Ableton Live + Maschine + Komplete 8 + APC40

[blarue09]

theres good video and text tutorials on this sort of stuff here:


Maschine recording midi into Live's sequencer (video) - NI User Forums

Maschine as VST in Ableton Live (getting the best of both worlds) full tutorial! - NI User Forums

[thegoodsir]

Thanks a lot for your help. I have seen those and I think they answer my questions but I am not so fluent in the tech words yet. So in general, can i do the stuff I am talking about? (like yes or no?) Here's a really embarrassing newbie question: Does 'use Maschine as a VST' mean use it (and all of its sounds) as an instrument, in the same way as if you were playing a piano directly into live? I think it does but need someone to confirm. yep, I know that's a really dumb question...I appreciate your forbearance

[blarue09]

Originally Posted by thegoodsir

Thanks a lot for your help. I have seen those and I think they answer my questions but I am not so fluent in the tech words yet. So in general, can i do the stuff I am talking about? (like yes or no?) Here's a really embarrassing newbie question: Does 'use Maschine as a VST' mean use it (and all of its sounds) as an instrument, in the same way as if you were playing a piano directly into live? I think it does but need someone to confirm. yep, I know that's a really dumb question...I appreciate your forbearance

Using a VST instrument in ableton or maschine means to use the plug-in version of that instrument from inside ableton or maschine. Maschine and komplete 8 instruments come with a stand alone version and a plugin version (VST).

When maschine is opened as a stand alone program, maschine does all it's own sequencing. When you use maschine as a vst in ableton, you have the option of using maschine's virtual outputs to send each group to individual ableton tracks. From here you can choose to record the audio output of maschine into an ableton track. In addition to that you can set up a midi track in ableton to do all the sequencing for a chosen maschine group.

Most komplete instruments are vsts, some do have the ability to be used as standalone programs but i recommend using them as vsts.

You can use komplete instruments as vsts in ableton, use them as vsts in maschine standalone, or use them inside maschine vst inside ableton. It's sounding a bit like the movie inception. A dream within a dream within a dream.



So in reply to your first post, here are your answers:

1. Yes, the apc 40 will control live very vell. It minimizes the time you spend using the mouse and looking at the screen, but it's doesn't have its own screen or labels to tell you what track you are playing from the grid and what device you are controlling with the rotary knobs.

2. Yes, when you install maschine and komplete 8 on the same computer it has you select a folder to install the vst files. If you then tell maschine (in preferences) where to find those files, maschine will detect the komplete instruments and you can use them and control them inside maschine. Opening komplete 8 instruments from inside maschine is to use komplete instruments as VSTs also known as a plug-in. You can also tell ableton where to find those vst files so you can use them inside ableton.

3. Yes, this is all possible with the information found in the links I provided in my last response.

4. yes, as above, you can use komplete vsts inside a maschine vst, inside ableton.

[thegoodsir]

Hey thank you so much for spending the time to write that, you've really helped me out! Having two very young kids and a hectic day job, I usually get about 2hrs a day for this, but only if I sacrifice 2hrs sleep for it it's so great that people like you are willing to help random strangers with their newbie questions...have a great weekend.

[thegoodsir]

Hey again, well I need to ask you or someone else just one more question. I have set everything up as St Joe and Mixtape say, with the 8 midi tracks into Live -one for each Maschine group. Now when I play from one of the groups in Maschine, I hear the sound, and also it shows up on the right track in Live. Then when I hit record, it lays down the midi notes. So far so great. But then I go to playback, and there is no sound (though the equalizers are moving). Weird, so I try one of Live's instruments. Same thing. So i try a youtube video, no problem, sound is on. So I try live's metronome - sound is on! So live is hearing sounds from maschine, it's writing midi notes, its sound seems to be coming out through my fasttrack pro (well, the metronome anyway) but neither the maschine tracks it's laid down nor those from its own instruments will play back with any sound. This is driving me nuts. I even did St Joe's template all over again, same thing. I guess it must be with the audio and midi/sync options, but I don't know. Please someone help me!!!!