Using Maschine Choke Groups and Link Groups

This is a helpful look at using Maschine choke groups and link groups to make triggering and managing several sounds at once easier.

Jonny is back to help you understand how using Maschine choke groups allow you to cut sounds off when another sound is triggered. It also shares how to use link groups to trigger multiple sounds at once. Both of these little tricks will help you a great deal on stage and in the studio. The more you know about the many things that Maschine is capable of, the more you can get out if it! Let’s take a closer look at just how powerful Maschine choke groups and link groups are.

Using link groups isn’t just for making sure that kick and cymbal are hitting together, although this is a priceless bonus–being able to count on multiple sounds to be triggered exactly when they need to be. Especially is you only have five fingers on each hand, which I do. Think about all the other things you can do with a Maschine and you quickly realize that building up beats and grooves is just barely scratching the surface. Just imagine how quickly you can launch into deep and immersive soundscapes by triggering a few pads and some FX sequences with a tap of a single pad. The master slave relationship between all the sounds in the link group allow for this.

Maschine choke groups, on the other hand, work on the other side of the equation. They allow you to cut off multiple sounds at once when a new sound is triggered. The example Jonny gives of closed and open hi-hat samples is a good one. Consider a real drummer and how his feet work with his hands to pull off many maneuvers on the hi-hat and how none of those things actually happen simultaneously. The hi-hat is not playing both open and closed at the same time, nor does the ring of an open hat or sizzle or a partially closed hat, ring out will the next closed hat note is played. Understanding the mechanics of this will help you apply Machine choke groups in ways that help make your performances and recording more life-like.

Cheers,
OhmLab