In this article, we build on an idea from a post on mapping Maschine to folder tracks in which Tristan Mendoza highlighted a technique from an Avid Blog article in which a step sequencer style workflow can be achieved for programming beats in a way that is particularly well suited to drum machine style programming.

Though it will work with many third party Virtual Instruments, in this free video tutorial using UJAMs HYPE Beatmaker, Julian Rodgers demonstrates how this step sequencer MIDI matrix layout can be combined with the Track Preset and Basic and Routing Folder Tracks to create a recallable MIDI and audio beat creation environment.

Also featured in the video is UJAM’s Finisher Micro, a free plugin, which offers a variety of complex audio processing in a simple interface.

Programming MIDI using the one note per track view can be confusing at first as it looks so much like programming in a standard piano roll that it can be easy to forget it is actually a series of separate MIDI tracks. if you favour the Pencil tool when editing MIDI you’ll probably try to marquee selections of notes. That won’t work but you can select a range of notes across multiple “lanes” using the Selector Tool.

One of the reasons this technique favours electronic drum programming is that velocity editing can be awkward. the best approach is to create a separate Velocity lane below the note lane as pictured above.

By creating Track Presets for your favourite Virtual Instruments you can control both what goes into them and what comes out in a familiar interface while saving the significant set-up time needed to build these Virtual Instrument Folder Tracks by saving them as Track Presets.