Triggering Maschine Drum Kits from Ableton Live

This article explains how to trigger drum kits loaded in Maschine with MIDI notes from the piano roll in Ableton Live.

If you want to trigger melodic instruments with MIDI notes, please read this article instead.

Triggering one Drum Kit loaded in a Maschine Group

With this configuration, you can trigger one Maschine Group from the piano roll in Ableton Live.

Configuring Maschine

  1. Load an instance of Maschine in Ableton Live.
  2. Load a kit in Maschine with the +PATTERNS button disabled.
    load_maschine_kit_without_patterns.PNG
  3. Click the Channel Icon, select Group, and then choose Input.
    Maschine_channel_settings.PNG
  4. Under MIDI ROUTINGS, set the Key Mode to Drumkit.
    Midi_routing_Drumkit.PNG

Configuring Ableton Live

  1. On the track where you have added your Maschine plug-in, double-click an empty clip slot to add a MIDI clip.
    Add_midi_clip_in_Ableton.PNG
  2. Open the piano roll for the MIDI clip and start adding MIDI notes.
    ableton_piano_roll.PNG
    C2 corresponds to the first pad of your Maschine controller, i.e. the first sound of your loaded kit. C# will correspond to pad 2, D to pad 3, and so on. 
    C2_pad_1.PNG 
Triggering Maschine Groups through different MIDI channels

With this configuration, you can trigger multiple Maschine Groups from different MIDI channels in Ableton Live.

Configuring MIDI channels in Ableton Live

  1. In Ableton Live, create a MIDI track and load an instance of Maschine.
  2. Create a second MIDI Track which will send MIDI to Maschine's first drum kit:
    • Select under MIDI To the MIDI track where Maschine is loaded.
    • Select the MIDI channel you want to use.
      In this example, we select 1 - Maschine 2, and 1 - Maschine 2.
      Ableton_midi_routing_channel_1.PNG
  3. Create a third MIDI Track which will send MIDI to Maschine's second drum kit:
    • Select under MIDI To the MIDI track where Maschine is loaded.
    • Select the MIDI channel you want to use.
      In this example, we select 1 - Maschine 2, and 2 - Maschine 2.
      ableton_midi_to_second_maschine_group.PNG

Configuring Maschine

  1. Load a drum kit in the first Maschine Group.
  2. Click the Channel Icon, select Group, and then choose Input.
    Maschine_Channel_Group_Input.PNG
  3. Under MIDI ROUTINGS, set the Key Mode to Manual, set Source on Host, and set the MIDI Channel to 1.
    Maschine_MIDI_routings.PNG
  4. Load a second Drum Kit in the second Maschine Group.
  5. Click the Channel Icon, select Group, and then choose Input.
  6. Under MIDI ROUTINGS, set the Key Mode to Manual, set Source to Host,  and set the MIDI Channel to 2.
    manual_host_channel_2.PNG

Now, the drum kit loaded in the first Maschine Group will react to the MIDI notes coming from the second MIDI Track (2 MIDI in the screenshot below). The drum kit loaded in the second Maschine Group will respond to the MIDI notes coming from the third MIDI channel (3 MIDI in the screenshot below).
Ableton_midi_clips_triggering_maschine.PNG

C1 corresponds to the first pad of your Maschine controller, i.e. the first sound of your loaded kit. C# will correspond to pad 2, D to pad 3, and so on.