floating window, click the little diagonal arrow on the left of the Plug-in Header. → The Plug-in shows up in its own floating window. When undocking Native Instruments Plug-ins, their panel in the Plug-in Strip is replaced by a thin Plug-in placeholder (see below).
Controlling Your Mix The Plug-in Strip ▪ In the Plug-in Strip the Plug-in panel is replaced with a thin vertical Plug-in placeholder containing only the little diagonal arrow — this allows you to dock the Plug-in back into the Plug-in Strip (see below). ▪ The floating window also displays the Plug-in Header at the top. In addition to the Header’s elements described in section ↑9.4.
Controlling Your Mix The Plug-in Strip You can also close any floating window via the common button provided by your operating system at the top left or right corner of the window. The Plug-in will be inserted back into the Plug-in Strip.
Using the Drumsynths 10 Using the Drumsynths Drumsynths are a powerful set of monophonic Internal Instrument Plug-ins (i.e. Instrument Plug-ins included with MASCHINE) that allow you to generate individual, fine-tuned drum sounds for your music productions. Like any other Instrument Plug-in, you can load them only in the first Plug-in slot of Sounds.
Using the Drumsynths Drumsynths – General Handling 2 The Hi-hats [➙ 443] 2 The Snares [➙ 426] 10.1 Drumsynths – General Handling This section describes the general use and features of the Drumsynths. Managing Drumsynths Drumsynths are MASCHINE Plug-ins and, as such, they support all usual Plug-in actions and procedures. Hence, to know how to load, remove, replace, insert, move, copy/paste Drumsynths, as well as how to adjust the Drumsynth parameters and load/save presets, please refer to section ↑6.
Using the Drumsynths Drumsynths – General Handling All Drumsynths share the same parameter organization in the Control area. ▪ Their parameters are grouped into the same three Parameter pages: ◦ The Main page groups the most important parameters for each drum type. Here you can select the engine to be used, the tuning, the decay, etc. ◦ The Advanced page provides access to more complex and finer adjustments to the drum sounds.
Using the Drumsynths Drumsynths – General Handling All Drumsynths share the same global layout in the Plug-in Strip. ▪ In the top part of the panel you can adjust the Tune parameter, select the desired engine, adjust the velocity response, and adjust the Decay parameter (or the Filter parameter for the Shaker engine of the Percussion). ▪ In the bottom part of the panel you find the other parameters adjusting the sound of the selected engine.
Using the Drumsynths Drumsynths – General Handling 10.1.3 Shared Parameters Within each Drumsynth, some parameters are shared between several engines (e.g., the Tune parameter). Shared parameters have the advantage of keeping their position when you switch to another engine in the Drumsynth. This allows you to compare the sound of various engines more easily. The ranges of some shared parameters are different across engines.
Using the Drumsynths The Kicks In the MASCHINE convention the MIDI note 60 is noted C3. The engines have different pitch ranges: ▪ Most engines have limited pitch ranges: For example, in the Snare, the Chrome engine can play pitches from MIDI note 60 to 84, while the Iron engine can play pitches from MIDI note 46 to 70. If the pitch of an incoming MIDI note falls outside the pitch range of the engine, the pitch will be bounded to that engine’s allowable pitch range.
Using the Drumsynths The Kicks The Kick panel in the Plug-in Strip. As in every Drumsynth, the engine can be selected via the Engine selector on the Main page. Each engine has a different character and set of parameters, as detailed in the following sections. The Kick provides following engines: ▪ Sub (default): ↑10.2.1, Kick – Sub. ▪ Tronic: ↑10.2.2, Kick – Tronic. ▪ Dusty: ↑10.2.3, Kick – Dusty. ▪ Rasper: ↑10.2.4, Kick – Rasper. ▪ Snappy: ↑10.2.5, Kick – Snappy.
Using the Drumsynths The Kicks ▪ Bold: ↑10.2.6, Kick – Bold. ▪ Maple: ↑10.2.7, Kick – Maple. ▪ Push: ↑10.2.8, Kick – Push. For more information on engines, see ↑10.1.1, Engines: Many Different Drums per Drumsynth. For general information on the Kick and the other Drumsynths, see ↑10.1, Drumsynths – General Handling. 10.2.1 Kick – Sub The Sub engine is the default engine of the Kick.
Using the Drumsynths The Kicks Element Description Bend Adjusts the amplitude of the pitch envelope applied throughout the sound duration (punch), measured as a percentage. Available values range from 0.0 to 100.0 % (default: 6,8 %). At zero, the sound stays at its original pitch during its entire decaying phase. As the Bend value is increased, an increasing amount of pitch envelope is applied.
Using the Drumsynths The Kicks Element Description SCALE Section Velocity 10.2.2 Adjusts the velocity response of the drum. Available values range from -100.0 % to 100.0 % (default value). At zero (mid course), the drum is played at full velocity, no matter how hard you hit the keys (or pads). From that mid position, by turning the knob to the right you increase the positive velocity response and make the drum more and more sensitive to the velocities at which you hit the keys/pads.
Using the Drumsynths The Kicks Element Description Bend Adjusts the amount of pitch envelope applied throughout the sound duration, measured as a percentage. Available values range from 0.0 to 100.0 % (default: 6.8 %). Low values give a more gentle sound. As Bend is increased, the kick becomes more punchy; at higher values, the pitch envelope is more clearly audible as an actual pitch bend. Impact Adjusts the amount of attack. Available values range from 0.0 % (soft attack) to 100 % (maximum attack).
Using the Drumsynths The Kicks Modulation Page As with all other engines and Drumsynths, the Modulation page contains one parameter: Velocity. Element Description SCALE Section Velocity 10.2.3 Adjusts the velocity response of the drum. Available values range from -100.0 % to 100.0 % (default value). At zero (mid course), the drum is played at full velocity, no matter how hard you hit the keys (or pads).
Using the Drumsynths The Kicks Element Description Impact Adjusts the amount of attack and click, measured as a percentage. Available values range from 0.0 % (soft attack) to 100.0 % (maximum attack). The default value is 75.0 %. CHARACTER Section Filter Adjusts the timbre of the drum, measured as a percentage. Available values range from 0.0 to 100.0 % (default: 40.0 %). Increase the value to produce richer high frequencies. Noise Adjusts the amount of noise, measured as a percentage.
Using the Drumsynths The Kicks The parameters described below are presented as they appear in the Control area (Arrange view). The same parameters are available in the Plug-in panel within the Plug-in Strip (Mix view). See ↑9.4, The Plug-in Strip for more information on this. Main Page Element Description MAIN Section Engine Selects the engine used in the Kick Plug-in. If you change this setting, please refer to ↑10.2, The Kicks.
Using the Drumsynths The Kicks Modulation Page As with all other engines and Drumsynths, the Modulation page contains one parameter: Velocity. Element Description SCALE Section Velocity 10.2.5 Adjusts the velocity response of the drum. Available values range from -100.0 % to 100.0 % (default value). At zero (mid course), the drum is played at full velocity, no matter how hard you hit the keys (or pads).
Using the Drumsynths The Kicks Element Description Snap Emulates the air movement caused by the beater before the drum is hit. Therefore, it produces a snap in the waveform the length of which can be controlled through this parameter. Available values range from 0.0 to 100.0 % (default: 50.0 %). Impact Adjusts how hard the drum is hit, measured as a percentage. Available values range from 0.0 % (softest) to 100.0 % (hardest). The default value is 75.0 %.
Using the Drumsynths The Kicks 10.2.6 Kick – Bold The Bold kick is an acoustic bass drum emulation that provides an aggressive character and a punchy and dirty sound. It is capable of a range of sounds, from rock-like kicks to more snappy and tight sub-kicks. The parameters described below are presented as they appear in the Control area (Arrange view). The same parameters are available in the Plug-in panel within the Plug-in Strip (Mix view). See ↑9.4, The Plug-in Strip for more information on this.
Using the Drumsynths The Kicks Element Description SCALE Section Velocity 10.2.7 Adjusts the velocity response of the drum. Available values range from -100.0 % to 100.0 % (default value). At zero (mid course), the drum is played at full velocity, no matter how hard you hit the keys (or pads). From that mid position, by turning the knob to the right you increase the positive velocity response and make the drum more and more sensitive to the velocities at which you hit the keys/pads.
Using the Drumsynths The Kicks Element Description Impact Adjusts how hard the drum is hit, measured as a percentage. Available values range from 0.0 % (softest) to 100.0 % (hardest). The default value is 75.0 %. ROOM Section Mode Selects from two different noise types that simulate the room in which the drum is played. Available modes are A (default) and B. Size Adjusts the size of the room, measured as a percentage. Available values range from 0.0 to 100.0 % (default: 50.0 %).
Using the Drumsynths The Kicks The parameters described below are presented as they appear in the Control area (Arrange view). The same parameters are available in the Plug-in panel within the Plug-in Strip (Mix view). See ↑9.4, The Plug-in Strip for more information on this. Main Page Element Description MAIN Section Engine Selects the engine used in the Kick Plug-in. If you change this setting, please refer to ↑10.2, The Kicks.
Using the Drumsynths The Snares Element Description SCALE Section Velocity 10.3 Adjusts the velocity response of the drum. Available values range from -100.0 % to 100.0 % (default value). At zero (mid course), the drum is played at full velocity, no matter how hard you hit the keys (or pads). From that mid position, by turning the knob to the right you increase the positive velocity response and make the drum more and more sensitive to the velocities at which you hit the keys/pads.
Using the Drumsynths The Snares The Snare panel in the Plug-in Strip. As with every Drumsynth, the engine can be selected via the Engine selector on the Main page. Each engine has a different character and set of parameters, as detailed in the following sections. The Snare provides following engines: ▪ Volt (default): ↑10.3.1, Snare – Volt. ▪ Bit: ↑10.3.2, Snare – Bit. ▪ Pow: ↑10.3.3, Snare – Pow. ▪ Sharp: ↑10.3.4, Snare – Sharp. ▪ Airy: ↑10.3.5, Snare – Airy.
Using the Drumsynths The Snares ▪ Vintage: ↑10.3.6, Snare – Vintage. ▪ Chrome: ↑10.3.7, Snare – Chrome. ▪ Iron: ↑10.3.8, Snare – Iron. ▪ Clap: ↑10.3.9, Snare – Clap. For more information on engines, see ↑10.1.1, Engines: Many Different Drums per Drumsynth. For general information on the Snare and the other Drumsynths, see ↑10.1, Drumsynths – General Handling. 10.3.1 Snare – Volt The Volt engine is the default engine of the Snare.
Using the Drumsynths The Snares Element Description Osc Mode Selects the oscillator mode: If you select Tonal (default), the engine uses two oscillators running in parallel, the higher of which is extra sensitive to velocity for increased expressivity. If you select Punchy, the engine uses one oscillator with a pitch envelope. Osc Mix Only available if Tonal is selected in the Osc Mode selector (see above). Adjusts the mix between both oscillators, measured as a percentage.
Using the Drumsynths The Snares 10.3.2 Snare – Bit The Bit snare is a thin, harsh, digital snare. The parameters described below are presented as they appear in the Control area (Arrange view). The same parameters are available in the Plug-in panel within the Plug-in Strip (Mix view). See ↑9.4, The Plug-in Strip for more information on this. Main Page Element Description MAIN Section Engine Selects the engine used in the Snare Plug-in. If you change this setting, please refer to ↑10.2.8, Kick – Push.
Using the Drumsynths The Snares Modulation Page As with all other engines and Drumsynths, the Modulation page contains one parameter: Velocity. Element Description SCALE Section Velocity 10.3.3 Adjusts the velocity response of the drum. Available values range from -100.0 % to 100.0 % (default value). At zero (mid course), the drum is played at full velocity, no matter how hard you hit the keys (or pads).
Using the Drumsynths The Snares Element Description Bend Adjusts the pitch sweep of the sound, measured as a percentage. Available values range from -100.0 % to 100.0 % (default: 0.0 %). Focus Adjusts the attack of the sound as well as the speed and shape of the pitch envelope, to produce a different quality of attack and sharpness. Available values range from 0.0 to 100 % (default: 50.0 %). Advanced Page For this engine the Advanced page does not contain any parameters.
Using the Drumsynths The Snares Main Page Element Description MAIN Section Engine Selects the engine used in the Snare Plug-in. If you change this setting, please refer to ↑10.2.8, Kick – Push. Tune Adjusts the pitch of the drum played by the middle C, measured as a percentage. Available values range from 0.0 % to 100.0 % (default: 50.0 %). For more details see ↑10.1.5, Pitch Range, Tuning, and MIDI Notes. Decay Adjusts the duration of the sound’s tail, measured as a percentage.
Using the Drumsynths The Snares Element Description SCALE Section Velocity 10.3.5 Adjusts the velocity response of the drum. Available values range from -100.0 % to 100.0 % (default value). At zero (mid course), the drum is played at full velocity, no matter how hard you hit the keys (or pads). From that mid position, by turning the knob to the right you increase the positive velocity response and make the drum more and more sensitive to the velocities at which you hit the keys/pads.
Using the Drumsynths The Snares Element Description Skin Tune Adjusts the fine-tuning of the skin of the drum, measured as a percentage. Available values range from 0.0 to 100.0 % (default: 50.0 %). Impact Adjusts how hard the drum is hit, measured as a percentage. Available values range from 0.0 % (softest) to 100 % (hardest). The default value is 75.0 %. Advanced Page The Advanced page contains parameters controlling the wires’ sound of the drum.
Using the Drumsynths The Snares Element Description SCALE Section Velocity 10.3.6 Adjusts the velocity response of the drum. Available values range from -100.0 % to 100.0 % (default value). At zero (mid course), the drum is played at full velocity, no matter how hard you hit the keys (or pads). From that mid position, by turning the knob to the right you increase the positive velocity response and make the drum more and more sensitive to the velocities at which you hit the keys/pads.
Using the Drumsynths The Snares Element Description Skin Tune Adjusts the fine-tuning of the skin of the drum, measured as a percentage. Available values range from 0.0 to 100.0 % (default: 50.0 %). Impact Adjusts how hard the drum is hit, measured as a percentage. Available values range from 0.0 % (softest) to 100.0 % (hardest). The default value is 75.0 %. Advanced Page The Advanced page contains parameters controlling the wires’ sound of the drum.
Using the Drumsynths The Snares Element Description SCALE Section Velocity 10.3.7 Adjusts the velocity response of the drum. Available values range from -100.0 % to 100.0 % (default value). At zero (mid course), the drum is played at full velocity, no matter how hard you hit the keys (or pads). From that mid position, by turning the knob to the right you increase the positive velocity response and make the drum more and more sensitive to the velocities at which you hit the keys/pads.
Using the Drumsynths The Snares Advanced Page The Advanced page contains parameters controlling the wires’ sound of the drum. Element Description SPECTRA Section Mode Selects from two different noise types that simulate the snare wires of the drum. Available modes are A (default) and B. Tune Provides an independent tuning of the snare noise. It relates to the snare wire tension of a real snare drum. Available values range from 0.0 to 100.0 % (default: 50.0 %).
Using the Drumsynths The Snares 10.3.8 Snare – Iron The Iron snare is an acoustic snare drum model that is capable of a metallic, bright sound. The two modes available on its Advanced page select from two different snare wire characteristics. The parameters described below are presented as they appear in the Control area (Arrange view). The same parameters are available in the Plug-in panel within the Plug-in Strip (Mix view). See ↑9.4, The Plug-in Strip for more information on this.
Using the Drumsynths The Snares Element Description SPECTRA Section Mode Selects from two different noise types that simulate the snare wires of the drum. Available modes are A (default) and B. Decay Controls the length of the snare wires’ sound independently from the main Decay parameter on the Main page. Available values range from 0.0 to 100.0 % (default: 40.0 %). Amount Adjusts the amount of snare wire sound applied to the drum, measured as a percentage. Available values range from 0.0 to 100.
Using the Drumsynths The Snares Main Page Element Description MAIN Section Engine Selects the engine used in the Snare Plug-in. If you change this setting, please refer to ↑10.2.8, Kick – Push. Tune Adjusts the pitch of the drum played by the middle C, measured as a percentage. Available values range from 0.0 % to 100.0 % (default: 50.0 %). For more details see ↑10.1.5, Pitch Range, Tuning, and MIDI Notes.
Using the Drumsynths The Hi-hats Element Description SCALE Section Velocity 10.4 Adjusts the velocity response of the drum. Available values range from -100.0 % to 100.0 % (default value). At zero (mid course), the drum is played at full velocity, no matter how hard you hit the keys (or pads). From that mid position, by turning the knob to the right you increase the positive velocity response and make the drum more and more sensitive to the velocities at which you hit the keys/pads.
Using the Drumsynths The Hi-hats The Hi-hat panel in the Plug-in Strip. As in every Drumsynth, the engine can be selected via the Engine selector on the Main page. Each engine has a different character and set of parameters, as detailed in the following sections. The Hi-hat provides following engines: ▪ Silver (default): ↑10.4.1, Hi-hat – Silver. ▪ Circuit: ↑10.4.2, Hi-hat – Circuit. ▪ Memory: ↑10.4.3, Hi-hat – Memory.
Using the Drumsynths The Hi-hats For more information on engines, see ↑10.1.1, Engines: Many Different Drums per Drumsynth. For general information on the Snare and the other Drumsynths, see ↑10.1, Drumsynths – General Handling. 10.4.1 Hi-hat – Silver The Silver engine is the default engine of the Hi-hat. A classic analog hi-hat that can also be used as percussion or sound effect. The parameters described below are presented as they appear in the Control area (Arrange view).
Using the Drumsynths The Hi-hats Element Description Color Adjusts the center frequency of the filter applied to the sound, measured in hertz. Available values range from 932.3 Hz to 16.7 kHz (default: 7.4 kHz). The default position gives a standard metallic analog hi-hat. Colored down, the sound is much more melodic and in the midrange, good for percussion or effects. In a way this parameter is a more effective tuning control than the Tune parameter itself.
Using the Drumsynths The Hi-hats 10.4.2 Hi-hat – Circuit Similar to the Silver hi-hat, the Circuit hi-hat uses a more complex oscillator for a more digital, robotic sound. The parameters described below are presented as they appear in the Control area (Arrange view). The same parameters are available in the Plug-in panel within the Plug-in Strip (Mix view). See ↑9.4, The Plug-in Strip for more information on this.
Using the Drumsynths The Hi-hats Element Description Saturate Adjusts the amount of analog-style saturation applied to the sound for increased thickness, measured as a percentage. Available values range from 0.0 to 100.0 % (default: 19.0 %). Seed Selects a random sequence to control the waveform produced by the oscillator. Each of the 31 seed values available produces a different set of random pitches and harmonics. Dissonance Affects the randomization of the oscillator, measured as a percentage.
Using the Drumsynths The Hi-hats The parameters described below are presented as they appear in the Control area (Arrange view). The same parameters are available in the Plug-in panel within the Plug-in Strip (Mix view). See ↑9.4, The Plug-in Strip for more information on this. Main Page Element Description MAIN Section Engine Selects the engine used in the Hi-hat Plug-in. If you change this setting, please refer to ↑10.3.8, Snare – Iron.
Using the Drumsynths The Hi-hats Modulation Page As with all other engines and Drumsynths, the Modulation page contains one parameter: Velocity. Element Description SCALE Section Velocity 10.4.4 Adjusts the velocity response of the drum. Available values range from -100.0 % to 100.0 % (default value). At zero (mid course), the drum is played at full velocity, no matter how hard you hit the keys (or pads).
Using the Drumsynths The Toms The Tom in the Control area (Main page depicted). The Tom panel in the Plug-in Strip. As in every Drumsynth, the engine can be selected via the Engine selector on the Main page. Each engine has a different character and set of parameters, as detailed in the following sections.
Using the Drumsynths The Toms ▪ Tronic (default): ↑10.5.1, Tom – Tronic. ▪ Fractal: ↑10.5.2, Tom – Fractal. ▪ Floor: ↑10.5.3, Tom – Floor. For more information on engines, see ↑10.1.1, Engines: Many Different Drums per Drumsynth. For general information on the Snare and the other Drumsynths, see ↑10.1, Drumsynths – General Handling. 10.5.1 Tom – Tronic The Tronic engine is the default engine of the Tom. A fat, analog-style tom with two tunable oscillators plus a tunable FM oscillator.
Using the Drumsynths The Toms Element Description Bend Adjusts the pitch sweep of the sound, measured as a percentage. Available values range from -100.0 % to 100.0 % (default: 0.0 %). At zero the sound stays at its original pitch during its entire decaying phase. At higher values, the pitch bends upwards. At lower values, the pitch bends downwards. Impact Adjusts the amount of attack, measured as a percentage. Available values range from 0.0 % (soft attack) to 100.0 % (maximum attack).
Using the Drumsynths The Toms Element Description SCALE Section Velocity 10.5.2 Adjusts the velocity response of the drum. Available values range from -100.0 % to 100.0 % (default value). At zero (mid course), the drum is played at full velocity, no matter how hard you hit the keys (or pads). From that mid position, by turning the knob to the right you increase the positive velocity response and make the drum more and more sensitive to the velocities at which you hit the keys/pads.
Using the Drumsynths The Toms Element Description Bend Adjusts the pitch sweep of the sound, measured as a percentage. Available values range from -100.0 % to 100.0 % (default: 0.0 %). At zero the sound stays at its original pitch during its entire decaying phase. At higher values, the pitch bends upwards. At lower values, the pitch bends downwards. Impact Adjusts the amount of attack, measured as a percentage. Available values range from 0.0 % (soft attack) to 100.0 % (maximum attack).
Using the Drumsynths The Toms Element Description Transpose Adjusts the pitch transposition of the feedback oscillator bank only, measured in semitones and cents. This is useful for tuning it to the tone oscillator. Available values range from -12.00 to 12.00 semitones (default: 0.00). Freq A Adjusts the pitch of oscillator A within the feedback oscillator bank, measured as a percentage. Available values range from 0.0 to 100.0 % (default).
Using the Drumsynths The Toms 10.5.3 Tom – Floor The Floor Tom is an acoustic tom that provides the emulation of a complete set of toms. Although it is more suitable for floor and low toms, it is also capable of producing interesting mid and high toms. Furthermore the control over the pitch bend and the mute parameters allow for a wide range of sounds. The parameters described below are presented as they appear in the Control area (Arrange view).
Using the Drumsynths The Percussions Element Description Skin Adjusts the amount of damping applied to the drum skin, measured as a percentage. Available values range from 0.0 % (default) to 100.0 %. Air Adjusts the amount of damping applied to the air, measured as a percentage. Available values range from 0.0 to 100.0 % (default: 50.0 %). Advanced Page For this engine the Advanced page does not contain any parameters.
Using the Drumsynths The Percussions The Percussion panel in the Plug-in Strip. As in every Drumsynth, the engine can be selected via the Engine selector on the Main page. Each engine has a different character and set of parameters, as detailed in the following sections. The Percussion provides following engines: ▪ Fractal (default): ↑10.6.1, Percussion – Fractal. ▪ Kettle: ↑10.6.2, Percussion – Kettle. ▪ Shaker: ↑10.6.3, Percussion – Shaker.
Using the Drumsynths The Percussions For more information on engines, see ↑10.1.1, Engines: Many Different Drums per Drumsynth. For general information on the Snare and the other Drumsynths, see ↑10.1, Drumsynths – General Handling. 10.6.1 Percussion – Fractal The Fractal engine is the default engine of the Percussion. The Fractal percussion mode is based on the feedback oscillator bank from the Fractal tom (see ↑10.5.2, Tom – Fractal).
Using the Drumsynths The Percussions Element Description Glide Adjusts the glide between the pitch of new notes, measured in milliseconds. When the Glide parameter is set higher than zero, the pitch glides smoothly to the new tuning. The Glide parameter then defines the duration this glide takes. Available values range from None (no glide, default) to 762.8 ms. Impact Adjusts the amount of attack, measured as a percentage. Available values range from 0.0 % (soft attack) to 100.0 % (maximum attack).
Using the Drumsynths The Percussions Element Description FM Adjusts the amount of frequency modulation within the feedback oscillator bank, measured as a percentage. Frequency modulation tends to add bell-like, ringing overtones. Available values range from 0.0 to 100.0 % (default: 34.4 %). AM Adjusts the amount of amplitude modulation within the feedback oscillator bank, measured as a percentage. Amplitude modulation tends to add brash, bright overtones. Available values range from 0.0 to 100.
Using the Drumsynths The Percussions Main Page Element Description MAIN Section Engine Selects the engine used in the Percussion Plug-in. If you change this setting, please refer to ↑10.5.3, Tom – Floor. Tune Adjusts the pitch of the drum played by the middle C, measured in MIDI note numbers and cents. Available values range from 33.00 to 57.00. The default value is 45.00. For more details see ↑10.1.5, Pitch Range, Tuning, and MIDI Notes.
Using the Drumsynths The Percussions Element Description SCALE Section Velocity 10.6.3 Adjusts the velocity response of the drum. Available values range from -100.0 % to 100.0 % (default value). At zero (mid course), the drum is played at full velocity, no matter how hard you hit the keys (or pads). From that mid position, by turning the knob to the right you increase the positive velocity response and make the drum more and more sensitive to the velocities at which you hit the keys/pads.
Using the Drumsynths The Percussions Element Description ENVELOPE Section Mode Selects from two envelope modes: Realistic (default) and Machine. In Realistic mode the envelope uses curved attack and release stages for a more natural sound. In Machine mode the envelope uses linear attack, hold, and release stages for a static, machine-like sound. Attack Adjusts the duration of the envelope’s attack stage, measured as a percentage. Available values range from 0.0 to 100.0 % (default: 40.0 %).
Using Effects Applying Effects to a Sound, a Group or the Master 11 Using Effects At each Project level (Sound, Group and Master) it is possible to add effects in form of Plugins. Each Sound, each Group and the Master can have an unlimited number of insert effects loaded in their Plug-ins slots. In each Plug-in slot you can load an Internal, Native Instruments or External Effect Plug-in.
Using Effects Applying Effects to a Sound, a Group or the Master Choose the Channel in Which the Effect Is to Be Inserted 1. If you want to apply the effect to the Master (to process the audio of the whole Project), click the MASTER tab in the top left corner of the Control area. 2. If you want to apply the effect to a Group (to process the audio of the whole Group), click the desired Group on the left of the Arranger, and click the GROUP tab in the top left corner of the Control area. 3.
Using Effects Applying Effects to a Sound, a Group or the Master Load the Effect in a New Slot 1. At the far left of the Control area, click the little Plug-in icon to display the Plug-ins of the selected channel: The icon lights up. The Plug-in List appears nearby, showing a stack of all Plug-ins already loaded in the channel: 2. In the Plug-in List each Plug-in has its own slot. Click the “+” icon under the last Plug-in in the list (or at the top if the list is empty).
Using Effects Applying Effects to a Sound, a Group or the Master 3. → If you have selected a Sound and its Plug-in List is empty, the Plug-in menu also shows all available Instrument Plug-ins. Click the desired entry in the list. If you have VST/AU effect plug-ins installed you may also load them from the menu by selecting the Native Instruments (for Native Instruments products) or External (for third-party products) submenu at the top of the list.
Using Effects Applying Effects to a Sound, a Group or the Master Notes and Hints on Loading Effects in the Software ▪ Instead of clicking the “+” icon to load the effect in a new slot, you can also click the down-pointing arrow on the right of an existing slot to open the Plug-in menu: The effect selected in the menu will replace the Plug-in currently loaded in that slot. ▪ Instead of using the Plug-in menu, you can also use the Browser to load a particular preset for an effect.
Using Effects Applying Effects to a Sound, a Group or the Master 2. If it’s not already open, open the extended view of the Mixer by clicking the down-pointing arrow at the left of the Mixer: 3. Check that the Plug-in icon is active on the left of the Mixer — if not, click it to display the Plug-in List in each channel strip. Then, put the focus on the channel (Master, Group or Sound) in which you want to load the effect: 1. 2.
Using Effects Applying Effects to a Sound, a Group or the Master 3. To set the focus to a Sound channel: If the Mixer is currently displaying the Group channel strips, in the Mixer’s top row double-click the blank space in the header of the Group containing the desired Sound, then click the header of the desired Sound in the row below.
Using Effects Applying Effects to a Sound, a Group or the Master 3. 4. 5. If you want to apply the effect to a Group (to process the audio of the whole Group), press F2 to select the GROUP tab and press GROUP + the pad 9–16 corresponding to the desired Group. If the desired Group is in another bank, before you select the Group you first need to press GROUP + the Left or Right Arrow button below the display to switch to the Group bank containing that Group.
Using Effects Applying Effects to a Sound, a Group or the Master 10. Turn the Control encoder to set the TYPE to INTERNAL for MASCHINE effects, NI for VST/AU effects from Native Instruments, or EXTERNAL for VST/AU effects from third-party manufacturers. 11. If you have selected the first Plug-in slot of a Sound, press the Right Arrow button to select the 2/2: SUBTYPE parameter, and turn the Control encoder to set the SUBTYPE to EFFECT.
Using Effects Applying Effects to a Sound, a Group or the Master ▪ If you created a nice effect setting, you can put it to further use by saving it as a Plug-in preset in the software. Please read ↑6.1.9, Saving and Recalling Plug-in Presets for more details. 11.1.2 Other Operations on Effects You can manipulate effects like any other Plug-in loaded in a Plug-in slot.
Using Effects Applying Effects to a Sound, a Group or the Master Action Procedure Save the current effect settings as preset Open the Plug-in menu, and select Save As… at the bottom of the menu. Recall an effect preset Use the Browser (see chapter ↑3, Browser), or open the Plug-in menu and select Open… at the bottom of the menu.
Using Effects Applying Effects to a Sound, a Group or the Master Action Procedure Recall an effect preset Use the Browser (press BROWSE) to access and load any effect preset. See section ↑3.2, Searching and Loading Files from the Library for more on this. Native Instruments and External Effects Open/close the effect window Press NAV + the lit pad of the selected Effect. You will find more details on Plug-in operation in section ↑6.1, Plug-in Overview.
Using Effects Applying Effects to a Sound, a Group or the Master When you load any of these Plug-ins in a Sound or a Group, a Side-Chain Input Parameter page appears at the end of the page list. Side-chaining is not possible at the Master level (i.e. if the Plug-in is loaded in a Plug-in slot of the Master). The Side-Chain Input page of the Compressor Plug-in in the Control area. The SIDE-CHAIN INPUT page of the Compressor Plug-in on the controller. Please refer to section ↑2.3.
Using Effects Applying Effects to External Audio Parameter Description INPUT Section Source Selects the audio signal you want to use as side-chain signal to control the Plug-in. Available options are None (side-chain disabled, default setting), the outputs of all (other) Sounds , and the outputs of all (other) Groups. In the menu these outputs are labeled as follows: For Groups: [Group name] (e.g., Drums) For Sounds: [Group name]: [Sound name] (e.g.
Using Effects Applying Effects to External Audio To do this, we will choose a Sound and make use of the Audio page in its Input properties. 11.2.1 Step 1: Configure MASCHINE Audio Inputs MASCHINE’s audio input configuration can be done in the software only. Furthermore, this configuration is necessary only if you use MASCHINE as stand-alone application. If you are using MASCHINE as a plug-in in a host application, MASCHINE can receive audio from your host on any of its four stereo virtual inputs.
Using Effects Applying Effects to External Audio Any audio source plugged into the first input of your audio interface will be available on the In 1 L input of MASCHINE, and so on. In this example, we will assume that you plugged a stereo source (e.g., the output of your DJ mixer) into the first input pair of your audio interface, and that you have assigned this input pair to the first virtual input pair In 1 L / In 1 R of MASCHINE in the Audio and MIDI Settings panel. See ↑2.
Using Effects Applying Effects to External Audio 11.2.2 Step 2: Set Up a Sound to Receive the External Input We describe here the procedure in Arrange view. You can also do this in Mix view — see section ↑8.1.1, Sending External Audio to Sounds. → Now the external audio is routed to your Sound! You can adjust the level of the incoming signal via the Gain knob. You will find a detailed reference of the Audio page of the Sounds’ Input properties in section ↑8.1.1, Sending External Audio to Sounds. 11.2.
Using Effects Applying Effects to External Audio 7. While holding NAV, press the Left Arrow button to select the AUDIO Parameter page. 8. Release NAV and the AUDIO page appears on the display. This page holds two parameters: SOURCE (which selects the source) and GAIN (which adjusts the level of the input). 9. Press the Left Arrow button to select 1/2: SOURCE. 10. Turn the Control encoder to set SOURCE to EXT. 1.
Using Effects Applying Effects to External Audio 11.2.3 Step 3: Load an Effect to Process an Input Here we describe the procedure in Arrange view. You can also do this in Mix view — see section ↑11.1.1, Adding an Effect. You can now insert an Effect Plug-in into this Sound so that it processes the incoming audio. 1. At the far left of the Control area, click the Plug-in icon to display the Plug-ins of the Sound: The icon lights up. The Plug-in List appears nearby.
Using Effects Applying Effects to External Audio → Upon your selection the effect is loaded in a new Plug-in slot and directly starts to process your external audio! 11.2.3.1 Loading an Effect to Process an Input on the MASCHINE MIKRO Controller 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Press NAV + F3 (PLUG-IN) to show the Plug-in slots of the selected Sound. Since we have selected an empty Sound, while holding NAV you see (NONE) on the display (i.e. there are no Plug-ins to navigate yet).
Using Effects Creating a Send Effect 7. Turn the Control encoder to set SUBTYPE to EFFECT. 8. 9. Press F2 (LIST) to show the filtered list of results. Turn the Control encoder to select an effect and press the Control encoder to load it. → The selected effect is loaded in a new Plug-in slot and directly starts to process your external audio! By pressing CONTROL or SHIFT + BROWSE again you can switch back to Control mode and adjust the effect. 11.
Using Effects Creating a Send Effect 1. 2. Choose the empty Sound you want to use as send effect: On the left of the Arranger click the Group containing that Sound, on the left of the Pattern Editor click the desired Sound slot, and click the SOUND tab in the top left corner of the Control area. At the far left of the Control area, click the Plug-in icon to display the Plug-ins of the Sound: The icon lights up. The Plug-in List appears.
Using Effects Creating a Send Effect 4. Click the desired effect in the list. If you have VST/AU effect plug-ins installed you may also load them from the menu by selecting the Native Instruments (Native Instruments products) or External (third-party products) submenu at the top of the list. → Upon selection the effect is loaded and its parameters are displayed in the Parameter area.
Using Effects Creating a Send Effect 5. Press NAV + F3 (PLUG-IN) to show the Plug-in slots of the selected Sound. Since we have selected an empty Sound, while holding NAV you see (NONE) on the display (i.e. there is no Plug-ins to navigate yet). → Plug-in slot 1 is automatically selected since it’s the only existing Plug-in slot for now. Now load the desired effect into that Plug-in slot: 1. 2. 3. 4. Press SHIFT + BROWSE to browse Plug-ins. Press F1 to select FILTER.
Using Effects Creating a Send Effect 7. 8. Press F2 (LIST) to show the filtered list of results. Turn the Control encoder to select an effect (e.g., the MASCHINE Compressor) and press the Control encoder to load it. → The selected effect is loaded in a new Plug-in slot. By pressing CONTROL or SHIFT + BROWSE again you can switch back to Control mode and adjust the effect via the usual methods (see ↑2.3.3, Navigating Channel Properties, Plug-ins, and Parameter Pages in the Control Area).
Using Effects Creating a Send Effect Here we describe the procedure in Arrange view. You can also do this in Mix view — see section ↑8.1.2, Configuring the Main Output of Sounds and Groups. You can repeat the process to route more Sounds/Groups to the same send effect, or route the same Sound/Group to an additional send effect send using AUX 2. 11.3.2.1 Routing Audio to the Send Effect on the MASCHINE MIKRO MK2 Controller 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Press the CONTROL button to enter Control mode.
Using Effects Creating a Send Effect 9. Turn the Control encoder to assign that auxiliary output to the desired send effect. In addition to the usual outputs available in the field, you will find all the Sounds and Groups with an Effect Plug-in loaded in their first Plug-in slot — see ↑11.3.1, Step 1: Set Up a Sound or Group as Send Effect above.
Using Effects Creating Multieffects ▪ Use the Effect Plug-ins loaded in a Group to simultaneously process its own Sounds and other Sounds/Groups sent to it. This opens up virtually endless routing possibilities! When setting up complex routings, please take care to avoid feedback loops! In addition, the following points are worth noting: ▪ CPU load: Send effects can be of great help to save CPU power.
Using Effects Creating Multieffects be judicious to split your sequence of effects across several Sounds whose outputs are sent into the inputs of the next Sound (thereby re-building an equivalent sequence of effects). Doing this can have several advantages, e.g.: ▪ The Sound List lets you keep a better overview of your effect sequence than the tiny Plugin List in a single Sound. ▪ You can rename and colorize each Sound individually according to the effect(s) it contains.
Using Effects Creating Multieffects Saving Your Multieffects You can then save the whole multi-effect Group for later use. This can be useful if you like a certain combination of effects for your live setup or in the studio. Although this is overkill, you can afterwards still add more effects on the multi-effect Group itself — imagine for example distinct send effects in different Sounds, but all of them being further processed by the same set of effects at the Group level.
Effect Reference 12 Effect Reference MASCHINE provides a healthy selection of more than 20 different Effect Plug-ins that can be quickly applied to Sounds, Groups and the Master, all as insert effects. By using MASCHINE’s powerful routing system, it is also easy to setup send effects, build complex effect chains or apply an effect to an external source that is connected to your audio interface, such as an instrument, vocals or a turntable.
Effect Reference Dynamics 12.1 Dynamics 12.1.1 Compressor This is a classic compression effect to control the dynamic information of an audio signal. You can use the Compressor to fatten up your drums or to control signals that have a very wide dynamic range. In addition to the legacy Classic mode, the Compressor provides an alternate Feedback mode. If this effect is used in a Sound or a Group, it also provides a Side-Chain Input page (in the Control area and on your controller).
Effect Reference Dynamics Parameter Description MODE Section Mode Selects between two operation modes: Classic (default setting) and Feedback. Whereas Classic mode generates a cleaner and more precise compression, Feedback mode introduces a subtle change in transient shape and frequency responsiveness. The memory-based envelope detection along with the knee-dependent ratio and gain give this mode a typical vintage feel.
Effect Reference Dynamics The Compressor on the controller: MAIN page. Side-Chain Input Page The Compressor in the Control area: Side-Chain Input page. Parameter Description INPUT Section Source Selects the audio signal you want to use as side-chain signal to control the Plug-in. Available options are None (side-chain disabled, default setting), the outputs of all (other) Sounds , and the outputs of all (other) Groups. In the menu these outputs are labeled as follows: For Groups: [Group name] (e.g.
Effect Reference Dynamics Parameter Description Filter Activates a filter on the side-chain input. This filter can be useful to select only a specific frequency range of the side-chain signal to control the Plug-in. Center Freq Adjusts the center frequency of the filter. Width Adjusts the bandwidth of the filter. On your controller the outputs available in the SOURCE parameter are labeled as in the display of the Source selector described above.
Effect Reference Dynamics 12.1.2 Gate The Gate cuts any part of the input signal which falls below the input threshold. This can be used to rhythmically chop the signal and make it stutter or sound staccato. If this effect is used in a Sound or a Group, it also provides a Side-Chain Input page (in the Control area and on your controller). The Gate panel in the Plug-in Strip. Main Page The Gate in the Control area: Main page.
Effect Reference Dynamics Parameter Description Attack Use Attack to adjust how fast the Gate reacts to the incoming signal: the more you dial it to the right, the slower it will react, resulting in a softer transition between the gated and the not gated parts of the signal. Hold The Hold parameter is used to determine how long the gated signal is held; lower values will result in a more "choppy" effect.
Effect Reference Dynamics Parameter Description INPUT Section Source Selects the audio signal you want to use as side-chain signal to control the Plug-in. Available options are None (side-chain disabled, default setting), the outputs of all (other) Sounds , and the outputs of all (other) Groups. In the menu these outputs are labeled as follows: For Groups: [Group name] (e.g., Drums) For Sounds: [Group name]: [Sound name] (e.g.
Effect Reference Dynamics Input Level Meter in the Gate Panel (Plug-in Strip) In the Plug-in Strip, the Gate panel offers an extra feature not available in the Control area: The Threshold fader (corresponding to the Threshold parameter of the Main page in the Control area) provides a level meter for visual monitoring of the input level. By comparing this input level with the position of the Threshold fader, you can easily see you which parts of the signal will pass through the Gate. 12.1.
Effect Reference Dynamics The Transient Master in the Control area. Parameter Description DEPTH Section Input Gain Adjusts the level of the input signal. This allows you to offset the overall level once you have set the desired effect, in order to counterbalance the gain or loss of level that might occur. Attack Sharpens/softens the attack phases in your signal. With the knob at the middle position, the attack phases are not altered.
Effect Reference Dynamics 12.1.4 Limiter The Limiter does two things: firstly it ensures that the signal level stays below 0 dB, thus preventing digital clipping. But it can also increase the overall perceived volume by reducing the threshold. It is recommended to place the Limiter in a Master Plug-in slot. However, please note that the Limiter introduces a small latency (or processing delay, see chapter ↑17, Glossary for a definition).
Effect Reference Dynamics Parameter Description DEPTH Section Threshold This value determines the threshold where the Limiter kicks in. If you use it to prevent your signal from clipping, leave it at 0 dB; if you want to make your signal louder, dial the Knob to the left. The Limiter on the controller: MAIN page. Side-Chain Input Page The Limiter in the Control area: Side-Chain Input page.
Effect Reference Dynamics Parameter Description INPUT Section Source Selects the audio signal you want to use as side-chain signal to control the Plug-in. Available options are None (side-chain disabled, default setting), the outputs of all (other) Sounds , and the outputs of all (other) Groups. In the menu these outputs are labeled as follows: For Groups: [Group name] (e.g., Drums) For Sounds: [Group name]: [Sound name] (e.g.
Effect Reference Dynamics Input Level Meter in the Limiter Panel (Plug-in Strip) In the Plug-in Strip, the Limiter panel offers an extra feature not available in the Control area: The Threshold fader (corresponding to the Threshold parameter of the Main page in the Control area) provides a level meter for visual monitoring of the input level.
Effect Reference Dynamics Parameter Description DEPTH Section Amount This parameter is used to adjust the amount of the Maximizer effect. Turn the knob clockwise to increase the loudness of the signal. Curve Controls the compression knee; higher values tend to result in faster and more aggressive gain control. Turbo Turbo intensifies the effect the Maximizer has on the signal by causing the maximizing algorithm to be applied twice. The Maximizer on the controller: MAIN page.
Effect Reference Dynamics Parameter Description INPUT Section Source Selects the audio signal you want to use as side-chain signal to control the Plug-in. Available options are None (side-chain disabled, default setting), the outputs of all (other) Sounds , and the outputs of all (other) Groups. In the menu these outputs are labeled as follows: For Groups: [Group name] (e.g., Drums) For Sounds: [Group name]: [Sound name] (e.g.
Effect Reference Filtering Effects 12.2 Filtering Effects 12.2.1 EQ Use the EQ to boost or cut selective frequencies of the audio signal. The EQ is mainly a tool to tailor your audio signal to taste by cutting out selected frequencies or boosting others, but can also be used as a DJ-style cut-and-boost effect. Please note that in the Control area and on your controller the EQ parameters are spread over two pages. The EQ panel in the Plug-in Strip.
Effect Reference Filtering Effects Parameter Description Gain This determines how much the selected frequency is increased/attenuated by. LOW-MID Section Freq Frequency selector for the first mid-frequency band. Ranges from 40 Hz to 16 kHz. Gain This determines how much the selected frequency is increased/attenuated by. HIGH-MID Section Freq Frequency selector for the second mid-frequency band. Ranges from 40 Hz to 16 kHz.
Effect Reference Filtering Effects Parameter Description LOW-MID Section Width Bandwidth control for the first mid-frequency band. HIGH-MID Section Width Bandwidth control for the second mid-frequency band. OUTPUT Section Gain Gain control for the EQ altogether. The EQ on the controller: WIDTH / OUTPUT page. 12.2.2 Filter Filter with selectable characteristics that can be modulated via LFO or envelope.
Effect Reference Filtering Effects The Filter panel in the Plug-in Strip. Main Page The Filter in the Control area: Main page. Parameter Description TYPE Section Mode Here you can select between four different filter modes: LP (low-pass), BP (band-pass), HP (high-pass), and Notch. Depending on the mode selected, the following parameters vary as indicated. FREQ Section Cutoff Controls the cutoff frequency of the filter. Resonance Controls the amount of resonance, i.e.
Effect Reference Filtering Effects Parameter Description Source Here you can select between three different modulation sources: LFO, LFO Sync, and Envelope. Depending on your choice for the modulation source, the following parameters appear to the right: Source: LFO Speed Defines the speed of the modulation in hertz ranging from 0.03 Hz up to 16 Hz. LFO Shape Defines how the LFO evolves over time.
Effect Reference Filtering Effects Side-Chain Input Page The Filter in the Control area: Side-Chain Input page. Parameter Description INPUT Section Source Selects the audio signal you want to use as side-chain signal to control the Plug-in. Available options are None (side-chain disabled, default setting), the outputs of all (other) Sounds , and the outputs of all (other) Groups. In the menu these outputs are labeled as follows: For Groups: [Group name] (e.g.
Effect Reference Modulation Effects For more information on how to use the side-chain input, please refer to section ↑11.1.3, Using the Side-Chain Input. The Filter on the controller: SIDE-CHAIN INPUT page. 12.3 Modulation Effects 12.3.1 Chorus The Chorus is useful to “thicken” signals and enhance or add stereo content.
Effect Reference Modulation Effects The Chorus in the Control area. Parameter Description MOD Section Rate The Rate knob defines how fast the phase (and thus the perceived pitch) of the detuned signal is being modulated. Amount The amount of the Chorus effect. OUTPUT Section Mix Mix lets you adjust the amount of the effect in relation to the dry original audio signal. The Chorus on the controller. 12.3.2 Flanger Classic flanger effect with LFO and envelope modulation.
Effect Reference Modulation Effects The Flanger panel in the Plug-in Strip. The Flanger in the Control area. Parameter Description MAIN Section Frequency This defines the center frequency of the Flanger. Feedback Adjusts the amount of output signal fed back into the input. Invert Inverts the Flanger. MOD Section Amount This defines how much the Flanger gets modulated by the modulation source.
Effect Reference Modulation Effects Parameter Description Shape (Envelope) Change the shape of the envelope here. Stereo This parameter widens the stereo field of the effect. OUTPUT Section Mix Mix lets you adjust the amount of the effect in relation to the dry original audio signal. The Flanger on the controller. 12.3.3 FM FM modulates the frequency of the audio signal based on FM synthesis. High frequency settings are useful for adding a subtle “gritty” texture to the input signal.
Effect Reference Modulation Effects FM in the Control area. Parameter Description FREQ Section Rate This is for adjusting the speed of the FM modulation. Split The Split control determines the extent to which the FM effect is applied to high frequencies via a crossover. Turn to the right to affect higher frequencies. It can be useful to eliminate noise artifacts caused by FM of very high signals. With high Split settings, the effect becomes more “gritty” and crackling.
Effect Reference Modulation Effects 12.3.4 Freq Shifter The Freq Shifter shifts selected frequencies of the audio signal by a user-specified amount. With high frequencies it sounds like a pitch shifter; with low frequencies it sounds like a special chorus. The Freq Shifter panel in the Plug-in Strip. The Freq Shifter in the Control area. Parameter Description FREQ Section Coarse This is used to define the basic frequency of the Freq Shifter. Fine Fine-tune the frequency here.
Effect Reference Modulation Effects Parameter Description Invert Inverts the settings of the Freq Shifter. Mix Mix lets you adjust the amount of the effect in relation to the dry original audio signal. The Freq Shifter on the controller. 12.3.5 Phaser Classic phaser with LFO and envelope modulation. The Phaser panel in the Plug-in Strip.
Effect Reference Modulation Effects The Phaser in the Control area. Parameter Description MAIN Section Frequency This defines the center frequency of the Phaser. Feedback Adjusts the amount of output signal fed back into the input. 8Pole Activating this causes the Phaser to use the 8Pole mode, resulting in a more intense phasing effect. MOD Section Amount This defines how much the Phaser gets modulated by the modulation source.
Effect Reference Spatial and Reverb Effects The Phaser on the controller. 12.4 Spatial and Reverb Effects 12.4.1 Ice This is a special reverb for getting cold and metallic sound. Ice includes a bank of self-oscillating filters for interesting and colorful effects. In the Project “Come Into My Disco” from the MASCHINE factory library, you can hear how it creates deep soundscapes during the break in Scene 6. The Ice panel in the Plug-in Strip.
Effect Reference Spatial and Reverb Effects The Ice in the Control area. Parameter Description ROOM Section Color With lower settings, the general sound is a bit more muffled. The higher the Color value, the brighter it sounds. Ice The “ICE” factor: higher values sound more metallic. Size Adjust the size of the virtual room here. OUTPUT Section Mix Mix lets you adjust the amount of the effect in relation to the dry original audio signal. The Ice on the controller. 12.4.
Effect Reference Spatial and Reverb Effects The Metaverb panel in the Plug-in Strip. The Metaverb in the Control area. Parameter Description ROOM Section Size Adjust the size of the virtual room here. EQ Section Low Low band EQ to cut or boost bass frequencies. High High band EQ to cut or boost high frequencies. POSITION Section Pan This pans the dry signal. This is useful because the dry signal can not be panned after the effect without panning the reverb itself, which is unnatural.
Effect Reference Spatial and Reverb Effects The Metaverb on the controller. 12.4.3 Reflex This is a special resonating reverb. At moderate settings the Reflex can be useful to emulate small, “tight” rooms. At more extreme settings, it can produce interesting artificial, metallic textures. Automating the Color parameter usually yields very pleasing results. The Reflex panel in the Plug-in Strip. The Reflex in the Control area.
Effect Reference Spatial and Reverb Effects Parameter Description ROOM Section Color At lower settings, the general sound is a bit more muffled; the higher the settings, the brighter it sounds. Smooth With this parameter, you can soften the metallic character of Reflex. Size Adjust the size of the virtual room here. OUTPUT Section Mix Mix lets you adjust the amount of the effect in relation to the dry original audio signal. The Reflex reverb on the controller. 12.4.
Effect Reference Spatial and Reverb Effects The Reverb panel in the Plug-in Strip. The Reverb in the Control area. Parameter Description ROOM Section Room This allows you to choose one of four basic characteristics of the Reverb: General, Bright, Guitar, and Shatter. Size Adjust the size of the virtual room here. EQ Section Low Low band EQ to cut or boost bass frequencies. High High band EQ to cut or boost high frequencies. POSITION Section Pan This pans the dry signal.
Effect Reference Spatial and Reverb Effects Parameter Description OUTPUT Section Freeze Enabling Freeze both mutes the dry signal and traps the current state of the Reverb output in a temporary buffer to make it last much longer. This is a powerful tool for playing live: By simultaneously tweaking the Mix knob nearby, you can create striking breaks! Setting the EQ’s Low and High controls to generous values will further increase the effect.
Effect Reference Spatial and Reverb Effects The Plate Reverb panel in the Plug-in Strip. The Plate Reverb in the Control area. Parameter Description MAIN Section Pre Delay Adjusts the time between the original signal and the early reflections. Decay Adjusts the damping of the plate, which directly affects the decay time of the reverb. EQ Section Low Shelf Controls the low-frequency content in the reverberated signal.
Effect Reference Delays The Plate Reverb on the controller. 12.5 Delays 12.5.1 Beat Delay The Beat Delay is specialized for creating delays that are synced to the tempo. If you wonder how this sounds, load up the Project “Big Stream” from the MASCHINE factory library: the Beat Delay is used in various Groups here and offers a lot of rhythmic sonic possibilities. Please note that in the Control area and on your controller the Beat Delay parameters are spread over two pages.
Effect Reference Delays Main Page The Beat Delay in the Control area: Main page. Parameter Description DELAY Section Time The Time parameter defines the delay length in note values. The available values depend on the unit defined by the Unit parameter on the Unit page (see below). They range from half a unit to 16 units. Offset This parameter is used to shift the start of the delay in relation to the tempo. Feedback Adjusts the amount of output signal fed back into the input.
Effect Reference Delays The Beat Delay on the controller: MAIN page. Unit Page The Beat Delay in the Control area: Unit page. Parameter Description UNIT Section Unit Defines the unit used by the Time and Offset parameters on the Main page. The Beat Delay on the controller: UNIT page.
Effect Reference Delays 12.5.2 Grain Delay By chopping the input into small “grains” and rearranging them as a cloud, the Grain Delay is useful for creating ambient textures. Increase Size, Space and Density to quickly transform any sound into an evolving ambient texture. As a unique experimental effect, it is best experienced firsthand. Please note that in the Control area and on your controller the Grain Delay parameters are spread over two pages. The Grain Delay panel in the Plug-in Strip.
Effect Reference Delays Parameter Description Jitter Introduces artifacts into the grains. Reverse Produces a reverse playback of the grain. CLOUD Section Space Determines the spacing between the grain clouds: the higher the value, the bigger the space between the clouds. Density Creates a more “dense” cloud: higher values create feedback-like effects. Mod The amount of modulation introduced to the grain cloud.
Effect Reference Delays The Grain Delay on the controller: OUTPUT page. 12.5.3 Grain Stretch The Grain Stretch effect uses granular synthesis to manipulate the speed and pitch of the incoming signal. The Grain Stretch panel in the Plug-in Strip. The Grain Stretch in the Control area.
Effect Reference Delays Parameter Description MASTER Section On Enables the effect. Every time this control is switched on, the Grain Stretch effect buffers incoming audio for 32 x 1/16th step. TIME Section Stretch Defines the time-stretch amount. Set to 50.0 % for half speed. Loop Sets a loop length, in 1/16th steps. PITCH Section Pitch Adjusts the pitch of the grains. Link When on, grain size is corrected by the pitch. Size Adjusts the size of the grains.
Effect Reference Delays The Resochord panel in the Plug-in Strip. The Resochord in the Control area. Parameter Description PITCH Section Mode Here you can select between the two modes of the Resochord: Chord and String. In Chord mode, the 6 combs are tuned according to various chords. In String mode, the 6 combs are centered around one frequency and can be spread for an intense chorus-like effect. Depending on your selection the other parameters in the Pitch area will change.
Effect Reference Distortion Effects Parameter Description Brightness This is to determine the basic sound characteristic of the Resochord: higher values will brighten the sound by adding high frequencies. Feedback Adjusts the amount of output signal fed back into the input. Decay With Decay you adjust how fast the Resochord fades out. OUTPUT Section Mix Mix lets you adjust the amount of the effect in relation to the dry original audio signal. The Resochord on the controller. 12.
Effect Reference Distortion Effects The Distortion panel in the Plug-in Strip. The Distortion in the Control area. Parameter Description MAIN Section Drive Determines the basic amount of distortion. Color At lower settings, the general sound is a bit more muffled; the higher the settings, the brighter it sounds. Feedback Adjust the amount of output signal fed back into the input. Tone General tonal characteristic of the feedback signal. Tone Mod Modulation introduced in the feedback signal.
Effect Reference Distortion Effects Parameter Description Release This parameter determines how fast the distorted sound dies down when the Gate is enabled. Mix Mix lets you adjust the amount of the effect in relation to the dry original audio signal. The Distortion on the controller. 12.6.2 Lofi The Lofi effect reduces the bit depth (or bit resolution) and Sample rate of the audio signal for an interesting “vintage” effect at subtle settings, and heavy digital distortion at extreme settings.
Effect Reference Distortion Effects The Lofi in the Control area. Parameter Description RESAMPLE Section SR SR stands for Sample Rate and ranges from CD-quality (44.1 kHz) to 99.5 Hz which results in a hissy crackle. BITCRUSH Section Bits Introduces a distortion based on bit reduction. Smooth Reduces the aliasing introduced by the Lofi effect. Stereo Widens the stereo field of the effect.
Effect Reference Distortion Effects 12.6.3 Saturator The Saturator is a flexible tool allowing you to apply various types of saturations to your signal. The Saturator offers three modes: Classic (legacy mode), Tape, and Tube. You can select the desired mode via the Mode selector. Since the three modes provide different sets of parameters, each of them is described separately below. The Saturator panel (here in Tube mode) in the Plug-in Strip. Classic Mode The Classic mode is the legacy mode.
Effect Reference Distortion Effects Classic Mode – Parameter Description Input Controls the input gain of the effect. Increasing Input will also increase the amount of compression performed on the audio signal. Contour Determines how closely the Saturator responds to the input volume. Higher values create a more distorted sound. Drive Adjusts the amount of distortion introduced by the Saturator. The Saturator in Classic mode on the controller.
Effect Reference Distortion Effects Tape Mode – Parameter Description Contour Controls the high frequency roll-off starting frequency. Frequencies above this point will be attenuated. Drive Controls the low frequency boost/cut of the effect. Tube Mode The Tube mode emulates the smooth saturation of overdriven tube amplifiers. It is equipped with a feedback-driven dynamic compression and an additional EQ section allowing you to fine adjust the frequency content to be processed.
Effect Reference Distortion Effects Tube Mode – Parameter Description EQ Section Bypass Enable this button to bypass the EQ section. Bass Adjusts the level of the low frequency band. Treble Adjusts the level of the high frequency band. OUTPUT Section Gain Adjusts the output level of the effect. Use this to compensate for changes in volume caused by input gain and signal compression.
Creating a Song Using Scenes Arranger Basics 13 Creating a Song Using Scenes In MASCHINE, a song is made of a variable number of Scenes, which represent the different parts of the song — e.g., intro, verse, chorus, break, another verse… Scenes provide a very flexible way to arrange your song. 13.1 Arranger Basics The place where you organize Scenes is the Arranger, located in the top right part of the MASCHINE window.
Creating a Song Using Scenes Arranger Basics ▪ On the other hand, a Pattern can be played in several Scenes: In fact a Scene only contains a reference to your Pattern, and you can place as many references to this Pattern as you want in different Scenes in the Arranger. For example, in the picture above, Scene 3 and 4 use the same Pattern 1 of the Harmony Fillers Group. When you modify your Pattern in the Pattern Editor, all references to it in the Arranger will get updated accordingly.
Creating a Song Using Scenes Arranger Basics 13.1.1 Arranger Overview In the MASCHINE software, the Arranger is where you define what should play with what, and when. This overview of the Arranger introduces you its main parts and control elements. An overview of the Arranger. (1) Mix View button: Click the Mix View button to switch the MASCHINE software between the Arrange view and the Mix view. The Arranger is visible only in Arrange view, i.e. only if the Mix View button is disabled.
Creating a Song Using Scenes Arranger Basics (5) Scene names: The top row of the Arranger displays all Scenes of your Project, represented by their name. All Clips located in the column under a Scene will be played together in that Scene. Clicking a Scene name selects the Scene, moves the playhead to that Scene (see section ↑13.3.2, Jumping to Other Scenes), and sets the Loop Range (9) to that Scene.
Creating a Song Using Scenes Arranger Basics ▪ The Scene mode allows you to select and manage your Scenes, and work on the structure of your arrangement: ↑13.2, Managing Scenes. ▪ The Pattern mode lets you create and delete Clips: ↑13.1.5, Creating and Removing Clips. ▪ The Grid mode lets you adjust the Perform Grid used for transitions between Scenes: ↑13.3.2, Jumping to Other Scenes. ▪ Additionally, in all modes the TRANSPORT section of your controller allows you to move and resize the Loop Range: ↑13.3.
Creating a Song Using Scenes Arranger Basics ▪ Similarly, click the right handle (3) of the scroll bar, hold the mouse button, and drag your mouse horizontally to zoom in or out of the Arranger while keeping the left border of the display at a fixed position in the song. ▪ Double-click the main part (1) to reset the zoom and display all Scenes. Navigating the Arranger Vertically (Groups) A classic scroll bar is available right of the Arranger.
Creating a Song Using Scenes Arranger Basics 1. 2. Press and hold the VIEW button to enter View mode. You can also press VIEW + CONTROL to pin the View mode so that you can release VIEW and stay in View mode (see ↑2.3.5, Pinning a Mode on Your Controller). Press F1 to select SCENE and use the pads in the table below to navigate the Arranger. Shortcuts for navigating the Arranger from the MASCHINE MIKRO controller.
Creating a Song Using Scenes Arranger Basics You can also use the Left/Right Arrow buttons and the Control encoder to adjust the zoom factor and scroll position on the display. In View mode, pads 13–15 additionally allow you to show/hide (or maximize/minimize) the Browser, the Control Lane, and the Mixer (in Mix view) in the software, respectively. See section ↑2.2, Adjusting the MASCHINE User Interface for more information. 13.1.
Creating a Song Using Scenes Arranger Basics The Follow function affects both the Pattern Editor and the Arranger simultaneously (see section ↑7.1.3, Following the Playback Position in the Pattern for more information on the Follow function in the Pattern Editor). 13.1.4 Jumping to Another Playback Position in Your Project You can use the timeline under the Scene headers in the Arranger to set the playback to the desired position.
Creating a Song Using Scenes Arranger Basics Example with playback on: Assuming that the Pattern Grid resolution is set to one bar, if you click around the 8.3 mark (3rd beat of the 8th bar) in the timeline when the playhead reaches the 3.2 mark (2nd beat of the 3rd bar), the playhead will jump from the 3.2 to the 8.2 mark (2nd beat of the 8th bar) and continue from there. You can also change the playback position by switching to another Scene.
Creating a Song Using Scenes Arranger Basics ▪ If playback is off, the playhead jumps to the beginning of the previous/next step. ▪ If playback is on, the playhead jumps to the same relative position in the previous/next step. If the Step Grid is disabled (i.e. set to OFF), the jumps are based on bars. For more information on the Step Grid, see section ↑7.1.7, Adjusting the Step Grid and the Nudge Grid. 13.1.
Creating a Song Using Scenes Arranger Basics 2. In the Pattern Editor, open the Pattern Manager and click the desired Pattern slot to select it (see section ↑7.7.2, Selecting Patterns and Pattern Banks for more information). → Upon your selection, a Clip referencing this Pattern is inserted into the selected Scene: ▪ The Clip replaces any previous Clip for that Group in the Scene. ▪ The Clip displays the name and color of the Pattern it is referencing.
Creating a Song Using Scenes Arranger Basics Removing a Clip Removing a Clip is done in the Arranger: ► To remove a Clip, right-click it (on Mac OS X: [Ctrl]-click it). → The Clip is removed from the Scene: ▪ The corresponding Pattern will not be played by that Scene anymore. ▪ The Pattern itself is left untouched. ▪ If the Clip was the longest in the Scene, the Scene will automatically shrink to the next longest Clip. 13.1.5.
Creating a Song Using Scenes Arranger Basics 3. While you are holding PATTERN, press SHIFT + Left/Right Arrow buttons to select the desired Pattern bank, then press the desired pad to select the Pattern you want to use in that Scene. → If you have pressed a dim lit pad, a Clip referencing this Pattern is inserted into the selected Scene. If you have pressed an unlit pad, a new empty Pattern is automatically created and referenced by a new Clip in the selected Scene.
Creating a Song Using Scenes Managing Scenes 13.2 Managing Scenes This section describes how to organize your Scenes, Scene slots, and Scene banks. 13.2.1 Scene Management Overview In the software, all Scene management operations can be done in the Scene Manager: ► To open the Scene Manager, click the Scene Manager button (a down-pointing arrow) at the right of the Project name in the Arranger. → The Scene Manager appears underneath.
Creating a Song Using Scenes Managing Scenes Use the Scene Manager to manage your Scenes. ▪ On the left you can see the list of the 16 Scene slots in the selected Scene bank. Slots containing a Scene show a colored or white bar on the left along with the Scene name. The other slots contain no Scene. The selected Scene is highlighted (Scene 19 in the image above).
Creating a Song Using Scenes Managing Scenes ► To close the Scene Manager, click anywhere outside it. Scene Manager vs. Arranger’s Top Row If all Scene operations can be done in the Scene Manager, most of them can also be done in the top row of the Arranger: The top row of the Arranger. The only difference between the Scene Manager and the Arranger’s top row is that the Scene Manager allows you to manage your Scene banks, which is impossible in the Arranger’s top row.
Creating a Song Using Scenes Managing Scenes ▪ Unlit pads represent empty Scene slots. In addition, the Scene mode provides useful Scene management commands. These are described in the following sections. 13.2.2 Selecting Scenes and Scene Banks You can select the desired Scene via the Scene Manager or directly in the Arranger.
Creating a Song Using Scenes Managing Scenes 2. If it is not already selected, select the Scene bank containing the desired Scene by clicking its pad grid on the right. The selected Scene bank is surrounded by a white border, and the left part of the Scene Manager displays the Scene slots in that bank.
Creating a Song Using Scenes Managing Scenes 3. Select the desired Scene by clicking the slot with its name in the list on the left or by clicking its cell in the selected pad grid on the right. → The Scene slot and the corresponding cell on the right are now highlighted to indicate that this Scene is selected.
Creating a Song Using Scenes Managing Scenes ◦ If playback is off the playhead immediately jumps to the beginning of the selected Scene. If playback is on the playhead jumps according to the Perform Grid settings. For more info on the Loop Range see section ↑13.3.1, Selecting a Loop Range. For more info on the Perform Grid settings see section ↑13.3.2, Jumping to Other Scenes. 13.2.2.
Creating a Song Using Scenes Managing Scenes 13.2.3 Creating Scenes You can create a new Scene via the Scene Manager or directly in the Arranger. Creating a Scene in the Arranger ► To create a new Scene, click the “+” button located after all existing Scene names in the top row of the Arranger. Click the “+” button to create a new Scene. → A new empty Scene is created after all existing Scenes.
Creating a Song Using Scenes Managing Scenes 2. If it is not already selected, click the desired pad grid on the right to select the Scene bank where you want to create a Scene. The selected Scene bank is surrounded by a white border, and the left part of the Scene Manager displays the Scene slots in that bank.
Creating a Song Using Scenes Managing Scenes 3. Click any empty Scene slot in the list on the left or click any dark cell in the selected pad grid on the right to create a new empty Scene there. → A new empty Scene is created in the selected Scene slot. The new Scene also appears in the pad grid on the right as well as in the Arranger — in the Arranger the new Scene is inserted at the location corresponding to its order of appearance in the Scene Manager.
Creating a Song Using Scenes Managing Scenes 1. In the top row of the Arranger or in the Scene Manager, right-click ([Ctrl]-click on Mac OS X) the name of the Scene after which you want to insert the new Scene and select Insert from the context menu: → A new empty Scene is inserted right after the Scene in question, both in the Arranger and in the Scene Manager. 13.2.3.1 Creating a New Scene on Your Controller ► To create a new empty Scene in the current Scene bank, press SCENE + any unlit pad.
Creating a Song Using Scenes Managing Scenes 13.2.4 Deleting Scenes To delete a Scene: 1. In the top row of the Arranger or in the Scene Manager, right-click ([Ctrl]-click on Mac OS X) the name of the Scene you want to delete and select Delete from the context menu: → The Scene is deleted with all its Clips. The next Scenes shift ahead to fill the gap.
Creating a Song Using Scenes Managing Scenes 13.2.4.1 Deleting Scenes on the MASCHINE MIKRO Controller 1. 2. 3. 4. Press Press Press Press and hold SCENE to enter Scene mode. SHIFT + Left/Right Arrow to select the desired Scene bank. the pad corresponding to the Scene you want to delete. F3 (DELETE). → The Scene is deleted with all its Clips. The next Scenes shift ahead to fill the gap. Alternate Method 1. 2. 3. Press and hold SCENE to enter Scene mode.
Creating a Song Using Scenes Managing Scenes 2. Click the “+” symbol under the last pad grid on the right to create another Scene bank. → A new empty Scene bank is created and its pad grid appears in place of the “+” symbol. If the last Scene bank is empty, there is no “+” symbol under its pad grid and you cannot create any new Scene bank. Deleting a Scene Bank To delete a Scene bank: 1. 2. Open the Scene Manager (see ↑13.2.1, Scene Management Overview).
Creating a Song Using Scenes Managing Scenes 13.2.5.1 Creating Scene Banks on the MASCHINE MIKRO Controller If the last Scene bank contains at least one Scene (even empty), you can create an additional Scene bank after that last bank. To do this: 1. 2. 3. Press and hold SCENE to enter Scene mode. Press SHIFT + Right Arrow button repeatedly to select the last Scene bank. Press SHIFT + Right Arrow button once more to create another Scene bank.
Creating a Song Using Scenes Managing Scenes in the pad grid and select Rename from the context menu: 2. The Scene name gets highlighted and editable. Type a name and press [Enter] on your computer keyboard to confirm (or press [Esc] to cancel you change). → The Scene is renamed. Renaming Scenes in the Scene Manager To rename a Scene in the Scene Manager: 1. 2. 3. Open the Scene Manager (see ↑13.2.1, Scene Management Overview).
Creating a Song Using Scenes Managing Scenes in the pad grid and select Rename from the context menu: 4. The Scene name gets highlighted and editable. Type a name and press [Enter] on your computer keyboard to confirm (or press [Esc] to cancel your change). → The Scene is renamed. If you use MASCHINE as a plug-in, some hosts will utilize the [Enter] key, as it is mapped to some function of the host software.
Creating a Song Using Scenes Managing Scenes 1. Right-click ([Ctrl]-click on Mac OS X) the name of the desired Scene in the Arranger or in the Scene Manager, and select Color from the context menu. A Color Palette appears. In the Palette, the current color of the Scene is highlighted. 2. Select the desired color in the Palette. You can also choose to set the Scene back to its default color by selecting Default at the bottom of the Color Palette. → The Scene slot takes the new color you select.
Creating a Song Using Scenes Managing Scenes To move Scenes: 1. 2. 3. → Click and hold the Scene name (in the Arranger) or the Scene slot (in the Scene Manager). While holding the mouse button, drag your mouse horizontally (in the Arranger) or vertically (in the Scene Manager) toward the desired location. As the mouse cursor moves, an insertion line appears at the potential places where you can drop the Scene. When the insertion line appears at the desired location, release the mouse button.
Creating a Song Using Scenes Managing Scenes While deleting a Scene removes it entirely from your arrangement, clearing it only removes its content — the Scene stays in your arrangement, but empty. For more info on deleting Scenes, see section ↑13.2.4, Deleting Scenes. To clear a Scene: 1. Right-click ([Ctrl]-click on Mac OS X) the name of the desired Scene in the Arranger or in the Scene Manager, and select Clear from the context menu. → The Scene is cleared. 13.2.
Creating a Song Using Scenes Managing Scenes ► Right-click ([Ctrl]-click on Mac OS X) the Scene name in the Arranger or in the Scene Manager, and select Duplicate from the context menu. → A copy of the Scene is inserted right after the original Scene in the Scene bank — all following Scenes are shifted to the next slot. 13.2.10.1 Duplicating Scenes on the MASCHINE MIKRO Controller To duplicate Scenes from your controller: 1. 2. 3. Press and hold SCENE to enter Scene mode.
Creating a Song Using Scenes Playing with Scenes This procedure has following benefits over the duplication described above: ▪ You can paste the copy into the Scene slot of your choice — empty or not. If the target Scene slot already contains a Scene, it will be replaced by the copied Scene. Of course you can select the target slot in another Scene bank: After you have selected the source Scene, switch to the desired Scene bank using Buttons 7 and 8 before you select the target Scene slot.
Creating a Song Using Scenes Playing with Scenes 13.3.1 Selecting a Loop Range The basic rule is: The MASCHINE sequencer is always looping. In many situations a single Scene will be looped. But MASCHINE also allows you to select several consecutive Scenes and play them one after the other in a loop. You can even select a loop that doesn’t start at the beginning of a Scene or end at the end of a Scene. The looped region is defined by its Loop Range.
Creating a Song Using Scenes Playing with Scenes For more information on selecting Scenes, see section ↑13.2.2, Selecting Scenes and Scene Banks. In particular, this method allows you to quickly switch the Loop Range from one Scene to another one. Quickly Switching the Loop Range Between the Entire Project and the Selected Scene You can quickly set the Loop Range to all Scenes in one go: ► Double-click anywhere in the Arranger timeline to include all available Scenes in the loop.
Creating a Song Using Scenes Playing with Scenes Your adjustments are quantized according to the Pattern Grid. If the Pattern Grid resolution is set to Quick mode, the quantization will use bars instead. If the Pattern Grid is disabled (i.e. set to Off) you can freely adjust the Loop Range at the maximum resolution. For more information on the Pattern Grid, see section ↑7.1.6, Adjusting the Pattern Grid and the Pattern Length.
Creating a Song Using Scenes Playing with Scenes → The Scene is selected and the Loop Range is set to this Scene. Setting the Loop Range to Several Scenes To set the Loop Range to several consecutive Scenes, do the following: 1. 2. 3. Press and hold SCENE to enter Scene mode (you can pin it by pressing CONTROL). Press and hold the pad corresponding to the start Scene. While holding the first pad, press the pad corresponding to the end Scene.
Creating a Song Using Scenes Playing with Scenes Press SHIFT + RESTART (LOOP) to switch the Loop Range between all Scenes and the selected Scene. ► Press SHIFT + RESTART (LOOP) to switch the Loop Range between all Scenes and the selected Scene. 13.3.2 Jumping to Other Scenes If you set a new Loop Range by selecting another Scene or group of Scenes as described in section ↑13.3.1, Selecting a Loop Range, the playback will jump to the new Loop Range.
Creating a Song Using Scenes Playing with Scenes ◦ If Retrigger is enabled, the next Scene that is selected will be forced to play from the start. This is useful if you always want your Scenes to play from the beginning regardless of what’s happening elsewhere in the music. ◦ If Retrigger is disabled (default setting), the next Scene that is selected will play from the same offset to the beginning of the Scene: e.g.
Creating a Song Using Scenes Playing with Scenes → The next time you select a new Scene or group of Scenes for looping, the new loop will start from the beginning of the first Scene (Retrigger enabled) or from the same position as where it left the current Scene (Retrigger disabled). 13.3.2.1 Adjusting the Perform Grid and Retrigger Setting on the MASCHINE MIKRO Controller Adjusting the Perform Grid To adjust the Perform Grid: 1. 2. Press and hold GRID to enter Grid mode.
Creating a Song Using Scenes Triggering Scenes via MIDI (MASCHINE Plug-in Only) 13.4 Triggering Scenes via MIDI (MASCHINE Plug-in Only) If MASCHINE is running as a plug-in in a host environment, you can trigger and change Scenes using MIDI Note or MIDI Program Change messages sent from your host to the MASCHINE plug-in. When this feature is enabled, MIDI notes or Program Change messages are linked to the first 128 Scenes slots MASCHINE’s Scene Manager (i.e.
Creating a Song Using Scenes Triggering Scenes via MIDI (MASCHINE Plug-in Only) 2. 3. 4. Click MIDI Scene Change from the menu. In the submenu that opens, select MIDI Note to trigger your Scenes via MIDI notes, Program Change to trigger your Scenes via MIDI Program Change messages, or None (default setting) to disable Scene MIDI Change completely. If necessary, reopen the same submenu and select the MIDI channel the Scenes should receive MIDI messages from (channel 1 by default).
Sampling and Sample Mapping Opening the Sample Editor 14 Sampling and Sample Mapping MASCHINE allows you to record internal or external audio signals using your audio interface without having to stop the sequencer. This is a useful feature if you want to record your own Samples, or rearrange loops that you have created yourself using MASCHINE. You can apply various types of destructive processing to the recorded audio or to any Sample you want to use in a Sound.
Sampling and Sample Mapping Opening the Sample Editor 2. Click the Sample Editor button on the left of the Pattern Editor to switch to the Sample Editor. The Sample Editor appears and displays the Sample content of the focused Sound. 3. In the Sample Editor, click the desired tab at the top to access the corresponding page: ▪ The Record page allows you to record new Samples: ↑14.2, Recording a Sample. ▪ The Edit page allows you to apply destructive edits to existing Samples: ↑14.3, Editing a Sample.
Sampling and Sample Mapping Recording a Sample 2. Press SAMPLING to enter Sampling mode and access the Sample content of the focused Sound: 3. Press NAV + pad 13–16 or (hold NAV and turn the Control encoder) to select the desired page: ▪ The Record page allows you to record new Samples: ↑14.2, Recording a Sample. ▪ The Edit page allows you to apply destructive edits to existing Samples: ↑14.3, Editing a Sample. ▪ The Slice page allows you to create Slices from your existing Samples: ↑14.
Sampling and Sample Mapping Recording a Sample The Record page looks as follows: The Record page in the software. 14.2.1.1 Opening the RECORD Page on the MASCHINE MIKRO Controller ► In Sampling mode, press NAV + pad 13 to access the RECORD page. You can also hold NAV and turn the Control encoder. The RECORD page looks as follows: The RECORD page on the controller.
Sampling and Sample Mapping Recording a Sample 1. 2. To select the parameters described in the following sections, press the Left/Right Arrow buttons. To adjust the selected parameter, turn the Control encoder (for continuous parameters, press and turn the Control encoder to adjust the value in finer increments). 14.2.
Sampling and Sample Mapping Recording a Sample You can also set SOURCE to Internal, choose as INPUT a Group with a drum kit loaded, and record your live improvisations on the pads while playing this drum kit! You will then have your own improvisations recorded as Samples, ready to be used, edited, sliced, etc.
Sampling and Sample Mapping Recording a Sample justing the threshold level — this fader is a strict equivalent to the THRESHOLD control described above. This way, you can easily visualize when the input signal exceeds the current threshold (and hence, when it would start the recording) and adjust that threshold accordingly. Prelistening to the input signal. Furthermore, If you have selected an external signal (Ext. Ster. or Ext.
Sampling and Sample Mapping Recording a Sample Parameter Description SOURCE Select the type of source you want to record. To record external audio signals connected to your audio interface, select EXT. STER. (for stereo signals) or EXT. MONO (for mono signals). To record audio signals coming from MASCHINE itself, select INTERNAL. INPUT Choose between the available inputs. The available inputs depend on the SOURCE setting (see above). If SOURCE is set to EXT. STER.
Sampling and Sample Mapping Recording a Sample Parameter Description MODE Select from two available recording modes: SYNC: If SYNC is selected, you can synchronize the recording function to the sequencer, so that the recording starts in sync with the sequencer after you press F1 (START). The recording will start at the top of the next bar.
Sampling and Sample Mapping Recording a Sample For more information on how to use the Cue bus, please refer to section ↑9.2.6, Using the Cue Bus. 14.2.3 Arming, Starting, and Stopping the Recording The Start and Cancel buttons. ► Click Start to arm the recording. After the recording has been armed, its behavior will depend on the recording mode you have selected (via the MODE selector, see section ↑14.2.
Sampling and Sample Mapping Recording a Sample If you want to start and stop the recording manually, you can set the MODE to Detect, dial the THRESHOLD down to OFF, and start the recording by clicking Start. To stop recording, click Stop. In any case the recorded audio will be stored in the Sound that was under focus as you started the recording.
Sampling and Sample Mapping Recording a Sample 14.2.3.1 Arming, Starting, and Stopping the Recording on the MASCHINE MIKRO Controller Starting and stopping the recording. ► Press F1 (START) to arm the recording. After the recording has been armed, its behavior will depend on the recording mode you have selected (via the MODE selector, see section ↑14.2.2, Selecting the Source and the Recording Mode above): ▪ When recording in Sync mode: ◦ The recording will start at the next bar.
Sampling and Sample Mapping Recording a Sample If you want to start and stop the recording manually, set the MODE to DETECT, dial the THRESHOLD down to OFF and start the recording by pressing START (F1). To stop recording, press STOP (F1). In any case the recorded audio will be stored in the Sound that was under focus as you started the recording.
Sampling and Sample Mapping Recording a Sample The waveform display and the information bar displaying a recording. (1) Waveform display Shows the waveform of the recording currently selected in the Recording History (5) — by default your last recording: ▪ Use the scroll wheel of your mouse to zoom in/out. You can also use the zooming scroll bar (2). ▪ When the Sample is played back (e.g.
Sampling and Sample Mapping Recording a Sample Click the main part of the scroll bar and drag your mouse horizontally to scroll through the waveform on the horizontal axis (time), or drag it vertically to zoom in/out on the same time axis. You can also click the left or right handle of the scroll bar and drag it horizontally to zoom in/out while keeping the opposite border of the display at a fix position in the waveform.
Sampling and Sample Mapping Recording a Sample Command Description Delete Deletes the displayed Sample from the Recording History. This has the same effect as clicking the little cross at the top right corner of the selected mini waveform in the Recording History. Remove unused recordings Deletes from the Recording History all recordings that are not currently mapped to any Zone in the Zone page.
Sampling and Sample Mapping Recording a Sample ▪ The selected recording is automatically loaded in the Sampler Plug-in and ready to be played. You can further edit the selected recording via the other pages of the Sampling mode. When selected, a recording is also automatically mapped to a new Zone covering the entire key and velocity ranges in the ZONE page. Any existing Zones will be replaced. ▪ Press the fully lit pad to listen to the displayed recording on the Cue bus (see section ↑9.2.
Sampling and Sample Mapping Editing a Sample Which Sample Is Shown in the Edit Page? The Edit page (EDIT page on your controller) always displays the Sample of the Zone currently selected (see section ↑14.5.4, Selecting and Managing Zones in the Zone List for more information on selecting Zones), and all your actions in that page will affect this particular Sample. For example: ▪ If you have just recorded a Sample, it will directly appear here.
Sampling and Sample Mapping Editing a Sample The Edit page in the software. (1) Waveform display Shows the waveform of the Sample for the focused Zone. The waveform display provides following tools: ▪ Drag any Sample onto the waveform to replace the current Sample for the focused Zone. If there is no Sample loaded yet, this automatically loads a Sampler Plug-in in the Sound and creates a Zone over the entire key and velocity ranges for the dragged Sample.
Sampling and Sample Mapping Editing a Sample ↑14.5.5, Selecting and Editing Zones in the Map View. Note that the loop will always stay within the play range. Therefore, when moving the Sample’s start and end points closer to each other, keep in mind that it might also shrink the loop! ▪ Playhead indicator: When the Sample is played back (e.g.
Sampling and Sample Mapping Editing a Sample Shows the time scale in seconds. (4) Zooming scroll bar Click the main part of the scroll bar and drag your mouse horizontally to scroll through the waveform on the horizontal axis (time), or drag it vertically to zoom in/out on the same time axis. You can also click the left or right handle of the scroll bar and drag it horizontally to zoom in/out while keeping the opposite border of the display at a fix position in the waveform.
Sampling and Sample Mapping Editing a Sample The EDIT page on the controller. The display shows you the waveform of the selected Sample. You can adjust the waveform view as follows: 1. Press and hold the VIEW button to enter View mode. You can also pin the View mode so that you can release VIEW and stay in View mode (see ↑2.3.5, Pinning a Mode on Your Controller). 2. Press F2 to select WAVE. 3. Press pad 2/6 to zoom in on the waveform of the Sample and pad 1/3 to scroll through it. 4.
Sampling and Sample Mapping Editing a Sample Page 1 – PLAY RANGE Parameters The parameters in the PLAY RANGE page allow you to adjust the range that will be played when you trigger a note. The EDIT page on the controller, page 1 of 2: adjusting the play range of the Sample. Parameter Description START Adjusts the start point of the play range in the Sample. END Adjusts the end point of the play range in the Sample. Press and turn the Control encoder to adjust the parameters in finer increments.
Sampling and Sample Mapping Editing a Sample The EDIT page on the controller, page 2 of 2: adjusting the selection range of the Sample. Parameter Description START Adjusts the start point of the selection range in the Sample. END Adjusts the end point of the selection range in the Sample. Press and turn the Control encoder to adjust the parameters in finer increments. In the waveform on the display, the selection range is highlighted.
Sampling and Sample Mapping Editing a Sample These audio editing functions are destructive, i.e. they modify the audio material in the Sample. However, your original Sample will not be modified: For each audio function that you perform, a new, distinct copy of the Sample will be saved! The playback settings of the Sample (e.g., tune, amplitude envelope, etc.) can be adjusted on the Zone page. See section ↑14.5.5, Selecting and Editing Zones in the Map View for more information. The Audio Toolbar.
Sampling and Sample Mapping Editing a Sample Time Stretching / Pitch Shifting When you select STRETCH in the Audio Toolbar, the bottom of the Edit page switches to the following set of controls: The stretch controls at the bottom of the Edit page. These controls allow you to adjust the parameters of the time stretching / pitch shifting function before applying it to the selected region. Pitch shifting and time stretching can be applied independently.
Sampling and Sample Mapping Editing a Sample Parameter Description SRC BPM (Source BPM, Allows to define the tempo of the original audio (in BPM). This tempo is defined in Beat mode only) different ways according to the AUTO DTCT value: If AUTO DTCT is enabled, you can set the length (in bars) of the original audio. You can choose between 1/2, 1, and 2 bars. The number between brackets indicates the resulting tempo (in BPM) derived from the number of bars you have set and the computed tempo value.
Sampling and Sample Mapping Editing a Sample Audio editing functions at the top of the display on the controller. 1. 2. Use F1 and F3 to select the desired audio function. Press F2 to perform the selected audio function. → The audio function will be performed on the selected region in your Sample, as defined by the START and END parameters of the SELECTION RANGE section on page 2 (see ↑14.3.1, Using the Edit Page). These audio processing functions are destructive, i.e.
Sampling and Sample Mapping Editing a Sample Parameter Description SILENCE This silences the selected region of the Sample. CUT This deletes the selected region from the Sample and places it into the clipboard for later use. COPY This copies the selected region of the Sample to the clipboard for later use. PASTE This pastes the cut/copied region of the Sample, replacing the region of the Sample currently selected. DUPL (Duplicate) This duplicates the selected region of the Sample.
Sampling and Sample Mapping Editing a Sample Parameter Description STRETCH section TUNE Adjusts the detuning (pitch shifting) to be applied (in semitones and cents). Leave this value to 0.00 to leave the original pitch untouched. FORMANT C Enables/disables the formant correction. Formant correction allows the pitch-shifted audio to retain the timbre (or “color”) of the original audio as much as possible. This is especially useful for melodic instruments.
Sampling and Sample Mapping Slicing a Sample Parameter Description LENGTH If AUTO DTCT is enabled, you can define the length of the target audio (in bars). Please note that any change to the SRC BPM value (see above) will be automatically mirrored by this LENGTH value. Once you have set the number of bars in the source audio, you can set here another number of bars, thereby dividing or multiplying the tempo of the target audio.
Sampling and Sample Mapping Slicing a Sample 4. Apply the slicing to your Sample and export the Slices — whether in place or to another Sound/Group: ↑14.4.4, Applying the Slicing. Which Sample Is Shown in the Slice Page? The Slice page (SLICE page on your controller) always displays the Sample of the Zone currently selected (see section ↑14.5.4, Selecting and Managing Zones in the Zone List for more information on selecting Zones), and all your actions in that page will affect this particular Sample.
Sampling and Sample Mapping Slicing a Sample The Slice page in the software. 14.4.1.1 Opening the SLICE Page on the MASCHINE MIKRO Controller ► In Sampling mode, press NAV + pad 15 to access the SLICE page. You can also hold NAV and turn the Control encoder. The SLICE page looks as follows: The SLICE page on the controller.
Sampling and Sample Mapping Slicing a Sample 1. 2. To select the parameters described in the following sections, press the Left/Right Arrow buttons. To adjust the selected parameter, turn the Control encoder (for continuous parameters, press and turn the Control encoder to adjust the value in finer increments). 14.4.2 Adjusting the Slicing Settings At the bottom of the Slice page, you can adjust the settings used to define where the various Slices will be created in the Sample.
Sampling and Sample Mapping Slicing a Sample Parameter Description SENSITIVITY (Detect mode only) When MODE is set to Detect (see above), SENSITIVITY lets you adjust the sensitivity of the transient detection. Higher values will cause more Slices to be detected because more transients will be recognized, lower values will result in less Slices. This parameter should be adjusted until all the musically significant slices are being detected in the waveform.
Sampling and Sample Mapping Slicing a Sample Selecting and Prelistening the Slices with the Pads At any time the proposed Slices are also available on your pads: The fully lit pad indicates the selected Slice, while the dim lit pads indicate the other Slices. ► Press any fully or dim lit pad to play back the corresponding Slice on the Cue bus (see section ↑9.2.6, Using the Cue Bus for more information). For more information on the Cue channel, please refer to section ↑9.2.6, Using the Cue Bus.
Sampling and Sample Mapping Slicing a Sample Parameter Description SLICES (Split and Grid mode only) When MODE is set to SPLIT (see above), SLICES lets you choose the amount of Slices: 4, 8, 16 or 32. When MODE is set to GRID (see above), SLICES lets you choose the length of the Slices in note values: 4th, 8th,16th or 32nd notes. SENSITIVITY (Detect mode only) When MODE is set to DETECT (see above), SENSITIVITY lets you adjust the sensitivity of the transient detection.
Sampling and Sample Mapping Slicing a Sample Parameter Description ENGINE Section (Detect mode only) ZERO-X (Zero Crossing, Detect mode only) When MODE is set to DETECT, activate ZERO-X to force the detected Slices to be created on the closest locations where the audio signal crosses the zero value. This can be helpful to avoid clicks when playing back Slices in another sequence. 14.4.
Sampling and Sample Mapping Slicing a Sample Shows the selected Sample with a couple of spread vertical lines in the waveform: this is where the Slices are going to be applied (i.e. cut). ▪ Hover a Slice with the mouse to select it (it is highlighted). Little “S” and “E” markers appear at the bottom of the Slice borders to indicate the start and end point of that Slice, respectively. ▪ Use the scroll wheel of your mouse to zoom in/out. You can also use the zooming scroll bar (2).
Sampling and Sample Mapping Slicing a Sample These default mouse actions are valid only if the SLICE and REMOVE buttons are disabled in the edit tools (5). Enabling any of them provides alternative mouse controls described below. (2) Zooming scroll bar Click the main part of the scroll bar and drag your mouse horizontally to scroll through the waveform on the horizontal axis (time), or drag it vertically to zoom in/out on this time axis.
Sampling and Sample Mapping Slicing a Sample ▪ DELETE ALL: Click the DELETE ALL button to delete all proposed Slices and start slicing from scratch again. The SLICE and REMOVE buttons are mutually exclusive. With SLICE or REMOVE enabled, you can still prelisten to your individual Slices by pressing the corresponding pads on your controller! 14.4.3.
Sampling and Sample Mapping Slicing a Sample Parameter Description START Adjusts the start point of the selected Slice. If the start point of the Slice and the end point of the previous Slice are still joined, moving the start point of the Slice simultaneously moves the end point of the previous Slice, so that both Slices stay joined. END Adjusts the end point of the selected Slice.
Sampling and Sample Mapping Slicing a Sample You can apply the slicing in various ways. (6) Apply button Exports the Slices to the same Sound. If you click Apply, the Slices will be mapped to individual notes of this Sound, the Sample Editor will be replaced by the Pattern Editor in Keyboard view, and the pads of your controller will switch to Keyboard mode so that you can directly play your Slices on the pads.
Sampling and Sample Mapping Slicing a Sample ◦ The Sample Editor will be replaced by the Pattern Editor in Keyboard view. ◦ The pads of your controller will switch to Keyboard mode so that you can directly play your Slices on the pads. ◦ Depending on the setting of the Pattern Creation selector (8), notes will be automatically created for each Slice (see below).
Sampling and Sample Mapping Slicing a Sample ◦ If Slices are exported to a Group the sequence of notes will contain one note for each Sound containing a Slice. Any existing notes for these Sounds will be replaced. Notes for other Sounds in the Pattern will stay untouched. ▪ No Pattern: No Pattern is created, and the current Pattern is left untouched.
Sampling and Sample Mapping Slicing a Sample 14.4.4.1 Exporting the Slices on the MASCHINE MIKRO Controller Once you are satisfied with the proposed and/or manually adjusted Slices (see section ↑14.4.2, Adjusting the Slicing Settings), you can apply the slicing in order to actually cut the original Sample and create these Slices. This is done via the two commands at the top of the display: APPL.TO (F2) and APPLY (F3). Exporting the Slices to a Sound 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. → Press F2 (APPL.TO).
Sampling and Sample Mapping Slicing a Sample Exporting the Slices to a Group 1. 2. 3. 4. → Press F2 (APPL.TO). The F2 button lights up, the APPL.TO label is highlighted, and a message at the bottom of the display invites you to select a Sound or a Group to export the Slices to. Press GROUP to start selecting the Group containing the target Sound. The GROUP button turns fully lit. Press the desired pad 9–16 to select the Group.
Sampling and Sample Mapping Mapping Samples to Zones → The Sample currently loaded in that Sound will be replaced by its own Slices, each of them being mapped to a particular note. This is equivalent to pressing F2 (APPLY TO) and selecting the Sound in which you already are preparing the Slices. 14.5 Mapping Samples to Zones Mapping Samples is a way to create Sounds with more than one Sample across the MIDI keyboard and with different velocities.
Sampling and Sample Mapping Mapping Samples to Zones The Zone page (here for an empty Sound). 14.5.1.1 Opening the ZONE Page on the MASCHINE MIKRO Controller ► In Sampling mode, press NAV + pad 16 to show the ZONE page. You can also hold NAV and turn the Control encoder. The ZONE page on the controller.
Sampling and Sample Mapping Mapping Samples to Zones 14.5.2 Zone Page Overview The Zone page provides following elements: The Zone page: an overview. (1) Zone List button: Shows/hides the Zone List (4). (2) Sample View button: Switches the Zone page between Map view and Sample view (5). (3) Information bar: Displays the file name and the length of the Sample in the focused Zone. Click and hold the little play icon on the left to play back the whole Sample on the Cue bus (see section ↑9.2.
Sampling and Sample Mapping Mapping Samples to Zones (4) Zone List: Shows all Zones in a list. The Zone List can be shown/hidden by clicking the Zone List button (1). Click an entry in the list to set the focus to that Zone. You can also select multiple Zones, move them via drag and drop, and add/delete Zones in the list. See section ↑14.5.4, Selecting and Managing Zones in the Zone List for a complete description of the Zone List.
Sampling and Sample Mapping Mapping Samples to Zones The key range of several Zones can overlap, as can the velocity range. Adding Multiple Samples at Once You can also drag several Samples to the Sample Map at once: 1. 2. → Hold [Ctrl] ([Cmd] on Mac OS X) or [Shift] on your computer keyboard and click the desired Samples in the Browser or in your operating system. Drag the selected Samples to the Sample Map. This will create multiple adjacent Zones. The width (i.e.
Sampling and Sample Mapping Mapping Samples to Zones The Zone List in the Zone page. ► Click the Zone List button next to the Slice tab to show/hide the Zone List. The Zone List allows you to add, remove, replace, select, and reorder Zones in the list. You can adjust the width of the Zone List by dragging its right border.
Sampling and Sample Mapping Mapping Samples to Zones 1. Click the “+” at the end of the Zone List. 2. A Load Sample dialog opens up. Navigate to the desired audio file on your operating system and press [Enter] to confirm. → A new Zone is created at the end of the list containing the dragged or selected Sample.
Sampling and Sample Mapping Mapping Samples to Zones 2. Navigate to the desired audio file on your operating system and press [Enter] to confirm. → The dragged or selected Sample replaced the previous Sample in the target Zone. Selecting a Zone in the List ► Click any Zone entry in the Zone List to put it under focus. → The focused Zone gets highlighted in color both in the list and in the Map view (if visible).
Sampling and Sample Mapping Mapping Samples to Zones Mouse/Keyboard Action Command Hold [Shift] and click two entries Selects both Zones and all Zones in-between. Press [Ctrl]+[A] ([Cmd]+[A] on Mac OS X) Selects/deselects all Zones in the list. When deselecting, only the focused Zone remains selected. Deleting Zones from the List To remove one or more Zone(s) from the Zone List: 1. 2. Select the Zone(s) you want to remove. Press [Del] or [Backspace] on your computer keyboard.
Sampling and Sample Mapping Mapping Samples to Zones 2. Click and hold the mouse button, and drag your mouse vertically. As the mouse pointer moves, an insertion line appears at various places between the existing entries. 3. When the insertion line indicates the desired location, release the mouse button to drop the selected Zone(s) to this new place. Moving Zones allow you to reorder the Zone List.
Sampling and Sample Mapping Mapping Samples to Zones For more information on the Cur channel, please refer to section ↑9.2.6, Using the Cue Bus. Removing a Zone ► On the ZONE page of Sampling mode, press SHIFT + F3 (REMOVE) to remove the focused Zone from the Sound. 14.5.5 Selecting and Editing Zones in the Map View The Map view is visible when the Sample View button (showing a little waveform icon at the right of the Zone tab) is disabled. Disable the Sample View button to see the Map view.
Sampling and Sample Mapping Mapping Samples to Zones (1) Sample Map The Sample Map shows all Zones contained in your Sound. ▪ The horizontal axis represents keys (or pitches) from C-2 to G8, while the vertical axis represents velocities from 0 to 127. ▪ Each Zone is depicted as a rectangle defining a specific key range (the rectangle’s width) and a velocity range (the rectangle’s height). Any note played within these key and velocity ranges will trigger the Sample of that Zone.
Sampling and Sample Mapping Mapping Samples to Zones Click the main part of the scroll bar and drag your mouse vertically to scroll through the Sample Map on the vertical axis (velocity), or drag it horizontally to zoom in/out on this velocity axis. You can also click the top or bottom handle of the scroll bar and drag it vertically to zoom in/out while keeping the opposite border of the display at a fix position in the Sample Map.
Sampling and Sample Mapping Mapping Samples to Zones Mouse/Keyboard Action Command Double-click a Zone Extends the key and velocity ranges of the Zone so that it fits the key and velocity limits of the neighbor Zones. This can be very useful to quickly fill up any key or velocity gap between Zones. Right-click ([Cmd]-click on Mac OS X) a Zone Opens the Sample Map menu (see below). Press [Del] or [Backspace] Removes the selected Zone(s) from the Sample Map.
Sampling and Sample Mapping Mapping Samples to Zones Enable the Sample View button to see the Sample view. The Sample view contains following elements: The Sample view of the Zone page. (1) Waveform display Shows the waveform of the Sample for the focused Zone. The waveform display provides following tools: ▪ Use the scroll wheel of your mouse to zoom in/out. You can also use the zooming scroll bar (3). ▪ Play range markers (4) and loop markers (5): See below.
Sampling and Sample Mapping Mapping Samples to Zones ▪ Context menu: Right-click (Mac OS X: [Ctrl]-click) anywhere in the waveform to open a context menu with the following commands: Command Description Open containing folder Opens the folder on your hard disk containing the Sample, providing quick access to the original file. Save Sample As… Opens a Save Sample As dialog allowing to save the Sample of the focused Zone under another name and/or to another location on your computer.
Sampling and Sample Mapping Mapping Samples to Zones 14.5.7 Adjusting the Zone Settings At the bottom of the Zone page, the Zone settings allow you to adjust how each Zone should be played back. The Zone settings in the software. The various sections always display the values for the focused Zone. If the MASCHINE window is not wide enough to display all Zone settings at once, a horizontal bar appears underneath to scroll to the desired section of parameters.
Sampling and Sample Mapping Mapping Samples to Zones Parameter Description END Adjusts the loop’s end point. XFADE (Crossfade) Allows you to blend a little of the material near the loop start and end points in order to get a smoother, less abrupt loop. This is particularly helpful if the loop is inducing any clicks. Alternatively you can also adjust the loop’ start and end points by dragging the borders of the loop in the Sample view, and move the entire loop by dragging its title bar.
Sampling and Sample Mapping Mapping Samples to Zones (5) MAP section The MAP section contains the parameters defining the key and velocity ranges of the Zone. Parameter Description KEY LO (Lowest Key) Sets the lowest note (key) of the focused Zone. Alternatively, you can drag the left border of the Zone in the Map. KEY HI (Highest Key) Set the highest note (key) of the focused Zone. Alternatively, you can drag the right border of the Zone in the Map.
Sampling and Sample Mapping Mapping Samples to Zones 2. Press NAV + Left/Right Arrow button to access the desired page of parameters. While you hold NAV, you see the name of the current page at the bottom of the display: 3. 4. Press the Left/Right Arrow buttons to select a particular parameter on the selected page. To adjust the selected parameter, turn the Control encoder. For continuous parameters, press and turn the Control encoder to adjust the value in finer increments.
Sampling and Sample Mapping Mapping Samples to Zones Page 2 – LOOP Parameters The parameters in the LOOP page allow you to define and adjust a portion that will play in loop while the note is held. The ZONE page on the controller, page 2 of 5: LOOP parameters. Parameter Description ACTIVE Enable this to define a loop in the Sample of the focused Zone. When the play position reaches the loop, the playback is looped as long as the note is held.
Sampling and Sample Mapping Mapping Samples to Zones The ZONE page on the controller, page 3 of 5: TUNE / MIX parameters. Parameter Description TUNE Sets the tuning of the focused Zone. GAIN Sets the gain of the focused Zone. PAN Sets the panorama position of the focused Zone. ROOT KEY Adjusts the root key of the focused Zone, that is the key at which the Sample will be played back at its original pitch.
Sampling and Sample Mapping Mapping Samples to Zones Press and turn the Control encoder to adjust the parameters in finer increments. Page 5 – MAP Parameters The MAP page contains the parameters defining the key and velocity ranges of the Zone. The ZONE page on the controller, page 5 of 5: MAP parameters. Parameter Description KEY LO (Lowest Key) Sets the lowest note (key) of the focused Zone. KEY HI (Highest Key) Sets the highest note (key) of the focused Zone.
Troubleshooting – Getting Help Troubleshooting 15 Troubleshooting – Getting Help This chapter assists you in solving common issues with MASCHINE and provides you with the necessary information for getting further assistance. Before getting help please make sure you have downloaded the latest MASCHINE software and documentation from Service Center! 15.1 Troubleshooting A few common issues and possible solutions when working with MASCHINE are listed in this section. 15.1.
Troubleshooting – Getting Help Troubleshooting ▪ It is not recommended to run the laptop on battery, as built-in power management systems might slow the clock rate of the CPU in an effort to extend battery life. ▪ Disconnect all unused hardware (e.g., printer, scanner). This will increase the amount of processing power available for your music software.
Troubleshooting – Getting Help Getting Help struments applications when showing the details for an application within the Overview page of the Service Center. Updates are available on the Update page in Service Center or on our website under: http://www.native-instruments.com/updates 15.
Troubleshooting – Getting Help Getting Help When communicating with the Native Instruments Support team, keep in mind that the more details you can provide about your hardware, your operating system, the version of the software you are running, and the problem you are experiencing, the better they will be able to help you.
Appendix: Tips for Playing Live Preparations 16 Appendix: Tips for Playing Live MASCHINE is a very hands-on tool for producing music as well as for performing live. Here we have specifically gathered some tips to help you when playing live. If you are used to playing live, you may not need them, but maybe you will find some new ideas to integrate into your set. 16.1 Preparations 16.1.
Appendix: Tips for Playing Live Preparations 16.1.4 Consider Using a Limiter on Your Master This sounds rather conservative, but if you want to avoid digital distortion caused by an overload of your audio interface, this is a useful safety measure. However, you might experience a somewhat squashed and dull sound if you overuse the Limiter by feeding a lot of loud signals to it. Try it out and see what works best for you! See ↑12.1.4, Limiter for more information. 16.1.
Appendix: Tips for Playing Live Basic Techniques 16.2.3 Create Variations of Your Drum Patterns in the Step Sequencer You can easily create interesting drum patterns by adding or removing steps in the step sequencer. Breaks and build-ups like snare rolls or a double-tempo hi-hat can be created on the fly. See ↑7.3, Recording Patterns with the Step Sequencer for more information on the step sequencer. 16.2.
Appendix: Tips for Playing Live Special Tricks 16.3.2 Load Long Audio Files and Play with the Start Point You can adjust the start point of a Sample in the Sampler’s Parameter pages (see ↑6.2.1, Page 1: Voice Settings / Engine). If you load a long audio file, you can create interesting variations by tweaking (…or modulating) the start point.
Glossary 17 Glossary In this glossary you will find short definitions for numerous terms used in the MASCHINE context. If you have any doubts about the meaning of a word, this is the place to check! Arranger The Arranger is the big area located in the upper part of the MASCHINE window, right under the Header, when the MASCHINE software is in Mix view (default view). On its left you can select Groups.
Glossary BPM BPM stands for “beats per minute.” It is the most common unit to measure the tempo in a musical context. Browser The Browser is the front end for accessing all MASCHINE files: Projects, Groups, Sounds, presets for Instrument and Effect Plug-ins, and Samples. Each of these can be stored, tagged, and categorized in a way that allows you easy access to all of them.
Glossary Choke Groups Choke group allows you establish links between pads so that triggering the Sound of a pad automatically mutes other Sounds in that Choke group. You can have up to eight Choke groups in each Group. In a Choke group, each pad can be set as Master or Slave: Pressing a Master pad will trigger its own Sound and mute all other Sounds in the Choke group, while pressing a Slave pad will only trigger its own Sound. Clip Clips are found in the Arranger in form of colored blocks.
Glossary Event Events are the individual drum hits or notes that make up a Pattern. In the Pattern Editor, events are visually represented by rectangles in the Event area. Depending on the current view in the Pattern Editor, you can see events for all Sounds slots (Group view) or for the focused Sound slot only (Keyboard view). Groove Properties The Groove properties control the rhythmic relationship between events for the selected Group/ Sound or the Master. By shifting some of the events, you can e.g.
Glossary Header The Header is the topmost row of controls in the MASCHINE software window. Always visible, the Header contains global settings, such as the Master Volume slider, the Transport controls, controls for global swing, tempo, time signature, etc. Keyboard View Keyboard view is the view of the Pattern Editor that shows events for the focused Sound only. The Keyboard view provides a vertical on-screen keyboard that indicates the pitch of each event (one row per semi-tone).
Glossary Macro Control Each Sound, each Group as well as the Master provides Macro Controls to which you can assign any of its parameters (of any parameters of any Sound or Group within it). This way, in any Sound, any Group or the Master you can define your custom set of parameters for quick access! Master The Master is where all audio signals from each of the Groups and Sounds come together and get mixed. The Master channel can also have any number of insert effects loaded in its Plug-in slots.
Glossary Parameter Pages The Parameter pages constitute the biggest part of the Control area in the MASCHINE window. They contain the adjustable parameters for the Plug-ins and Channel properties of the focused Sound/Group or those of the Master. Pattern A Pattern is a sequence that plays Sounds from a Group. It belongs to that Group and will be saved together with the Group. In every Scene you can choose for each Group which of its Patterns has to be played.
Glossary Project A Project contains all data needed for a song: all Groups, Patterns, Sounds, Samples, Scenes and all settings, modulation, effects, routings, etc. It’s like a snapshot of the entire state of MASCHINE. Quantization To quantize a Pattern is to make its events snap to a set of equally distributed locations known as steps. This ensures that these events are on beat. You can also let MASCHINE automatically quantize events that you record live.
Glossary Scene A Scene is a combination of Clips for your different Groups. Each Clip references a specific Pattern of a Group. In a Scene you can create one Clip for each Group. Scenes are located in the Arranger. They can be used to build up a finished arrangement or to trigger different parts of a song during a live performance. Send Effect A send effect is an effect available for audio signals located in other Sounds and/or Groups.
Glossary Step Steps are elementary time blocks. They are notably used to apply quantization or to compose Patterns from your controller in Step mode. All steps together make up the Step Grid. In the software’s Pattern Editor, steps are visualized by vertical lines. You can adjust the step size (i.e. the Step Grid resolution), e.g., to apply different quantization to different events or to divide the Event area into finer divisions to edit your Pattern more precisely.
Glossary Time Signature The time signature of a Project (or song) defines both the Project’s time unit (e.g., the quarter note) and the Project’s bar length measured in that unit (e.g., four quarter notes). The time signature is written in form of a fraction: for example, a time signature of 3/8 will mean that the Project’s time unit is the eighth note, and the Project’s bars are three eighth note long.
Index Index A definition [673] Amplitude Envelope (Sampler) [216] [221] Arranger [550] [552] definition [673] selecting a Loop Range [586] ASIO driver [75] Attribute Editor [109] AU plug-ins [225] Audio rendering from Patterns [313] rendering from Sounds/Groups/Project [164] Audio and MIDI Settings [73] Audio page [74] MIDI page [76] Routing page [75] Audio driver (selecting) [74] Audio input [327] [479] Audio interface [670] selecting inputs and outputs [75] B Base key [178] Beat Delay [534] Bit dep
Index C Color Channel Group [153] Groove properties [189] Pattern [308] Input properties (Audio page) [327] [479] Scene [580] Macro properties [364] Sound [141] Output properties (Audio page) [331] Compressor [497] Output properties (Aux page) [336] Control area Channel properties [325] definition [674] Groove [189] Input [327] [479] Macro [364] Output [331] [336] [340] Choke All Notes [188] Choke group definition [675] definition [675] Control Lane [289] definition [673] Control mode def
Index adjusting the output [340] Cut/copy/paste events/notes (controller) [283] events/notes (software) [281] D Delay effects [534] Delete events/notes (controller) [279] events/notes (software) [278] Group [159] Digital distortion [544] Display brightness and contrast [69] Distortion [542] avoiding [670] Driver selecting an audio driver [74] Drum program files importing [170] Duplicate Group [156] Pattern (controller) [310] Pattern (software) [309] Scene (controller) [584] Scene (software) [583] Sou
Index E Gate [501] EDIT page Grain Delay [537] controller [615] Grain Stretch [539] Edit page (software) [611] Ice [526] Effect categories insert effect [676] delays [534] introduction [29] distortions [542] Limiter [506] dynamics [497] loading [466] filtering [512] Lofi [544] modulation [518] manipulating [475] spatial and reverbs [526] Maximizer [509] Effects [466] [496] Metaverb [527] applying [466] multieffect [493] applying to external audio [479] Phaser [524] Beat Delay [5
Index cut/copy/paste (controller) [283] External audio [327] [479] cut/copy/paste (software) [281] External Plug-ins [225] definition [676] deleting (controller) [279] deleting (software) [278] editing with the mouse [268] introduction [28] moving (controller) [278] moving (software) [275] nudging (controller) [278] nudging (software) [277] paste (controller) [283] paste (software) [281] quantizing [284] F File type selecting in Browser [87] File Type selector [84] FILES pane [115] Filter [514] Filte
Index G naming [152] Gate [501] Output properties (Audio page) [331] Grain Delay [537] Output properties (Aux page) [336] Grain Stretch [539] pasting [156] Groove [189] rendering audio from [164] Groove properties [189] saving [154] saving with Samples [161] definition [676] set up as send effect [486] Group applying effects to [466] soloing [184] color [153] triggering Sounds via MIDI notes [346] copying and pasting [156] Group index [185] creating [149] Group List [129] definition [
Index I L Ice [526] Latency [75] [669] [677] Import LFO [514] [519] [524] MIDI to Pattern [316] IMPORT button [123] Library [81] importing your own files [123] Importing your files into the Library [123] LIBRARY pane [83] Input properties Limiter [506] Audio page [327] [479] Input Quantization [263] Insert effect [676] Instance definition [676] using [670] Link group definition [677] Link groups [180] Load Group with Patterns [108] K Key [178] Keyboard mode (controller) [176] quick erasin
Index M importing to Pattern [316] Macro Controls [364] keyboard [177] definition [678] sending MIDI from Sounds [360] MASCHINE Library [81] synchronizing [78] [79] MASCHINE software triggering Scenes via [593] stand-alone or plug-in [50] Master triggering Sounds via MIDI notes [346] MIDI Clock [78] [79] applying effects to [466] Missing Samples [124] definition [678] MODES Filter [85] Groove properties [189] Modulation [285] introduction [28] [129] definition [678] Macro properties [
Index Sound [146] Move events/notes (controller) [278] N Name Multieffect [493] Group [152] Multi-effect [671] Pattern [306] Mute [670] Scene [578] definition [678] Sound slot [140] Plug-in slot [207] Native Instruments Plug-ins [225] Sound or Group [184] New features in MASCHINE 2.
Index selecting (software) [272] P transposing (controller) [278] Pad modes (controller) [175] transposing (software) [276] definition [678] Nudge events/notes (controller) [278] Pad sensitivity [69] Nudge events/notes (software) [277] Pads Choke groups [179] O Octaves transposing events/notes by [278] Output properties Audio page [331] [340] Aux page [336] Overdub mode (controller) [256] Link groups [180] recording [256] Parameter page definition [679] navigating [41] Parameter pages contro
Index deleting (software) [303] resizing events/notes (software) [275] deleting events/notes (controller) [279] selecting (controller) [300] deleting events/notes (software) [278] selecting (software) [299] doubling (controller) [285] selecting events/notes (controller) [273] duplicating (controller) [310] selecting events/notes (software) [272] duplicating (software) [309] step sequencer (controller) [264] editing (software) [237] transposing events/notes (controller) [278] exporting MIDI fr
Index adjusting parameters [207] Prehear [106] bypassing [207] definition [679] introduction [29] [679] Pre-listening Samples [106] loading [200] Preset loading presets [212] External Plug-ins [233] moving [210] loading Plug-in presets [212] muting [207] Native Instruments Plug-ins [233] recalling presets [212] recalling Plug-in presets [212] saving presets [211] saving Plug-in presets [211] Switching instances [52] using VST/AU presets [233] Plug-in Preset Project definition [679] d
Index R in LIBRARY pane [85] [99] Recall Plug-in preset [212] Record Count-in [261] Input Quantization [263] Overdub mode [256] Record Prepare mode (controller) [259] Replace mode [257] Retrigger Scenes [590] Reverb [530] Reverberation effects [526] REX files importing to Sounds [169] Root key setting [659] [663] Routing [466] RECORD page (controller) [598] Record page (software) [597] Record Prepare mode (controller) [259] Redo [46] Reflex [529] Rendering audio [164] Replace mode (controller) [257]
Index S slicing (software) [625] Sample Sampling mode (controller) [596] definition [680] Saturator [546] exporting with Group [161] Save exporting with Project [162] Group [154] importing into Library [123] Group with Samples [161] missing [124] Plug-in preset [211] pre-listening [106] Project with Samples [162] Sample Editor [595] definition [680] Sample rate Sound [142] Scene [550] arranging (software) [552] definition [680] clearing (software) [582] exporting audio [168] color [5
Index moving (software) [581] naming [578] pasting (controller) [584] Retrigger [590] Semitones transposing events/notes by [278] Send effect [486] definition [681] selecting (controller) [570] Send MIDI Clock [79] selecting (software) [567] Sequencer selecting a Loop Range [586] transitions [590] triggering via MIDI [593] Scene bank creating (controller) [578] definition [681] Slice [625] definition [681] exporting (controller) [640] exporting (software) [637] creating (software) [576] SLICE p
Index Input properties (Audio page) [327] [479] input and output routing [75] Input properties (MIDI page) [346] settings [74] introduction [27] [129] Stand-alone application [50] Macro properties [364] Step moving [146] muting and soloing [184] naming [140] Output properties (Audio page) [331] Output properties (Aux page) [336] definition [682] Step Grid [251] definition [682] Step mode (controller) [264] definition [682] Output properties (MIDI page) [360] Step sequencer (controller) [264]
Index T Tube saturation [548] Tag Filter TYPES Filter [85] using [94] Tags assigning Types and Sub-Types [113] creating [114] U Undo [46] V Take Undo/Redo [47] [48] Velocity scaling [69] Tape saturation [547] View switching [29] Template Project plug-in [59] VST plug-ins [225] stand-alone [59] W Text search using in Browser [99] What’s new in MASCHINE 2.
