Maschine: Templates for Live and how to set it all up.

[Winterpark]

Heya,

So i've noticed a stack of different threads all about how people are setting up Maschine with Live, so I thought it may be useful to combine them into one thread... like a one stop Maschine/Live shop.

So, the way I see it there are 4 ways of using Maschine with Live.
1. (the obvious one...) as a plugin instrument = all maschine functionality.

2. as a APC/Launchpad emulator... control surface template made by NI as demoed on youtube here.

3. as a drum racks controller... templates made by fragmented and deckme(N)tal
nb: with these, you have to set copy user remote scripts into...
PC
C:\Documents and Settings\<YOUR USERNAME>\Application Data\Ableton\Live <VERSION NUMBER>\Preferences\User Remote Scripts\
Mac
UserName\Library\Preferences\Ableton\Live <VERSION NUMBER>\ User Remote Scripts

4. Since maschine 1.1... you can send midi out on each pad.. so i also set up a template for drum racks, but instead of using it as a remote script, i did it so you can route midi direct from the maschine vsti plugin. Here's a link to the post where it's explained, and here's a direct link to the project file.

Hope this helps any other Maschine users out there!

please feel free to add other templates or links to useful Maschine/Live combo use.

[supamonsta]

+1 for this thread mate,

I'm just beginning to test maschine within live.

for no I installed and tested the live 7 template provided by NI, but there are some stuff I don't really get :

- volumes don't display the real live values

- the 4*4 grid doesn't do any feedvack on live's gui (where the frak am I???)

- the 4*4 grid can go waaaaaay far more further on the right, even when there is no track anymore!!!??? it should STOP as it does for the upper and left sides of the session view) (where the fracking frack am I ???)

- what's the deal with "mute", and "pattern" buttons? sems still a bit buggy? you can lauch a clip when "pattern" is on, but you can't stop the clip (but you can if lauching another one in the same track of course), you can mute the clip (set it "off") with the "mute" button activated, but unmuting it doesn't let it play again, you have to relaunch it

- why is "note repeat" allways flashing?

- the blue arrows used to browse the session grid doesn't respond really well, sometimes OK, sometimes not..???


so my question is:

Do someone of you use this template sucessfully?

Could you explain the workflow, tips or tricks???


(I posted these same questions in the "what kind of fun..." thread, but it will be much more appropriate here


The ideal template I'd like would be one that allows to use the APC40-style clip lauching stuff + the drumracks stuff on another page, or using i.e, the "pad mode" button to access the drum racks. AND the mutes, sends, etc. AND the mackie emulation stuff for controlling live devices...?

would it be possible (I didn't try to make my own stuff in the maschine controller editor for now, I'll have a look). I also don't really understand the mackie emulation protocol...

in fact I'm a total noob since I acquired the maschine

Anyway, thanks for this thread, and I hope it will grow with lots of advices and workflows, templates...

Cheers

EDIT:

2. as a APC/Launchpad emulator... control surface template made by NI as demoed on youtube here.

strange is that the template file provided by NI isn't the same as on the video : the volume faders are not there, nor the pan "faders", but only values that doesn't reflect the real ones...

???

on NI forums users are asking for that, but no official answer from NI...

re-cheers

[delicioso]

monstrejumo, check out the Controller_Editor_Template_Documentation pdf that comes with the Controller Editor for explanation on how the NI Live template works.

It worked fine when I tried it out but I use fragmented's template now since I already have a Launchpad for session view clips.

[yur2die4]

Monstre. I didn't finish reading your statement yet but make sure that you have input AND output going.. it seems like the signal is not going back out to your Maschine for some reason ???

[supamonsta]

monstrejumo, check out the Controller_Editor_Template_Documentation pdf that comes with the Controller Editor for explanation on how the NI Live template works.

OK, that's what I needed



yur2die4 : all ok on the pref's panel, just the template seems a bit unfinished thanks anyway

cheers

[The Northern Contingent]

A hugely under used template is the Mackie Control emulator. youe2die4 kindly sent me this guide to using it below. Its changed the way I use Live significantly, mainly because it maps instantly to any instrument...

'Turn off your other surfaces and choose the Mackie Control [from MIDI preferences]. Set the input/output to your Maschine and switch Maschine to Mackie.

'What you will notice is a whole bunch of confusion at first. It really helps to have the NI Midi Editor up during this because they have labeled everything for you.

'You can choose the different audio channels at the press of a button (could be convenient!). If you arrow your way to the 'v-pot control' page for your knobs, it will show you, LABELED the names of all your fx/racks which is really insane haha.

'The top buttons of the v-pot control choose which fx you want to control, and then out of nowhere all your parameters pop up. It looks pretty nuts. You can also switch to multiple 'pages' of these (i kind of forget how, I am reporting this from memory).

As for the pads, you can also switch to E i think it is, which will have the arrow/zoom pads. Oh, and you can switch views using the "GRID" button, or turn pencil off/on using the "SOLO".'

Give it a try and be patient with it. Once you get used to the strange layout it works a treat. Enjoy!

[Zky]

ok,,so we have ableton + apc40..then we add maschine to the equation..

question is..is there are a practical way to use both controllers? say..in a live situation??

or just in the production flow??

[Winterpark]

ok,,so we have ableton + apc40..then we add maschine to the equation..

question is..is there are a practical way to use both controllers? say..in a live situation??

or just in the production flow??

in a live situation, if i had an apc also (which i don't) i would be using the maschine in it's software mode, and not worry about control surface stuff at all.

production-wise i find it's good to move between templates depending on my needs at the time.

[supamonsta]

Hi,

I'm struggling to use the massive template for the maschine controller within live

2 midi tracks:

-1 for maschine

-2 for Massive

massive.mca copied into several folders (application support/native instruments/massive/mca and applications/massive/mca)

massive template loaded into maschine controller

...

Live prefs:

maschine controller as a control surface
and maschine midi in and out ON for track and remote

but...

nothing seems connected between maschine controller and massive

what's the good setup????

any of you managed this?

cheers

[yur2die4]

there is the strong possibility that using maschine as a control surface in ableton live might disable some functions when using things with the same notes/cc#/midichannel as the layout.

I think your best bet would be to use a different channel for Massive. (you may have to manually change your massive preset's channel settings for maschine also)

[supamonsta]

I finally managed to have massive responding to the maschine controller, the pots and buttons are OK, (i.e the 8 pots in macro mode all make the macros from massive responding OK)


but the pads do'nt trigger any note out of massive (miri received though....)

[supamonsta]

I'm lost again...

I've set up a live set, with maschine and massive in 2 ableton tracks.

I can sequence massive from maschine, no problem.

but I'm unable (again) to use the massive maschine controller template to, e g , use the 8 macro pots.

live's prefs midi : maschine controller ON for inputs and outputs, for track and remote.

massive midi prefs : maschine control

what's up??

I'd definitively like someone to help me step by step with this setup...

cheers!

[yur2die4]

Are you ALSO using Maschine as a Control Surface (ableton midi preferences)? If there are similar Midi CC#'s, they will interfere.

If for instance CC#15 controlled Pan on the Ableton/Maschine Control Surface, then the host would pretty much be calling 'dibs' on CC#15 and it would never go into Massive.

But if you turn your Control Surface off for Maschine, then CC#15 is now free reign for any vst that accepts midi.

The workaround would be changing your Massive preset to a different MIDI Channel. Unless you know how to program in python (i don't haha)

[supamonsta]

thanks,

I have disabled the control surface maschine, so there are no interferences...

I don't see how to change the massive preset to a different midi channel, I searched everywhere in massive options, just found the way to switch to maschine control, but no midi channel settings...

I also searched in the global and voice settings of the presets....

I'll dig further, not so much time those days though...

Thanks for trying to help

(and no, I don't know how to program in python, ah ah )

Cheers

[delicioso]

A hugely under used template is the Mackie Control emulator. youe2die4 kindly sent me this guide to using it below. Its changed the way I use Live significantly, mainly because it maps instantly to any instrument...

'Turn off your other surfaces and choose the Mackie Control [from MIDI preferences]. Set the input/output to your Maschine and switch Maschine to Mackie.

'What you will notice is a whole bunch of confusion at first. It really helps to have the NI Midi Editor up during this because they have labeled everything for you.

'You can choose the different audio channels at the press of a button (could be convenient!). If you arrow your way to the 'v-pot control' page for your knobs, it will show you, LABELED the names of all your fx/racks which is really insane haha.

'The top buttons of the v-pot control choose which fx you want to control, and then out of nowhere all your parameters pop up. It looks pretty nuts. You can also switch to multiple 'pages' of these (i kind of forget how, I am reporting this from memory).

As for the pads, you can also switch to E i think it is, which will have the arrow/zoom pads. Oh, and you can switch views using the "GRID" button, or turn pencil off/on using the "SOLO".'

Give it a try and be patient with it. Once you get used to the strange layout it works a treat. Enjoy!

Wow. I finally tried out the Mackie Control template and it really does rock. I like how well thought out it is and that you can even choose things like a track's audio/midi in/out from the Maschine controller and how it shows you the parameter names like EXT.OT, SNDSON, NOUTPT, MASTER...etc. Same goes for Sends, Pan, Return, and even third party plug-ins. I feel like I don't fully grasp all the things this template does yet though probably because I'm not familar with everything a Mackie Control interface does like the V-pots.

I'm still going to stick with fragmented's LiveMaschine template since it automaps to the Drum Rack pads as well and also because LiveControl/TouchOSC for iPad also does most of the same giving full feedback of clip/parameters but also giving you Launchpad-style clip launcher and a pretty powerful step sequencer.

Live + Maschine + iPad FTW!