Triggering Maschine Mk3 Sounds from External Multipads or eDrums

Hi there,

Is it possible to trigger the different sounds in a group in Maschine Mk3 from an external multipad (for example Alesis SamplePad Pro) or an eDrum kit (for example Roland V-Drums).

I've got arthritis in my fingers and it hurts to use the Maschine Mk3 pads after a while. I don't want to have fixed velocity turned on and I've got pad sensitivity set to 100 and scaling set to Soft3.

I figure that drum sticks have got to be easier on my fingers than finger drumming.

Any information you can provide would be much appreciated.

Thanks,

Ian

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Comments

D-One

If it sends midi then it can work, just like any midi keyboard. Depending on if the eKit sends MIDI notes or channels you will have to configure your Group MIDI input accordingly.

ianravenuk

Thanks - that sounds hopeful 🙂

Peter Harris

If you aren't specifically a drummer I was going to ask if you've tried just using a keyboard. Even if you're not a keyboard player, MK3 plays very nicely with an M32 or even better an S49 with the LED lights automatically colored to match the pads.

ianravenuk

Thanks Peter - no I'm not a drummer - I'll give that a go and see if it's easier on my fingers. I've actually got an M32 and an S61 so I should have thought of that! 🙂

Peter Harris

So glad it might help. It's very gratifying to make suggestions here in the community that might end up helping someone. I have made a few long-term friends here that way and you never know when you might meet another. 😁

By the way, NI did a nice video last week about the fantastic accessibility features built into Komplete and many of their products and even though you didn't mention any visual impairments, when I was watching it I was reminded that it can be incredibly helpful for many people to have the described voice prompts for things like scrolling between presets, kit names, instrument parameters, etc. as screen-reader audio prompts.

When I think back to early COVID lockdown days or after temporary disabilities like a motorcycle accident I was in a while back or even my unpredictable bipolar depression, it can really have be a sanity saver to be able to still do my music stuff, albeit much more slowly. Or for situations like yours, I figured it could at least reduce the number of repetitive motions sitting up/forward/back to optimally view a display that might make occasional or situational chronic pain more bearable. In my case I don't always have the energy to get up and work in my full studio but if I grab my laptop and M32 or M+ that's usually within reach of me even in bed I can just listen and scroll through the sounds of a new Maschine expansion and wait until I hear something cool that motivates me to get up and go into more active and upright composition mode.

https://youtu.be/ZqHY7lS4B4c

Curious to hear whether you think it could be useful after watching that video. And if you're ever in LA (or even remotely), PM me and let's make some music together!

Peter

adirtyjob

Hi, before I open a new thread I'll hijack this one with my slightly more specific follow-up question related to the McMillen Bobpad. As a newcomer here I would like to send a nice greeting and apologize in advance for my bumpy English.

I bought the Bobpad to test different scenarios in a live music set. I am a drummer but also the Musician of the Band who creates the arrangements. Working with Mac/PC I know so far, because I work since the end of the 80th with it, although rather in the area DTP etc..

I am familiar with Logic and some other DAWs and Audio/Music Apps, but I have only a rudimentary understanding of MIDI, although I am willing to work on it if it makes sense and is necessary.

My intended use would be something like this:

Triggering samples/loops

Play live Drum Effects or Percussion

Play live Synth or Keyboard Effects

I have seen that some scenarios go very well with the BlackBox from 1010music. From the operating concept but also from the possibilities to create song structures, I like Maschine MK3 or Maschine + much more.

I have a link here with an example video of BobPad and BlackBox (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZjuED5XHew). Would something like this also be possible with Maschine?

I say already many thanks and greetings

Mike

D-One

@adirtyjob asked:

I have a link here with an example video of BobPad and BlackBox (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZjuED5XHew). Would something like this also be possible with Maschine?

Yes, pretty much everything except synced audio loop triggering is possible afaik. Keep in mind Maschine is designed to be a production tool and not a live performance one, that doesn't mean it's bad at it tho, it depends on your requirements, it just means you're likely to find quirks here and there and will need to adapt your workflow or find workarounds.

In Maschine, audio loops require a container (Pattern, Scene or Section), you can trigger the containers synced or freely at any time so it can work for what you want but it requires some setup and thinking ahead.

I can't give a direct comparison between MAS and BlackBox or advice what's the best for you, BlackBox seems much easier to learn while Maschine is a more complex software that can do a lot more but that also increases the learning curve... Since you're not very familiar with MIDI all the setup and understanding how MAS works under the hood will prob be your biggest difficulty to overcome initially.

If your band requires switching time signatures midway thru songs then forget Maschine, it can't do that kind of stuff.

adirtyjob

Hey D-One

and thanks for your quick and helpful answer.

That sounds very good to me now, cause since synced audio loop triggering is negligible for me. The benefit of the overall concept is more significant for me.

Thanks for pointing out so carefully the live performances but also the complexity and higher learning curve involved. I am aware of that and willing to do so. The main point of my question was to avoid delving deeply into the matter only to find out that it is impossible. There is a lot of help on internet and I am learning fast.

And yes, we work with different time signatures and speeds. But it would have no relevance to the use of Maschine.

Thanks and greetings

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