How do YOU like to use your Maschine Jam?

Schmapps1 · 2022-02-02T14:54:06+00:00

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Like most who have picked up a Jam, I am pleasantly surprised at how it’s sped up my workflow. I love having easy access to all the scenes and patterns on a big grid - makes it super fast and easy to create different scenes, test out different patterns quickly, dial things in and then easily chain the scenes together for arrangement mode.

BUT…honestly I don’t find myself using any of its other features that much. Isomorphic, notes mode, step sequence etc. Sometimes I feel like I’m not using it to it’s potential!

I am wondering how you guys are using it, and how it integrates into your workflow? What are your favourite features, tips ‘n tricks, and use cases for the Jam? 🙂

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[Deleted User]

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Percivale

I got a used one recently and am picking up how to use it more proficiently. In the longer-term I expect to use it more for "live effects" such as the [Perform], [Level]. [Aux] and [Lock] to liven up a track. Other stuff could be handled by the other counterpart device.

Impermanence

There is just so much potential in jam.

I tried to get a hold on stepseq but I need to study more to make it efficient.

One of my favourite trick is to copy a pattern from one group to another. I’m not sure if it is even possible with Mk3.

Biggest thing for me is the visual info jam offers. At the same time lack of screens is a pitty.

I’d really like to change pattern colours…

Kubrak

I like the most step sequencer and piano-roll (melodic stepsequencer). And also arangement view and all editting and setuping features.

And using the touchstripes for mixing, setting values to plugins, and creating modulations (automations).

Would like longer touchstripes and mini displays to label rows and columns for better navigation, in Mk2. If it ever comes.....

Schmapps1

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/3808#Comment_3808

Whoa. You can copy a pattern from one group to another?! I did not know that. How do you do it? Hold shift, click the pattern you want to grab, and then click its destination?

I imagine that you could, say, grab a pattern that has a synth melody line, quickly duplicate it to a different group, and then you suddenly have two different instruments doubling the same melody line?

ozon

@Schmapps1

Exactly! Love that feature.

And it works exactly the same as duplicating Patterns within the same Group, just hit a target Pad in a different Group.

I think it’s actually basic functionality but the original Maschine has no mode where you have access to Pads belonging to different Groups.

olafmol

that would be a nice feature request for Maschine sw/mk3/+ ;)

darkogav

mostly as mixer and browser and pattern navigation.

Murat Kayi

When you press "Song", press and hold a Scene button and turn the encoder you can add scenes to the section. Unfortunately, playback stops if there is no previous scene in the section which makes this a no-go for livelooping.

If you, however, press and hold "Song" while in Idea view, the "Scene" buttons dim down and you can then press them to allocate the the scene you are in to sections by pressing the dimmed down "Scene" buttons. You can create multiple sections containing the scene that is playing while you do that. Also, after releasing the "Song" button, you are still in ideas View.

I stumbled across this, never found it in the manuals or the Jam cheat sheet

Maschine Jam combined with Maschine Mikro mk3

LOCKS AND SCENES

You can change lock states and scenes simultaneously which is not possible on other controllers. This opens so many arrangement, transition and performance possibilities, it's hard to sum them all up

USEFUL PECULIARITIES

sometimes, you will find that one controller can take over where the other one falls short. While I haven't found a way to access the AUX controls from Maschine Mikro mk3, you can press AUX on the Jam. You can, however only adjust AUX levels for AUX1 and that's it. No page buttons are lit and none of the other controls are mapped. Strangely (and fortunately) the mikro mk3 can flip through all of the controls now, adjusting drop downs and knobs, even though I couldn't make it access AUX before at all. Is there a way to access AUX from the mikro? Is there a way to edit *all* of the AUX controls from the Jam? I'd love to know.

Same goes, IIRC, for the levels page.

MAYBE A BIT TOO UNOBVIOUS, BUT FORTUNATE

I never saw a page when doing ARPs where I could specify how many octaves I wanted the ARP to play on the mikro mk3. The Jam can and much more than that. Once you set it up you can then play the ARP with the mikro, making use of touch/velocity.

Same goes for other configurations where the options differ from controller to controller.

JUST GREAT FUN COMBINATIONS

Perform Fx on both controllers simultaneously: start the filter perform fx on a group, from the Jam, then flip through the FX controls on the mikro mk3 (arrow buttons) until the encoder is mapped to the "resonance" control. Now, you can fiddle with cut-off and resonance simultaneously - which is always awesome. No macros needed.

Modwheel on the mikro mk3 and touch strips in "notes" mode on the jam

JUST UNOBVIOUS BUT FUN

Playing two touchstrips in note mode "guitar" will add two cords together, similar to jazz piano players building complex chords out of simple ones.

(EDIT: Removed image, replaced with text)

THis is from the old forums...

ozon

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/4350#Comment_4350

Great find!

Could you please add a link to the original post, and post the text instead of adding a picture. It’s rather hard to read on a mobile device.

Murat Kayi

Oh, I wasn't aware this is a picture. That old post was by me, I copy/pasted from a OneNote page.

Hang on, I will go and see to it that it pastes only text

EDIT: Also when I read this old post I see that I wondered about this

Is there a way to edit *all* of the AUX controls from the Jam? I'd love to know.

In the meantime I found out you can access those by pressing SHIFT+AUX, IIRC.

mtamayo

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/4435#Comment_4435

Awesome, I came here trying to figure this out for AUX 2 Jam strips and glad I found your answer! How did you even figure this out, I don't see it in the manual. It does work as you noted though - thanks!

djadidai

I use it mostly as my arranger, patterns, scenes, also the step sequencer is awesome with the jam and touch strips to play notes, musical stuff. Love it! Especially for live sessions. The best thing about the Jam is that it’s so much fun to jam with it.

Murat Kayi

Just wanted to add that the Maschine Jam is by far the best MIDI controller I know for riding multiple faders in virtual instruments.

For some of the Spitfire Audio Strings for example, it's pure magic to ride expression, dynamics and vibrato simultaneously with three fingers.

Also, as the touch strips are MULTITOUCH(!), you can do things with them, no other midi fader can. Like anchor a finger on a position and tap or slide to/from other positions with another finger which creates really unique modulation curves for filtering or any kind of expression.

Handling either VCV rack buttons or Reaktor Blocks patches with the Jam either in Midi mode or when used as the hardware controller for its dedicated block has been keeping me from getting hardware eurorack for years now. I see all those people twiddling their racks with two hands at a time. Oh yeah? How about I MULTITOUCH modulate eight knobs in my rack simultaneously? Thanks to Jam.

God, they need to make the Jam MK2 so bad....aargh

6xes

@Murat Kayi

totally agree one of the best midi controllers out there!! especially when you custom map the controller!!

with a little over 500 programmable buttons, 64 touchstrips (at ones disposal via banks) and the 4 click encoders it is hard to go past the versatility Maschine Jam provides!!

If one works with reaper and uses the Realearn vsti by helgoboss... the Maschine Jam's midi mappings can increase exponentially!!(switchable midi maps!!)

when you know you know!! *winks

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