Is there any way to start the software with a lower default volume setting? I use headphones
most of the time so it's really annoying to have to change this every time as it is set at a pretty
blaring initial level. I looked in the settings and registry also but nothing relating to software
initial conditions....

also weird is vst scanning it will show "problem" vst on initial scan but never shows them in the plugin
list to be unticked so it doesn't scan every time at start up ..dumb !


thanks in advance for suggestions or solutions

if you have other 2.4 tweaks that make the software more efficient
feel free to drop them here as well

 

I don't think it can be done unfortunately. The closest thing to this would be to create a blank project with the levels you want and then save it out as a template project.

Speaking of annoying Maschine features that dont exist, I really would love to see two additional features added to the list: time warp audio and envelope drawing tools for automation. How these two features havent made it to Maschine already is freaking mind boggling to me :/

 

I'll try that @aymat ,

Yes watched a review about the maschine studio today. There seem to be a lot of capabilities left out even at that expensive level of hardware, once you get in the range of $600 it ought to be able to function as a stand alone audio interface,
but it's still just a controller

 

Last edited by a moderator: May 2, 2016

I hear that. I usually have to run Maschine as a VST inside Live to warp.
If you load Maschine as an effect instead of an instrument you can route audio back into one of its four audio inputs and sample with it which is kind of cool.
Also it doesn't let you map more than one parameter to a knob in standalone so you have to set up macros in Live.
You can however load an instance of Guitar Rig and use components inside a Container and map THOSE to the Container macros which CAN be controlled from Maschine.
If any of you have ever used one of Reason's Combinators, you'll feel somewhat at home.

 

Another 'almost' hidden feature is when using the Note Repeat function.
If you pin Note Repeat you have the following controls:
RATE (1 Bar - 1/128)
UNIT (Normal, Triplet, Dotted)
GATE (1% - 200%)

If you pin Pad Mode (Shift+Pad Mode) while Note Repeat is on (or turn on Note Repeat while in Pad Mode) you have controls for a more functional arpeggiator:
TYPE (UP, DOWN, UP&DOWN, ORDER PLAYED and CHORD)
SEQUENCE (OFF, 1-8)
OCTAVES (1-8)
DYNAMIC (1%-200%)

Here's the cool part.
If you hold Pad Mode again you get SCALE and CHORD.
By default the Arp runs through a chromatic scale. You can select a different scale (Major, Minor, Harmonic Minor,Major Pentatonic, Minor Pentatonic, Blues, Japanese Freygish, Gypsy, Flamenco, Altered, Whole Tone, Half-Whole Diminshed, Whole-Half Diminshed). Try a different scale spanning multiple octaves. I've used this on the lower registers to inspire more esoteric basslines.

CHORD has a harmonizer function which allows you to arpeggiate certain notes in a scale.
For example, if the Scale is set to Chromatic and Chord is set to Harmonizer, under TYPE you have the ability to specify:
Octave, Perfect 4, Perfect 5, Major, Minor, Suspended 4, Major 7, Minor 7, Dominant 7, Dominant 9, Minor 7b5, Diminished 7, Augmented, Quartal and Trichord and when arpeggiating these are the only tones you hear.

Harmonizer is context sensitive to the Scale parameter so switching to a Minor Scale, Harmonizer types will change to:
Octave, 1-3, 1-5, 1-3-5, 1-4-5, 1-3-5-7, 1-4-7.

Or you can forego the notes, load up an instance of Battery or SSD and still apply the technique above.

Try loading a guitar sample with a little reverb/delay in Sound 1 and setting it to the Flamenco scale.
Load a more percussion focused kit in Sound 2, something with timpani, toms or congas along with a beat repeat effect. Tweak to taste.
Now hold Pad Mode and LINK the two sounds to the same Link Group so you hear both sounds when pressing either pad.
Use CHOKE groups to have one sound effectively mute the other when played, again, tweak to taste.
Turn OFF Note Repeat if it's on.

Now run your fingers through that flamenco scale like Michael in that Billie Jean video.
The faster the better.

You can get some really cool results applying the same technique to chopped up DRUM, BASS and SYNTH loops.
Truncate, Stretch and Slice into 16 or 32 samples using the SAMPLING button.
Link the Drums on 1 sound to the Bass or Synth on another sound using the Link Group function.
Now if you play pads 1 through 16 at roughly the same tempo as the original loop you'll get both loops playing together. (Samples will be mapped to C-2 so you may have to press octave down a few times to get there)
Mix it up and maybe throw some triplets in and you have yourself some ready-made DnB.

Add a third sound with a simple melody line and side-chain it to the existing drum or bass track with a Filter effect by selecting the first sound as an input, tweak accordingly and have at it.

Apologies for the length of this post. I despise not being able to do some of the things that I feel I should be able to on my Maschine.
I eventually focus that anger, disappointment, whatever, into finding new ways to do other things.
A lateral kind of creativity.

Never stay angry.
Anger simply leads to hate.
Hate leads to fear.
And we all know where that goes.

 

Last edited: May 2, 2016

You should not lower the Volume of the Master Fader because if you do, your bounces will be quiet after export. Just leave it at 0 dbFS (alt or ctrl click on it to reset it).

Instead, install a free plugin to control the output gain of the Master level (like blue cat's gain suite). Insert it on the Master Fader and lower the Volume to a level you like and save the project. You might also want save the plugin chain to recall it for existing projects as well. Then in the preferences just link to the that project as a default for stand alone an/or plugin version.

The advantage is that it does not change the sound of the material like a compresdor or limiter would. And if you export your song yoz just have to disable it to get the full level. But: check for clipping audio. Kind of odd that maschine doesn't have such a plugin on board.

But really, the only reasonable and smart way to control the volume would be to simply adjust the playback level of your monitors...

 

Exactly. It's pretty much the reason I haven't pulled the trigger on Maschine Studio yet. As awesome as the workflow is in Maschine, I still think it can be improved on, especially in mixer mode which I feel is not nearly as intuitive as the rest of the Maschine layout. I'm hoping that it will be improved on or possibly redesigned in the next version. Between that and the missing features mentioned above, its pretty much all that is missing for me at the moment