ALT+Drag for copy-pasting single elements (patterns, scenes, plug-ins) in the Groups / Sounds lists and the plug-in chain

Speaking of latency, the buttons and pads are snappy and responsive, while the pads' aftertouch breathes extra life into those traditional Maschine note-repeats. But for the real gains to be appreciated, we should take the plunge into that all-new dimension: colour. The Magic Of Colour 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. In the Device Menu (upper-left corner of interface), choose your MASCHINE controller – Maschine Controller MK3, in our case. So don't think of a pad controller as just for tapping out beats or triggering notes, as many have been designed to be so integral with today's gear that they are almost an extension of it, instruments in their own right, enabling you to compose and record melodies, chords and basslines, or sequence entire songs together to trigger both your music software and other hardware – great news for players and non-players alike.In typical Native Instruments fashion, the Maschine Mikro Mk3 is a thing of beauty. A simple selection of buttons and controls offer total control over your project, allowing you to get on with the important stuff. 16 velocity-sensitive rubber pads allow intuitive, responsive input (drum, melody, chord progressions and step-sequencer) and the dual-touch smart strip allows in-depth interaction with instruments. Strum a chord, bend a note, tweak a paramter - your choice. Versatility Redefined 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. For all-round usability, the Maschine Mk3 is certainly the best of the range. The balance of pads, rotaries and Smart Strip means it can accommodate an assortment of production roles and styles, from MPC-like finger drumming to step sequencing, mixing and sound design. The audio interface is a great addition too, meaning you can combine the Mk3 and a laptop into a complete and convenient production setup. The screens are excellent as well; of all the MIDI controllers we’ve tried, this is the one that has us relying on the computer screen the least, making for a really fun, inspirational creative experience. Elements includes 'player' versions of the latest Kontakt, Reaktor and Guitar Rig, and the scope is impressively broad. It encompasses a selection of world instruments and Abbey Road drums, plus strings taken from the Vienna Symphonic Library. There are samples of vintage synths and drum machines as well as several adventurous digital synths created in Reaktor. Finally, the effects in Guitar Rig are a treat by themselves. Conclusion Instantiating the first plug-in on an empty sound updates the name of that sound to the plug-in name

GB MASCHINE Factory Selection with samples, one-shots, loops, sample instruments, presets, patterns, drum kits, and songs

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In DAW control mode the encoders map to the mixer. There's no way to take control of the macro or parameters on Logic or Live's native devices, other than switching to MIDI mode and directly mapping the knobs. Instead the M32 is primarily designed to integrate with instruments and plug-in devices hosted inside NI's Komplete Kontrol. The M32 is the most affordable door into the NI world, so is an easy recommendation for anyone starting out in electronic music production. The Komplete Kontrol Plug-in Four ways to input sound using the 16 pads – drum in pad mode, play melodies in Keyboard mode, create chord progressions in Chord mode, and program in a classic step-sequencer style from Step mode Still, that's the price you pay for… well, paying less of a price, as well as the reduced footprint and increased portability. When we’re staring at – and playing with – a piece of gear for hours on end with an aim to critique, we can’t help but come up with the occasional solutions or improvements. These get collated together in their own section… “Wouldn’t it be nice?”

The Maschine Mikro MK3 is a streamlined version of its bigger brother, the Maschine. The Maschine Mikro MK3 builds on the success of previous versions with a range of upgrade and enhancements. A new touch strip is included for versatile performance control, allowing you to create dynamic sweeps and control parameters such as pitch and modulation. This latest incarnation is as clear step up from its predecessors. Not only is it smaller and sleeker looking (though with larger pads) but it also adds velocity sensitivity, previously available only on the Launchpad Pro. Overall, NI is an established brand with a mature customer experience, and there’s plenty of resource out there if you need help. The bottom line Voucher for Sounds.com – access to thousands of samples and loops from hundreds of suppliers, for a monthly subscription

The third generation Mikro is NI’s most affordable Maschine ever

In this in-depth tutorial, you’ll learn how to do all of this and more, creating a custom TRAKTOR mapping for MASCHINE from scratch. This tutorial refers to the MASCHINE MK3 hardware throughout, as that’s the device we are using, but the same techniques are applicable to all MASCHINE models. The 16 pads can be assigned to trigger a Sound each (for drums and percussion), or to all trigger a single Sound chromatically (for melodic parts). Building musical parts in Maschine is a matter of loading up some Sounds/Kits, hitting Record and playing the hardware's pads.

One omission is the fact that the Mikro MK3 is a MIDI controller, but you still can’t edit it in NI’s Controller Editor software, which manages MIDI and user layer mappings. They’ve already made inroads in a recent firmware update with the addition of a MIDI user layer which you can switch to using a SHFT+BUTTON combo function.

Native Instruments Maschine Mikro MK3 Overview

Once the software is installed, the controllers can be connected via USB and are ready to go with no further setup. There’s a comprehensive digital manual provided and decent ‘getting started’ guide on NI’s blog, which should help newbies get to grips with the system. Ultimately, for the affordable price of the product, you get a decent bit of kit that introduces you to everything you need to make some rhythms to accompany your music library, and flirt with making your own tunes. This is, in no small part, thanks to the long pedigree and comprehensiveness of the Maschine software, and the tight integration you’d expect from a Maschine product. Wouldn’t it be nice? The X in the name of this third-gen Launchpad marks a decade since Novation’s original 8x8 pad controller hit the market. There’s no doubt that, in that time, the Launchpad has proved hugely influential, inspiring the design of many other clip-launching MIDI controllers, providing the centrepiece of countless electronic live shows and founding a whole genre of YouTube mashup videos. The Native Instruments Maschine Mikro Mk3 allows you to find your flow. Build and remix on the fly using the optimised workflow and the intuitive controls to craft the sound you're searching for.