Maschine Course

Merging performance with production with its great sound libraries and Komplete Select Instruments, Maschine has become a production powerhouse!

On this 101 & 201 Maschine course, you will learn to produce beats, musical parts and synth sounds hands-on, playing Maschine like an instrument with a smoother and more intuitive workflow than a conventional DAW on our Maschine course, with an included Introduction to Komplete Select Instruments.

Why sit in a chair and click your mouse when you could have fun with Maschine?

This Maschine course will teach you how to use Maschine from ground up and in many different ways. Whether you’re interested in beat-making by finger-drumming or composing with a step-sequencer while shaping sounds, this course will help you to find your workflow.

Maschine comes with one of the best sounding drum libraries for many genres of music, from techno & house to acoustic & downtempo urban styles by many great artists. You will learn how to work with existing kits and even assemble your own using Maschine’s powerful attribute-based browser features.

Using the included NI Komplete plug-ins you will produce an entire project from beginning to end without using a DAW, which can be done in a fluid and performance-like way!

Browsing, Playing, & Recording Drums and Creating Drum Kits

Getting to know the library and how to load sounds quickly is key for a good workflow. Learn all basic functions of Maschine software controllers and the software while exploring different methods of beat-making. Merging performance with composition we practice how to play and program MIDI drums in a new and more improvisational way.

• Hardware & Software Overview
• Using the Browser to find the right sound quickly
• Playing and performing with drum patterns and Scenes
• Intro to Step Sequencing and real-time pad recording
• MIDI editing and arranging patterns with Scenes
• Building your own drum kits
• Shaping sounds with Sampler
• And lots more

Adding Effects and Automation, Sampling, Looping and Slicing

You learn how to write automation in a fluid, hands-on way. By using effects on sounds or groups, we show you how to enhance timbre or add movement or spacial depth. And with Automation, we can control everything in dynamic ways! In this class you will also learn how to record external audio and use the sampling editing tools. Slicing drum loops is also a great way of getting drum programming started.

• Compose a track in the Arranger
• Add Effects to Sounds and Groups
• Record and Draw Automation
• Looping and Chopping
• Record & Edit Audio Slicing Loops
• Assignment of Project 1

Recording Musical Parts, Sound-Design with Sampler and Drumsynths

An Introduction to composing with the Factory Library’s sample based musical instruments as well as creating original instruments from scratch. You will learn sound design with Sampler, the built-in Drumsynths and added special effects. Learn to apply Swing and Nudging to add groove to your beats. We are using Note Repeat, Velocity and Maschine’s performance tools while exploring genre and tempo specific beat making in more detail.

• Record bass-lines, melodies and chords
• Sound Design with Sampler and Drumsynths
• Modulation effects, distortion, & FM
• Pitch and Time with Granular effects
• Swing and Nudge to create live sounding grooves
• Note Repeat, 16 Velocity mode and the Arpeggiator
• Create builds with variations and MIDI editing with the grid
• Tempo and Beat Making for different genres
• Assignment of Project 2

Step Automation, Humanizing, Randomizing, and Creating a Multisample Sound

By using Maschine’s unique Step Automation we can create futuristic rhythms and soundscapes. With the help of the Humanize/Randomize functions you learn to create human feel or pattern variations. Saving with attributes is important to make the best use of your browser, and adding plug-ins will open up a universe of new sound.

• Dynamic sound composition with step automation
• Use Random Variation Generator & humanizing patterns
• Sample External Instruments
• Create Multi Sampled Instruments
• Save with Attributes
• Load VST/AU Plug-in instruments as sound sources
• And lots more

Sound Design with Komplete Select for Production and Performance

While the Maschine Factory Library and the Expansion Packs offer many great instruments, your Komplete Select Instruments and Effects will add a new dimension for powerful sound design. Learn the basics of Komplete plug-in use for instrumentation, mixing and mastering. NKS hands-on plug-in control is also great for performing with the hardware while using the Lock Mode, Snapshot and Morph functions for total recall of settings.

• Intro to Komplete Select Instruments
• Synthesis with Massive and Monark
• Composing with Kontakt’s Sampled Instruments
• Music theory basics: exploring scales and chords
• Macro control and Plug-in instrument automation
• Perform with Lock Mode: Snapshots and Morph functions
• Assignment of project 3

Maschine as Plug-in or Effect, Midi Mode

Maschine can also be used as a plug-in in a DAW and you will learn how to do that in Ableton and Logic. Besides using Machine as an instrument we can also just load a Maschine FX plug-in. Guitar Rig is deep and versatile effects collection, useful not just for Guitar players. You will learn how to control your external hardware synths with midi CCs. In midi mode we can turn the hardware into a fully featured Ableton controller to launch clips and scenes or do step sequencing Push style.

• Use Maschine as a plug-in instrument
• Using Maschine as FX plug-in
• Sound design with Guitar Rig
• Export stereo loops, stems or individual tracks
• Use macros to send midi CCs to external synths
• DAW integration with Ableton and Logic
• Use Maschine as a midi controller for Ableton and Logic
• Assignment of project 4

36 Hours | $1499 + $100 Registration if booked 14 days before start or $1799 + $200 Registration | Live Online

Use the ‘CONNECT’ button below to request schedule information for our classes. One of our placement experts will follow up within a business day. For one-to-one lessons, see Maschine Private Instruction, and connect with a specialist on that page.