Native Instruments Maschine Mikro MK3 Operation Manual v2.8

MASCHINE MIKRO MK3 MANUAL

Disclaimer

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 document is subject to a License Agreement and may not be copied to other media. No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced or otherwise transmitted or recorded, for any purpose, without prior written permission by Native Instruments GmbH, hereinafter referred to as Native Instruments.

“Native Instruments”, “NI” and associated logos are (registered) trademarks of Native Instruments GmbH.

ASIO, VST, HALion and Cubase are registered trademarks of Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH.

All other product and company names are trademarks™ or registered® trademarks of their respective holders. Use of them does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement by them.

Document authored by: David Gover and Nico Sidi. Software version: 2.8 (02/2019)

Hardware version: MASCHINE MIKRO MK3

Special thanks to the Beta Test Team, who were invaluable not just in tracking down bugs, but in making this a better product.

Contact

NATIVE INSTRUMENTS GmbH

Schlesische Str. 29-30 D-10997 Berlin Germany

www.native-instruments.de

NATIVE INSTRUMENTS K.K.

YO Building 3F

Jingumae 6-7-15, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0001

Japan www.native-instruments.co.jp

NATIVE INSTRUMENTS FRANCE SARL

113 Rue Saint-Maur

75011 Paris France

www.native-instruments.com

NATIVE INSTRUMENTS North America, Inc.

6725 Sunset Boulevard 5th Floor

Los Angeles, CA 90028 USA www.native-instruments.com

NATIVE INSTRUMENTS UK Limited

18 Phipp Street London EC2A 4NU UK

www.native-instruments.co.uk

SHENZHEN NATIVE INSTRUMENTS COMPANY Limited

5F, Shenzhen Zimao Center

111 Taizi Road, Nanshan District, Shenzhen, Guangdong

China www.native-instruments.com

© NATIVE INSTRUMENTS GmbH, 2019. All rights reserved.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

1	Welcome to MASCHINE			.............................................................................................	23
	1.1	MASCHINE Documentation ..........................................................................................................			24
	1.2	Document Conventions ...............................................................................................................			25
	1.3	New Features in MASCHINE ..................................................................................................2.8			26
	1.4	New Features in MASCHINE .............................................................................................2.7.10			28
	1.5	New Features in MASCHINE ...............................................................................................2.7.8			29
	1.6	New Features in MASCHINE ...............................................................................................2.7.7			29
	1.7	New Features in MASCHINE ...............................................................................................2.7.4			31
	1.8	New Features in MASCHINE ...............................................................................................2.7.3			33
2	Quick Reference ........................................................................................................				35
	2.1	MASCHINE Project Overview ........................................................................................................			35
		2.1.1	Sound Content ...........................................................................................................		35
		2.1.2	Arrangement ..............................................................................................................		37
	2.2	MASCHINE Hardware ...................................................................................................Overview			40
		2.2.1	MASCHINE .......................................................................MIKRO Hardware Overview		40
			2.2.1.1 .........................................................................................	Browser Section	41
			2.2.1.2 ...............................................................................................	Edit Section	42
			2.2.1.3 ..................................................................................	Performance Section	43
			2.2.1.4 ......................................................................................	Transport Section	45
			2.2.1.5 ...............................................................................................	Pad Section	46
			2.2.1.6 .................................................................................................	Rear Panel	50
	2.3	MASCHINE Software .....................................................................................................Overview			51
		2.3.1	Header .......................................................................................................................		52
		2.3.2	Browser .....................................................................................................................		54
		2.3.3	Arranger ....................................................................................................................		56

MASCHINE MIKRO - Manual - 4

			Table of Contents
	2.3.4	Control Area ...............................................................................................................	59
	2.3.5	Pattern Editor ............................................................................................................	60
3 Basic Concepts		.........................................................................................................	62
3.1	Important .................................................................................................Names and Concepts		62
3.2	Adjusting .....................................................................................the MASCHINE User Interface		65
	3.2.1 .............................................................................	Adjusting the Size of the Interface	65
	3.2.2 ...........................................................	Switching between Ideas View and Song View	66
	3.2.3 ......................................................................................	Showing/Hiding the Browser	67
	3.2.4 ..............................................................................	Showing/Hiding the Control Lane	67
3.3	Common Operations ...................................................................................................................		68
	3.3.1 ........................................................................	Adjusting Volume, Swing, and Tempo	68
	3.3.2 .................................................................................................................	Undo/Redo	71
	3.3.3 ................................................................................	Focusing on a Group or a Sound	73
	3.3.4 ...........................................	Switching Between the Master, Group, and Sound Level	77

3.3.5Navigating Channel Properties, Plug-ins, and Parameter Pages in the Control Area . 77

	3.3.6	Navigating the Software Using the Controller ............................................................	82
	3.3.7	Using Two or More Hardware Controllers ...................................................................	82
	3.3.8	Loading a Recent Project from the Controller ............................................................	84
3.4	Native Kontrol Standard .............................................................................................................		85
3.5	Stand-Alone and Plug-in Mode ...................................................................................................		86
	3.5.1	Differences between Stand-Alone and Plug-in Mode .................................................	86
	3.5.2	Switching Instances ..................................................................................................	88
3.6	Preferences .................................................................................................................................		88
	3.6.1	Preferences – General Page .......................................................................................	89
	3.6.2	Preferences – Audio Page ..........................................................................................	93
	3.6.3	Preferences – MIDI Page ............................................................................................	95

MASCHINE MIKRO - Manual - 5

			Table of Contents
	3.6.4	Preferences – Default Page .......................................................................................	97
	3.6.5	Preferences – Library Page ........................................................................................	101
	3.6.6	Preferences – Plug-ins Page .....................................................................................	109
	3.6.7	Preferences – Hardware Page ....................................................................................	114
	3.6.8	Preferences – Colors Page .........................................................................................	114
3.7	Integrating MASCHINE into a MIDI Setup ....................................................................................		117
	3.7.1	Connecting External MIDI Equipment ........................................................................	117
	3.7.2	Sync to External MIDI Clock .......................................................................................	117
	3.7.3	Send MIDI Clock .........................................................................................................	118
	3.7.4	Using MIDI Mode ........................................................................................................	119
3.8	Syncing MASCHINE using Ableton Link .......................................................................................		120
	3.8.1	Connecting to a Network ............................................................................................	121
	3.8.2	Joining and Leaving a Link Session ...........................................................................	121
4 Browser ....................................................................................................................			123
4.1	Browser Basics ...........................................................................................................................		123
	4.1.1	The MASCHINE Library ...............................................................................................	123
	4.1.2	Browsing the Library vs. Browsing Your Hard Disks ...................................................	124
4.2	Searching and Loading Files from the Library ............................................................................		125
	4.2.1	Overview of the Library Pane .....................................................................................	125
	4.2.2	Selecting or Loading a Product and Selecting a Bank from the Browser ....................	128
	4.2.3	Selecting a Product Category, a Product, a Bank, and a Sub-Bank ...........................	133
		4.2.3.1 Selecting a Product Category, a Product, a Bank, and a Sub-Bank on the
		Controller ...................................................................................................	137
	4.2.4	Selecting a File Type ..................................................................................................	137
	4.2.5	Choosing Between Factory and User Content .............................................................	138
	4.2.6	Selecting Type and Character Tags ...........................................................................	138

MASCHINE MIKRO - Manual - 6

			Table of Contents
	4.2.7	Performing a Text Search ...........................................................................................	142
	4.2.8	Loading a File from the Result List ............................................................................	143
4.3	Additional Browsing Tools ..........................................................................................................		148
	4.3.1	Loading the Selected Files Automatically ..................................................................	148
	4.3.2	Auditioning Instrument Presets .................................................................................	149
	4.3.3	Auditioning Samples .................................................................................................	150
	4.3.4	Loading Groups with Patterns ...................................................................................	150
	4.3.5	Loading Groups with Routing ....................................................................................	151
	4.3.6	Displaying File Information ........................................................................................	151
4.4	Using Favorites in the Browser ...................................................................................................		152
4.5	Editing the Files’ Tags and Properties ........................................................................................		155
	4.5.1	Attribute Editor Basics ..............................................................................................	155
	4.5.2	The Bank Page ...........................................................................................................	157
	4.5.3	The Types and Characters Pages ...............................................................................	157
	4.5.4	The Properties Page ...................................................................................................	160
4.6	Loading and Importing Files from Your File System ....................................................................		161
	4.6.1	Overview of the FILES Pane ........................................................................................	161
	4.6.2	Using Favorites ..........................................................................................................	163
	4.6.3	Using the Location Bar ..............................................................................................	164
	4.6.4	Navigating to Recent Locations .................................................................................	165
	4.6.5	Using the Result List .................................................................................................	166
	4.6.6	Importing Files to the MASCHINE Library ...................................................................	169
4.7	Locating Missing Samples ..........................................................................................................		171
4.8	Using Quick Browse ....................................................................................................................		173
5 Managing Sounds, Groups, and Your Project ...............................................................			175
5.1	Overview of the Sounds, Groups, and Master ..............................................................................		175

MASCHINE MIKRO - Manual - 7

			Table of Contents
	5.1.1	The Sound, Group, and Master Channels ...................................................................	176
	5.1.2	Similarities and Differences in Handling Sounds and Groups ...................................	177
	5.1.3	Selecting Multiple Sounds or Groups .........................................................................	178
5.2	Managing Sounds .......................................................................................................................		181
	5.2.1	Loading Sounds .........................................................................................................	183
	5.2.2	Pre-listening to Sounds .............................................................................................	184
	5.2.3	Renaming Sound Slots ..............................................................................................	185
	5.2.4	Changing the Sound’s Color ......................................................................................	186
	5.2.5	Saving Sounds ...........................................................................................................	187
	5.2.6	Copying and Pasting Sounds .....................................................................................	189
	5.2.7	Moving Sounds ..........................................................................................................	192
	5.2.8	Resetting Sound Slots ...............................................................................................	193
5.3	Managing Groups .......................................................................................................................		194
	5.3.1	Creating Groups ........................................................................................................	196
	5.3.2	Loading Groups .........................................................................................................	197
	5.3.3	Renaming Groups ......................................................................................................	198
	5.3.4	Changing the Group’s Color .......................................................................................	199
	5.3.5	Saving Groups ...........................................................................................................	200
	5.3.6	Copying and Pasting Groups .....................................................................................	202
	5.3.7	Reordering Groups .....................................................................................................	206
	5.3.8	Deleting Groups .........................................................................................................	207
5.4	Exporting MASCHINE Objects and Audio .....................................................................................		208
	5.4.1	Saving a Group with its Samples ...............................................................................	208
	5.4.2	Saving a Project with its Samples .............................................................................	210
	5.4.3	Exporting Audio .........................................................................................................	212
5.5	Importing Third-Party File Formats .............................................................................................		218

MASCHINE MIKRO - Manual - 8

			Table of Contents
	5.5.1	Loading REX Files into Sound Slots ...........................................................................	218
	5.5.2	Importing MPC Programs to Groups ...........................................................................	219
6 Playing on the Controller ...........................................................................................			223
6.1	Adjusting the Pads .....................................................................................................................		223
	6.1.1	The Pad View in the Software ....................................................................................	223
	6.1.2	Choosing a Pad Input Mode .......................................................................................	225
	6.1.3	Adjusting the Base Key ..............................................................................................	226
6.2	Adjusting the Key, Choke, and Link Parameters for Multiple Sounds ..........................................		227
6.3	Playing Tools ..............................................................................................................................		229
	6.3.1	Mute and Solo ............................................................................................................	229
	6.3.2	Choke All Notes ..........................................................................................................	233
	6.3.3	Groove .......................................................................................................................	233
	6.3.4	Level, Tempo, Tune, and Groove Shortcuts on Your Controller ....................................	235
	6.3.5	Tap Tempo .................................................................................................................	235
6.4	Performance Features .................................................................................................................		236
	6.4.1	Overview of the Perform Features ..............................................................................	236
	6.4.2	Selecting a Scale and Creating Chords .....................................................................	239
	6.4.3	Scale and Chord Parameters .....................................................................................	240
	6.4.4	Creating Arpeggios and Repeated Notes ...................................................................	253
	6.4.5	Swing on Note Repeat / Arp Output ...........................................................................	257
6.5	Using Lock Snapshots ................................................................................................................		257
	6.5.1	Creating a Lock Snapshot ..........................................................................................	257
7 Working with Plug-ins ...............................................................................................			259
7.1	Plug-in Overview ........................................................................................................................		259
	7.1.1	Plug-in Basics ...........................................................................................................	259
	7.1.2	First Plug-in Slot of Sounds: Choosing the Sound’s Role ...........................................	263

MASCHINE MIKRO - Manual - 9

				Table of Contents
	7.1.3	Loading, Removing, and Replacing a Plug-in ............................................................		264
	7.1.4	Adjusting the Plug-in Parameters .............................................................................		270
	7.1.5	Bypassing Plug-in Slots ............................................................................................		270
	7.1.6	Using Side-Chain ......................................................................................................		272
	7.1.7	Moving Plug-ins ........................................................................................................		272
	7.1.8	Alternative: the Plug-in Strip .....................................................................................		273
	7.1.9	Saving and Recalling Plug-in Presets .......................................................................		273
		7.1.9.1	Saving Plug - in Presets ..............................................................................	274
		7.1.9.2	Recalling Plug - in Presets ..........................................................................	275
		7.1.9.3 Removing a Default Plug-in Preset ............................................................		276
7.2	The Sampler Plug-in		...................................................................................................................	277
	7.2.1	Page 1: Voice .................................................................................Settings / Engine		279
	7.2.2	Page 2: Pitch ............................................................................................/ Envelope		281
	7.2.3	Page 3: FX ....................................................................................................../ Filter		283
	7.2.4	Page 4: Modulation ....................................................................................................		285
	7.2.5	Page 5: LFO ...............................................................................................................		286
	7.2.6	Page 6: Velocity ....................................................................................../ Modwheel		288
7.3	Using Native Instruments ........................................................................and External Plug-ins			289
	7.3.1	Opening/Closing .............................................................................Plug-in Windows		289
	7.3.2	Using the .......................................................................VST/AU Plug-in Parameters		292
	7.3.3	Setting Up ......................................................................Your Own Parameter Pages		293
	7.3.4	Using VST/AU ....................................................................................Plug-in Presets		298
	7.3.5	Multiple-Output .................................................Plug-ins and Multitimbral Plug-ins		300
8 Using the Audio Plug-in .............................................................................................				302
8.1	Loading a Loop into the ........................................................................................Audio Plug-in			306
8.2	Editing Audio in the ..............................................................................................Audio Plug-in			307

MASCHINE MIKRO - Manual - 10

			Table of Contents
8.3	Using Loop Mode ........................................................................................................................		308
8.4	Using Gate Mode ........................................................................................................................		310
9 Using the Drumsynths ................................................................................................			312
9.1	Drumsynths – General Handling .................................................................................................		313
	9.1.1	Engines: Many Different Drums per Drumsynth .........................................................	313
	9.1.2	Common Parameter Organization ..............................................................................	313
	9.1.3	Shared Parameters ....................................................................................................	316
	9.1.4	Various Velocity Responses .......................................................................................	316
	9.1.5	Pitch Range, Tuning, and MIDI Notes ........................................................................	316
9.2	The Kicks	....................................................................................................................................	317
	9.2.1 .................................................................................................................	Kick – Sub	319
	9.2.2 ..............................................................................................................	Kick – Tronic	321
	9.2.3 ..............................................................................................................	Kick – Dusty	324
	9.2.4 .................................................................................................................	Kick – Grit	325
	9.2.5 ............................................................................................................	Kick – Rasper	328
	9.2.6 ............................................................................................................	Kick – Snappy	329
	9.2.7 ................................................................................................................	Kick – Bold	331
	9.2.8 ..............................................................................................................	Kick – Maple	333
	9.2.9 ...............................................................................................................	Kick – Push	334
9.3	The Snares ..................................................................................................................................		336
	9.3.1 ...............................................................................................................	Snare – Volt	338
	9.3.2 ................................................................................................................	Snare – Bit	340
	9.3.3 ..............................................................................................................	Snare – Pow	342
	9.3.4 ...........................................................................................................	Snare – Sharp	343
	9.3.5 ...............................................................................................................	Snare – Airy	345
	9.3.6 .........................................................................................................	Snare – Vintage	347

MASCHINE MIKRO - Manual - 11

			Table of Contents
	9.3.7	Snare – Chrome .........................................................................................................	349
	9.3.8	Snare – Iron ...............................................................................................................	351
	9.3.9	Snare – Clap .............................................................................................................	353
	9.3.10	Snare – Breaker .........................................................................................................	355
9.4	The Hi-hats .................................................................................................................................		357
	9.4.1	Hi - hat – Silver ...........................................................................................................	358
	9.4.2	Hi - hat – Circuit .........................................................................................................	360
	9.4.3	Hi - hat – Memory ........................................................................................................	362
	9.4.4	Hi - hat – Hybrid ..........................................................................................................	364
	9.4.5	Creating a Pattern with Closed and Open Hi - hats .....................................................	366
9.5	The Toms	....................................................................................................................................	367
	9.5.1 ..............................................................................................................	Tom – Tronic	369
	9.5.2 ............................................................................................................	Tom – Fractal	371
	9.5.3 ................................................................................................................	Tom – Floor	375
	9.5.4 ................................................................................................................	Tom – High	377
9.6	The Percussions ..........................................................................................................................		378
	9.6.1 ..................................................................................................	Percussion – Fractal	380
	9.6.2 ....................................................................................................	Percussion – Kettle	383
	9.6.3 ..................................................................................................	Percussion – Shaker	385
9.7	The Cymbals ...............................................................................................................................		389
	9.7.1 .........................................................................................................	Cymbal – Crash	391
	9.7.2 ...........................................................................................................	Cymbal – Ride	393
10 Using the Bass .................................................................................................Synth			396
10.1	Bass Synth ..................................................................................................– General Handling		397
	10.1.1 .............................................................................................	Parameter Organization	397
	10.1.2 .............................................................................................	Bass Synth Parameters	399

MASCHINE MIKRO - Manual - 12

			Table of Contents
11 Working with Patterns ...............................................................................................			401
11.1	Pattern Basics ............................................................................................................................		401
	11.1.1	Pattern Editor Overview .............................................................................................	402
	11.1.2	Navigating the Event Area .........................................................................................	404
	11.1.3	Following the Playback Position in the Pattern ..........................................................	406
	11.1.4	Jumping to Another Playback Position in the Pattern .................................................	407
	11.1.5	Group View and Keyboard View ..................................................................................	408
	11.1.6	Adjusting the Arrange Grid and the Pattern Length ...................................................	410
	11.1.7	Adjusting the Step Grid and the Nudge Grid ..............................................................	413
11.2	Recording Patterns in Real Time ................................................................................................		416
	11.2.1	Recording Your Patterns Live .....................................................................................	417
	11.2.2	Using the Metronome .................................................................................................	419
	11.2.3	Recording with Count-in ............................................................................................	420
11.3	Recording Patterns with the Step Sequencer ..............................................................................		422
	11.3.1	Step Mode Basics ......................................................................................................	422
	11.3.2	Editing Events in Step Mode ......................................................................................	424
11.4	Editing Events ............................................................................................................................		425
	11.4.1	Editing Events with the Mouse: an Overview .............................................................	425
	11.4.2	Creating Events/Notes ...............................................................................................	428
	11.4.3	Selecting Events/Notes ..............................................................................................	429
	11.4.4	Editing Selected Events/Notes ...................................................................................	431
	11.4.5	Deleting Events/Notes ...............................................................................................	434
	11.4.6	Cut, Copy, and Paste Events/Notes ............................................................................	436
	11.4.7	Quantizing Events/Notes ...........................................................................................	439
	11.4.8	Quantization While Playing ........................................................................................	441
	11.4.9	Doubling a Pattern ....................................................................................................	442

MASCHINE MIKRO - Manual - 13

			Table of Contents
	11.4.10	Adding Variation to Patterns .....................................................................................	442
11.5	Recording and Editing Modulation .............................................................................................		443
	11.5.1	Which Parameters Are Modulatable? .........................................................................	444
	11.5.2	Recording Modulation ................................................................................................	446
	11.5.3	Creating and Editing Modulation in the Control Lane ................................................	447
11.6	Creating MIDI Tracks from Scratch in MASCHINE .......................................................................		452
11.7	Managing Patterns .....................................................................................................................		454
	11.7.1	The Pattern Manager and Pattern Mode ....................................................................	455
	11.7.2	Selecting Patterns and Pattern Banks .......................................................................	456
	11.7.3	Creating Patterns ......................................................................................................	459
	11.7.4	Deleting Patterns .......................................................................................................	460
	11.7.5	Creating and Deleting Pattern Banks ........................................................................	461
	11.7.6	Naming Patterns .......................................................................................................	463
	11.7.7	Changing the Pattern’s Color ....................................................................................	465
	11.7.8	Duplicating, Copying, and Pasting Patterns ..............................................................	466
	11.7.9	Moving Patterns ........................................................................................................	469
11.8	Importing/Exporting Audio and MIDI to/from Patterns ................................................................		470
	11.8.1	Exporting Audio from Patterns ...................................................................................	470
	11.8.2	Exporting MIDI from Patterns .....................................................................................	472
	11.8.3	Importing MIDI to Patterns ........................................................................................	474
12 Audio Routing, Remote Control, and Macro Controls ....................................................			483
12.1	Audio Routing in MASCHINE .......................................................................................................		484
	12.1.1	Sending External Audio to Sounds .............................................................................	485
	12.1.2	Configuring the Main Output of Sounds and Groups .................................................	489
	12.1.3	Setting Up Auxiliary Outputs for Sounds and Groups .................................................	494
	12.1.4	Configuring the Master and Cue Outputs of MASCHINE .............................................	497

MASCHINE MIKRO - Manual - 14

			Table of Contents
	12.1.5	Mono Audio Inputs .....................................................................................................	502
		12.1.5.1 Configuring External Inputs for Sounds in Mix View ..................................	503
12.2	Using MIDI Control and Host Automation ....................................................................................		506
	12.2.1	Triggering Sounds via MIDI Notes ..............................................................................	507
	12.2.2	Triggering Scenes via MIDI ........................................................................................	513
	12.2.3	Controlling Parameters via MIDI and Host Automation ..............................................	514
	12.2.4	Selecting VST/AU Plug - in Presets via MIDI Program Change .....................................	522
	12.2.5	Sending MIDI from Sounds ........................................................................................	523
12.3	Creating Custom Sets of Parameters with the Macro Controls ...................................................		527
	12.3.1	Macro Control Overview .............................................................................................	527
	12.3.2	Assigning Macro Controls Using the Software ...........................................................	528
13 Controlling Your Mix ..................................................................................................			535
13.1	Mix View Basics ..........................................................................................................................		535
	13.1.1	Switching between Arrange View and Mix View .........................................................	535
	13.1.2	Mix View Elements .....................................................................................................	536
13.2	The Mixer	....................................................................................................................................	537
	13.2.1 ..................................................................	Displaying Groups vs. Displaying Sounds	539
	13.2.2 ........................................................................................	Adjusting the Mixer Layout	541
	13.2.3 ...........................................................................................	Selecting Channel Strips	542
	13.2.4 .......................................................................	Managing Your Channels in the Mixer	543
	13.2.5 ...................................................................	Adjusting Settings in the Channel Strips	545
	13.2.6 .....................................................................................................	Using the Cue Bus	549
13.3	The Plug- .......................................................................................................................in Chain		551
13.4	The Plug- ........................................................................................................................in Strip		552
	13.4.1 ....................................................................................................	The Plug - in Header	554
	13.4.2 ..............................................................	Panels for Drumsynths and Internal Effects	556

MASCHINE MIKRO - Manual - 15

				Table of Contents
		13.4.3	Panel for the Sampler ................................................................................................	557
		13.4.4	Custom Panels for Native Instruments Plug-ins ........................................................	560
		13.4.5	Undocking a Plug-in Panel (Native Instruments and External Plug-ins Only) ............	564
14	Using Effects .............................................................................................................			567
	14.1	Applying Effects to a Sound, a Group or the Master ....................................................................		567
		14.1.1	Adding an Effect ........................................................................................................	567
		14.1.2	Other Operations on Effects .......................................................................................	574
		14.1.3	Using the Side-Chain Input .......................................................................................	575
	14.2	Applying Effects to External Audio ..............................................................................................		578
		14.2.1	Step 1: Configure MASCHINE Audio Inputs ................................................................	578
		14.2.2	Step 2: Set up a Sound to Receive the External Input ................................................	579
		14.2.3	Step 3: Load an Effect to Process an Input ................................................................	579
	14.3	Creating a Send Effect ...............................................................................................................		580
		14.3.1	Step 1: Set Up a Sound or Group as Send Effect ........................................................	581
		14.3.2	Step 2: Route Audio to the Send Effect ......................................................................	583
		14.3.3	A Few Notes on Send Effects ......................................................................................	583
	14.4	Creating Multi-Effects ................................................................................................................		584
15	Effect Reference ........................................................................................................			587
	15.1	Dynamics ....................................................................................................................................		588
		15.1.1	Compressor ...............................................................................................................	588
		15.1.2	Gate ...........................................................................................................................	591
		15.1.3	Transient Master .......................................................................................................	594
		15.1.4	Limiter .......................................................................................................................	596
		15.1.5	Maximizer ..................................................................................................................	600
	15.2	Filtering Effects ..........................................................................................................................		603
		15.2.1	EQ ..............................................................................................................................	603

MASCHINE MIKRO - Manual - 16

				Table of Contents
	15.2.2	Filter ..........................................................................................................................		605
	15.2.3	Cabinet ......................................................................................................................		609
15.3	Modulation Effects .....................................................................................................................			611
	15.3.1	Chorus .......................................................................................................................		611
	15.3.2	Flanger ......................................................................................................................		612
	15.3.3	FM .............................................................................................................................		613
	15.3.4	Freq Shifter ................................................................................................................		615
	15.3.5	Phaser .......................................................................................................................		616
15.4	Spatial and Reverb Effects .........................................................................................................			617
	15.4.1	Ice .............................................................................................................................		617
	15.4.2	Metaverb ...................................................................................................................		619
	15.4.3	Reflex ........................................................................................................................		620
	15.4.4	Reverb (Legacy) .........................................................................................................		621
	15.4.5	Reverb .......................................................................................................................		623
		15.4.5.1	Reverb Room .............................................................................................	623
		15.4.5.2	Reverb Hall ................................................................................................	626
		15.4.5.3	Plate Reverb ..............................................................................................	629
15.5	Delays	.........................................................................................................................................		630
	15.5.1 .................................................................................................................	Beat Delay		630
	15.5.2 ................................................................................................................	Grain Delay		632
	15.5.3 .............................................................................................................	Grain Stretch		634
	15.5.4 ..................................................................................................................	Resochord		636
15.6	Distortion ........................................................................................................................Effects			638
	15.6.1 ...................................................................................................................	Distortion		638
	15.6.2 ............................................................................................................................	Lofi		640
	15.6.3 ...................................................................................................................	Saturator		641

MASCHINE MIKRO - Manual - 17

			Table of Contents
15.7	Perform FX ..................................................................................................................................		645
	15.7.1	Filter ..........................................................................................................................	646
	15.7.2	Flanger ......................................................................................................................	648
	15.7.3	Burst Echo .................................................................................................................	650
	15.7.4	Reso Echo ..................................................................................................................	653
	15.7.5	Ring ...........................................................................................................................	656
	15.7.6	Stutter .......................................................................................................................	658
	15.7.7	Tremolo ......................................................................................................................	661
	15.7.8	Scratcher ...................................................................................................................	664
16 Working with the Arranger .........................................................................................			667
16.1	Arranger Basics ..........................................................................................................................		667
	16.1.1	Navigating Song View ................................................................................................	670
	16.1.2	Following the Playback Position in Your Project .........................................................	672
	16.1.3	Performing with Scenes and Sections using the Pads ...............................................	673
16.2	Using Ideas View ........................................................................................................................		677
	16.2.1	Scene Overview ..........................................................................................................	677
	16.2.2	Creating Scenes ........................................................................................................	679
	16.2.3	Assigning and Removing Patterns .............................................................................	679
	16.2.4	Selecting Scenes .......................................................................................................	682
	16.2.5	Deleting Scenes .........................................................................................................	684
	16.2.6	Creating and Deleting Scene Banks ..........................................................................	685
	16.2.7	Clearing Scenes .........................................................................................................	685
	16.2.8	Duplicating Scenes ....................................................................................................	685
	16.2.9	Reordering Scenes .....................................................................................................	687
	16.2.10	Making Scenes Unique ..............................................................................................	688
	16.2.11	Appending Scenes to Arrangement ............................................................................	689

MASCHINE MIKRO - Manual - 18

			Table of Contents
	16.2.12	Naming Scenes ..........................................................................................................	689
	16.2.13	Changing the Color of a Scene ..................................................................................	690
16.3	Using Song View .........................................................................................................................		692
	16.3.1	Section Management Overview ..................................................................................	692
	16.3.2	Creating Sections ......................................................................................................	694
	16.3.3	Assigning a Scene to a Section ..................................................................................	695
	16.3.4	Selecting Sections and Section Banks .......................................................................	696
	16.3.5	Reorganizing Sections ...............................................................................................	700
	16.3.6	Adjusting the Length of a Section ..............................................................................	702
		16.3.6.1 Adjusting the Length of a Section Using the Software ...............................	703
		16.3.6.2 Adjusting the Length of a Section Using the Controller .............................	705
	16.3.7	Clearing a Pattern in Song View ................................................................................	705
	16.3.8	Duplicating Sections .................................................................................................	705
		16.3.8.1 Making Sections Unique ............................................................................	707
	16.3.9	Removing Sections ....................................................................................................	707
	16.3.10	Renaming Scenes ......................................................................................................	708
	16.3.11	Clearing Sections ......................................................................................................	710
	16.3.12	Creating and Deleting Section Banks ........................................................................	710
	16.3.13	Working with Patterns in Song view ...........................................................................	710
		16.3.13.1 Creating a Pattern in Song View ................................................................	711
		16.3.13.2 Selecting a Pattern in Song View ...............................................................	711
		16.3.13.3 Clearing a Pattern in Song View ................................................................	711
		16.3.13.4 Renaming a Pattern in Song View .............................................................	711
		16.3.13.5 Coloring a Pattern in Song View ................................................................	712
		16.3.13.6 Removing a Pattern in Song View ..............................................................	712
		16.3.13.7 Duplicating a Pattern in Song View ...........................................................	712

MASCHINE MIKRO - Manual - 19

			Table of Contents
	16.3.14	Enabling Auto Length ................................................................................................	713
	16.3.15	Looping ......................................................................................................................	714
		16.3.15.1 Setting the Loop Range in the Software .....................................................	714
		16.3.15.2 Activating or Deactivating a Loop Using the Controller .............................	715
16.4	Playing with Sections .................................................................................................................		715
	16.4.1	Jumping to another Playback Position in Your Project ...............................................	716
16.5	Triggering Sections or Scenes via MIDI .......................................................................................		717
16.6	The Arrange Grid .........................................................................................................................		719
16.7	Quick Grid	...................................................................................................................................	720
17 Sampling and Sample Mapping ..................................................................................			722
17.1	Opening the Sample Editor .........................................................................................................		722
17.2	Recording Audio .........................................................................................................................		724
	17.2.1	Opening the Record Page ..........................................................................................	724
	17.2.2	Selecting the Source and the Recording Mode ...........................................................	725
	17.2.3	Arming, Starting, and Stopping the Recording ..........................................................	729
	17.2.5	Checking Your Recordings .........................................................................................	731
	17.2.6	Location and Name of Your Recorded Samples ..........................................................	734
17.3	Editing a Sample ........................................................................................................................		735
	17.3.1	Using the Edit Page ...................................................................................................	735
	17.3.2	Audio Editing Functions .............................................................................................	739
17.4	Slicing a Sample ........................................................................................................................		743
	17.4.1	Opening the Slice Page ..............................................................................................	743
	17.4.2	Adjusting the Slicing Settings ...................................................................................	744
	17.4.3	Manually Adjusting Your Slices .................................................................................	746
	17.4.4	Applying the Slicing ...................................................................................................	750
17.5	Mapping Samples to Zones ........................................................................................................		754

MASCHINE MIKRO - Manual - 20

			Table of Contents
	17.5.1	Opening the Zone Page ..............................................................................................	754
	17.5.2	Zone Page Overview ...................................................................................................	755
	17.5.3	Selecting and Managing Zones in the Zone List ........................................................	756
	17.5.4	Selecting and Editing Zones in the Map View ............................................................	761
	17.5.5	Editing Zones in the Sample View .............................................................................	765
	17.5.6	Adjusting the Zone Settings ......................................................................................	767
	17.5.7	Adding Samples to the Sample Map ..........................................................................	770
18 Appendix: Tips for Playing Live ..................................................................................			772
18.1	Preparations ...............................................................................................................................		772
	18.1.1	Focus on the Hardware ..............................................................................................	772
	18.1.2	Customize the Pads of the Hardware .........................................................................	772
	18.1.3	Check Your CPU Power Before Playing .......................................................................	772
	18.1.4	Name and Color Your Groups, Patterns, Sounds and Scenes .....................................	773
	18.1.5	Consider Using a Limiter on Your Master ...................................................................	773
	18.1.6	Hook Up Your Other Gear and Sync It with MIDI Clock ................................................	773
	18.1.7	Improvise ...................................................................................................................	773
18.2	Basic Techniques .......................................................................................................................		773
	18.2.1	Use Mute and Solo .....................................................................................................	773
	18.2.2	Create Variations of Your Drum Patterns in the Step Sequencer ................................	774
	18.2.3	Use Note Repeat ........................................................................................................	774
	18.2.4	Set Up Your Own Multi-effect Groups and Automate Them ........................................	774
18.3	Special Tricks .............................................................................................................................		774
	18.3.1	Changing Pattern Length for Variation ......................................................................	774
	18.3.2	Using Loops to Cycle Through Samples .....................................................................	775
	18.3.3	Load Long Audio Files and Play with the Start Point ..................................................	775

MASCHINE MIKRO - Manual - 21

			Table of Contents
19	Troubleshooting ........................................................................................................		776
	19.1	Knowledge Base .........................................................................................................................	776
	19.2	Technical Support .......................................................................................................................	776
	19.3	Registration Support ..................................................................................................................	777
	19.4	User Forum .................................................................................................................................	777
20	Glossary ...................................................................................................................		778
	Index	........................................................................................................................	786

MASCHINE MIKRO - Manual - 22

Welcome to MASCHINE

1Welcome to MASCHINE

Thank you for buying MASCHINE!

MASCHINE is a groove production studio that implements the familiar working style of classical groove boxes along with the advantages of a computer based system. MASCHINE is ideal for making music live, as well as in the studio. It’s the hands-on aspect of a dedicated instrument, the MASCHINE hardware controller, united with the advanced editing features of the MASCHINE software.

Creating beats is often not very intuitive with a computer, but using the MASCHINE hardware controller to do it makes it easy and fun. You can tap in freely with the pads or use Note Repeat to jam along. Alternatively, build your beats using the step sequencer just as in classic drum machines.

Patterns can be intuitively combined and rearranged on the fly to form larger ideas. You can try out several different versions of a song without ever having to stop the music.

Since you can integrate it into any sequencer that supports VST, AU, or AAX plug-ins, you can reap the benefits in almost any software setup, or use it as a stand-alone application. You can sample your own material, slice loops and rearrange them easily.

However, MASCHINE is a lot more than an ordinary groovebox or sampler: it comes with an inspiring 7-gigabyte library, and a sophisticated, yet easy to use tag-based Browser to give you instant access to the sounds you are looking for.

What’s more, MASCHINE provides lots of options for manipulating your sounds via internal effects and other sound-shaping possibilities. You can also control external MIDI hardware and 3rd-party software with the MASCHINE hardware controller, while customizing the functions of the pads, knobs and buttons according to your needs utilizing the included Controller Editor application. We hope you enjoy this fantastic instrument as much as we do. Now let’s get going!

—The MASCHINE team at Native Instruments.

MASCHINE MIKRO - Manual - 23

Welcome to MASCHINE

MASCHINE Documentation

1.1MASCHINE Documentation

Native Instruments provide many information sources regarding MASCHINE. The main documents should be read in the following sequence:

1.MASCHINE MIKRO Quick Start Guide: This animated online guide provides a practical approach to help you learn the basic of MASCHINE MIKRO. The guide is available from the Native Instruments website: https://www.native-instruments.com/maschine-mikro-quick- start/

2.MASCHINE Manual (this document): The MASCHINE Manual provides you with a comprehensive description of all MASCHINE software and hardware features.

Additional documentation sources provide you with details on more specific topics:

►Online Support Videos: You can find a number of support videos on The Official Native Instruments Support Channel under the following URL: https://www.youtube.com/NIsupportEN. We recommend that you follow along with these instructions while the respective application is running on your computer.

Other Online Resources: If you are experiencing problems related to your Native Instruments product that the supplied documentation does not cover, there are several ways of getting help:

▪Knowledge Base

▪User Forum

▪Technical Support

▪Registration Support

You will find more information on these subjects in the chapter Troubleshooting.

MASCHINE documents are available in PDF. You can also access these documents from the application’s Help menu or the following location:

www.native-instruments.com.

Please check the Native Instruments website regularly for up-to-date and localized versions of these documents.

MASCHINE MIKRO - Manual - 24

Welcome to MASCHINE

Document Conventions

1.2Document Conventions

This section introduces you to the signage and text highlighting used in this manual. This manual 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 expected:

This document uses particular formatting to point out special facts and to warn you of potential issues. The icons introducing the following notes let you see what kind of information can be expected:

The speech bubble icon indicates a useful tip that may often help you to solve a task more efficiently.

The exclamation mark icon highlights important information that is essential for the given context.

The red cross icon warns you of serious issues and potential risks that require your full attention.

Furthermore, the following formatting is used:

▪Text appearing in (drop-down) menus (such as Open…, Save as… etc.) in the software and paths to locations on your hard disk or other storage devices is printed in italics.

▪Text appearing elsewhere (labels of buttons, controls, text next to checkboxes etc.) in the software is printed in blue. Whenever you see this formatting applied, you will find the same text appearing somewhere on the screen.

▪Text appearing on the displays of the controller is printed in light grey. Whenever you see this formatting applied, you will find the same text on a controller display.

▪Text appearing on labels of the hardware controller is printed in orange. Whenever you see this formatting applied, you will find the same text on the controller.

▪Important names and concepts are printed in bold.

MASCHINE MIKRO - Manual - 25

Welcome to MASCHINE

New Features in MASCHINE 2.8

▪References to keys on your computer’s keyboard you’ll find put in square brackets (e.g., “Press [Shift] + [Enter]”).

►Single instructions are introduced by this play button type arrow.

→Results of actions are introduced by this smaller arrow.

Naming Convention

Throughout the documentation we will refer to MASCHINE controller (or just controller) as the hardware controller and MASCHINE software as the software installed on your computer.

The term “effect” will sometimes be abbreviated as “FX” when referring to elements in the MASCHINE software and hardware. These terms have the same meaning.

Button Combinations and Shortcuts on Your Controller

Most instructions will use the “+” sign to indicate buttons (or buttons and pads) that must be pressed simultaneously, starting with the button indicated first. E.g., an instruction such as:

“Press SHIFT + PLAY” means:

1.Press and hold SHIFT.

2.While holding SHIFT, press PLAY and release it.

3.Release SHIFT.

1.3New Features in MASCHINE 2.8

The following new features have been added to MASCHINE:

Sounds.com Integration

▪Browse on Sounds.com, create your own collections of loops and one-shots and send them directly to the MASCHINE browser.

MASCHINE MIKRO - Manual - 26

Welcome to MASCHINE

New Features in MASCHINE 2.8

Improvements to the Browser

▪Samples are now cataloged in separate Loops and One-shots tabs in the Browser.

▪Previews of loops selected in the Browser will be played in sync with the current project. When a loop is selected with Prehear turned on, it will begin playing immediately in-sync with the project if transport is running. If a loop preview starts part-way through the loop, the loop will play once more for its full length to ensure you get to hear the entire loop once in context with your project.

▪Filters and product selections will be remembered when switching between content types and Factory/User Libraries in the Browser.

▪Browser content synchronization between multiple running instances. When running multiple instances of MASCHINE, either as Standalone and/or as a plug-in, updates to the Library will be synced across the instances. For example, if you delete a sample from your User Library in one instance, the sample will no longer be present in the other instances. Similarly, if you save a preset in one instance, that preset will then be available in the other instances, too.

▪Edits made to samples in the Factory Libraries will be saved to the Standard User Directory.

For more information on these new features, refer to the following chapter ↑4, Browser.

Improvements to the MASCHINE MIKRO MK3 Controller

▪You can now set sample Start and End points using the controller. For more information refer to ↑17.3.1, Using the Edit Page.

Improved Support for A-Series Keyboards

▪When Browsing with A-Series keyboards, you can now jump quickly to the results list by holding SHIFT and pushing right on the 4D Encoder.

▪When Browsing with A-Series keyboards, you can fast scroll through the Browser results list by holding SHIFT and twisting the 4D Encoder.

▪Mute and Solo Sounds and Groups from A-Series keyboards. Sounds are muted in TRACK mode while Groups are muted in IDEAS.

MASCHINE MIKRO - Manual - 27

Welcome to MASCHINE

New Features in MASCHINE 2.7.10

▪Adjust Pattern Length with A-Series keyboards. Push the 4D Encoder on a Pattern in IDEAS. Twist for 1 bar increments, or hold SHIFT and twist for finer increments. Press again to set.

▪Clear patterns from A-Series keyboards by holding SHIFT and pressing STOP.

1.4New Features in MASCHINE 2.7.10

The following new features have been added to MASCHINE:

New Hardware Support

▪ Support for KOMPLETE KONTROL A-Series keyboards.

MASCHINE MIKRO MK3 Improvements

▪MASCHINE MIKRO MK3: MIDI mode added. For more information, refer to ↑3.7.4, Using MIDI Mode.

▪MASCHINE MIKRO MK3: ability to set focused parameter from the software. This means that when you click on a plug-in parameter in the Control Panel of the software, the parameter will become focused on the controller when in Plug-in mode.

Audio Plug-in Improvements

▪Added Edit Tab to Audio plug-in: Like the Sampler plug-in, you can now perform destructive audio edits to loops loaded into the Audio plug-in via the new Edit tab.

▪Added Usable Play Range for Audio plug-in: in the Edit tab of the Audio plug-in, there are now Playable Range Start and End markers which can be used to isolate only a portion of the loaded audio file that you wish to loop. The timeline along the top of the waveform now shows musical units rather than samples.

For more information on editing audio, refer to ↑8, Using the Audio Plug-in.

General Improvements

▪ Items can now be dragged from the Browser to external locations.

MASCHINE MIKRO - Manual - 28

Welcome to MASCHINE

New Features in MASCHINE 2.7.8

1.5New Features in MASCHINE 2.7.8

The following new features have been added to MASCHINE:

New Hardware Support

▪Support for KOMPLETE KONTROL S88 MK2

▪Support for MASCHINE MIKRO MK3 hardware

1.6New Features in MASCHINE 2.7.7

The following new features have been added to MASCHINE:

Audio plug-in Improvements

▪Added a Formant mode to the Audio plug-in which preserves formants when pitching an audio loop up or down. This can be particularly useful when working with vocal material. For more information, refer to ↑8, Using the Audio Plug-in.

▪The Engine Modes are now listed in order of CPU load, from lowest (Re-pitch) to highest (Formant).

▪The Take Recording workflow has been improved by muting the previously-playing Take when you trigger a new recording so you're not distracted hearing the old Take while trying to record a new one. If you abort the recording, the previously-playing Take will be restored.

▪The Pattern Recording workflow has been improved by muting the previously-playing Pattern when you trigger a new recording so you're not distracted hearing the old Pattern while trying to record a new one. If you abort the recording, the previously-playing Pattern will be restored.

▪When you drag a bounced audio file from the Pattern Editor dragger to a Sound Slot or Group, MASCHINE will now load this into an Audio plug-in instead of a Sampler.

▪When Exporting loop content from MASCHINE, the Project Tempo will now be written into the files. MASCHINE will read this tempo when later loading this file into the Audio plugin.

MASCHINE MIKRO - Manual - 29

Welcome to MASCHINE

New Features in MASCHINE 2.7.7

▪MASCHINE now writes both the Tempo and Loop tags to recordings made with Loop mode. Tempo is attached to recordings made in Sync mode. These recordings will therefore always be in sync with the project when loading them into an Audio plug-in.

Pattern Editor

▪The number of tools available in the software for editing the Patterns has been reduced due to redundant functionality. Instead of an arrow, a pencil, and an eraser, there is now just a pencil tool which can be toggled on and off. When the pencil is off, the mouse will behave as it did when using the arrow tool (and the mouse will look like a normal arrow in this mode). When the pencil is on, this enables the same pencil/paint functionality as before (and the mouse will look like a pencil when in this mode). For more information, see ↑11.4.1, Editing Events with the Mouse: an Overview.

▪There are some changes to keyboard shortcut behavior as they relate to view switching in the pattern editor:

◦W = toggle between Group view and Keyboard view

◦S = toggle Sampling view on/off

◦E = toggle Pencil/Paint on/off

Recording

▪You can now engage count-in recording from the software while the playhead is moving via Command + Shift + Space (macOS) or Ctrl + Shift + Space (Windows).

General Improvements

▪There are now previews of all Groups/Kits and Sounds in the MASCHINE Factory Library. In order for the previews to be available, you must first install the Factory Library v1.3.2 update.

▪The "Use latest version of NI plug-ins" preference has had its functionality extended to project loading (previously, it was limited to the loading of presets). For example, if you made a project that used REAKTOR 5 but you also have REAKTOR 6 installed, enabling this preference will cause REAKTOR 6 to be loaded in all instances when loading up the project. When running in Standalone mode, a dialog box will be presented showing which plug-ins were updated. This function will also happen automatically if you only have the

MASCHINE MIKRO - Manual - 30