Merge groups? (and other new-user questions)

Hi Everyone,

New Machine (Mikro) user here...2 days tinkering...
Got some setup questions for any gurus out there who can help:

My preferred Group setup is this:
- bottom 8 pads (1-8) are ALWAYS drums
- top 8 pads (9-16) are ALWAYS instruments (either VST or samples)

So, my questions:

1. Given the setup above, is it possible to create "sub-groups" of drum kits (pads 1-8 filled, 9-16 empty), and instruments (pads 1-8 empty, 9-16 filled), then somehow "merge" them into full groups (all pads filled)? Basically, I'd like to be able to create a bunch of 8-pad drum-kits and 8-pad instruments, then be able to mix-and-match them. Is this possible?

2. If the top 8 pads are VSTi (e.g. Massive), can they all source from a single instance of the VSTi? The 8-pad group is intended to be a single instrument (e.g. a mono-bass), so it's important that if the sound is modified (e.g. filter cutoff tweaked) it affects all 8 pads the same. As far as I can tell, the only way to do this is to multi-select the pads every time prior to making adjustments. This is very cumbersome. Is there an easier was to have several pads to be linked to a single VSTi instrument (instead of them all having independent instances)?

Any tips (or links to relevant threads, tutorials, etc.) greatly appreciated!

 

1. No.
You might want to re-think how you set up your Groups. Unless you don't mind a lot of copy/pasting every time you want to "merge" Groups.

2. What are your 8 Sounds (pads) of your "8-pad group" doing? What do you want them to do?
Do you just want them to be different notes of the same instrument? If so, load up one instance of the instrument on one Sound and switch into keyboard mode. You can then play the instrument chromatically (or according to scales with the new scales options).

 

Thanks for the reply...though the answers are disappointing .

My intent is to be able to play drums and an instrument at the same time. So the group Ideally has half the pads triggering one-shot drum samples, and half be a SINGLE instrument (albeit at different pitches for each pad).
I've tinkered a lot, but it seems the only options are:
- switch to "keyboard" mode...in which case ALL the pads become the instrument, so the drums can't be played simultaneously.,,,or,
- Assign a bunch of independent instances of the instrument to pads, then have to Manually multi-select The pads everytime i tweak the sound, to ensure that all the "instrument" pads continue to play the same sound.

Am i missing something? Having a drum/instrument split seems like it would be a common setup in terms of live performance...

 

You can route multiple pads in the same group to a single plugin instance using the internal midi routing. On the channel tab, just move to output and then midi. Set the destination for the sound that has the instrument loaded. Press pad mode to transpose the base key of the pad.

You can also use an external midi device and lock it to a particular sound. This is done on the channel input page. This will allow the midi keyboard or controller to stay locked to the sound no mater what is currently selected on the Maschine hardware.

 

B-righteous, you rock! That's just the solution I was looking for to query #2. Thanks!

Follow up question: now, is it possible to assign pad pressures (aftertouch) to one of the Massive macro parameters?
...if so, i'll be all set to jam out!

 

In control mod the pad pressure can't be assigned.

 

That's disappointing. Lack of aftertouch assignment feature is missing HUGE untapped potential for expressive playing.
Given that these Machine pads are the best I've yet come across (in terms of feel & responsiveness), it's a shame NI didn't go the extra step and implement aftertouch.
Ah well... perhaps in the future?

 

This advice is GOLD!! It's like the whole Maschine became 5-dimensional now