Help me configure "Variation" mode

NatureTech · 2023-03-27T22:05:46+00:00

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I was watching a tutorial for Maschine+ where there was a short discussion about the "Variation" tool. It showed how easily you can take a simple 3 note pattern and generate random notes. In the tutorial, every iteration of the 3 note patter changed to 3 different notes.

When I try it, I get a wild mess of notes, even through I have the settings set to Chords: 1 note and Note Length: 1 step. So, I get a mess of notes, maybe 16th or 32nd notes. Anyway, not getting the 3 note random changes I'm expecting.

It's hard to explain, and my tech/musical vocabulary may be lacking, but if this sounds familiar, maybe you can offer some suggestions!? I have checked various settings in my instrument and can't find a solution. Thanks for any help/guidance!!!!

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Comments

Peter Harris

I understand your confusion. I found it kind of tricky too when I first started using it.

For me the key insight I was missing was setting the focus of your sound/instrument/patch in Pad mode (hitting the pad you want to make variations on) then making sure that you go to Keyboard or Chord mode and set the key and scale you want to work in. For key, just use the buttons up and down above the right screen to set SEMITONE +/- to put the base note you want in your sequence (adjust it so it appears in the bottom left corner of that 16 pad note list).

Then choose the scale / mode you want to constrain your generated notes to. (If you don't know much about music theory, try using the default of C and the major scale as an example.) Now no matter what other settings you use in Variations mode, the notes will at least work together musically without clashing.

Here is one of my favorite YouTubers talking about the various settings (which are the same as for M+):

https://www.youtube.com/live/fUKzzBcXMb0?feature=share

Then just experiment and you'll find something you like very soon. And if not you can always just press undo and try again if you don't like what it did.

Hope this helps!

NatureTech

Okay, that was awesome! I started to watch a bit of the video, just to get a flavor of it, and ended up watching the whole thing. There's all these pockets of functionality in the Maschine, and I'm just starting to get a feel for how things can come together--and yet, sometimes don't know which way to go. Anyway, your comments and this video TOTALLY help! Thank you!!!

Peter Harris

My pleasure! So glad it helped. 🙂

Psyearth5

Just like Peter wrote, on Pad with sound select root key and scale a onda u Variation mode determine the bottom and top notes. That's the most important thing, the rest is Experiment and you'll quickly figure it out yourself. Variation of fashion can positively surprise and is excellent as a solution when there is no inspiration, but over time it can Become a very useful option. I hope you enjoy Maschine and feel free to limit yourself only to Maschine and you will see that it is not Limitation but a much more moderate way to make/play Music.

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