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Welcome to Maschine+
Maschine+ is a groovebox and sampler for production and performance, combining
an iconic workflow with premium instruments and effects. It lets you effortlessly
produce beats, melodies, and harmonies with powerful drum synths, premium
sounds, an integrated sampler, and more. It comes stocked with everything you need
to turn your ideas into complete tracks. Whether you’re sketching and arranging your
track, or mixing it down and performing, Maschine keeps you moving from one step
to the next, without breaking your creative stride.
This reference manual provides a comprehensive description of all Maschine+
features. To explore the Maschine+ Manual, click Table of Contents on the left of the
page or enter a word or phrase in the search field. You can also download this
manual as a PDF and access other documentation online:
Quickstart Guide[http://ni.de/learnmasplus]: This animated online guide
provides a practical approach to help you learn the basics of Maschine+.
Maschine Software Manual[https://www.native-instruments.com/ni-tech-
manuals/maschine-software-manual/en/welcome-to-the-maschine-software-manual]:
This provides a comprehensive description of all Maschine desktop software
features, and is useful when using Maschine+ as a controller in Controller
mode. This manual is available in PDF and HTML.
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Please check the Native Instruments website regularly for up-to-date
and localized versions of these documents.
Document Conventions
In this document the following formatting is used to highlight useful information:
Indicates paths to locations on your hard disk or other storage
Italics
devices.
Highlights important names, concepts, software interface elements,
Bold
and hardware controls.
[Brackets] References keys on the computer keyboard.
Denotes a single step instruction.
Denotes the expected result when following instructions.
The following three icons denote special types of information:
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The light bulb icon indicates a useful tip, suggestion, or interesting
fact.
The information icon highlights essential information in a given
context.
The warning icon alerts you of potential risks and serious issues.
Important Names and Concepts
We will start with a list (in alphabetical order) of the most important concepts and
names.
Arranger
The Arranger []is the area located in Song view and enables you to combine Sections
(references to Scenes) and arrange Clips on the timeline into a song.
Browser
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The []Browser is the front end for accessing all the elements of your Maschine
Projects: Projects, Groups, Sounds, instruments and effect presets, and Samples.
Each of these can be stored and tagged to provides easy access. The factory library
has already been completely tagged, including the factory libraries of any Native
Instruments products. For more information, refer to Using the Browser[using-the-
browser].
Clip
Clips exist in the Song view and are one-off unique sound bites that can be used in
addition to Patterns. They are similar to Patterns, however, they are much more
flexible and have the advantage of being able to be freely positioned on the timeline.
They can be part of a section, but can also exist outside a section or span across
multiple Sections. Clips are great for adding transitions or audio to your song. For
more information, refer to Working with Patterns and Clips[working-with-patterns-and-
clips].
Effect
Maschine []comes with many different effects in the form of Internal Plug-ins. You
may also use some Native Instruments VST/AU effect plug-ins. Each Sound, each
Group, and the Master can hold any number of effects that can be applied as insert
effects. The flexible routing system also allows you to create send effects, multi-
effects, and side-chains. For more details on using effects in Maschine, refer to
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chapter Using Effects[using-effects]. You can find an exhaustive description of all
internal effects included in Maschine Software Manual available from the Native
Instruments website.
Event
Events []are the individual drum hits or notes that make up a Pattern. In the Pattern
Editor, events are visually represented by rectangles in the Event area. Depending on
the current view in the Pattern Editor, you can see events for all Sounds slots (Group
view) or for the selected Sound slot only (Keyboard view). For more information, refer
to Recording Patterns[recording-patterns].
Group
A Group []contains 16 Sound slots. In addition to the Effect Plug-ins applied to each
individual Sound, a Group can have its own insert effect. These affect all the Sounds
in the Group. A Group can also contain any number of Patterns (grouped into banks
of 16 Patterns each). For more information, refer to Managing Sounds, Groups, and
Your Project[/document/preview/411724#UUID-5c26970a-f44b-76f4-9e70-c3efbfc9eee4].
Ideas View
The Ideas view []allows you to experiment with your musical ideas without being tied
to a timeline or arrangement. You can create Patterns for each Group and combine
them into a Scene. Scenes can then be added to Sections in the Song view to create
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a larger musical structure. For more information, refer to Switching Between Ideas
View and Song View[arranging-your-project#switching-between-ideas-view-and-song-view]
and Using Ideas View[arranging-your-project#using-ideas-view].
Master
This is []where all audio signals from each of the Groups and Sounds come together
and get mixed. The Master channel can also host any number of insert effects of its
own, these effects are applied to all Groups and the Sounds within them. For more
information, refer to Managing Sounds, Groups, and Your Project[managing-sounds,-
groups,-and-your-project].
Pattern
A Pattern[] is a sequence that plays Sounds from a Group. It belongs to that Group
and will be saved together with the Group. In every Scene you can choose for each
Group which of its Patterns has to be played. For more information, refer to Working
with Patterns and Clips[working-with-patterns-and-clips].
Plug-in
Each []Sound, each Group, and the Master can hold any number of Plug-ins. Plug-ins
can be instruments or effects, and they can be internal (included with Maschine),
from other specific Native Instruments products (instruments or effects). Instrument
and Effect Plug-ins can be loaded in the first Plug-in slot of Sounds. The other Plug-in
slots of Sounds, as well as the Plug-in slots of Groups and of the Master can hold
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Effect Plug-ins only. At each level (Sound, Group, and Master), Plug-ins process the
audio in series, according to the order in which they are stacked up. For more
information, refer to Working with Plug-ins[working-with-plug-ins].
Project
A Project []contains all data needed for a song: Groups with their Patterns, all Scenes
and all settings, modulation, effects, routings, Sounds, and Samples. It’s like a
snapshot of the entire state of Maschine.
Scene
A Scene[] is a combination of Patterns for each Group. They can be used to combine
Patterns in order to create musical ideas. Scenes are created in the Ideas view and
then added to Sections in the Song view to create an arrangement. For more
information, refer to Arranging Your Project[arranging-your-project] and Using Scene
Mode[arranging-your-project#using-scene-mode].
Section
A Section[] is a reference to a specific Scene on the Timeline of the Song view. They
are used to arrange the Scenes into a larger musical structure. The benefit of using
Sections is that any changes made to a Scene are replicated in each Section where
the Scene is referenced therefore making the process of changing parts of a song
quick and easy. For more information, refer to Arranging Your Project[arranging-your-
project] and Using Song View[arranging-your-project#using-song-view].
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Song view
Song view []will enable you to combine Sections (references to Scenes) and arrange
them into a song in the Arranger. For more information, refer to Using Song
View[arranging-your-project#using-song-view].
Sound
Sounds []are the building blocks of all sound content in Maschine. A Sound is made
up of any number of Plug-ins. Each Sound of the selected Group is mapped to one of
the 16 pads on the hardware controller, so you can play the Sounds by pressing the
pads. For more information, refer to Managing Sounds, Groups, and Your
Project[managing-sounds,-groups,-and-your-project].
Refer to the Glossary for more definitions, refer to Glossary[glossary].
Standalone vs. Controller Mode
Maschine+ can be used in two main modes: Standalone Mode and Controller Mode.
In Standalone mode: Maschine+ functions alone as an embedded production
environment, that does not need to be connected to a computer. When
Maschine+ is in Standalone mode the power button is lit green.
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In Controller mode: Maschine+ can be used as a controller for the Maschine
software running on a computer, or as a MIDI controller that can be configured
using the Controller Editor software. When Maschine+ is in Controller mode
the power button is lit orange.
Using Standalone Mode
Maschine+ starts in Standalone mode. However, if you are in Controller mode, you
can still return to Standalone mode.
To access Standalone mode:
1. Press SETTINGS.
2. Use the 4-D encoder to select System.
3. Press Button 4 (STANDALONE).
Maschine+ restarts in Standalone mode.
Using Controller Mode
To start Maschine+ in Controller mode:
1. Make sure the USB-B Port on your Maschine+ is connected to your computer.
2. On your computer, open the Maschine software.
3. If Maschine+ is powered off and connected to the computer only with USB,
press FILE (the power button) to switch it on.
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4. If Maschine+ is powered off, connected to the computer with USB, and
connected to the power adapter, press SHIFT + FILE (the power button) to
switch it on.
Maschine+ is now in Controller mode and the power button is lit orange. You
can now control the Maschine software using your Maschine+.
Use of the power adapter is optional in Controller mode. However,
be aware that if the power adapter is connected to Maschine+ you
are additionally required to hold SHIFT then press FILE (the power
button) to power up in Controller mode.
Switching from Standalone to Controller Mode
To switch from Standalone mode to Controller mode:
1. Press SETTINGS.
2. Using the 4-D encoder, select System.
3. Press Button 4 (CONTROLLER).
If the current project has been modified you will be prompted to save it. After
pressing SAVE or DISCARD, Maschine+ will shut down and enter Controller
mode. Pressing CANCEL will allow you to continue using Standalone mode.
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For maximum compatibility, before you connect Maschine+ to your
computer, make sure that you have downloaded and installed the
latest version of the Maschine software to your computer, and you
are also using the latest operating system update on Maschine+. You
can download Maschine software using NATIVE ACCESS, and
update Maschine+ by pressing SETTINGS and selecting System. For
more information on Native Access, refer to the Native Instruments
website: Native Access[http://https://www.native-
instruments.com/en/specials/native-access/]. For more information on
updating your Maschine+, refer to System Settings[working-with-
maschine-#system-settings].
Next
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