Native Instruments Maschine Manual

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The information in this document is subject to change without notice and does not represent a commitment on the part of native instruments gmbh. The software described by this docu- ment is subject to a license agreement and may not be copied to other media. No part of this publication may be copied...

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Table of contents 1 welcome to maschine .............................................................................................23 1.1 maschine documentation .......................................................................................................... 24 1.1.1 maschine getting star...

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2.8.2 joining and leaving a link session ........................................................................... 102 3 browser ....................................................................................................................104 3.1 browser basics .................................

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4.3.1 creating groups ........................................................................................................ 190 4.3.2 loading groups ......................................................................................................... 192 4.3.3 renaming groups ...................

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6.1.7 moving plug-ins ........................................................................................................ 278 6.1.8 alternative: the plug-in strip ..................................................................................... 280 6.1.9 saving and recalling plug-in presets...

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7.6 creating midi tracks from scratch in maschine ....................................................................... 380 7.7 managing patterns ..................................................................................................................... 382 7.7.1 the pattern manager and ...

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9.5 controlling your mix from your controller ................................................................................... 500 10 using the drumsynths ................................................................................................502 10.1 drumsynths – general handling ..........

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11.2 applying effects to external audio .............................................................................................. 600 11.2.1 step 1: configure maschine audio inputs ................................................................ 600 11.2.2 step 2: set up a sound to receive the ...

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12.7.7 tremolo ...................................................................................................................... 695 12.7.8 scratcher ................................................................................................................... 697 13 working with the arran...

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14.2.6 location and name of your recorded samples .......................................................... 776 14.3 editing a sample ........................................................................................................................ 776 14.3.1 using the edit page ................

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16.3.1 changing pattern length for variation ...................................................................... 882 16.3.2 load long audio files and play with the start point .................................................. 882 17 troubleshooting ..................................................

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1.1 maschine documentation native instruments provide many information sources regarding maschine. The main docu- ments should be read in the following sequence: 1. Maschine getting started 2. Maschine manual (this document) additional documentation sources provide you with details on more specific ...

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1.2 document conventions this section introduces you to the signage and text highlighting used in this manual. This man- ual uses particular formatting to point out special facts and to warn you of potential issues. The icons introducing these notes let you see what kind of information is to be expe...

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1 2 3 4 5 6 8 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 8 7 the unlabeled buttons and knobs on the maschine controller. For better reference, we applied a special formatting here: throughout the document, the ele- ments are capitalized and numbered, so the buttons above the displays are written button 1 to button 8, while the ...

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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 ...

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Scene a scene is a combination of patterns for each group. They can be used to combine patterns in order to create musical ideas. Scenes are created in the ideas view and then added to sections in the arranger view to create an arrangement. Refer to chapter ↑ 13.3, using arranger view for more infor...

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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. You can also select browser ...

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Minimizing/maximizing the mixer. 2.2.5 showing/hiding the control lane when maschine is in arrange view, you can show/hide the control lane under the pattern editor: ► click the arrow button on the bottom left of the pattern editor to show and hide the con- trol lane. Basic concepts adjusting the ma...

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We show here how to put sounds and groups in focus when the maschine software is in arrange view (default view). For instructions on putting sounds and groups in focus in mix view, please refer to chapter ↑ 9.2.3, selecting channel strips . Setting the focus on a group ► to put a group in focus, cli...

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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). The focused group is highlighted. The pattern editor displays the sounds and patterns of that group. 2. Click the desired sound slot in the sound list of the pattern e...

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Once the sound is focused you can use button 1–3 above the left display to quickly switch between the master, the containing group and the focused sound! See section ↑ 2.3.2, switch- ing between the master, group, and sound level for more information. You can also select multiple sounds at once to a...

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2.3.4 navigating channel properties, plug-ins, and parameter pages in the control area we describe here how to display/edit any plug-in parameters or channel properties located in any sound, group or the master. To select a particular plug-in or a particular set of channel properties, you first need...

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In the software the names of the available pages are displayed at the top of the parameter area. The name of the page currently displayed is highlighted. ► click the desired page name at the top of the parameter area to show the corresponding parameter page. The parameter pages of the sound’s output...

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4. Press button 7/8 to navigate the channel properties or plug-ins (the name of the selected channel properties or plug-in appears between the left and right arrows under button 7 and 8). Upon your selection the parameters of the selected channel properties or plug-in are shown on the displays of yo...

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2.3.4.1 extended navigate mode on your controller the navigate mode on your controller can be used to navigate the parameter pages of channel properties and plug-ins and adjust the view settings of specific areas in the software interface. ► press and hold navigate to enter navigate mode. You can al...

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2.3.5 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. You can undo nearly everything you did after loading or creating your project. Note: if you save your project, you will no longer be able...

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2.3.6 pinning a mode on your controller besides the default control mode, your controller has various other modes of operation, which you can enter by pressing their dedicated buttons. Depending on their purpose and workflow, these controller modes are of two types: ▪ temporary modes only stay activ...

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▪ 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. ▪ maschine (mk2) controller: press shift + step , turn knob 5 (or press button 5/6) to select the desired instance, and press button 8 to load it. ...

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The maschine library and the kontakt browser reference the instrument files con- tained in the folder. Do not delete or move the folder afterwards, otherwise maschine and kontakt will not be able to access the instrument files. 2.4.2 loading nks and third-party plug-ins from the plug-in menu the plu...

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Audio and midi handling when maschine is used in stand-alone mode, it directly communicates with your audio and midi interface. You can select which physical audio/midi ports have to be used on your inter- face, and configure crucial audio settings like the sample rate. All this is done via the audi...

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◦ rule 2: the maschine controllers (legacy and mk2) have prority focus over ma- schine mikro controllers (legacy and mk2). ◦ rule 1 has priority over rule 2. 2.6 preferences the preferences panel lets you specify various settings for maschine. ► to open the preferences panel, click preferences… in t...

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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 basic concepts preferences maschine - manual - 64.

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Setting description enabled check this box to activate the metronome. You can also enable the metronome by clicking the metronome button in the maschine header — see section ↑ 7.2.3, using the metronome . Auto-enable when recording auto-enable option automatically turns on the metronome when you sta...

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1. Open the general page of the preferences by clicking preferences… in the maschine menu (mac os x) or file menu (windows) of the application menu bar, or in the file sub- menu of the maschine menu. 2. Click the allow usage data tracking checkbox to enable or disable user data tracking. Usage data ...

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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. Asio config (windows only) click open panel to access specific controls rel...

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The preferences – midi page. Basic concepts preferences maschine - manual - 72.

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Setting 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...

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Setting description project standalone here you can select a project to load automatically when you start a new project in maschine used as a stand-alone application. The field displays the location of the template project selected for use. Click the folder icon to select another template project. A...

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At the top of the page, the factory and user buttons allow you to switch between the factory pane and the user pane. 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. Basic concepts preference...

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The preferences panel – the library page’s user pane. 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. Basic ...

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The user content folder can neither be renamed nor removed from the list. You can modify its path in the location column. Standard user directory cannot be removed the standard user directory can neither be renamed nor removed from the list in the user pane of the library page in the preferences pan...

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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 ma- schine library. To do this: 1. Click add at the bottom of the pane. A folder selection dialog opens up. 2. In the dialog, navigate to the desired folder on your computer...

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The preferences panel – the plug-ins page’s manager pane. Basic concepts preferences maschine - manual - 86.

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Manager pane: use ni audio units checkbox (mac os x only) on mac os x, the manager pane contains an additional use ni audio units checkbox. Check this box to include the audio units (au) versions of your native instruments plug-ins in the software’s plug-in menus and in the controller’s plug-in brow...

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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 plug-ins), you should rescan your plug-in directories in order to keep the list of available plug-ins up to date. Clicking resca...

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Setting description velocity scaling velocity scaling determines how your playing is translated into velocity values: starting from soft 3 (a soft touch is enough to get a big velocity value) through linear to hard 3 (you really have to hit the pad hard to get a big velocity value). Display brightne...

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▪ one device (maschine or komplete kontrol s-series) focused on that instance: the controller menu holds only one entry for that device. This entry is always selected and you can adjust the settings for that device. ▪ two devices (one controller from the maschine family and one komplete kontrol s- s...

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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. G...

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1. Hook it up to the maschine hardware controller’s midi in or midi out socket on the rear panel. 2. If maschine is running as a stand-alone application, activate the corresponding midi in- put and/or output(s) of your maschine studio controller in the midi page of the prefer- ences panel (see ↑ 2.6...

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If you want to configure maschine to react to other midi messages than midi clock, in particular if you want to control maschine notes and parameters via midi, please refer to section ↑ 8.2, using midi control and host automation , where this is described in detail. 2.7.3 send midi clock if maschine...

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2.8 syncing maschine using ableton link ableton link is a protocol that synchronizes beat, phase and tempo of link-enabled applica- tions on the same computer or over a shared network. This means you can conveniently keep applications synchronized across different devices or join a group jam with ot...

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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 categoriz- ing them by using keywords. Given that the maschine software has some advantages over the hardware in this...

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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 ↑ 3.6, loading and importing files from your file system . 3.2 searching and loading files fro...

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(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 dis- played in the result list (8). See section ↑ 3.2.5, choosing between factory and user content . (4)...

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▪ the left display and the buttons and knobs on either side allow you to narrow your search by selecting the file type, the content type (factory or user files), the product/bank/sub- bank, and the desired type (and possibly mode) tags. ▪ the right display shows you the corresponding result list. It...

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1 2 3 the opened product selector. (1) product selector header: the header shows the selected product—if there is no selection it shows a generic label ( all instruments ). Click on the header to close the product selector. (2) category/vendor selector: allows you to sort the product list by categor...

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The bank menu showing all banks for polyplex the bank menu allows you to select a particular bank of files for the selected product (poly- plex in the picture above). Banks can be additional libraries (for example massive expansions), different versions of the original factory library (for example f...

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→ the product selector opens up and shows you the following: 1 2 3 4 the opened product selector (for instrument presets). (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 a...

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→ the product selection is cancelled. The product selector displays the generic label corre- sponding to the selected file type (project, group, sound, instrument preset, effect pre- set or sample). The tag filter and the result list under the product selector now include files for all products. Sel...

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3.2.3.1 selecting a product category, a product, a bank, and a sub-bank on the controller on your controller in browse mode: ► press either page button (left of the displays) so that the header above the three fields of knob 1–3 read product . Selecting a product, a bank, and a sub-bank on your cont...

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The content selector. ► click the ni icon to search the factory content, or click the user icon to search the user content. Choosing the factory or user content using the controller on your controller in browse mode: ► at the top right of the left display, press button 4 ( user ) to browse the user ...

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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 th...

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► click the small triangle located to the left of the attributes ( types or modes ). → the attribute sections will collapse results will be shown depending on the amount of space available. Click the triangle again to reopen the sections. Highlighted triangle next to the attributes (types and modes)...

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3.2.7 performing a text search in the search field you can enter your search query. The search field. ► click in the search field and type the desired text to limit the results to files containing this text. The search will be performed on the file paths, the file names, the products/banks/sub-banks...

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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 ...

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▪ when dragging several instrument presets, you have the same options as when dragging sev- eral sounds (see above). Each instrument preset will be loaded into in its own sound, and the sound will take the name of the preset. ▪ when dragging several effect presets, you have following options: ◦ if y...

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Check that the desired group or sound slot is focused and/or the desired plug-in slot is selected before loading the file from the browser to avoid loading it at the wrong place! To set the focus to a group or a sound slot, you can use group buttons a – h and the pads without leaving browse mode (se...

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Autoload is not available when browsing samples with prehear enabled — see section ↑ 3.3.2, auditioning your samples . When prehear is enabled, button 5 and 6 select the previous/next sample in the result list without loading it automatically. 3.3.2 auditioning your samples when you are browsing sam...

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+patterns is only available when browsing groups. Loading groups with patterns using the controller when browsing groups on your controller: ► -press shift + button 4 ( + pat ) to include or exclude patterns when groups are loaded. → when the option is enabled (button 4 lit and + pat label highlight...

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Assigned as a favorite, and also match all other selected filters, including the search query en- tered into the search field. Favorites are available for both the factory content and the user content. Here are some important notes regarding the use of favorites: ▪ favorites are automatically shared...

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1. Click on the filter favorites control next to the search field to filter the results by favor- ites: 2. The filter favorites control is now lit and the results list shows all favorites that match the selected search criteria: adding an item to the favorites list to add an item to the favorites, f...

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1. Click on the lit set favorite icon to remove the corresponding item from the favorites. 2. The item is removed from the favorites, indicated by the hidden set favorite icon. The next time you select the favorites filter, the item will not be shown in the results list. Using favorites with the con...

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▪ at any time you can edit the tags and properties of user files already in the library by se- lecting 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,...

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You cannot modify the attributes shown in the bank page — they are automatically assigned by maschine. 3.5.3 the types and modes pages the types and modes pages display and let you modify the tags assigned to the file(s) se- lected in the result list above. ▪ the types page is available for all file...

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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 pa- rent 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 ...

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4 5 6 1 2 3 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 ↑ 3.6.2, using ...

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► 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. Favorites can be useful if you often return to the same location while browsing your file system in the files pane: save this location ...

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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. 3.6.5 using the result list the res...

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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 ↑ 3.2.8, loading a file from the result list . Additional features in the resul...

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3. Select the desired folder as described above. 4. Click the import button at the bottom right of the browser. You will be presented with the attribute editor. 5. In the attribute editor, tag the files you are about to import to the library as described in section ↑ 3.5, editing the files’ tags and...

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Locating or purging missing samples at a later time when sample references cannot be resolved, two additional purge missing samples and find missing samples appear in the context menu of the affected sound(s) in the sound list. The purge missing samples and the find missing samples entries in the co...

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▪ quick browse for instrument/effect presets and for samples: click the magnifying glass in the upper right corner of the control area to recall the search query that was used for the plug- in in the selected slot: ◦ if a sampler plug-in is selected, it will recall the search query used for the samp...

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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 ...

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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. Th...

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▪ the selection, on the other hand, determines what will be affected by your actions (e.G., adjusting a parameter). For example, the focused sound (i.E. The one you clicked in the sound list) is implicitly selected — nothing special here: this just means that the sound whose parameters are currently...

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Selecting multiple sounds/groups in the software to select multiple sounds or multiple groups in the maschine software, simply use the com- mon keyboard shortcuts of your operating system: in the sound list or the pad view for sounds, and in the group list for groups. Following actions are available...

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The multi option (button 8) switches between single and multiple selection: ▪ when multi is disabled (button 8 off): ◦ pressing the group button / pad of an unselected group/sound sets the focus to that group/sound and clears the current group/sound selection (only the focused group/ sound is then s...

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4.2.1 loading sounds you can load a readymade sound from the browser or from your operating system. The sound can be included in the maschine library or any expansion pack but it can also be a sound you have created yourself and saved for later use. You have many methods at your disposal to load a s...

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1. Press and hold the select button. 2. Check that button 2 ( events ) is disabled — if necessary, press it to disable it. 3. Press the pad containing the desired sound. → the sound is focused without being triggered. 4.2.3 renaming sound slots by default, sound slots are named sound 1 – 16 . If you...

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Notes on changing the color of multiple sounds when opening the color palette (in order to set a new color setting for the selected sounds): ▪ if the selected sounds have the same color setting (a particular color or the default color), this color is highlighted in the color palette. ▪ if the select...

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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: 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 pr...

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The copying procedure for multiple sounds is as follows: when you copy a selection of sounds, they are both placed into the clipboard and kept in the sound list. The pasting procedure for multiple sounds is as follows: ▪ when you paste a selection of sounds onto a sound slot, the pasted sounds repla...

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2. While holding the mouse button, drag your mouse toward the desired location in the sound list or in the pad view. As the mouse cursor moves an insertion line appears at the potential places where you can drop the sound slot(s). 3. When the insertion line appears at the desired location in the sou...

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→ 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. Group menu many of the functions described in the following sections are available in the following two context menus: managing sounds, groups, and...

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▪ 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. 4.3.1 creating groups creating a group will add a new ...

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Automatic group bank management in maschine group banks are managed automatically, so that you don’t have to create or de- lete them manually. Group are always adjacent in the group list: you cannot have any gap in the group list — nor in any group bank. When you create a new group, the following ha...

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If you use maschine as a plug-in, some hosts will utilize the [enter] key, as it is map- ped to some function of the host software. In this case, click anywhere else in the ma- schine plug-in window to confirm the name you have entered. 4.3.4 changing the group’s color you can change the color of ea...

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► 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 b...

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In the software, groups are copied without their clips in the arranger. To include the clips in the copying operation, use duplicate on your controller (see below)! To copy and paste groups in the software: 1. Right-click (on mac os x: [ctrl]-click) the group you want to copy in the group list or th...

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The pasting procedure for multiple groups is as follows: ▪ when you paste a selection of groups onto an existing group, the pasted groups replace that group and the following groups. Example: if you paste the groups a1 and b1 onto the group e2, the duplicates of a1 and b1 will replace the groups e2 ...

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2. While holding the mouse button, drag your mouse vertically toward the desired location in the group list. As the mouse cursor moves, an insertion line appears at the potential places where you can drop the group. 3. When the insertion line appears at the desired location, release the mouse button...

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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 ma- schine library. If you want to take a group to another studio or if you want to backup or share a custom drum kit with all the related files, this comes in handy. To s...

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1. Choose save project with samples… from the file menu or the file submenu in the ma- schine 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. Managing sounds, gro...

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2. Choose export audio… from the file menu or from the file submenu in the maschine menu. You will be presented with the export audio panel (see picture below). 3. In the export page of the export audio panel, select the source(s) and the destination (see description below). 4. If you wish, click th...

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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 o...

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The export 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 so...

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Names of the exported audio files the exported audio files are named according to following rules: ▪ if master output is selected in the output menu the audio file will be named as follows: [project name] - [bpm].Wav/aiff ▪ if group outputs is selected in the output menu the audio files will be name...

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Mpc parameter mpc500, 1000, 2500 mpc400 0 mpc2000 (xl) mpc300 0 maschine parameter range lower/higher x x − − high/low key tuning x x x x tune attack x x x x attack decay x x x x decay voice overlap x − x x polyphony filter1 type x − − − filter type filter1 frequency x − x x filter cutoff filter1 re...

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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. The list be...

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► 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 f...

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Parameter description keyboard (button 2) 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. The right display indicates the pitches played by each pad. See the next paragraph for a detaile...

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To shift the scale in octaves use button 5 (octave down) or button 6 (octave up). You can also shift the scale in semitones: use button 7 (semitone down) and button 8 (semitone up). Of course all these settings stay active when you press pad mode again to leave pad mode. Try to experiment with all k...

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1. Hold the pad mode button to enter pad mode (or press pad mode + button 1 to pin it). On the right display, the key indicated for pad 1 (in the bottom left corner) is the current base key. 2. Press button 5 ( oct- ) / 6 ( oct+ ) to adjust the base key by octaves, or button 7 ( semi- ) / 8 ( semi+ ...

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To assign the selected pad(s) / sound slot(s) to a choke group and set its/their choke mode on your controller: 1. Hold the pad mode button to enter pad mode (or press pad mode + button 1 to pin it). 2. If necessary, press the page left button to switch to the first parameter page of the pad mode. 3...

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Sound slots 1 to 4 are selected. If they have different choke values, a multi label appears (left). When you click it and select a new choke or link group from the list (middle), this new group is applied to all selected sounds. This is also true when adjusting the parameter from your controller. To...

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Adjusting the choke or link parameter for multiple sounds with different choke or link values ► click the multi label next to choke or link and select the desired value from the list to set all selected sounds to that same choke or link group, respectively. This also applies to the master/slave sett...

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▪ mute and solo allow you to selectively mute and solo sounds and groups: ↑ 5.4.1, mute and solo . ▪ choke all notes allow you to cut all playing audio: ↑ 5.4.2, choke all notes . ▪ groove allows you to give a shuffling flair to individual sounds/groups or to your entire project: ↑ 5.4.3, groove . ▪...

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Muting a sound ► to mute a sound, click the number on the left side of the sound slot in the pattern edi- tor. 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 trig- gered, but the audio coming from previo...

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▪ on the displays, the unmuted sounds and groups are highlighted while the muted ones are not (and the empty ones are… empty). In both modes the displays provide a few more functions: ▪ all on (button 5) turns all sounds on in the selected group. ▪ none (button 6) turns all sounds off in the selecte...

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The groove properties for a sound in the software. 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 stren...

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Level shortcuts 1. To change the output level of the master (i.E. The overall output level of maschine), sim- ply turn the volume knob. 2. To change the output level of a group, hold its group button (first navigate to its group bank if necessary) and turn the volume knob. 3. To change the output le...

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At the master level, the shortcut controls the tempo parameter in the header. The tempo parameter in the software’s header. At the group and sound level, the shortcut works only with sounds containing a sam- pler or a drumsynth plug-in. The shortcuts control the tune parameter of the pitch / gate se...

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The control signal flow—pads in group mode the following diagram illustrates signal flow between your hits on the pads in group mode and the resulting sounds: the signal flow including the perform features (note repeat, choke group, and link group) when your pads are in group mode. In this picture y...

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→ hit a few pads: they trigger the notes from the minor pentatonic scale based on d. Fur- thermore all your pads were shifted two semitones up so that pad 1 still triggers the root note of the selected scale. Now we want the pads to trigger chords instead of single notes. First we want chords based ...

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The root note parameter replaces the base key parameter found in the keyboard mode of previous maschine versions and still available in group mode. Although the root note is edited in the same way as the base key on your controller, keep in mind that both are independent of each other. Compared to t...

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◦ if chord mode is set to chord set, the chord type parameter provides 16 different sets of 12 chords each (8 major sets and 8 minor sets): major 1, major 2, …, major 8, and minor 1, minor 2, …, minor 8. The 12 chords are mapped onto the first 12 pads. Pads 13–16 are disabled. When chord mode is set...

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Enharmonic spelling of the root note on your controller, depending on the scale type, chord mode, and chord type you have se- lected, the enharmonic spelling of the root note will vary in order to optimize the spelling of the entire scale / chord set: condition enharmonic spelling scale type is set ...

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▪ you can use note repeat and arp even if the transport is not running: in this case the note repeat / arp engine will use its own central clock. This clock will be reset as soon as you start the playback. Komplete kontrol s-series owners: the central clock is shared by all connected devices, so tha...

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5.6.2 using extended lock extended lock presents an overview of all your lock snapshots. Here you can recall, update, or clear your snapshots. You can also set options for morphing between snapshots. To enter lock view: 1. Press the control button to enter control mode. 2. Press shift + button 4 ( e...

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Element description morphing morph select to switch morphing on or off mode. Mode travel will morph the selected snapshots without syncing to the grid. The morph will begin instantly instead of waiting until the next bar begins. The duration of the morph is set using the time parameter. Target will ...

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⇨ this opens the following menu: ⇨ click midi lock change from the menu. 2. In the submenu that opens, select midi note to trigger your lock snapshots via midi notes, program change to trigger your lock snapshots via midi program change messag- es, or none (default setting) to disable midi lock chan...

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The control area displaying the content of the sound kick ordinance of the selected sound slot 1. 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 maschine - manual -...

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Instrument plug-ins effect plug-ins internal plug-ins sampler, drumsynths maschine internal effects native instruments plug-ins vst/au instrument plug-ins from native instruments’ range of products vst/au effect plug-ins from native instruments’ range of products external plug-ins third-party vst/au...

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The control area above. The control area will now show the content (channel properties or plug-ins) of the sound we have just selected. 2. At the far left of the control area, click the little plug icon to display the plug-ins. This displays the plug-in list on the left of the control area: the plug...

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A few plug-ins loaded. This down-pointing arrow lets you open the plug-in menu for slots already hosting a plug-in. ► in the plug-in list, click the down-pointing arrow at the right of a plug-in name to open the plug-in menu for that slot. You can also right-click ([ctrl]-click on mac os x) the plug...

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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...

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→ the focus slot can be selected from the browser. 6.1.3.2 loading, removing, and replacing a plug-in on your controller on the maschine controller, do the following: 1. Press control to enter control mode. 2. Select the sound, group or the master where you want to load, remove or replace a plug- in...

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You can also recall the search query that was used to find the plug-in preset currently loaded in the plug-in slot (see section ↑ 3.8, using quick browse for more information). 6.1.4 adjusting the plug-in parameters the procedure for adjusting the plug-in parameters is common to all types of plug-in...

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6. Press button 7/8 to select the desired plug-in slot. The name of the selected plug-in appears in the field between the left and right arrows under button 7 and 8. If there are no plug-ins in the channel this will read (none) . 7. Press shift + button 5 ( bypass ) above the right display to bypass...

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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 du- plicate the plug-in to another slot! Moving a plug-in on the controller on your controller in control mode, you can move a plug-in to another slot of the sa...

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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… saves the current settings and assignments as the default preset for the plug-in. This default preset will be loaded ...

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3. Click remove default preset in the menu to remove the default preset. → the default plug-in preset is removed and the plug-in will load with its initialized settings next time it is opened. You can also use the plug-in manager in the preferences panel to gain an overview of your de- fault plug-in...

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6.2.1 page 1: voice settings / engine sampler parameters – page 1 of 6: voice settings and engine on the controller. 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 th...

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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. This parameter can also be modulated by the velocity control, see ↑ 6.2.5, page 5: lfo . Re...

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Parameter description sustain (adsr only) sustain determines the constant level being kept after decay until the note ends. This can also be controlled by an external midi controller or keyboard using the midi control change 64. Release (adsr only) release determines how long the sound takes to fade...

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6.2.4 page 4: modulation sampler parameters – page 4 of 6: modulation envelope and destination on the controller. Sampler parameters – page 4 of 6: modulation envelope and destination in the software. Modulation envelope the modulation envelope section offers an additional envelope allowing further ...

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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 (triang...

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Parameter modulation destination start start parameter of the pitch / gate section on the pitch / envelope page (page 2). Positive values shift the sample start position later in time as you play harder, negative values shift it closer to the beginning of the sample as you play harder. Tip: a typica...

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Maschine showing the user interfaces of a few native instruments plug-ins (monark, passive eq, guitar rig, and fm8). When a native instruments or external plug-in has been loaded into a plug-in slot, a little di- agonal arrow appears left of the parameter pages’ tabs, at the top of the control area:...

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▪ 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: opening/closing plug-in windows on the controller on the maschine controller, to open/close ...

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Note that parameters of native instruments and external plug-ins are systematically as- signed to knobs (not to switches nor selectors) in maschine — this is also true in the maschine software. A parameter of a native instruments or external plug-in can be assigned to one knob only! To begin assigni...

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(5) parameter label fields: double-click these fields to enter custom labels for your parameters (press [enter] to confirm). These labels will be mirrored everywhere in maschine for the cor- responding parameters. (6) reset button: click reset to remove the assignment for the selected knob. (7) lear...

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Menu item description keyboard shortcuts delete deletes current page with all assignments. Clear all clears all the assignments, and deletes all of the pages. 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 factor...

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Some vst/au plug-ins can run both as instrument and effect plug-ins. When loading a preset for such a plug-in, check that the preset can be effectively loaded in the current plug-in slot — in particular, take care to load presets for instruments in the first plug-in slot of sounds only! To avoid any...

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7 working with patterns creating a pattern is where the fun starts, because the sequencer really is the core of ma- schine. 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...

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(3) sample editor button: click this button to switch between the pattern editor and the sample editor. The sample editor is covered in chapter ↑ 12, effect reference . (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 e...

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▪ the grid mode lets you adjust the step grid: ↑ 7.1.7, adjusting the step grid and the nudge grid . 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...

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7.1.3 following the playback position in the pattern if the event area doesn’t display the entire loop range selected, at some point the playhead will go beyond the portion of the pattern currently displayed and you might loose sight of the playback position. To prevent this, you can force the event...

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► 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 automati- cally moves it to the corresponding position in the arranger. However, using the timeline of the pattern ed...

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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. The keyboard view alternatively, you can switch the pattern editor to keyboard view: ► click the keyb...

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1. To adjust the pattern grid resolution, click the value near the grid: label in the pattern length controls and select the desired setting from the menu (see above for the available settings). → the divisions of the pattern grid now have the size you have just selected. The following pattern grid ...

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Method 2: using the grid mode in grid mode you can adjust the various grids used in maschine, including the pattern grid resolution: 1. Press and hold grid to enter grid mode. You can also press button 1 to pin grid mode so you can release grid (see ↑ 2.3.6, pinning a mode on your controller ). 2. P...

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Enabling or disabling the step grid ► to enable or disable the step grid, click the step grid button (showing a little grid icon) in the bottom left corner of the pattern editor. The step grid is enabled. Adjusting the step grid the step grid resolution can be adjusted via the step size menu, showin...

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1. Hold grid to enter grid mode. 2. Press button 4 ( step ) to access the step and nudge grid settings. The right display will show you which pad represents a resolution: 3. Select a step size by pressing the corresponding pad. Alternatively you can repeatedly press button 5–8 to successively select...

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Recording a pattern: press play then rec and hit some pads! 1. Press play to start the sequencer. The play button lights up. 2. Press rec to begin recording. The rec button lights up. 3. Now hit the pads you want to record and listen to what happens. Each hit will create an event in the pattern edit...

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▪ if a pattern is already selected (i.E. Loaded in the pattern editor), the events are recorded in that pattern. This is also true if the playhead of the arranger currently is within an auto- matic repetition of the original clip. ▪ if no pattern is selected, engaging record (in overdub or replace m...

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▪ you can select custom sounds for the metronome’s downbeats and upbeats in the prefer- ences’ default page (see section ↑ 2.6.4, preferences – default page for more details). The time signature of the metronome can be set to differ from the time signature of your project! This can be useful to reco...

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On your controller: ► press shift + rec to start the count-in and record in overdub mode. Or ► press shift + erase + rec to start the count-in and record in replace mode (see sec- tion ↑ 7.2.1, recording your patterns live for more information on the replace mode). Adjusting the count-in duration yo...

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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 . ▪ the event velocity is defined by how hard you hit the pads, u...

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► if button 5 ( follow ) is disabled, press button 7 and 8 to manually switch to the previ- ous/next 16 steps both on your pads and on the right display. Adjusting your pattern (left display) the left display of your controller allows you to adjust a few settings for your pattern. You can adjust the...

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The event position will be adjusted independently of the current step grid: it is de- signed as a fine adjustment within the current step. Alternatively you can use the controls in the edit section of your controller to edit the selected events — see section ↑ 7.4.4, editing selected events/notes , ...

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Action function double-click note delete selected notes right-click (mac os x: [ctrl]-click) delete selected notes 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 selecte...

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7.4.2 creating events/notes in the software you can create new events anywhere in the event area using your mouse. The procedure depends on the active mouse edit mode (select, paint or erase). Each event is created at the beginning of the step in which your mouse cursor is located, ac- cording to th...

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Selecting events/notes on the controller using your controller you can select particular events from the current pattern. This will allow you to edit them without affecting the other events. Quick selecting events and notes the quickest and easiest way to select events is the following: ► press shif...

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Selection tool description page buttons drop the current selection and select the previous/next individual event for the focused sound. Knob 4 ( event ) selects individual events for the focused sound using the events’ index number (their “order of appearance” in the pattern). If the selection conta...

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In the software you can edit events with your mouse only if select mode is selected in the edit mode selector: click the cursor icon on the left to select events with your mouse. Action function editing selected notes drag note horizontally moves selected notes in time according to the step grid (se...

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▪ whereas dragging is based on the step grid, the nudge command is based on the nudge grid (see section ↑ 7.1.7, adjusting the step grid and the nudge grid ). ▪ whereas you can drag notes beyond the end of the pattern, nudged notes reaching the end of the pattern are automatically sent to the beginn...

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The following paragraphs will show you alternate editing functions available from your pads. These functions also work outside select mode. 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). ...

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▪ if your pads are in keyboard mode and events (button 2) is enabled in the left display, the lit pads show you the pitches (of the focused sound) for which the pattern contains events. ▪ if your pads are in keyboard mode and events (button 2) is disabled in the left display, the lit pads show you t...

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1. To cut or copy the selected events, press [ctrl] + [x] or [ctrl] + [c] ([cmd] + [x] or [cmd] + [c] on mac os x), respectively. You can also right-click ([ctrl]-click on mac os x) in the background of the event area and select cut or copy from the context menu. The selected events are placed in th...

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Cut, copy, and paste events/notes on your controller to copy and paste selected events from your controller: 1. To copy the selected events, press shift + pad 11 ( copy ). 2. If you want to cut the selected events before pasting them, press shift + pad 9 ( clear ) to delete the original events. 3. T...

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Using quantization on the controller you can quantize your notes at any time, no matter how you recorded them. They will be quan- tized 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 --- missing link --- fo...

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Keep in mind that doubling a pattern twice results in a pattern that is four times as long. 7.4.10 adding variation to patterns variation provides an abundance of inspiration and even “happy accidents” when applied to your workflow. The variation engine contains two modes: ▪ humanize: this mode adds...

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Element description velocity range velocity lo create notes with a velocity no lower than the set value. Velocity hi create notes with a velocity no higher than the set value. Chords (keyboard mode) note count set the amount of notes that are available to make up a chord per step. This is also calcu...

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Modulation vs. Automation although both deal with automatic change of maschine parameters, modulation and automa- tion have to be distinguished. The following table summarizes the main differences: modulation automation source of control internal (e.G., changes recorded via auto-write) external (e.G...

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Also note that your macro controls will be modulatable if, and only if, their target parameters are themselves modulatable. For more information on macro controls please refer to section ↑ 8.3, creating custom sets of parameters with the macro controls . 7.5.2 recording modulation in the software in...

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► press shift + pad 10 ( clr automation ) to delete all modulation for all parameters of the focused sound or group. You can also record modulation from the step sequencer! See recording modulation in step mode for more information. 7.5.3 creating and editing modulation in the control lane you can a...

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As soon as some modulation is recorded for a parameter in a particular pattern of the group, the corresponding modulator and modulation track appear for all patterns of the group. The track will be empty for patterns in which you haven’t recorded any modulation for this parame- ter yet. Similarly, i...

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To create a new modulation track: 1. To create a new modulation track for a parameter 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. 2. To create a new modulation track for a parameter of a group, click the desired grou...

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