Native Instruments Maschine MK3 Black

Olen käyttänyt MK3:sta reilun vuoden. Laite sisältää valtavan määrän ominaisuuksia ja avaa luovuuden portit, mutta tämä edellytti ainakin itseltäni viikkojen opiskelua laitteen ja ohjelmistojen yhteisestä sielunelämästä. Tähän on onneksi apuna lukuisat opetusvideot netissä. Itselläni kaverina tälle on Komplete 12 Ultimate versio jonka instrumentit, samplet, efektit yms. mahdollistavat monipuolisen musiikillisen luovuuden. Machinen oman softan lisäksi käytän tätä Cubasen kanssa. Padit on riittävän isot ja niissä hyvä tuntuma vauhdikkaaseenkin naputteluun. Omassa laitteessani isoin valintapotikka pitänyt alusta asti hieman outoa rutinaa, mutta toiminut kuten pitää joten en ole antanut sen häiritä.

The workflow upgrades really do make a difference, even though MK2 is great, MK3 just makes it greater with easened workflow and the information the displays provide. The software that comes with this unit is also something to respect, even though the mixing section of the software could be better. The chord modes work really well for my personal use (get a chord progressions skeleton quickly ready so I don't get stuck crafting the best chords ever and don't ever get to play guitar) and there's banks of chord progressions which are a great source of inspiration especially people who don't understand music theory very well.

I use the Maschine to lay down ideas and to pick samples, and it works really really well for both of these tasks. Browsing for instruments and transfering your idea from your head to the unit gets pretty simple and easy when you use this unit and software for a few hours, I really recommend this for song writers for this exact reason!

The mixing section is the only thing I'm not really satisfied with, there's very limited tools available for example the EQ in Maschine software is 3 band without any graphical indicators which I'm pretty used to.
The effects and automation are really good though especially when done with the touch strip, even got a few ideas that changed my direction in a project just messing around with effects on the strip.

The note repeat and arp functions are really good, can't really recall a unit which had it as good especially when combined with scale modes.

I would recommend this if you want a unit that gives you access to high quality instruments and easy, simple and quick workflow straight out of the box, if you need a unit to record samples on the fly (from movies, youtube, whatever by just pressing record on the hardware) or if you want to do live gigs with instruments and effects, this unit could be your center piece.

Overall couldn't be happier that I spent the money on this unit, but I do wish a few software fixes would be done and make it easier to integrate into another DAW.

This machine is a killer when it comes to creativity. Not only can you play drum beats, but you can add sounds from other plugins, synths, ... The workflow is easy to master, the pads are very good, and the instrument itself is built to survive long beatmaking sessions.

The application Maschine 2 is very easy to use, and you'll find creating complex stuff in now time. Gone are the days of creating beats with my mouse ! I now have a monster beat machine on my desk !

Oh, and you can of course use it to control Komplete straight from the box itself.

Only drawback - only a few DAWs have the Komplete Kontrol fully integrated, so forget using the Maschine for this task in applications like Reaper :/