How do I trigger articulations using just Maschine without a keyboard?

GBam · 2025-01-16T14:27:17+00:00

There was an error rendering this rich post.

I've seen videos of Picked Nylon and other Session guitar VSTs being played on the pads, playing either melodies or strummed chords, but I haven't seen a demonstration of the articulations being done. I don't even know if it's possible, let alone how to do it.

Find more posts tagged with

Maschine MK3

Accepted answers

LostInFoundation

Supposing you mean playing melody articulations (which are assigned to C1 octave), the only thing you can do is adopting some workarounds:

using another midi controller which is set to play C1 octave in conjunction with Maschine (a small, cheap one would be enough, since articulations keys don’t need all the bells and whistle like sensitivity, aftertouch,… Even an app sending midi from a touchscreen would be ok)
Using the mouse with the other hand to select articulation from the oncreen GUI
Using Maschine in MIDI Mode and creating a template (with Controller Editor) in which you set the first row(s) of Maschine pads to play C1 range and the others to play the range you are interested in for patterns/note

…and maybe you can think of other workarounds too.

What is sure is that all of this is surely not ideal…and that, being Maschine a controller with 16 pads, it is not the best fit to play instruments that have those kind of “special” keys assigned to very low octaves. At least for playing them AND patterns/notes all at once.

Shortly said: a controller with 16 pads can’t be used to play 6 octaves all at once

All comments

keilyn3d

if you refer to aftertouch or something similar like doing vibrato with the maschine pads by wobbling your finger, no, maschine only have velocity sensitivity and the touch strip, in the touch strip you can pitch bend, use modulation etc., and you can hit the pad soft or hard, nothing else.

LostInFoundation

Supposing you mean playing melody articulations (which are assigned to C1 octave), the only thing you can do is adopting some workarounds:

using another midi controller which is set to play C1 octave in conjunction with Maschine (a small, cheap one would be enough, since articulations keys don’t need all the bells and whistle like sensitivity, aftertouch,… Even an app sending midi from a touchscreen would be ok)
Using the mouse with the other hand to select articulation from the oncreen GUI
Using Maschine in MIDI Mode and creating a template (with Controller Editor) in which you set the first row(s) of Maschine pads to play C1 range and the others to play the range you are interested in for patterns/note

…and maybe you can think of other workarounds too.

Shortly said: a controller with 16 pads can’t be used to play 6 octaves all at once

Quick links

Unanswered questions