Hey, so I’m having trouble getting a “START” command from any of my Prime hardware into the Maschine app. I tried with the USB cable to just use my X1800 for audio and midi sync, but could not trigger a “PLAY” command. I then ran a MIDI cable to the Mk3 and used audio cables to route MK3 into the X1800 as analog signal - but in either setup, when I hit “slave” in Maschine, the play button turns grey and I cannot figure out how to send a “START” command from my Denon setup. The tempo adjusts on Maschine as I adjust my fader (with the MIDI cable attached, not with the “midi over USB” option, mind you)… but no start command. Maschine cannot fire off.
Any suggestions or thoughts?
You could use the SC5000s with Traktor (timecode from a USB stick) and then link Traktor and Maschine via Ableton Link.
Not the most elegant solution, but it should work.
Or if you have Serato, it’s even easier due to their Prime support.
Let’s hope for NI to get the Prime series integration ready, soon!
Right - but both of those fixes use the computer to run the dj platform, meaning that my entire mission for the standalone dj rig + computer based sampler/production setup is negated. The CPU takes too strong of a hit when running Maschine + anything on a single laptop… Once you add a handful of live VST tracks, some FX, and start playing chords and arps, recording automation - it just falls apart.
Adding the software only works if my beat program is Ableton and my DJ rig is Serato- and I can go pretty far with that… but then why own a $5k Prime setup at all? My DJ808 runs Serato just fine at $1k. I’m just trying to use the best of each world, and it seems crazy that Maschine can’t get a “start playing music” command from any of my Prime gear.
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The DJS-1000 is on the way, so I can test that alongside the Denon. I suspect it will just work.
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The Pioneer will work, but still it’s not a clean solution, like MIDI.
I have always found MIDI sync to be inaccurate, especially when you change tempo.
Maybe Denon finds a way to integrate the Ableton link protocol into the players.
Would be huge for their (InMusic’s) AKAI hardware, too.
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I hoped the Sc5000 units are hiding bluetooth or wifi antennas inside…
When connected, I can see the MIDI tempo adjust on the Maschine software as I drag the fader on my player. Not sure how completely accurate they would be together though, because that simple “start playing NOW” command is missing.
I hope someone over there reads this and sends a quick note about “hold shift and tap THIS” and the externally synced hardware will fire up.
I’ll give it to Roland - the AIRA line made it dead simple. Hit play on the main box and everything else on the desk starts.
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Hi Bobby,
When you have the Maschine in slave, have you pressed the MIDI Clock button on the X1800?
I am not familiar with the Maschine workflow so I don’t know how their midi slave/sync protocol is setup.
I have tested the system with Ableton, however.
Once you have the MIDI sync preferences setup in Ableton - Sync enabled - I press play in Ableton, enable EXT in Ableton, and then press MIDI clock on the X1800.
This syncs Ableton to the X1800. The BPM transmitted from the mixer is whatever the FX Channel Assign is set to…i.e if its set to channel 3 and channel 3 is transmitting 115BPM, that’s what Ableton will slave to.
I have. In Ableton, when syncing to external gear, you can still hit “play” and it works. My “Play” button in Maschine is deactivated when in slave mode. It is waiting for someone else to say “play now” and I have no way to force that signal from the X1800 as anything other than tempo data.
If I slide the fader up and down, the Maschine app updates the tempo, but does not play.
LINK works perfectly in Maschine, because it just sends repeating bar/tempo data - and the play button still works - it’s a setting outside of the internal midi prefs.
It seems like a really silly problem to have, I realize - but I haven’t sorted out a fix yet. I’m going to plug it in again in a few and hit every button I can.
Do you think there’s a hidden “shift + _____” combo one could hit on the X1800 which would send a start command to all external 5-pin connected gear?
Can’t you just midi map the upfader for example to send a midi start command to your PC (Machine?)
In this scenario the laptop and the Denon units are not connected. The only connection is the MIDI cable from the Denon to the Maschine MK3. I see no way to map inside of the x1800. When I connected the Prime system to the Pioneer DJS-1000 via the MIDI Cable and told the device to drop clips at the beginning of the bar, it actually listened & synced perfectly. It’s something funky with Maschine’s default mode of greying out the play button when in slave/sync mode.
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@Bobbyduracel Just out of curiosity, have you ‘documented’ any of your DJS-1000 + Prime System connection/work anywhere? Either formally or in a youtube video or something? I’ll be attempting to integrate my DJS-1000 into the djm-900nxs2 + sc5000 (+ turntables) setup I’ve been working on all week (since getting fed up with Pioneer dependence) so I’m interested.
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I have a little blog that discusses my experiences with these components -
www.livefullycharged.org/blog
and within that blog are a few short video jams using the gear. Let me know if that helps!
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Great! This might be exactly what I was looking for. I’ll report back after I’ve read through it all and watched the videos. Thanks @Bobbyduracel
They have it, as they have both WIFI and BT… Just waiting for them to ACTIVATE. On that note, the new Force has a link ethernet cable slot, as on the X1800 and Sc units. So, I am hopeful that someone will confirm they can sync over ethernet at the very least.
Does anyone know if it is possible to use Maschine Mk3 with an x1850 mixer ensuring that they are synced for tempo as well?
If the 1850 has a “START” command that works, you should be able to set MK3 as a slave and sync over MIDI cable. If you are using the 1850 in a Traktor/Serato setting, you can use wifi sync (ableton link) between the two platforms.
My DJM V10 can “START” and sync other things with the midi start button, so it is quite easy… but I gave up on the X1800 when it failed to start. Not sure if the 1850 added it.
I am honestly still surprised the Akai Force and Denon Primes do not have the ability to communicate via Ethernet. That said, it’s easy enough to either sync the Denon prime players over wifi to ableton, OR just beat match. You can map a user pad to nudge ableton forward/back as if it were a record, so that has become my go-to. Sync Denons, nudge Ableton on the Push2.
Do you have SC5000s or 6000s, too, or just the mixer?
I use Ableton Link on my 6000s to sync Maschine with the players - works like a charm.