Hey all,

After hours of headaches, I finally figured out how to use Maschine as an "MPC-style" VST in Sonar (since there's like NOTHING on the web about it). This is a relatively simple way to set Maschine's Groups to different MIDI channels in Sonar (example-- group A is MIDI track 1 on channel 1... group B is MIDI track 2 on channel 2, etc). This way, you get the best of both worlds-- Sonar X1's wav/REX looping and time-stretch, plus the ease of chopping samples MPC-style with Maschine.


All midi data is recorded into Sonar, so you effectively don't use Maschine's sequencer at all, you're just using it as an easy way to chop and play samples... again, very MPC-style. Maschine's sample editing/chopping is probably the easiest and quickest way I've ever found, to build sample-based hip-hop tracks. That's the sole reason I bought it.


It's important to note that I cannot figure out how to use Maschine's built-in Instruments in this manner. I cannot get it to work at all, and it doesn't really matter, because when you are building golden-era hip-hop tracks MPC-style (sample-based), you don't really play or need polyphonic synth tracks... and if you need to, you can always create a new Simple Instrument track in Sonar X1 using your favorite VSTi, and have at it. But that was the cause of my main headaches all through the wee hours of the morning-- using Maschine's Instruments as well as chopping. So please enjoy the following tutorial... and if you have any suggestions or positive feedback, please reply to the thread in hopes that the mods will make it a sticky. Thanks!
 
side note: I am using Sonar X1 Essential (got free upgrade from Cakewalk in late 2010, from Sonar Home Studio 7 XL)... I JUST started using X1 Essential and I absolutely LOVE it! What a massive upgrade from Sonar Home Studio 7 XL!


PS - I plan on making a YouTube video tutorial (and taking screenshots) of this, so hang tight!
 


Steps:


1. Start with a fully blank project (no tracks at all). Insert Maschine VST as Simple Instrument Track. MAKE SURE "Enable MIDI Output" is enabled when the window pops up with "Insert Soft Synth Options". If you do not see this window or disabled it in Synth Rack options, go into Sonar's Synth Rack View, and right-click near the icon for Maschine (to the left of the word "Maschine"), and you'll see a tiny little menu item that says "Enable MIDI Output" - PUT A TICK IN THE BOX! Very important.


2. Insert 8 MIDI tracks (right-click the track pane "Insert Multiple Tracks"). Make sure the port is set to Maschine-1 on all midi tracks.


Now, MOVE the Maschine Instrument track down to the bottom of your tracks (so your midi tracks are numbered 1 through 8, instead of 2 through 9. Makes things easier and less confusing when you're setting stuff below).
 
3. Go into each midi channel's track settings:
     track 1 - set All MIDI Input channels to 1, and set channel to 1 (this will be for Group A)
      track 2 - set All MIDI Input channels to 2, and set channel to 2 (this will be for Group B)
      Repeat for remaining six MIDI tracks.


4. Load two different kits into Group A and Group B (most of us hip-hop producers like a wide variety of kick/snare sounds... feel free to do whatever you like, though.)


IMPORTANT:
5. Right-click the Group Name in Maschine (the blue-highlighted box) for Group A in your "Scene View" (the vertical list of Group A through Group H) and click Sound MIDI Batch Setup. Choose "Sounds to MIDI notes" and set the channel to 1. Don't change the root note.


IMPORTANT:
6. Right-click the Group Name in Maschine (the blue-highlighted box) for Group B in your "Scene View" (the vertical list of Group A through Group H) and click Sound MIDI Batch Setup. Choose "Sounds to MIDI notes" and set the channel to 2. Don't change the root note.


EXTREMELY IMPORTANT:
You need to know that setting the Sounds To MIDI notes Channel is NOT A GLOBAL SETTING in Maschine, even though when you change the channel in that window, it keeps the number of the last one you changed. This is either a bug in Maschine, or an extremely confusing way to set things up. I hate it, and wish they would fix it. I've owned Maschine since spring 2010, and with all the updates, this still has not been addressed.


7. Choose a sample you want to chop from your library, or whatever you want to do (I usually grab a piano loop or something from my sample library). Drag it into Group C, slot 1 (pad #1). Duplicate as needed, and edit tweak the start/end points as needed for each chop (you guys know what I mean, if you've ever "chopped" a sample, MPC-style).
 
IMPORTANT:
8. Right-click the Group Name in Maschine (the blue-highlighted box) for Group C in your "Scene View" (the vertical list of Group A through Group H) and click Sound MIDI Batch Setup. Choose "Sounds to MIDI notes" and set the channel to 3 this time. Don't change the root note. Again, it will show the channel set to 2, as that's what you last set it to. Don't worry... it IS being changed for each corresponding track in Sonar.


9. Repeat steps 7 and 8 for the remaining samples and groups. To recap:
Maschine Group A = Sonar MIDI track 1
Maschine Group B = Sonar MIDI track 2
Maschine Group C = Sonar MIDI track 3
Maschine Group D = Sonar MIDI track 4
Maschine Group E = Sonar MIDI track 5
Maschine Group F = Sonar MIDI track 6
Maschine Group G = Sonar MIDI track 7
Maschine Group H = Sonar MIDI track 8


10. Now, select whatever group in Maschine you want to record/perform... and make sure the matching Sonar track is armed. Repeat for each track/group you want to record. Make sure that whenever you change the Group in Maschine, you change the matching MIDI track in Sonar.
 
11. To add wav or REX loop tracks to play along with your Maschine MIDI tracks, just add a few audio tracks to your project, and put the loops where you want.


NOTE:
If you set Sonar's loop on/off to a specified setting (for example, 4 bars), you can effectively "build" your track, section by section, in a linear fashion (which I prefer). Plus, you can change Sonar's Mute buttons for each track to an  "Automated Mute", and then "Remote control" them using Maschine (in MIDI Controller Mode, not Maschine mode), effectively being able to mute/solo tracks on the fly, like an MPC, when you have Record Automation enabled (the W on each track). This of course, sounds and works much better once you "freeze" each MIDI track to audio... More on this much later.

This should work perfectly... I can also upload a Sonar template and Maschine project file to verify this, but since everyone's configuration is different, it may not work exactly as it should on your system... but it SHOULD...


Good luck and let me know how it goes!

I think it's always commendable when someone takes the time to teach/guide/share knowledge with others, and I don't mean to diminish the intention or effort you've made, much of  this info has been available a long time both here on this forum and on the web.

One thing -- when you do the "insert" there is an option to use all audio tracks; that can be used in this scenario as well.

And, in some versions of Sonar one has to change the "available outputs" to '2' in Plugin Manager.

Saving this/the setup as a template" also can save time and be available for re-use quickly as well.

It's very nice of you to type all that up for everyone!

Thanks.

Yeah I know, but I didn't find anything like this on the forum or the web, honestly. I did search for hours, but finally decided to put it up myself. Maybe I put in the wrong search terms. The thing I would like to figure out, but can't, is how to use Maschine's instruments (piano, strings, synths, etc) and have it not screw with the other midi tracks... that's the real mystery. :) Why audio tracks, though? This is for recording the midi data so you can edit to your liking (maybe change order of chops, or change the pitch, etc) before final mixing. Thanks!

yeah, should be cake and/or ni typing...

I don't know why anyone would critisize anything about this. It's a useless point!

Thank you for this, I too have read about MANY different ways of using Maschine inside Sonar and none really worked for me. There are ways of using the pattern sequencer in Maschine within Sonar but that just seemed insane to me. This works cause you get to use the performance features and Sound Packs in maschine as a plain old synth in sonar and to me that is what is most intuitive. 

What I want to figure out, and I think I can is to have each Group pipe to an output so you can adjust using the faders to mix inside Sonar. Also to be able to apply effects independantly. Assuming each group is a different KIT or set of One shots you would want to affect them independantly. Of course you could sub mix in Maschine but ewwwww.

Here's my youtube tutorial on how to use Maschine with Sonars' sequencer including the instruments in a multitimbral fashion and using whatever controller you want.
http://youtu.be/DylihYvYuUI