How I Make FULL SONGS with Maschine
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- Опубліковано 12 чер 2024
- I show how I use the Maschine Mikro and Reaper to make full beats and songs.
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00:00 Intro
00:38 Scatterbrained Beatmaking
02:49 Refining Ideas
03:35 Export
07:13 Arrangement
13:56 Mix and Master
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Really nice video! Love seeing this kind of insight in other artists process. Thanks for taking the time and showing us how you work. I certainly took some ideas away that I will try out. Thank you.
~Merlin
I learned something from this , thanks man ! Keep up the good work .
Interesting process. I know it was nominally about Maschine, but it was one of the best videos I've seen on producing with Reaper. You split the timeline into clips+scenes on the left and an arrangement to the right, almost like Ableton. That's a really good idea!
Loving these videos … I was on the fence between grabbing an m32 keyboard or a maschine mikro as my first piece of kit … went with the mikro as I’m not musically trained and think I’ll find it more accessible … love your videos, very clear and easy to follow and cover stuff other videos don’t … looking forward to churning out some dirty tech breaks when it arrives 💥
Yo I just want to say that I really appreciate your videos and, though our workflows are pretty different, I can't think of many people out their right now that are on your level when it comes to presenting earnest explorations of the things you're passionate about creating. Like, you bring zero ego to your videos and just provide people with a straightforward breakdown of musical tools with criticisms and invigorating positive explanation. Keep doing your thing.
I have a similar process. I sketch out tracks in mikro. It usually takes me a couple of days using maschine packs (sometimes using midi loops too) Building my own tracks, and building my own groups with loopcloud (Also using my own kits ive built. ) I usually focus on rythm and pads. I also build my basslines. I build 8-16 measure loops then export to ableton. This forces me to make some decisions and turn some tracks ino audio. I Import into Ableton and arrange. I usually sweeten and add chords and synthlines. I copy all tracks across the timeline using a song structure template i created. I then turn off elements and add elements until i have a structured track. I render out with some mastering presets and then move on. I usually distance myself from my tracks for weeks to months. Listening to my rough track again and again to see if i still like it. If its a keeper i eventually go back in and do a final mix and master. I wrote about 68 tracks this year. All of them in various states of completion. I think I'll end up mastering about half. Love Devious Machines infiltrator too. I like the idea to create entirely new track sections with it from the main material.
Thank you for sharing. It helped me a lot
lessgo another upload im alwys hyped for ur vids
O.o Now this video is on blast for me, Gabe-I got a heck of a deal on a Mikro3 thanks to your advice. But I have been struggling with a whole new programming eco-system. Thank you, man!
Glad to help!
Great video and awesome tunes
Hi Gabe, like always you're vidéo is great, and that's exactly my workflow! First time I "meet" somebody working like this, taking Maschine as a groovebox, because the software is too limited/instinctive for me, but so great to dig ideas. Anyway, a big hurray for your work!
Thanks 🙏 a million you’re dope!!
after 3 sec and i know " YOU KNOW " man
I'd say this is a comprehensive video for Maschine users to learn a process that works for them. Really liked that scatterbrained beatmaking title rather than thinking about it with a negative spin of "blah I just made another 8 bar loop that didn't go anywhere".
What a great thing Infiltrator!
Great tip on exporting. I was trying to import to Cubase and it sounded like crap. I watched your video and set the export settings to source and now it sounds as intended. I agree with you you get more control over the final product when you move it to a DAW of your choice.
Hey thanks for a few tips inside Maschine software!
I feel like my final document of my song is always midi, even up to the end. it is like a score, and I feel that months or years later this is what I want to preserve, not a collection of audio loops.
Nice visual way to arrange song structures. Then after mixing if playing live you can export regions and load them as scenes, to trigger live. I dig it. Its not a bad idea. Since thats how my old analog/DAW brain works. It has to be dramatically altered with variations with indie genre.. Especially drums. But, yeah, I can get my head around this. Im used to arangment in a DAW so, why not do it in the DAW! 👏🏼👏🏼😎
I have recently started using Reaper and have invested in a Komplete A49 and a Mikro Mk3. Maschine's user manual is 700 pages long and I learn better from example, so please continue to dive into Reaper and Mikro sets. Obviously I feel a bit out of my depth currently and any basic tips and tricks would be really beneficial, thanks. Peace
Excellent beats, for a twee looking fella!!!
And now with the new update for VST 2 and 3 . All of my plug-ins are working. so it’s getting closer now even more to stand alone!
Thx a lot 😋
I like this workflow too - I have been using a similar process myself (although I’m bringing my exported tracks into Ableton). I love the Maschine workflow for quickly banging out heaps of loops and ideas - but the software just doesn’t click with me for some reason. I’m using Maschine + and very much just treat it like a (overpriced!) groove box.
Great video as always!
Hey! Would have been interesting to see mixing in Maschine. thx!
I started of using maschine and its great for coming up with ideas but I get stuck with loops and automation is paaahh. I moved onto Studio one 5 which solved these problems but then couldnt come up with ideas, thanks for your video as I now have clarity with workflow.
I use the Mpc Live and for a longtime did a similar process to yours. Last year I switched to completely mixing on the MPC. I find that I save sooo much time. Sure there are things you give up, but you find new ways and for me it has been a win... at least for now :)
Fair enough! The MPC definitely gives you everything you need to mix, arrange, and master a track, but I still like the extra bit of control (and access to more plugins) I get from using Reaper.
@@GabeMillerMusic I hear ya. I don’t think there is right or wrong. For me there is an appeal to a setup without a pc that makes it worthwhile too. Funny is that I sometimes sample Maschine and other plugins into the MPC….lol
Apparently according to native instruments own research, most users operate in the way you do with maschine really functioning as a plug in rather than full daw.
I came to this video seeing if I'd learn anything. I didn't, however the video has still been incredibly useful as it affirmed my work flow which is almost exactly the same. And as someone who is still relatively new to this (well I've used maschine for two years now) it was very affirming hearing you basically validate the fact I'm not some hopeless buffoon
Thank you for uploading. I’ll be ordering a MK3 Mikro or MK3 in a month I think. Since you used the + and have had the Mikro for a while. Still little regret going Mikro vs MK3 since you had used the loaner MK3+ for a while you had some time with the extra controls and monitors. I know the MK3 comes with the $99 upgrade to full library that you had to do get separately for your MK3, that and screens and extra controls right there without menu diving and mousing. I know for myself either will be a HUGE upgrade to me since I have nothing. Depending on tax return I might go to MK3, comes with full Maschine library ($99) that I would get anyway…. A decent I/O back? Screens and knobs…. If Tax returns are good.. maybe MK3 instead of Mikro…. Judging by how your work with this video I doubt the you would use the MK3 much different than the MK3 Mikro… (working mostly in Reaper). On the other hand would make Maschine software maybe easier to use and maybe work with into step 2 or farther before going to Reaper?
much much easier is it to handle the scenes in maschine ideas mode, much much quicker sorting ideas gambling with them (duplicate scenes) etc... easier ans quicker than in any daw. Finally you are able to export scenes, which you can take to any daw. Then the clip feature in maschine makes it even more easy easy easy. For me to export them in a daw is the reason to have a wider spread of plugins and automation features. f.e. Ableton Live 11.
Thinking of selling my electribe 2 to get a mikro 3, do you think it is more versatile?
My workflow isn’t that different except that I do it in one hardware machine. What I don’t like about my own workflow is that progression ends up to be muting/unmuting parts and slight variations. So I am looking for ways to add more musical variation in the arrangement like modulating to another key and back.
It's no fun getting stuck in a short loop, with no meaningful progression aside from muting/unmuting tracks. To avoid that, I've pretty much ditched grooveboxes and now use a totally different workflow.
- Turn on a metronome of some sort. Tap in a tempo for what's in my head.
- Hum some ideas (usually melodies) into a series of clips. The result should be at least a minute or two long. The voice clips won't be in the final version, but they are the framework on which the entire rest of the song will be built.
- Figure out the key(s) and scale(s), and remap my keyboard to it for easier performance and improvisation. For me, this just means holding down all the notes of the melody simultaneously and letting the computer figure it out.
- Start filling out the harmony, perhaps by humming again, in parallel clips.
- Convert the voice clips to midi, and clean up the timing if necessary, then remove the voice clips. Also, choose some initial synth patches for each.
- Continue filling out each scene with bass, pads, arps, additional melodies, drums, etc. This involves a lot of jamming and experimentation, and is the most fun part of the process.
- Wait overnight.
- Fine-tune the voicing and effects a bit more, so the parts will fit together better.
- Experiment with launching clips from different scenes together, to see if there are any happy combinations available.
- Perform clip-launching into an arrangement. This often includes muting/unmuting parts to help it build and break, but it continues to follow a coherent melody and structure.
- Clean up the arrangement, add risers and automation and stuff, etc.
- Sleep.
- Fine-tune the mixing and EQ and stuff.
- Render the song, and upload it wherever necessary.
... ish. It's just a rough guideline.
I'm currently doing this on an Akai Force, but Ableton or Bitwig would also work well. Anything with clips, scenes, and an arranger.
Sometimes instead of humming a melody at the beginning, I'll play random stuff on a synth. The goal is the same though... to make at least a minute or two of melodic progression that I can use to build the rest of the song on. Sometimes it's a melody, sometimes it's a bassline, sometimes it's a chord progression, whatever. It just has to _go somewhere_ instead of sticking in a loop.
@@ToyKeeper Thanks for sharing your workflow, it is very good to know how other people deal with this. I can’t hum anything reliably but I think I could at least start with developing one line with more musical relevant variations before adding stuff that can be muted / unmuted.
@@ToyKeeper That’s really interesting. I agree that getting stuck in a loop kills creativity. The stuff you describe could also easily be done on Maschine since it has the equivalent of clips (patterns) , a session view (“ideas” mode) and a linear arrangement functionality (“song” mode). In that sense, Maschine isn’t really a Groovebox, more a daw in a box.
Having used both ableton and Maschine it feels like preference is they are almost equivalent up to the final stages of mixing and mastering, having the same flexibility and ease of use (if you have good controller in the case of ableton). For the mixing I would still go to ableton or Logic…
For step one, what do you do when you're someone like me? I can't make beats fast enough to not make value judgments mid production.
What's the name of the glitch plug in. Great video.
Thanks! It's Infiltrator
I’ve decided the most efficient way to use Maschine is to export into another daw that is more intuitive. While Maschine is amazing it is just easier to use audio samples. I use Maschine to keep the original set and I can open Maschine in logic if I need quick edits, then export again.
I'm right there with you!
Could you show your scatter brain process in a separate video?
Interesting workflow, but you’re really missing a lot of Maschine’s power. The arrangement possibilities are quite impressive these days , allowing you - after your first step - to easily try out different combo’s of patterns and swapping scenes backing and forth in song mode to check out what works best, without doing any cut and paste , just with a few clicks .
Mixing and mastering is probably still easier in a DAW, but it’s getting close.
Yeah I know, it's why I gave that disclaimer at the beginning. For whatever reason, I've found that separating out the beatmaking process and the arrangement process, especially if I want to resample stuff to layer on effects. I do like the patterns and clips approach a lot though, I used them to do a full live jam back when I had the Maschine+.
@@GabeMillerMusic In any case, this was another interesting video. Love the channel , especially the Circuits stuff 😎
Just wondering if all 'grooveboxes' have an arrangement section? Maschine and MPC's seem to. How about the Circuits and some of the others out there or are they just for playing clips on the fly?
Tell us straight: Should I get a Maschine MK3 or MPC equivalent?
mpc ONE
If you want a controller/DAW, Maschine. If you want something standalone, MPC One.
I own both. I like the Mpc... but it took me a moment to adapt to it.
If you like building songs from pattern chains, use MPC. If you prefer clips, scenes, and a timeline arranger, use Akai Force. If you're on a smaller budget and don't mind using a computer, use a Maschine MK3 or Mikro. Me, I went with the Force route... it's like a standalone version of Ableton, and lets me do everything in one tactile hardware device.
Wow! Thanks all! Wasn’t expecting any responses. I think I will ultimately get both over time. :-)
🥳sounds like Danial Avery about 13 minutes in
Which is better, the micro or the Machine MK3?
The MK3, as the Mikro is just a cheaper priced reduced features version of the MK3. Like how the Elektron Model:Samples is a cheaper scaled down version of the Digitakt. But don't let that stop you from getting the Mikro for either budget or space limitation reasons. It's a fine device and still very useful as you can do a lot of the work using the Maschine software on the pc anyway.
🥀🥀🤘🥀🥀
Hey Gabe
Glitch plugins feel like such a hack, I almost feel dirty for using them haha. They're so much fun though, and you used it to great effect here. My VST of choice is Illformed Glitch 2, and it definitely takes some restraint to not just throw it on everything and see what happens. Really nice alternative to Gross Beat, which is what got me started on the glitch train
Should export 24bit 👍🏼
First❤
This should just be called how to write and arrange a song (with help from Maschine).
It’s called infiltrator, not glitch.
there was nothing i could learn from this clip,
... And you also use Reaper... I think I love you. But let me think about it
These tracks are pure sex.
Glad you dig them!
Bro this beat was Ill, thanks for the inspo. Should've played with the vocal pitch more, made it sing, and the bass should've had a song song too, like a call and response type thing