Native Instruments Maschine Mikro Mk3 – USB MIDI Controller Drum Pad with 16 Pads and Massive, Monark and Reaktor Prism Softwares. Includes 1.6 GB Keyboard Factory Selection Samples

Product Information

All Maschine setups can work as live performance instruments too, either by triggering sounds through ‘finger drumming’, playing the controller’s pads like a melodic instrument or triggering and manipulating pre-created Patterns. While nominally being the top of the range, Maschine Studio is currently a generation behind its two siblings (on its second iteration). Because of this, it doesn’t actually offer that much more than the standard Mk3, feature-wise. At launch its major selling point was its expansive screens, but these were later added to the core version. It does still offer a few extra controls though, such as a navigation jog-wheel and additional buttons. With the new Maschine Mikro MK3 aimed squarely at the beginner market, it also manages to hit DJs that already use a laptop, looking for something extra to spice up their sets without over-complicating things. The small footprint and accessible control workflow means DJs can set Maschine up with anything from simple beat sequencing to live sampling and synth leads. The PERFORM FX and touch strip even offer up that extra bit of flair if you need it. Still, that's the price you pay for… well, paying less of a price, as well as the reduced footprint and increased portability. The 16 velocity-sensitive pads acts as the main control for your sounds and modulation, allowing you to create rhythms, bass lines, chords and melodies on the fly. The Maschine Mikro MK3 is highly versatile, allowing you to use it as a high-performance sampler or a standalone production unit. It also comes complete with custom software which you can use to import new sounds and create full songs. What’s New In MK3

We could easily write a whole review of the Maschine software… but honestly? 80% of it wouldn’t be relevant to a DJ technology blog. So what does it offer that is relevant? The pads look to be a bit bigger than previous models, thanks in part to the fact the text is printed on the pad, rather than above it, meaning they can take up the same amount of space on the controller. This puts it in-line with the Maschine MK3, leaving the Studio as the odd-one-out (MK2 on the horizon?). Personally, I’m really rather fond of this design style. I remember Reloop started it with their controllers a few years ago, and I sort of got hooked on the idea. Hands on, responsive and tactile, music production hardware puts the world of VST technology at your fingertips. Whether its drum pads , keys, DJ controllers, or any other type of interface, production hardware takes your eyes off the screen and gives you new ways to craft and create your music. MASCHINE is the latest example of NI’s forward-thinking approach to music production , seamlessly combining responsive hardware and innovative software for a fully integrated experience through your computer and DAW. Now it’s time to configure the MIDI messages (Notes and Control Changes) sent by each control. Obviously, it’s vital that every control sends the intended message – assignment mistakes, like having two Pads sending the same MIDI note, can cause all kinds of confusion. GB MASCHINE Factory Selection with samples, one-shots, loops, sample instruments, presets, patterns, drum kits, and songsThe Mikro Mk3 is a touch smaller than its ancestor, measuring 320mm x 177mm x 45mm, as opposed to the Mk2’s still-not-massive 320mm x 195mm x 55mm. It’s an eminently portable form factor that makes it closer in size with some of the Roland/Korg drum gear, and much more practical to travel with than the Maschine emkay three or Ableton Push.

Each colour has two intensities, the higher one showing selection of a pad, scene or group (for example). The slight down side of this approach is that if you've made judicious use of colour (and you will), selections don't always stand out so obviously amongst multiple subtly different shades. Choosing the right colours is an absorbing process, and once you've adopted the idea, you won't be satisfied until your older songs look right too. Coloration is one of a handful of operations that can only be executed using the Maschine software. Steps Forward The included 6GB factory soundbank contains over 14,000 samples - drums, percussion, basses, synths, pads, orchestrals, etc - and more than 250 prefab Groups/Kits complete with well-programmed pattern sequences.

For you DJs, the Maschine Mikro MK3 should find most of its use as part of your live setup, to accompany your preferred method of playing other people’s music. Compared to other DAW-like software, Maschine (and NI’s Massive synth, which is used by Maschine presets extensively) has relatively low overhead, making it ideal to run alongside Serato or Traktor Pro, for example. There’s little room for error in DJing, so let’s disable the Press action, to prevent triggering of unintended MIDI messages – under the Press tab, change Type to Off.