melodic step sequencing of a keyboard instrument in maschine+

Parquin · 2022-01-31T18:36:07+00:00

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How is this done? It seems that step sequencing is exclusively for drum sounds mapped to pads.

My goal is to load a melodic instrument that would normally be played in keyboard or chord mode and sequence a melody from, for example, a complex piece of piano sheet music.

Another way to ask the same question is: how would one sequence only a piano backing track?

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Accepted answers

D-One

It's not exclusive to drums/one-shots, you can sequence melodic content, but only monophonically since the Pads represent Steps and not notes. In Step Mode with Keyboard On knob 3 changes the Pitch. It can work for melodies and such.

For Chords or polyphonic content generally, there's no way to input Steps afaik, people have requested this a lot tho.

Dan McHugh

Its a little long winded but this is how I manage chords / melodics in pad mode:

1) In Pad Mode select the desired instrument

2) Press "keyboard" immedfiately followed by "Pad Mode". you will now be in pad mode with the piano roll display for your currently selected instrument.

3) Tap a pad to put a note on ther piano roll.

4) Use knobs 1 to 4 to adjust positon / pitch etc of the note. (also nudge the 4D encoder to move the note about)

5) Use copy (shift + pad 11) and paste (shift+pad12) to place a new note.

6) use 4d encoder or knobs 1-4 to move note to create melody or chord.

7) repeat to construct the tune.

I notice that plating chords on a controller keyboard highlights the notes played on the piano roll in pad mode. Shame I can't figure a way to auto capture a single chord in step mode.

hope this helps!

All comments

djadidai

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/3642#Comment_3642

Lol. Yeah, why not spend time to learn the way the unit and ecosystem works so you can actually record in a super easy way what you want, instead of just assuming how it should work and if it doesn’t match the assumption just diss the complete product.

You get what you give when in comes to M+. If you’ve never owned maschine before and don’t know how it works, why not take some time and learn how it works? Should be easier and take a shorter amount of time than just banging your head against a workflow that doesn’t even really exist in the unit and which imho seems like a very time consuming and inefficient way of recording notes or melodies.

Parquin

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/4494#Comment_4494

While I'm at it why don't I discard my cinema cameras and do tic-toc on my phone. Oh, perhaps because that is another 'ecosystem' that holds no interest for me.

defyosef

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/4487#Comment_4487

Spot on description of how this could work. This is exactly how Novation's SL MK3 handles step sequencing.

Kubrak

OK, you need an external HW, in this case keyboard...

Believe me, Jam as an adition to Maschine/M+/Mikro brings even more.

Impermanence

Where is the love?

I think Parquin has a point. It is not that convinient to do melodic step sequencing with just Mk3. It could and should be easier. That would be nice.

Jam does help a lot.

If timing gives you problems, how about some quantize and tempo lowering? They are there.

djadidai has a point. Learn the tools.

I’d love to have Novation type of input. But that would require keyboard. NI could sell more keyboards and we could nag more about need of keyboard. Win-win?

Let’s be nice.

defyosef

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/4530#Comment_4530

One thing I'm curious about since you're recommending Jam for this:

When sequencing via Jam: if you press a pad, do you hear the note preview or do you have to play the pattern to hear what you placed in the sequence?

Kubrak

I will try, but I am almost sure, you hear it only while the pattern plays. I always set it while pattern plays....

And I do not have M+, just ordinary Maschine. It might be theoretically different on M+.

three_eyed_otter

Combining this with your M+ would keep you away from the computer, add sonic dimension to your arsenal, & give you step-sequencing...

https://rolandcorp.com.au/blog/the-ultimate-guide-to-the-roland-mc-101-groovebox

Have a good one,

3EO

afrogrit

this is not good @NI, Push 2 does this easily

djadidai

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/4842#Comment_4842

I agree, I have a 707, it’s a bit too much as they are competitive against each other, both want my full attention:) my son has a 101, it’s more than enough to complement M+.

Tom Auger

Disappointed in some of the comments here. I'm a keyboard player, so I don't NEED to use the step sequencer, but I'd LIKE to, and the UX that I'm expecting to find is ridiculously easy:

You need an "insertion point" that represents the location of the note you'll be recording.
You should be able to move the insertion point using an encoder, and it should also be able to auto-advance using a given grid interval after you've recorded the note
You should be able to go into "keyboard" mode while in the step sequencer to activate this different way of step sequencing, and back to "pad mode" to go to the OG way of doing it.

Like others have said, I've seen this in dozens of other sequencer implementations. No need for additional hardware (I, personally have an S88 Mk2, S64Mk2 and S24Mk1 amongst a ton of other NI hardware)

So yeah, no need to disrespect the OP for wanting something perfectly reasonable that exists in the world already. As a software and hardware developer myself I'm constantly baffled at certain product development decisions by some of my favourite brands, NI included.

I also know, however, that N I doesn't listen a lot to its userbase, so unfortunately I'm not going to hold my breath for such a feature, as reasonable as it sounds.

olafmol

This would be my number 1 feature request. I actually fleshed out a complete UX and UI design for NI on how to implement this at some point, but I guess it was not as interesting as sending out surveys ;)

Tom Auger

I just read this in the Maschine+ manual online, and absolutely nothing else in the manual talks about it!

"Step Sequencing Melodies and Harmonies

In Step Mode, the pads turn your Maschine+ into a step sequencer for melodies and chords. You can progressively build a Pattern by programming a sequence for each individual note. Furthermore, the integrated Piano Roll mode is set to allow one individual Sound to be programmed using the pads. Select a Sound and a Scale and you’re ready to go!"

Thanks for the teaser NI, but where are the details….?

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