Audio routing, remote control, and Macro Controls

Each Sound can be configured to receive external audio signals. These audio signals can be coming from the following sources:

Each Sound can use one external mono or stereo input. The same external signal can be fed into any number of Sounds.

For example, this allows you to have an external audio signal processed by the Plug-ins loaded in a Sound, and more generally, to integrate external audio signals into the Maschine routing and processing system. See also section Applying effects to external audio for an example of use and step-by-step instructions.

Configuring external audio inputs for a Sound is done on the Audio page of the Sound’s Input properties.

The Audio page of the Input properties for a Sound in the software.

If Maschine is running as a stand-alone application, the external stereo inputs In 1–8 available in the Source selector of the Audio section will correspond to the physical inputs of your audio interface that you have selected in the Audio page of the Preferences panel. Refer to Preferences – Audio page for more information.

If Maschine is running as a plug-in in a DAW, the external stereo inputs In 1–8 available in the Source selector of the Audio section will correspond to virtual inputs in your DAW. This allows you to send mixer channels from your DAW to individual Sounds within Maschine, for example. Refer to your DAW documentation to know how to route signals to the virtual audio inputs of the Maschine plug-in.

Configuring external audio inputs for Sounds in Mix view

You can also easily send external audio to Sounds in Maschine’s Mixer:

By default the outputs of all Sounds in a Group are sent to this Group, where they are mixed together and processed by the Plug-ins loaded in the Group, if any. Similarly, by default the outputs of all Groups are sent to the Master, where they are mixed together and processed by the Plug-ins loaded in the Master, if any.

This default behavior can be customized to your liking: You can adjust the level and panoramic position of the channel output, or send it to the Cue bus for pre-listening. Furthermore, you can send individual Sounds or whole Groups to another pair of outputs on your audio interface in order to process them separately at a later stage. The output routing configuration is done on the Audio page of the Output properties for Sounds and Groups.

The Audio page of the Output properties (here for a Sound) in the software.

If Maschine is running as a stand-alone application, the external stereo outputs Ext. 1–16 available in the Dest. selector of the Audio section will correspond to the physical outputs of your audio interface that you have selected in the Audio page of the Preferences panel. Refer to Preferences – Audio page for more information.

If Maschine is running as a plug-in in a DAW, the external stereo outputs Ext. 1–16 available in the Dest. selector of the Audio section will correspond to virtual outputs in your DAW. This allows you to send individual Sounds or Groups from Maschine to their own mixer channels within your DAW, for example. Refer to your DAW documentation to know how to route signals from the virtual audio outputs of the Maschine plug-in.

Labels for bussing points in the Dest. selector

The various bussing points available in the Dest. selector (see table above) are labeled differently in the drop-down menu and in the display of the selector:

Each Sound or Group of your Project provides two auxiliary outputs that you can route to additional targets. For example, you can send a definable amount of the channel’s audio output to other channels for further processing. This is notably used in send effects (refer to Creating a send effect to learn how to set up a classic send effect).

The auxiliary outputs of a Sound/Group are configured on the Aux page of the Output properties.

The Aux page of the Output properties (here for a Group) in the software.

If Maschine is running as a stand-alone application, the external stereo outputs Ext. 1–16 available in the Dest. selector of the Aux 1 and Aux 2 sections will correspond to the physical outputs of your audio interface that you have selected in the Audio page of the Preferences panel. Refer to Preferences – Audio page for more information.

If Maschine is running as a plug-in in a DAW, the external stereo outputs Ext. 1–16 available in the Dest. selector of the Aux 1 and Aux 2 sections will correspond to virtual outputs in your DAW. This allows you to send auxiliary outputs of individual Sounds or Groups from Maschine to their own mixer channels within your DAW, for example. Please refer to your DAW documentation to know how to route signals from the virtual audio outputs of the Maschine plug-in.

Setting up the auxiliary outputs for Sounds and Groups in Mix view

You can also easily set up auxiliary outputs for your Sounds and Groups in Maschine’s Mixer:

All channels routed to the Master are mixed together and processed by the Plug-ins loaded in the Master, if any. The result is then sent to the Master output, that is, Maschine’s main output.

Besides, all channels currently routed to the Cue bus for pre-listening are mixed together and sent to the Cue output.

You can choose to which outputs (on your audio interface or in your DAW) both the Master and the Cue outputs should be sent, and adjust their respective levels and panoramic positions. This is done on the Audio page of the Output properties for the Master.

The Audio page of the Output properties for the Master in the software.

If Maschine is running as a stand-alone application, the external stereo outputs Ext. 1–16 available in the Output selector of the Audio and Cue sections will correspond to the physical outputs of your audio interface that you have selected in the Audio page of the Preferences panel. Refer to Preferences – Audio page for more information.

If Maschine is running as a plug-in in a DAW, the external stereo outputs Ext. 1–16 available in the Output selector of the Audio and Cue sections will correspond to virtual outputs in your DAW. Refer to your DAW documentation to know how to route signals from the virtual audio outputs of the Maschine plug-in.

Configuring the Master and Cue outputs in Mix view

You can also easily configure the Master and Cue outputs of Maschine in the Mixer. Both share the same channel strip at the far right of the Mixer.

To display the Master/Cue channel strip, do the following:

In this Master/Cue channel strip, do the following to configure the output of the Master channel:

In this Master/Cue channel strip, do the following to configure the output of the Cue channel:

Maschine allows you play your Sound(s) via MIDI (for example, from a MIDI keyboard).

By default and without any configuration, incoming MIDI notes on any MIDI port and any MIDI channel will trigger different pitches of the Sound slot currently under focus.

To play one or more Sounds via MIDI notes independently of the Sound currently under focus, you need to configure the MIDI input settings of your Sound(s) or of their Group, i.e. define how the Sound(s) or the Group should react to incoming MIDI notes. This is done in the MIDI page of the Group or the Sound Input properties.

When configuring these MIDI input settings, keep in mind the following:

The MIDI page of the Input properties (here for a Group) in the software.

The MIDI input settings for Sounds and Groups provide following parameters:

Configuring MIDI note input for Sounds and Groups in Mix view

You can also easily configure the MIDI note input of your Sounds and Groups in Maschine’s Mixer:

The Maschine hardware SCENE mode can be configured to send out MIDI (Notes/Program Changes) which can be used to trigger scenes. When Maschine runs as a Plug-in this MIDI data is sent to the host application. When Maschine runs as a stand-alone application this MIDI data is sent out to all activated MIDI output devices.

MIDI Scene Change program change messages can be used to record a Scene performance to a host application, and all recorded Scene performances can be then be saved within your host and sent back to Maschine for playback and trigger Scenes in the recorded order.

Sending MIDI Scene Change Messages

To enable or disable the MIDI Scene Change feature, do the following:

You can assign many parameters of the Channel properties and Plug-ins of your Sounds, your Groups, and your Master to MIDI messages in order to control and automate them via MIDI.

In addition, when Maschine is running as a plug-in, you can assign these parameters to automation IDs in order to control and automate them via host automation tracks in your DAW.

In Maschine, automation means the control of Maschine parameters from an external source (MIDI or host application). Value changes are:

Automation vs. Modulation

Although both deal with automatic change of Maschine parameters, automation and modulation have to be distinguished. The following table summarizes the main differences:

This section describes how to use automation in Maschine — for more information on using modulation, please refer to section Recording and editing modulation.

Please note that modulation and automation are not mutually exclusive: You can modulate a parameter in Maschine and automate it (e.g., from your host) simultaneously! As a result, the parameter value will deviate (according to the recorded modulation) from its moving value defined by the automation.

Using the Automation pane in the Assignment area

MIDI and host control can be configured in the Automation pane of the Assignment area:

The Automation pane of the Assignment area.

The Automation pane holds two tabs:

Under each automatable parameter of the current Parameter page, the Automation pane shows an Assignment field showing the current assignment for this parameter, if any. If the parameter has no assignment yet, the Assignment field reads Learn (MIDI tab) or Enable (Host tab). If the parameter cannot be automated, its Assignment field is grayed out and inactive (refer to below to know which parameters can be automated).

A MIDI CC assignment for the current Parameter page.

A few host automation assignments for the current Parameter page.

The following paragraphs describe in more details how to assign MIDI controls and host automation IDs to Maschine parameters.

Which Maschine parameters are automatable?

All the automatable parameters are found in Plug-ins or Channel properties (e.g., you cannot automate the Pattern Length or the color of a Scene). In the software in Mix view, this means that all automatable parameters are found in some Parameter page of the Control area.

In order to be automatable, parameters of Plug-ins and Channel properties have to meet one single requirement:

Almost all parameters meeting this requirement are automatable, the only exceptions being:

Also note that your Macro Controls will be automatable if, and only if, the parameters they are controlling are themselves automatable. For more information on Macro Controls please refer to section Creating custom sets of parameters with the Macro Controls.

Assigning host automation IDs to parameters (Maschine as plug-in)

Removing an automation ID is also straightforward:

Assigning MIDI controls to parameters

Assigning a MIDI control to a parameter in Maschine is done via an intuitive Learn mode:

Note that the assignments you create will receive MIDI messages on all channels of all activated MIDI ports.

If there is already a MIDI assignment for the parameter, the new MIDI assignment will replace the previous one. If you change your mind and don’t want to assign any new MIDI control, while Learn is blinking click the Assignment field again or press [Esc] on your computer keyboard.

If you want to simply remove a MIDI assignment without recording a new one, do the following:

Of course, this procedure also works for Native Instruments and External Plug-ins loaded in Maschine.

If you have a Native Instruments or third-party VST/AU plug-in loaded in a Sound, you can remotely switch presets (or patches, programs, etc.) in your plug-in via MIDI Program Change messages.

For this to work, your plug-in must expose its presets or a particular set of presets to the host (here Maschine). Each VST/AU instrument or effect might handle its presets (or patches, programs…) differently. Please refer to the plug-in documentation to know how to make its presets available to the host.

The Native Instruments or third-party VST/AU plug-in will listen to Program Change messages according to the Source and Channel settings you have defined on the MIDI page of the Input properties for the respective Sound — this page is described in detail in section Triggering Sounds via MIDI notes above.

Your Sounds can output MIDI notes and automation data to the outside world, allowing you to control any MIDI-capable application and/or external MIDI gear from Maschine’s sequencer.

With its MIDI output activated, a Sound will send:

The MIDI output of Sounds is configured on the MIDI page of their Output properties.

The MIDI page of the Output properties for a Sound in the software.

Configuring the MIDI output for Sounds in Mix view

You can also easily configure the MIDI output of your Sounds in Maschine’s Mixer:

Each Macro Control can be assigned to one destination with the full range of the selected parameter. On the other hand, the same parameter can be the destination of more than one Macro Control.

To know which parameters you can assign to a Macro Control, consider this single rule:

A Macro Control of a channel can control any parameter located in the properties or Plug-ins of that channel or of any underlying channel. In other words:

Macro Controls can be assigned in two different ways in the software. The quickest and easiest way is to create a Macro Control directly from a parameter. The other more elaborate method is to use the Pages pane in the Assignment area.

Assigning Macro Controls from parameters

Assigning a parameter to a Macro from a Channel or Plug-in properties is quick and easy. You can simply right-click ([Ctrl]-click on macOS) a parameter name and select which Macro level you want to assign it to.

To assign a Macro Control directly from a parameter:

You can remove the Macro by using the same procedure:

Assigning Macro Controls using the Pages pane

Assigning Macro Controls is done in the Pages pane of the Assignment area when the Macro properties are selected. The procedure is similar to the procedure used when assigning parameters of VST/AU plug-ins to Parameter pages in Maschine (refer to Setting up your own Parameter pages).

Opening the Pages pane in the Assignment area

First of all, you need to open the Pages pane of the Assignment area for Macro properties. To do this:

When the Pages pane of the Assignment area is open, you also notice a few changes in the Control area above.

The Control area with Macro Properties displayed and the Pages pane active in the Assignment area underneath.

(1) Delete Page button (“x” symbol): Click the little “x” after a page name to delete this Parameter page.

(2) Add Page button (“+” symbol): Click the little “+” after the last page label to append a new page. By default, pages are labeled “Page 1,” “Page 2,” etc. You can change page labels by defining sections within your pages via the Section Label fields (3).

(3) Section Label fields: These fields allow you to define sections of parameters within the displayed page. Double-click the field above the first parameter you want to include in the section, type the desired name for the section, and press [Enter] to confirm. The new section will include all following parameters until the next section starts (this can be seen only after you have closed the Assignment area). Moreover, the Parameter page will mirror the label(s) of its section(s) — if there are more than one section, the page label will mirror all of them, separated by slashes.

(4) Reset button: Click Reset to remove the Macro Control assignment for the selected knob.

(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 corresponding parameters.

(6) Focus frame: Indicates the Macro Control being assigned. Click any Macro Control to display and edit its assignment in the Target selector below (4).

(7) Target selector: Displays and selects the target parameter of the selected Macro Control indicated by the Focus frame (5). This multi-level drop-down widget allows you to quickly navigate through the structure of the channel to the desired parameter. The detailed procedure is explained in the next paragraph.

Selecting a parameter in the Target selector

The Target selector (see picture above) allows you to choose from all available parameters for each Macro Control.

The Target selector allows you to quickly select the desired parameter.

This tool is similar to a menu containing several levels of submenus—with the notable difference that every intermediary selection stays visible for faster switching.

When assigning a new, unassigned Macro Control, do the following:

Note that the whole path to this parameter stays visible in the Target selector: this lets you modify a single selection without starting from the topmost channel and going through the entire selection process again:

Macro – context menu

When the Assignment area is opened and the Pages tab is selected, right-clicking an assigned or unassigned Macro slot opens a context menu.

The context menu for Macro properties.

The context menu contains following items:

Assignment area pages – Context Menu

When the Assignment area is opened and the Pages tab is selected, right-clicking a page name opens a context menu.

The context menu for pages.

The context menu contains the following items: