Is there a non-NI manual which does a better job of explaining the various modes?

S Righteous
S Righteous Member Posts: 158 Helper
edited October 22 in Maschine

Here is what throws me off.

The various modes (buttons on the left) are different depending on what Pad Mode you are in (buttons along the top). Ok, I can probably figure out those combinations.

But this isn't the whole story. the combination of Left Mode buttons, and Top Mode buttons also depends on which mode you were previously in, which makes it hard to learn, and be intuitive with Maschine.

Here is an example:

Start by hitting the button to enter EVENTS mode.

If I now hit the Pad Mode button, I can toggle between seeing the pads or seeing the events. If I hit the Keyboard button, I can toggle between keyboard pitch pads or events for the selected sound only Chord mode works like Keyboard mode.

Step Mode now only shows the selected events in the timeline. One row of notes. The pads represent those events. Toggling this by hitting Step Mode again, just changes the button options on the screen, not what the pads do, or screen shows.

But if you hit Events, then Pad Mode, then Step Mode, this is an entirely different view. Instead of just seeing the selected events, you see all of them in the right window.

Step now toggles between an event timeline and a detail of the events with velocity.

Both of those show the events on the Pads.

Step Mode does different things depending on what mode you were in previous??

This makes it really hard to remember where the hell I am, and how the hell to get to the screen I want.

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Comments

  • S Righteous
    S Righteous Member Posts: 158 Helper
    edited June 2022

    More confusion, which reading the manual has not dispelled.

    The first two buttons: Channel and Plug-in. One of them is always on, but why?

    If I select Ideas, or Mixer, or Sampling, then the Pad Mode button toggles between those and Pad Mode.

    All the while, one of those first two buttons is also lit, to indicate what exactly?

    Only when no other buttons are selected does it toggle with Channel or Plug-in.

  • eight_trax
    eight_trax Member Posts: 5 Member

    the more you use it the more familiar with it you'll become

  • basehead617
    basehead617 Member Posts: 135 Advisor
    edited June 2022

    I agree with you that EVENTS is really confusing.

    The other thing that freaks me out is that shift-SCENE goes to SECTION view, but that also changes to SONG mode in the background, such that pressing SCENE again in the future doesn't go to SCENE, it goes to SECTION immediately - and that relates to a secondary complexity... if you press shift-ARRANGER (on mk3.. its IDEAS on plus), for SONG mode, you can't get back to IDEAS without hitting ARRANGER again then holding shift and hitting BUTTON 2??

    Shift-SCENE also makes hitting PATTERN immediately be CLIP view/mode.

    Honestly some baffling UI choices surrounding song/clip/section stuff on this thing.

    It would be much easier to understand if SCENE button always went to SCENE view (shift-SCENE = SECTION), PATTERN always went to PATTERN view (shift-PATTERN = CLIP), ARRANGER (IDEAS) always went to IDEAS view, and shift-IDEAS always went to SONG view.

    You know, exactly what the buttons say!

    Addendum - no one uses the VARIATION features, primary should be NAVIGATE and shift-NAVIGATE for VARIATION.

  • S Righteous
    S Righteous Member Posts: 158 Helper

    I would like to believe that the more I use it, the more I will be able to predict what it will do, but without understanding the logic behind what it does, I won't get better at predicting it, unless I imagine my own logic behind it all. I see videos of long time users, and there are always moments where they hit, skip, hit, backup and basically take a few tries to get to the menu they wanted. They have been using it for years!

    I wish it was more customizable. Limit menus I don't ever want to accidentally get into when playing live. I was playing with Variation last night, and the manual is sketchy. It defaults to something really stupid for Pad Mode and drums, but not as stupid for Keyboard mode.

    I have an Octatrack, and there are some manuals written by users which really clear up the concepts in a way the official manual just didn't. If there is no logic to the multi-modes of Maschine+ I would love for someone to come up with a weird way of understanding what the developers were trying to achieve!

  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 0 Newcomer
    edited June 2022
    The user and all related content has been deleted.
  • DeepThumb
    DeepThumb Member Posts: 172 Advisor

    I've bought an excellent but inexpensive 15 hours Maschine MK3 / M+ video tutorial that covers nearly all topics.

    So I'd suggest to get one in your mother language.

  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 0 Newcomer
    The user and all related content has been deleted.
  • DeepThumb
    DeepThumb Member Posts: 172 Advisor
    edited June 2022

    Yes, however IMO autosampler is a minor detail and not necessary for understanding workflows. Whereas the knowledge regarding the usage and benefits of groups, ideas, song view, pattern, clips, session, sections, variations, automation, plugins, sampler vs. audio module etc. is key.

    Customer focussed content provider offer free updates from time to time in order to follow FW/SW updates.

  • S Righteous
    S Righteous Member Posts: 158 Helper

    I also use Elektron stuff, MPCs and even the SP-16. Each has it's quirks, and yeah, the newer MPCs are not as much fun anymore. I don't regret coming back to NI for the standalone Maschine+, but I was surprised that simple things which nagged at me over 10 years ago when I stopped using the Mk1, are still there! So I fully agree with you that development is slow, and probably isn't based on user requests.

    With the standalone, I'm seeing new workflow nags which I hadn't expected. Is there a screen where you can both see the notes in the timeline, and be able to play the pads along with it? I assumed that would be the main mode to replicate using the software with a controller and laptop?

  • S Righteous
    S Righteous Member Posts: 158 Helper

    I may seek out these videos. And to your point, more to figure out the best workflow. I probably will never use autosampler, there is software for that. I should give the manual a full reading first - I keep starting to read though it with Maschine fired up, but I keep getting sidetracked on "how would you do that?".

  • DeepThumb
    DeepThumb Member Posts: 172 Advisor

    I see your point. To me the manual is more a sort of a reference where they describe each function but not allways in the context of a workflow. Maybe more like a dictionary that doesn't help to write grammatically correct sentences.

  • PK The DJ
    PK The DJ Member Posts: 1,699 Expert

    @DeepThumb

    I've bought an excellent........video tutorial

    Details please.

  • PK The DJ
    PK The DJ Member Posts: 1,699 Expert

    Yes please. I'm sure someone will find it useful. There are many users here, from all parts of the world. The thread topic asks for tutorials. A video can be watched as well as heard.

  • jeblo
    jeblo Member Posts: 7 Member

    When in EVENT mode, use SHIFT+PAD or SHIFT+KEYBOARD to toggle between editing events of all 16 SOUNDS or notes of the currently selected SOUND.

    Depending on the Mode (Pad/key) you can SELECT MODE to either select events of multiple sounds or multiple notes.

    @jef did a very good video about using those modes.


    Once you get into it you won‘t miss any feature…(almost)

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