Playing on the controller

Abstract

Learn how to get the most out of your Maschine Mikro MK3 controller, both for live performances and when recording Patterns.

This chapter describes the numerous features available in Maschine to assist and enhance your playing on the controller, both during live performances and when recording Patterns.

Selecting a pad mode

You can switch the pads of your controller between different input modes to adapt the way they react to your playing:

In Group mode (the default pad input mode) each Sound of the focused Group is mapped to one pad: Each pad triggers a different Sound and you can play the entire Group at once. For example, this is well suited for drum kits or collections of loops. Refer to Playing the entire Group.
In Keyboard mode the 16 pads play the same Sound at 16 different pitches, which allows you to play melodies. You can also set the pads to play in the desired scale. Refer to Playing melodies and selecting scales.
In Chord mode the pads let you trigger chords by hitting single pads. You can choose chords from the desired scale, from factory chord sets, or from your own custom chord sets. Refer to Playing chords.
In Step mode you can use the pads to create your Patterns in a step sequencer. For more information on the Step mode, refer to Recording Patterns with the step sequencer.
By default, your pads are velocity-sensitive: they will play louder if you hit them harder. Instead, in 16 Velocities mode the 16 pads play the focused Sound at 16 different predefined velocities, while the Fixed Velocity option lets you trigger all your Sounds at a constant velocity. Refer to Using the Fixed Velocity option and the 16 Velocities mode.

Note

You can adjust the touch sensitivity and the velocity scaling of your pads on the Hardware page of the Preferences. Refer to Preferences – Hardware page for more information.

Playing the entire Group

The PAD MODE button located above the pads allows you to switch the pads of your controller to Group mode, which is the pads’ default mode. In Group mode each Sound of the focused Group is mapped to one pad. For example, this is well suited for drum kits.

With the pads in Group mode, hitting a pad both triggers its Sound and sets this Sound under focus.

Press PAD MODE to switch the pads to Group mode.
The PAD MODE button turns on and your pads trigger the various Sounds in your Group.

Activating Group mode on your controller automatically switches the Pattern Editor to Group view in the software, and inversely.

Group mode settings

When the PAD MODE button is active (fully lit), the display shows the base key for the focused pad, which defines the pitch of the note triggered by the pad. You can turn the Encoder to adjust the base key in semitones, or hold SHIFT and turn the Encoder to adjust the base key in octaves. Refer to Adjusting the base key for more information.

Note

When you leave this display and switch back to Control mode (by pressing PAD MODE again, or by pressing CHANNEL or PLUG-IN), your pads stay in Group mode, as indicated by the dim lit PAD MODE button. The pads will stay in Group mode until you explicitly switch them to another pad input mode by pressing another button above the pads.

Playing melodies and selecting scales

The KEYBOARD button located above the pads allows you to switch the pads to Keyboard mode. In Keyboard mode your pads play the focused Sound at different pitches. This is well suited for melodic instruments. By default, the pads trigger every semitone of the chromatic scale, starting from the root note on pad 1. You can change this behavior by mapping the pads to the scale of your choice.

Press KEYBOARD to switch the pads to Keyboard mode.
The KEYBOARD button turns on. When you now play on the pads, they all trigger the focused Sound, but at different pitches.

Activating Keyboard mode on your controller automatically switches the Pattern Editor to Keyboard view in the software, and inversely.

Tip

Try to experiment with all kinds of Samples in the Keyboard mode; some unnoticed Samples can sound really interesting if you play them at very low or very high pitches.

About scales and the Keyboard mode

When using Keyboard mode to play scales, keep in mind the following:

The scale parameters are the same for all Sound slots in the Group. You can have different scale parameters for each Group. The scale parameters in each Group are saved with the Project. However, when you save a Group, the scale parameters are not saved with the Group.
The scales apply only to the pads of your controller. They do not affect the input from third-party MIDI controllers nor the notes recorded in the Patterns.
The scale parameters cannot be modulated nor automated in Maschine.
If a Sound slot contains a Komplete instrument providing control notes on particular keys (e.g., key switches), these notes will not be triggered by the scales.

Keyboard mode settings

When the KEYBOARD button is active (fully lit), you can see and adjust the Keyboard mode settings on the display:

Press the Left or Right Arrow button to show the desired parameter on the display.
Turn the Encoder to adjust the selected parameter.

Note

When you leave this display and switch back to Control mode (by pressing KEYBOARD again, or by pressing CHANNEL or PLUG-IN), your pads stay in Keyboard mode, as indicated by the dim lit KEYBOARD button. The pads will stay in Keyboard mode until you explicitly switch them to another pad input mode by pressing another button above the pads.

The following parameters are available:

Parameter	Description
Root Note	Adjusts the root note of the scale played by the pads (C3 by default), in semitones. You can also hold SHIFT while turning the Encoder to adjust the root note in octaves. The root note is always mapped to pad 1. As you adjust the root note, the pitches played by the pads are transposed accordingly.
Scale Bank	Selects a bank of scales. The scales from the selected bank will be available in the Scale parameter. By default the Main bank is selected.
Scale	Selects the scale mapped onto the pads: The root note is on pad 1, the 2nd note of the selected scale is on pad 2, etc. Once all notes are mapped, the following pads trigger the scale in the next octave. By default the chromatic scale (Chrom) is selected and the pads trigger the 16 semitones upwards starting from the root note. Refer to Available scales for a list of the available scales.

When you create a new Group, the last selected scale is automatically assigned.

Note

The scale parameters (root note, scale bank, and scale type) are common to the Keyboard mode and the Chord mode. This allows you to quickly switch between single notes and matching chords by pressing the KEYBOARD and CHORDS buttons. For more information on the Chord mode, refer to Playing chords.

Enharmonic spelling of the root note

On your controller, depending on the selected Scale Type, the root note will be spelled differently to optimize the spelling of the scales:

Scale Type	Enharmonic spelling
Chromatic	C	C♯	D	D♯	E	F	F♯	G	G♯	A	A♯	B
not Chromatic	C	C♯	D	E♭	E	F	F♯	G	A♭	A	B♭	B

Available scales

The following scale types are available in the various scale banks:

Main scales

Scale	Bank	Type	Degree formula
Chromatic	Main	Chrom	1 ♭2 2 ♭3 3 4 ♭5 5 ♭6 6 ♭7 7
Major	Main	Major	1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Minor	Main	Minor	1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7
Harm Min	Main	Harm Min	1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 7
Maj Pent	Main	Maj Pent	1 2 3 5 6
Min Pent	Main	Min Pent	1 ♭3 4 5 ♭7
Blues	Main	Blues	1 ♭3 4 ♯4 5 ♭7
Japanese	Main	Japanese	1 2 ♭3 5 ♭6
Freygish	Main	Freygish	1 ♭2 3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7
Gypsy	Main	Gypsy	1 2 ♭3 ♯4 5 ♭6 7
Arabic	Main	Arabic	1 ♭2 3 4 5 ♭6 7
Altered	Main	Altered	1 ♭2 ♯2 3 ♯4 ♭6 ♭7
Whole Tone	Main	WH Tone	1 2 3 ♯4 ♯5 ♭7
H-W Dim	Main	H-W Dim	1 ♭2 ♯2 3 ♯4 5 6 ♭7
W-H Dim	Main	W-H Dim	1 2 ♭3 4 ♯4 ♯5 6 7

Modes scales

Scale	Bank	Type	Degree formula
Ionian	Modes	Ionian	1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Dorian	Modes	Dorian	1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 ♭7
Phrygian	Modes	Phrygian	1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7
Lydian	Modes	Lydian	1 2 3 ♯4 5 6 7
Mixolydian	Modes	Mixolyd	1 2 3 4 5 6 ♭7
Aeolian	Modes	Aeolian	1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7
Locrian	Modes	Locrian	1 ♭2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7
Ionian b2	Modes	Ion b2	1 ♭2 3 4 5 6 7
Dorian b5	Modes	Dor b5	1 2 ♭3 4 ♭5 6 ♭7
Harm Phryg	Modes	Har Phry	1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 7
Phryg Major	Modes	Phry Maj	1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 6 7
Lydian b3	Modes	Lyd b3	1 2 ♭3 ♯4 5 6 7
Major Locrian	Modes	Maj Loc	1 2 3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7
Minor Locrian	Modes	Min Loc	1 2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7
Super Locrian	Modes	Sup Loc	1 ♭2 ♭3 ♭4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7

Jazz scales

Scale	Bank	Type	Degree formula
Lydian ♭7	Jazz	Lyd ♭7	1 2 3 ♯4 5 6 ♭7
Altered	Jazz	Altered	1 ♭2 ♯2 3 ♯4 ♭6 ♭7
Diminished	Jazz	Diminshd	1 ♭2 ♯2 3 ♯4 5 6 ♭7
Mixo b13	Jazz	Mix b13	1 2 3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7
Mixo b9 b13	Jazz	Mixb9b13	1 ♭2 3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7
Lydian ♭7 b2	Jazz	Lyd ♭7b2	1 ♭2 3 ♯4 5 6 ♭7
Bebop	Jazz	Bebop	1 2 3 4 5 6 ♭7 7
Whole Tone	Jazz	Whole Tn	1 2 3 ♯4 ♯5 ♭7
Blues Maj	Jazz	Blues Ma	1 2 ♭3 3 5 6
Blues Min	Jazz	Blues Mi	1 ♭3 4 ♯4 5 ♭7
Blues Combined	Jazz	BluesCmb	1 2 ♭3 3 4 ♯4 5 6 ♭7
Lydian #5	Jazz	Lyd #5	1 2 3 ♯4 ♯5 6 7
Jazz Minor	Jazz	Jazz Mi	1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 7
Half Dim	Jazz	Half Dim	1 2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7
Augmented	Jazz	Augmentd	1 ♭3 3 5 ♯5 7

World scales

Scale	Bank	Type	Degree formula
Hungarian Min	World	Hung Min	1 2 ♭3 ♯4 5 ♭6 7
Hungarian Maj	World	Hung Maj	1 ♯2 3 ♯4 5 6 ♭7
Neapolitan	World	Neapoltn	1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 7
Spanish	World	Spanish	1 ♭2 ♭3 3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7
Greek	World	Greek	1 2 ♭3 ♭4 5 ♭6 ♭7
Jewish 1	World	Jewish 1	1 ♭2 3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7
Jewish 2	World	Jewish 2	1 2 ♭3 ♯4 5 6 ♭7
Indian 1	World	Indian 1	1 ♭2 ♭3 ♯4 5 ♭6 7
Indian 2	World	Indian 2	1 2 ♭3 ♯4 5 6 7
Indian 3	World	Indian 3	1 ♭2 2 4 5 ♭6 6
Indian 4	World	Indian 4	1 ♯2 3 4 5 ♯6 7
Mid East 1	World	M East 1	1 ♭2 3 4 5 ♭6 7
Mid East 2	World	M East 2	1 ♭2 3 4 ♭5 ♭6 7
Mid East 3	World	M East 3	1 ♭2 ♭3 4 ♭5 6 ♭7
Mid East 4	World	M East 4	1 ♭2 3 4 ♭5 6 ♭7

5-Tone scales

Scale	Bank	Type	Degree formula
Penta I	5-Tone	Pent I	1 2 3 5 6
Penta II	5-Tone	Pent II	1 2 4 5 ♭7
Penta III	5-Tone	Pent III	1 ♭3 4 ♭6 ♭7
Penta IV	5-Tone	Pent IV	1 2 4 5 6
Penta V	5-Tone	Pent V	1 ♭3 4 5 ♭7
Hirajoshi	5-Tone	Hira	1 2 ♭3 5 b6
Insen	5-Tone	Insen	1 ♭2 4 5 ♭7
Kokin Joshi	5-Tone	Kokin	1 2 4 5 b6
Akebono	5-Tone	Akebono	1 2 ♭3 5 6
Ryukuan	5-Tone	Ryukuan	1 3 4 5 7
Abhogi	5-Tone	Abhogi	1 2 ♭3 4 6
Bhupkali	5-Tone	Bhupkali	1 2 3 5 b6
Hindolam	5-Tone	Hindolam	1 ♭3 4 ♭6 ♭7
Bhupalam	5-Tone	Bhupalam	1 ♭2 ♭3 5 b6
Amritavarshini	5-Tone	Amrita	1 3 ♯4 5 7

Modern scales

Scale	Bank	Type	Degree formula
Octatonic	Modern	Octatonc	1 2 ♭3 4 ♯4 ♯5 6 7
Acoustic	Modern	Acoustic	1 2 3 ♯4 5 6 ♭7
Augmented	Modern	Augmentd	1 ♭3 3 5 ♯5 7
Tritone	Modern	Tritone	1 ♭2 3 ♭5 5 ♭7
Leading Wh Tone	Modern	Lead Wh	1 2 3 ♯4 ♯5 ♯6 7
Enigmatic	Modern	Enigmatc	1 ♭2 3 ♯4 ♯5 ♯6 7
Scriabin	Modern	Scriabin	1 2 3 ♯4 6 ♭7
Tcherepnin	Modern	Tcherepn	1 ♯1 ♯2 3 4 5 ♯5 6 7
Messiaen I	Modern	Mes I	1 2 3 ♯4 ♯5 #6
Messiaen II	Modern	Mes II	1 ♭2 ♯2 3 ♯4 5 6 ♭7
Messiaen III	Modern	Mes III	1 2 ♭3 3 ♯4 5 ♭6 ♭7 7
Messiaen IV	Modern	Mes IV	1 ♭2 2 4 ♯4 5 ♭6 7
Messiaen V	Modern	Mes V	1 ♭2 4 ♯4 5 7
Messiaen VI	Modern	Mes VI	1 2 3 4 ♯4 ♯5 ♯6 7
Messiaen VII	Modern	Mes VII	1 ♭2 2 ♭3 4 ♯4 5 ♭6 6 7

Major scales

Scale	Bank	Type	Degree formula
Natural	Major	Natural	1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Lydian	Major	Lydian	1 2 3 ♯4 5 6 7
Mixolydian	Major	Mixolyd	1 2 3 4 5 6 ♭7
Major Minor	Major	Maj Min	1 2 3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7
Harmonic Major	Major	Har Maj	1 2 3 4 5 ♭6 7
Dbl Har Major	Major	Dbl Maj	1 ♭2 3 4 5 ♭6 7
Neapolitan Maj	Major	Nea Maj	1 ♭2 3 4 5 6 7
Major Locrian	Major	Maj Loc	1 2 3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7
Blues Major	Major	Blues Ma	1 2 ♭3 3 5 6
Bebop Major	Major	Bebop Ma	1 2 3 4 5 ♯5 6 7
Hexa 1	Major	Hexa 1	1 2 3 5 6 7
Hexa 2	Major	Hexa 2	1 2 3 4 5 6
Penta 1	Major	Penta 1	1 2 3 5 6
Penta 2	Major	Penta 2	1 3 4 5 7
Penta 3	Major	Penta 3	1 3 5 6 7

Minor scales

Scale	Bank	Type	Degree formula
Natural	Minor	Natural	1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7
Dorian	Minor	Dorian	1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 ♭7
Phrygian	Minor	Phrygian	1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7
Minor Major	Minor	Min Maj	1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 7
Harmonic Minor	Minor	Har Min	1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 7
Dbl Har Minor	Minor	Dbl Min	1 2 ♭3 ♯4 5 ♭6 7
Neapolitan Min	Minor	Nea Min	1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 7
Minor Locrian	Minor	Min Loc	1 2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7
Blues Min	Minor	Blues Mi	1 ♭3 4 ♯4 5 ♭7
Bebop Minor	Minor	Bebop Mi	1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 7
Hexa 1	Minor	Hexa 1	1 2 ♭3 5 ♭6 ♭7
Hexa 2	Minor	Hexa 2	1 2 ♭3 4 5 b6
Penta 1	Minor	Penta 1	1 2 ♭3 5 b6
Penta 2	Minor	Penta 2	1 ♭3 4 5 ♭7
Penta 3	Minor	Penta 3	1 ♭3 5 ♭6 ♭7

Playing chords

The CHORDS button located above the pads allows you to switch the pads to Chord mode. In Chord mode you can play chords for the focused Sound by hitting single pads. You can choose between chords from the selected scale or chords from factory sets, or user-created chords.

Press CHORDS to switch the pads to Chord mode.
The CHORDS button turns on. When you play on the pads, they trigger various chords.

Activating Chord mode on your controller automatically switches the Pattern Editor to Keyboard view in the software.

About chords and the Chord mode

When using Chord mode to play chords, keep in mind the following:

The chord parameters are the same for all Sound slots in a Group. You can have different chord parameters for each Group. The chord parameters of each Group are saved with the Project. However, when you save a Group, the chord parameters are not saved with the Group.
The chords are generated only when using the pads of your controller. The chord generation does not apply to the input from third-party MIDI controllers nor to the notes recorded in the Patterns.
The chords are recorded into the Patterns.
The chord parameters cannot be modulated nor automated in Maschine.
If a Sound slot contains a Komplete instrument providing control notes on particular keys (e.g., key switches), these notes will not be triggered by the chords.

Chord mode settings

When the CHORDS button is active (fully lit), you can see and adjust the Chord mode settings on the display:

Press the Left or Right Arrow button to show the desired parameter on the display.
Turn the Encoder to adjust the selected parameter.

Note

When you leave this display and switch back to Control mode (by pressing CHORDS again, or by pressing CHANNEL or PLUG-IN), your pads stay in Chord mode, as indicated by the dim lit CHORDS button. The pads will stay in Chord mode until you explicitly switch them to another pad input mode by pressing another button above the pads.

The following parameters are available:

Parameter	Description
Root Note	Adjusts the root note used to build the chord on pad 1 (C3 by default), in semitones. You can also hold SHIFT while turning the Encoder to adjust the root note in octaves. As you adjust the root note, the chords played by the pads are transposed accordingly.
Mode	Selects from three different modes for generating chords: Harmonizer: Generates chords based on the pads that you hit and using notes in the selected scale. You can select the desired scale by switching the pads to Keyboard mode (refer to Keyboard mode settings). When you trigger the chord, the pads of all the included notes will flash. Chord Set: Lets you map various factory sets of chords onto the first 12 pads. You can then use the Type parameter to choose a particular chord set. The chords in the set are not bound to any scale, they are affected only by the Root Note parameter. In this mode only the pad(s) that you hit will flash. User Chords: Lets you map one of your own sets of user chords onto the first 12 pads. You can then use the Type parameter to choose a particular set of user chords. Like in Chord Set mode, these chords are not bound to any scale and are affected only by the root note. In this mode only the pad(s) that you hit will flash.
Type	Selects the chords mapped to the pads. The available chord types depend on the selected Mode, as well as on the Scale parameter specified in the Keyboard mode settings (refer to Keyboard mode settings): Mode set to Harmonizer: Type lets you select the particular notes included in the chord. It offers different chords depending on whether the Keyboard mode’s Scale parameter is set to the chromatic scale (Chrom) or to any other scale. Refer to Available chords in Harmonizer mode for a list of the available chords. Mode set to Chord Set: Type provides 16 factory 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. When you select a set, its chords are mapped onto the first 12 pads. Pads 13–16 are inactive. Mode set to User Chords: Type provides up to 16 sets of 12 user chords each. When you select a set, its user chords are mapped onto the first 12 pads. Pads 13–16 are inactive. Pads 1–12 are lit in the Sound’s color if they contain a chord, and dim white if they are empty.

Note

When erasing notes from your controller, the Mode value determines which notes are deleted:

Harmonizer: Only the notes with the pitch of the pressed pad are deleted. The other notes in the triggered chord are not deleted.
Chord Set and User Chord: No notes are deleted, in other words erasing is deactivated.

Note

While creating and modifying user chords are only possible on Maschine MK3 and Maschine+, on Maschine Mikro MK3 you can play existing user chords, either created on your Maschine MK3 or Maschine+, or shared by other Maschine users. Each set of user chords is saved as a distinct JSON file on your hard disk at the following location: ~/Library/Application Support/Native Instruments/Shared/User Chords/ (macOS) or %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Native Instruments\Shared\User Chords\ (Windows). On Maschine+ the JSON files of your user sets are located on the user data SD card under Native Instruments/Maschine 3/User Chords/. When transferring user set files between Maschine systems, you might need to rename the files to avoid naming conflicts with existing user set files on the target system. While doing so, arbitrary file names may be chosen.

Enharmonic spelling of the root note

On your controller, depending on the Chord Mode, Scale Type, and Chord Type settings, the root note will be spelled differently to optimize the spelling of the chords:

Chord mode	Scale Type	Enharmonic spelling
Harmonizer	Chromatic	C	C♯	D	D♯	E	F	F♯	G	G♯	A	A♯	B
Harmonizer	not Chromatic	C	C♯	D	E♭	E	F	F♯	G	A♭	A	B♭	B

Chord mode	Chord Type	Enharmonic spelling
Chord Set	Major 1–8	C	D♭	D	E♭	E	F	F♯	G	A♭	A	B♭	B
Chord Set	Minor 1–8	C	C♯	D	D♯	E	F	F♯	G	G♯	A	B♭	B

Available chords in Harmonizer mode

When Chord Mode is set to Harmonizer and Scale Type is set to Chromatic, the scale includes all semitones and the chords can use any of them. Chord Type offers the following chords:

Chord Type	Semitones added above the played note
Octave	12
Perfect 4	5
Perfect 5	7
Major	4 and 7
Minor	3 and 7
Suspended 4	5 and 7
Major 7	4, 7, and 11
Minor 7	3, 7, and 10
Dominant 7	4, 7, and 10
Dominant 9	4, 7, 10, and 14
Minor 7♭5	3, 6, and 10
Diminished 7	3, 6, and 9
Augmented	4 and 8
Quartal	5, 10, and 15
Trichord	5 and 11

When Chord Mode is set to Harmonizer and Scale Type is set to any other scale than Chromatic, the chords are bound to the particular notes included in that scale. Chord Type offers the following chords:

Chord Type	Notes added to the played note
Octave	Octave
1-3	3rd
1-5	5th
1-3-5	3rd and 5th
1-4-5	4th and 5th
1-3-5-7	3rd, 5th, and 7th
1-4-7	4th and 7th

Using the Fixed Velocity option and the 16 Velocities mode

When playing on your pads, you can activate either of two additional features, which support your playing in specific situations:

The Fixed Velocity option is available for all pad modes except the 16 Velocities mode. With this option activated, your pads play at the same volume no matter how hard you hit the pads. You can switch the Fixed Velocity option on or off by pressing FIXED VEL above the pads. The button is lit when the option is active. You can adjust the value of this fixed velocity in the settings of the various pad modes. All pad input modes share the same Fixed Velocity value.
In 16 Velocities mode your pads all play the same note of the focused Sound but with sixteen different velocity values. This can be useful to play or program complex drum fills. The right display indicates the velocity values for each pad (all are shown in the color of the focused Sound). The pitch of the played note is defined by the base key (refer to Adjusting the base key). You can activate the 16 Velocities mode by pressing SHIFT + FIXED VEL. Press again to disable. The button is lit when the mode is active.

Setting notes in the step sequencer

The STEP button above the pads lets you switch to Step mode, in which your controller operates as a step sequencer. This pad mode is fundamentally since it is not made for playing live. For more information, refer to Recording Patterns with the step sequencer.

Creating arpeggios and repeated notes

Maschine includes a flexible and versatile Note Repeat / Arp engine, an arpeggiator that effectively lets you play your Sounds in note sequences.

With the pads in Group mode, you can play repeated notes by holding the pads depressed.
With the pads in Keyboard mode, you can play arpeggios based on the pads that you press.
With the pads in Chord mode, you can create arpeggios based on the chord currently triggered. You can even press more than one pad to include the notes of all corresponding chords into your arpeggio.

The Arp engine can be seen as a melodic extension of the Note Repeat: Arp replaces and extends Note Repeat in Keyboard and Chord mode. Instead of playing repeated notes at a constant pitch you can play sequences of notes at different pitches.

Arp and Note Repeat have similar modes on your controller: Depending on whether your pads are in Group mode or Keyboard/Chord mode, pressing NOTE REPEAT (Arp) on your controller will switch to Note Repeat mode or Arp mode, respectively. Arp mode simply adds a few parameters to those found in Note Repeat mode.

General notes on the Note Repeat and Arp engine

The Note Repeat / Arp parameters are the same for all Sound slots in all Groups of your Project. These parameters are saved with the Project.
The Note Repeat / Arp engine processes the live input from the pads of your controller only. The input from third-party MIDI controllers and the data recorded in the Pattern Editor are not processed.
The Note Repeat / Arp engine detects and makes use of any changes in the pressure you apply on every single pad you hold (Polyphonic Aftertouch). This allows you to generate arpeggios and repeated notes with varying velocities.
The output of the Note Repeat / Arp engine is recorded into the Pattern Editor.
The Note Repeat / Arp parameters cannot be modulated nor automated in Maschine.
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.

Notice

Kontrol S-Series owners: The central clock is shared by all connected devices so that e.g. repeated notes triggered from your Maschine controller and arpeggios triggered from your Kontrol S-Series keyboard will be synchronized even if the transport is not running.

Pads in Group mode: Note Repeat

Check that your Pattern is playing. If not, press PLAY to start the sequencer.

Press and hold NOTE REPEAT (Arp), then hold any pad. The Sound of the pad is repeatedly triggered at the rate shown at the bottom of the controller’s display.
Turn the Encoder to select another repetition rate.
This is a handy way to add live ornaments to your Pattern.

Tip

You can also use Note Repeat to program your Pattern (e.g., record a continuous hi-hat).

Tip

Note Repeat mode seamlessly switches to Arp mode as soon as you switch your pads from Group mode to Keyboard mode (see below): All current values (including the LOCK state) are retained.

Pads in Keyboard mode or Chords mode: Arp

If your pads are in Keyboard mode or Chords mode, pressing NOTE REPEAT (Arp) switches your controller to Arp mode:

With the pads in Group mode, Keyboard mode, or Chords mode, you can customize how the notes of the played chord will be arpeggiated by adjusting the following settings.

Press the Arrow buttons to access the following settings, and turn the Encoder to adjust values.

Element	Description
TYPE	Sets the sequential order of the arpeggiated notes. Turn the Encoder to choose from the following settings: UP starts from the root note and plays the notes up through the chord. DOWN plays the notes the other way around. UP-DOWN plays the notes in both directions alternatively. PLAYED plays the notes in the order you pressed down the corresponding pads on your controller. So, for example, if you have configured chords, the arpeggio will first play all notes of the chord triggered by the first pad you pressed, then all notes of the chord triggered by the second pad you pressed, etc. CHORD plays all notes of the chord together repeatedly.
RATE	Adjusts the note length, hence the rate of the arpeggio. Available values are 1 BAR and a series of note values going from 1/2 (half note) until 1/128 (a hundred twenty-eighth note).
UNIT	Selects from three variations of the original note length defined by the RATE parameter: NORMAL plays the original note length (default setting), TRIPLET plays triplets of the original note length (faster, three notes in the duration of two original notes), and DOTTED plays dotted versions of the original note length (slower, two notes in the duration of three original notes). Under Button 5–8, triplet values are indicated by a “T” and dotted values by a “D” next to the note value.

Element

Description

TYPE

Sets the sequential order of the arpeggiated notes. Turn the Encoder to choose from the following settings:

UP starts from the root note and plays the notes up through the chord.

DOWN plays the notes the other way around.

UP-DOWN plays the notes in both directions alternatively.

PLAYED plays the notes in the order you pressed down the corresponding pads on your controller. So, for example, if you have configured chords, the arpeggio will first play all notes of the chord triggered by the first pad you pressed, then all notes of the chord triggered by the second pad you pressed, etc.

CHORD plays all notes of the chord together repeatedly.

RATE

Adjusts the note length, hence the rate of the arpeggio. Available values are 1 BAR and a series of note values going from 1/2 (half note) until 1/128 (a hundred twenty-eighth note).

UNIT

Selects from three variations of the original note length defined by the RATE parameter: NORMAL plays the original note length (default setting), TRIPLET plays triplets of the original note length (faster, three notes in the duration of two original notes), and DOTTED plays dotted versions of the original note length (slower, two notes in the duration of three original notes). Under Button 5–8, triplet values are indicated by a “T” and dotted values by a “D” next to the note value.

Notice

Arp mode seamlessly switches to Note Repeat mode as soon as you switch your pads from Keyboard mode to Pad Mode (see above): All current values (including the LOCK state) are retained.

Swing on the Note Repeat / Arp output

The Swing engines (at the Master, Group, and Sound levels) process notes coming from the Pattern Editor and from the Arp engine (pads in Keyboard or Chord mode) or Note Repeat engine (pads in Group mode). In other terms, the swing is applied not only to your Patterns but also to any live sequence generated by the Arp or Note Repeat engine.

For example, when you play live beats on top of a running Pattern, you can use Note Repeat without destroying the Pattern’s groove: the repeated notes will be processed using the same swing parameters as the playing Pattern.

Notice

When the playback is not running, the swing is still applied to the output of Arp (pads in Keyboard/Chord mode) or Note Repeat (pads in Group mode). If you press PLAY on your controller, the playback starts immediately and the swing cycle is reset.

For more information on the swing, refer to Groove.

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.

When used on Sounds, the Solo only applies to the current Group: The Sounds in other Groups won’t be affected.

Audio mute vs. trigger mute

At the Group level, the Mute function is an audio mute: The whole audio output of the muted Group will be bypassed. At the Sound level, the Mute function is by default a trigger mute: the Pattern content (the events) for the muted Sound will not be triggered — but any audio remaining from past events for this Sound will still be audible until it fades away. You can change this behavior by enabling the Audio Mute button in the Audio page of the Sound’s Output properties (refer to Configuring the main output of Sounds and Groups) as well as in Solo and Mute mode on your controller: Activating the audio mute for Sounds will ensure that not only the events are muted, but any remaining audio as well.

Tip

To momentarily mute all audio from all Sounds and Groups at once, refer to section Choke All Notes.

Mute and Solo in the software

Tip

We describe here how to mute/solo Groups and Sounds in the Arrange view of the software, but you can also do this from Mix view via the Mute button available in each channel strip of the Mixer. See section Adjusting settings in the channel strips for more information.

Soloing a Sound

To solo a Sound, right-click (on macOS: [Ctrl]-click) the number on the left side of the Sound slot in the Pattern Editor.
Soloing the first kick Sound.
To unsolo a Sound, right-click (on macOS: [Ctrl]-click) the number again.

Soloing a Group

To solo a Group, right-click (on macOS: [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 macOS: [Ctrl]-click) the Group index again.

Muting a Sound

To mute a Sound, click the number on the left side of the Sound slot in the Pattern Editor.
Muting a Sound.
To unmute the Sound, click the number again.

Notice

By default, the Mute on Sounds is an trigger 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.

Muting a Group

To mute a Group, click the Group index (letter + number) on the left side of the Group in the Arranger:
Muting a Group.
To unmute the Group, click the Group index again.

Soloing Sounds and Groups on the controller

Press SOLO to enter Solo mode.
To solo a Sound, press the related pad.
To solo a Group, press GROUP followed by the related pads 9–16.

Muting Sounds and Groups on the controller

Press MUTE to enter Mute mode.
To mute a Sound, press the related pad.
To mute a Group, press GROUP followed by the desired pads 9–16.

In both Solo and Mute modes you will note that on your controller the unmuted pads and Group buttons are fully lit, while the muted ones are dim lit (and the empty ones are off).

Tip

Since soloing a Sound mutes all Sounds except one, the MUTE button can then be used to “release” Sounds that have been muted. You can use this technique to create a breakdown: Solo a given Sound such as a kick drum, then build the track up again by bringing the muted Sounds back in one at a time while holding the MUTE button.

Choke All Notes

The Choke All Notes feature allows you to kill any note or event currently playing in your Project. This affects the audio coming from all Plug-ins (Internal, Native Instruments, and External).

Choke All Notes is only available on your controller:

Press SHIFT + MUTE to choke all playing notes.

Choke All Notes can be useful in various situations:

as a creative tool in a live performance, e.g., to create stutter beaks
as a workflow aid, to stop long one-shot Samples that continue playing after you have stopped the sequencer
as a first panic button, if you are not sure where in your Project a particular sound is coming from, and you want to get rid of it.

Tip

Contrary to the Mute function, Choke All Notes is not turning any Group/Sound into another state. Instead, all audio voices currently playing are instantaneously killed. The killed voices cannot be reactivated and are freed up for subsequent notes according to the polyphony setting. Voices triggered by subsequent notes will play normally.

Groove

The groove controls the swing, that is 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:

The Groove properties of a Sound only affect that particular Sound.
The Groove properties of a Group affect all Sounds in that Group: The Group’s swing is added to the swing of each individual Sound (as defined in its own Groove properties).
At the Master level, the Groove properties affect all Sounds of all Groups. The Master’s swing is added to the swing of each individual Group and Sound (as defined in its own Groove properties).

The Groove properties have a single Parameter page: Swing.

Notice

Please refer to section Navigating Channel properties, Plug-ins, and Parameter pages to know how to display and navigate sets of Channel properties.

The Groove properties for a Sound in the software.

Control	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.
Invert	Allows you to invert the groove so that instead of being delayed in the Pattern, events will be triggered ahead of time.

How groove affects the rhythm: an example

Take a simple, regular one-bar rhythm with a hit on each eighth note. We set the Cycle parameter to 1/2, which is one half note, that is two beats.

The following picture shows you how this rhythm would sound with the following settings:

Top: Amount at 0.0 % (no groove).
Middle: Amount at 100.0 % and Invert off.
Bottom: Amount at 100.0 % and Invert activated.

This is how the same regular rhythm would be heard with various groove settings.

Tip

The picture above only illustrates how the groove function affects the triggers — adjusting the Groove properties will not actually move any events in the Pattern Editor.

Level, tempo, tune, and groove shortcuts on your controller

Your controller provides extra shortcuts for various important parameters. Most of these parameters are already available in the Channel properties of the Sounds, Groups, and Master. The shortcuts detailed here give you an additional quick access to them — this is especially useful during live performance.

Tap tempo

You can quickly define the tempo of your Project via the TAP button in the Transport section of the controller:

Repeatedly tap the TAP button to set the desired tempo.

You can also use the TEMPO button to adjust the current tempo:

Press the TEMPO button and turn the Encoder to quickly adjust the tempo of your Project.

Tip

Press and turn the Encoder (or hold SHIFT while you turn it) to adjust the value in finer increments when the TEMPO button is activated.

These shortcuts control the Tempo parameter of Maschine. In the software this parameter is available in the Header:

The Tempo parameter in the software’s Header.

Using Lock Snapshots

Creating a Lock snapshot

Use the LOCK button to capture, update or recall a Lock snapshot.

Using the Smart Strip

The Smart Strip puts control of several parameters at your fingertips: You can use the Smart Strip to apply pitch bend or modulation to the sound you are playing on the pads, tweak Perform FX in real-time, or play Sounds by strumming on the Smart Strip.

Smart Strip with PITCH mode activated.

When the Smart Strip modes are not in use, the Smart Strip’s LEDs show the playhead position within a Pattern or the song:

In Ideas view, the Smart Strip’s LEDs indicate the playhead position within the selected Pattern during playback and recording.
In Song view, the Smart Strip’s LEDs indicate the playhead position within the song.

This feature provides great visual feedback to aid your timing when recording or switching up patterns during a live set.

Note

This feature is not available when the Smart Strip modes (Pitch, Mod, Perform, and Notes) are in use.

Pitch mode

In Pitch mode, sliding your finger on the Smart Strip “bends” the pitch of the notes you play on the pads, i.e., it detunes the sound by a certain amount. If you have used the pitch bend wheel on a synthesizer or standard MIDI keyboard before, you are probably familiar with this effect.

In Pitch mode, the scale on the Smart Strip is centered, as indicated by a white LED in the middle of the Smart Strip. Sliding your finger to the left will flatten the pitch. Sliding your finger to the right will sharpen the pitch. The amount of pitch bend applied to the Sound is indicated by the LED dots above the Smart Strip. Once you lift your finger off the Smart Strip, the pitch of the sound will return to standard tuning.

To enable Pitch mode, press the PITCH button.

Modulation mode

In Modulation mode, sliding your finger on the Smart Strip modulates the sound of the notes you play on the pads. The Smart Strip always controls the parameter that is assigned to the standard MIDI CC #1. This MIDI Continuous Controller is reserved for the modulation wheel. If you have used the modulation wheel on a synthesizer or standard MIDI keyboard before, you are probably familiar with the effect.

In Modulation mode, the scale starts at the left side of the Smart Strip, as indicated by a white LED. Sliding your finger to the right will apply an increasing amount of modulation, as indicated by the LED dots above the Smart Strip. When you lift your finger off the Smart Strip, the modulation value will remain at the position where the strip was last touched; the LED dots above remain lit to indicate this position.

To enable Modulation mode, press the MOD button.

Perform mode

In Perform mode, the Smart Strip controls a parameter of one of the Perform effects (Perform FX) described in Perform FX. For each of the Perform FX, the Smart Strip is mapped to the parameter that makes the most sense to control in real-time.

Notes mode

In Notes mode, sliding your finger on the Smart Strip plays the pads you hold one after the other. Sliding your finger on the Smart Strip while no pad is held will play all Sounds mapped to the pad matrix in Group mode or Keyboard mode. If you slide your finger from left to right, the pads will be played in an ascending manner. If you slide your finger from right to left, the pads will be played in a descending manner. This applies regardless of which pads (if any) are held.

To play notes using the Smart Strip:

Load a Group (in Group mode) or a Sound (in Keyboard/Chords mode) so it is mapped to the pads.
Press the NOTES button to enable Notes mode.
Press and hold the pads you want to play.
Slide your finger on the Smart Strip to “strum” the sounds mapped to the held epads.

Playing on the controller

Selecting a pad mode

Note

Playing the entire Group

Group mode settings

Note

Playing melodies and selecting scales

Tip

About scales and the Keyboard mode

Keyboard mode settings

Note

Note

Enharmonic spelling of the root note

Available scales

Main scales

Modes scales

Jazz scales

World scales

5-Tone scales

Modern scales

Major scales

Minor scales

Playing chords

About chords and the Chord mode

Chord mode settings

Note

Note

Note

Enharmonic spelling of the root note

Available chords in Harmonizer mode

Using the Fixed Velocity option and the 16 Velocities mode

Setting notes in the step sequencer

Creating arpeggios and repeated notes

General notes on the Note Repeat and Arp engine

Notice

Pads in Group mode: Note Repeat

Tip

Tip

Pads in Keyboard mode or Chords mode: Arp

Notice

Swing on the Note Repeat / Arp output

Notice

Mute and Solo

Audio mute vs. trigger mute

Tip

Mute and Solo in the software

Tip

Soloing a Sound

Soloing a Group

Muting a Sound

Notice

Muting a Group

Soloing Sounds and Groups on the controller

Muting Sounds and Groups on the controller

Tip

Choke All Notes

Tip

Groove

Notice

How groove affects the rhythm: an example

Tip

Level, tempo, tune, and groove shortcuts on your controller

Tap tempo

Tip

Using Lock Snapshots

Creating a Lock snapshot

Using the Smart Strip

Note

Pitch mode

Modulation mode

Perform mode

Notes mode

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