1. Using this manual
What this manual covers, what it leaves to NI's Maschine manuals, and how it's written.
DECKARD is a groovebox for your computer that works like Maschine: scenes and patterns, a song arrangement, sixteen pads per group, a sampler, drum synths, effects and a mixer. It opens Maschine projects and saves them in Maschine’s own format.
Because DECKARD follows Maschine so closely, NI’s own manuals still describe most of it: the Maschine 3 Software Manual for the program and the Maschine MK3 Manual for the controller. This manual doesn’t repeat them. It covers:
- Setting DECKARD up: installing it, and taking over an MK3 or a Launchpad Pro.
- What’s different: where DECKARD behaves differently from Maschine, and what it doesn’t do yet.
- What’s new: the things Maschine doesn’t have.
What DECKARD adds
| Feature | Where to read about it |
|---|---|
| A mod matrix, with up to 16 LFOs and envelopes per project | Modulation |
| Expressive recording: MPE, polyphonic aftertouch and pad pressure as curves on each note | Expressive recording |
| New MK3 pages: LFOs, the mod matrix, a step grid | The Maschine MK3 |
| A Launchpad Pro MK3 session grid, alongside the MK3 | The Launchpad Pro MK3 |
| A mixer strip for each extra output of a multi-output plug-in | Multi-output plug-ins |
| Two synths of its own, Replicant and Plaits | DECKARD’s own synths |
| LFOs and envelopes as CV, Zhora to play and tune a modular voice, and a Tuner effect | Controlling modular synths |
| Themes for the MK3’s screens, and controller scripts you can change | Themes and controller scripts |
How this manual is written
- Hardware buttons and computer keys look like this: SHIFT + SELECT means hold SHIFT and press SELECT.
- Menus are written with arrows: File ▸ Export Audio….
- Keyboard shortcuts are given for macOS. On Windows and Linux, ⌘ is Ctrl and ⌥ is Alt.
- Pads are numbered 1 to 16 from the bottom left, as on the controller.
- In the controller diagrams, cyan marks a button or knob that DECKARD adds to or changes. The diagrams are simplified and not to scale.
A box at the top of a chapter names the Maschine manual chapters it builds on.
Note: DECKARD isn’t affiliated with or endorsed by Native Instruments. Maschine is a trademark of Native Instruments GmbH.