Native Instruments has finally added the long-requested custom chord feature in the latest update on Maschine, 3.1. So now we can create and share our own chord sets.  I’ve made a custom chord set of my own to demonstrate how it works, and you can download it to get started. 

Contents

1. Download my free R&B user chord set
2. Installing user chords on another Maschine
3. Exporting user chord sets
4. Compatible hardware
5. Additional R&B chord progressions

By the way, the sound I’m using in this video is no longer available, but you can create a similar one using my Pitch MOD patch for Logic Pro.

Download my free R&B user chord set for Maschine

As stated in the video, the root notes in this chord set aren’t correct. Correcting this may mean reprogramming it from scratch, which I probably won’t do at this point. 

Installing user chords on another Maschine system

Follow the instructions below to install my custom chords.

1. Download SG Chord Set.json file
2. Place the file in the following location:
   • MacOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Native Instruments/Shared/User Chords/
   • Windows: %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Native Instruments\Shared\User Chords/
   • Maschine+ (SD Card): Native Instruments/Maschine 3/User Chords/

Tip: If these folders don’t yet exist, try creating them yourself. I’ve also found that I’ve needed to restart my Maschine for imported chord sets to appear.

Avoid using duplicate file names: Before transferring the .json file, ensure there is no other chord set with the same name. See Native Instruments’ documentation on this here.

Exporting user chord sets

If you’d like to export your custom chord sets, follow these instructions here. 

User chords save as .json files, which you can share. Once created, you can find them here:

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Native Instruments/Shared/User Chords/

Windows: %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Native Instruments\Shared\User Chords/

Maschine+: (SD card): Native Instruments/Maschine 3/User Chords/

Compatible hardware

• Maschine MK3
• Maschine Mikro MK3
• Maschine Jam
• Maschine Studio
• Komplete Kontrol MK3
• Komplete Kontrol S MK2
• Komplete Kontrol M32
• Komplete Kontrol A-Series

Important: You can only create user chords on the Maschine MK3 and Maschine+. However, you can play imported user chord sets on all devices listed above.

Additional R&B chord progressions

If you’re looking for more R&B chord progressions to use in your productions, I have a huge chord pack with MIDI, PDFs and Apple Loops you can access here.