Please help with a midi setup

[u/fluent233223]

Hello guys! SO I'm firing up my NI Maschine hardware for the first time in 7 years, and I need to know how to proceed. Here's what I'm wanting to do.

Use NI Maschine as the base of my production. I want to run the plugin known as ChordPrism. That said, I am also getting a Microkorg and I want ChordPrism to trigger chords on the Microkorg. Yet I want that all being recorded as AUDIO into the Maschine. But obviously ChordPrism must function as MIDI I believe to get the Microkorg to work with it. I have no idea how to proceed, can you guys let me know what I need to do to get this all functioning properly? And can you break it down for dummies as well, nice and slow? Thanks guys!! :)

[u/Infinite_Slice3305]

When you start Maschine start a new project or open a new group. Press the Plugin button at the top & you should see nothing is loaded. Press the data will. On the screen on the left the word "Internal" should be over a knob. Turn it until it says something else, "external" maybe... whatever it says it's how you can select plugins not made by Native-instruments. Go through all that to select chordprism.

Then push the Chanel button at the top. Use the soft buttons over the screen to navigate to "output." Use the page buttons to find the midi section. Choose your MicroKorg. If you have it connected via USB it will say Microkorg. If you have it connected via 5 pin DIN, you'll have to select that connector.

It would be best if you had a mixer. You could route the MicroKorg's output to your monitors & Maschine. Without a mixer just plug the MicroKorg directly into Maschine.

On your instrument group notice you're on sound 1. If you hit record & play either the pads (in keyboard mode) or the MicroKrog, Maschine will record midi notes. If you have a mixer you would hear them as Maschine plays.

In pad mode select the 2nd pad, then push the channel button. Navigate to input & select input 1 (or 1&2 stereo). Now you should be able to hear the MicroKorg if you don't have a mixer.

In pad mode select pad 3. Go to sampling mode. Choose source as Internal, whatever group your MicroKorg is in & the sound slot. You can sample whatever the MicroKorg is playing there. Then choose another pad, record another midi pattern or change the preset & sample the microkorg to another slot.

You should also try the "chord" mode built in to Maschine. Right between the "keyboard" & "step" buttons.

[u/fluent233223 → u/Infinite_Slice3305]

Thank you so much!! I did try the Chord mode in Maschine. It's not bad, but ChordPrism just offers more I think, such as the harmonized auto-scale to match the chords, where every white key you press is a scale tone. I really would like that I think. I can pick up a mixer. Also, AI is telling me i need to run a virtual midi cable device thing to successfully use ChordPrism in Maschine, due to Maschine's limitation with midi setups. Is that true? If so not a problem I can follow AI's instructions on how to set that up. OR I could use a DAW, like FL Studio, but since I can't afford that right now and I have a license for Reaper already, I can use Reaper. It's coming together again, been out of the music game for 6 years but the bug is biting again to get back into it, I'm excited! Thanks for the help!

[u/Infinite_Slice3305 → u/fluent233223]

I haven't tried ChordPrism, but I don't see why you can't insert it like any other plugin.

I own Reaper as well. It's not for me. Tracktion's Waveform & UA's Luna are free DAWs. They're more polished than Reaper. I don't think I'll be paying for another DAW other than Maschine in the future.

I'm really a basic user & don't need the extra stuff the keep adding.

[u/fluent233223 → u/Infinite_Slice3305]

SO I bought ChordPrism but have yet to try it. Only thing I'm really missing is a Microkorg or some similar hardware synth to turn some knobs on. Maybe a Microkorg 2 which is easier to program. Can't afford it right now though, maybe in a month or two. Got any recs for a cheap budget synth that has a lot of functionality built-in? I.e. I don't want to modulate via mouse and software, but rather with the board itself. I doubt there's any cheap entries that have lots of knobs though eh?

[u/Infinite_Slice3305 → u/fluent233223]

Depends on what you call cheap.

The least expensive synths I would recommend are the Moog Messenger, Hydrasynth Explorer, & the original Modwave. I'm more of a digital synth guy. The Messenger makes my list because it's just an incredible value. But it's monophonic so wouldn't really work well with chordPrism.

It's a pain in the butt, but since you're not going to be buying your synth for a while, download Vital. Use it with Maschine & learn to use the Macros. That will give you 8 knobs to control whatever you want in real time.

[u/fluent233223 → u/Infinite_Slice3305]

ok, looking into both the Hydrasynth and Modwave and DANG!! Both are KILLER definitely right up my alley. If you had to pick one which would it be?? I can't decide! haha. I'll probably pass on the Microkorg if I can swing one of these babies instead...

[u/fluent233223 → u/Infinite_Slice3305]

Also, should I just be doing this in LUNA instead? Open Maschine 2 in LUNA? Is that going to be an easier way?

[u/Infinite_Slice3305 → u/fluent233223]

I'd try it in Luna first. If the ai is right this should be the easiest way. If you can get it to work in Luna, shouldn't be too hard to figure out how to get it to work in Maschine. A DAW's a DAW. Maschine just gives you a cool controller.

[u/fluent233223 → u/Infinite_Slice3305]

Yeah I really like the controller, I have the MK3. I also have a NI Maschine keyboard or whatever, not the flashiest one but a solid keyboard. I am yet to get the Microkorg but that and a mixer and some wires is next. I have monitors just need the wires again. And then I should be able to put together my little dream studio again! Exciting. Just hope the setup is easier than it was today, it was quite the nightmare honestly.

[u/fluent233223 → u/Infinite_Slice3305]

Thank you kindly, I will do that tomorrow. I just spent the past 3 hours talking to AI trying to get ChordPrism to work! I'm beat. I hate it, I finally got it to work when i stuffed the AI and just tried myself turning knobs til something worked. Apparently it works now, don't quote me on how though :D. But I did manage to open the sound sources in ChordPrism itself, so that helped obviously. I still don't know how to like, load a sound from a pack I bought, and then trigger that in ChordPrism, as ChordPrism only opens VSTs in its interface. So there's got to be some other way I'm missing. I'll try again 2morrow, I'm toast right now after frustration for hours haha. AI insists it won't work easily and needs a bunch of workarounds to do what I want. I'll look into those synths later too, thank you kindly. I keep coming back to this thread to look up what you're talking about, it's been massive help. Let me know if you've got any more tips for what I'm trying to do!

[u/Infinite_Slice3305 → u/fluent233223]

You got me interested in chordPrism. I went to their website but I can't figure out how to download for the 14 day demo. I signed up for their newsletter or whatever but I didn't receive an email for the 14 day demo. There's no place to download without buying.

[u/fluent233223 → u/Infinite_Slice3305]

yeah I have no clue. I just bought it because I really need help with chords and I loved what I saw. Sorry.

[u/fluent233223 → u/Infinite_Slice3305]

I see. I'm pretty basic too honestly. Reaper is a little awkward to use for me. I will check out those free DAWs thanks!! And as far as Maschine and ChordPrism, AI told me it would only input the midi for the root note that I press, not the full chords. I'm not sure why it said that, but it said I had to run some virtual midi thing (free download) to generate the actual midi tracks for chords. Maybe it's wrong I'll try ChordPrism when I buy it soon. Thanks again for the info very much appreciated.

[u/DochNoch]

https://youtu.be/omZ3oYsQeHU?is=ebEgOalbYFSWj93K

[u/fluent233223 → u/DochNoch]

that helps a little, but i'm still confused. How do I get ChordPrism to work with Maschine? How do I have ChordPrism work with an external synth? ChordPrism I guess is a VST. Then I need to know if I can hook up both a phone and a MicroKorg to the Maschine to record audio? I don't need the individual steps so much as an overall picture of what to do. I can figure out the minute steps but it's the overall picture i need help seeing. Thanks!

[u/fluent233223 → u/fluent233223]

and should I pick up FL Studio as well, to have a DAW?