NI

ManualsBrandsNative Instruments ManualsEffects for DJs and Groove BoxesMaschine Mikro MK3

ast year’s Maschine

Mk3, with its added

interface and improved

screens, did an

impressive job of

drawing user focus away

from the computer,

making it easier to select, edit and

play sounds without referencing plugin

UI. By drastically downsizing the

hardware screen, this Maschine Mikro

update actually pushes things in the

opposite direction; minimising the

amount of visual information that’s

provided by the controller in favour of

more space for hands-on control.

While increased reliance on a

computer screen might seem

counter-intuitive, it actually does

make a lot of sense. While previous

Mikros did offer more in the way of

browser and navigation feedback,

their halfway-house screens were

never really sufﬁ cient to draw

emphasis away from the more

in-depth experience offered by the

main plugin interface. By accepting

that you’re more than likely going to

turn to the computer for deeper

browsing and editing duties, it allows

the controller to focus purely on the

duties it’s best at – playing sounds

and creating patterns.

That being said, the small screen

found on the Mikro Mk3 does a ﬁ ne

job of displaying essential information

when it’s needed – tempo, swing and

basic parameter settings are

displayed, but navigation is a bit

cumbersome when compared to its

for sketching beats and grooves, the

Mikro remains hard to beat. At less

than £200, it’s NI’s cheapest

Maschine product to date too, though

it’s worth noting that the included

Factory Library is considerably

smaller than that included with other

Maschine products (or, for that

matter, previous iterations of the

Mikro). That being said, the included

sounds remain high quality, and with

full versions of Massive, Monark and

Prism thrown in, it’s still hard to

argue with the value.

bigger sibling. It’s ﬁ ne for browsing

sounds too, if you ﬁ nd that you’re

happy to make use of the ‘star’

system and mostly work from a

prepared list of favourite presets.

The rest of the design borrows

heavily from its larger sibling – no bad

thing. The revamped pads look and

feel great, and the adjusted setup of

navigational buttons makes

sequencing and arranging far more

streamlined. The Mikro gains its

counterpart’s Smart Strip too, which

once again can be used for

performance effects and manipulating

sounds. It’s a particularly great

addition here, bringing an element of

expressiveness to the controller which

makes up for the lack of parameter/

macro rotaries. The same goes for the

Variation Engine and Lock Mode.

As with previous iterations, that

lack of hands-on parameter or macro

control is the Mikro’s weak spot. To be

fair, this is more of a design choice

than an omission; the Mikro is aimed

at those who value simple MPC-style

ﬁ nger-drumming more than complex

sound design and parameter

automation. For a fast, hands-on tool

THE PROS & CONS

NI’s most affordable

Maschine ever

Updated pads look

and feel great

Smart Strip adds a

much needed

expressive tool

Lacking in

macro/parameter

control rotaries

Factory library is

drastically smaller

than that of other

Maschines

FM VERDICT

8.8

L acks the expressiveness of

the full-sized Maschine, but

as a fast, fun tool for getting

beats down, it’s hard to

argue at this price