Old 08-06-2020, 05:21 AM   #1
kmplsv
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Default Is the Maschine Mikro MK3 still limited?

Is the Maschine Mikro MK3 still limited to only using NI's DAW? I'm in the market for a MIDI pad controller and definitely want one that works well with Reaper. I saw a lot of reviews saying that this unit is no good if you want to use it with another DAW.
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Old 08-06-2020, 07:44 PM   #2
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Is the Maschine Mikro MK3 still limited to only using NI's DAW? I'm in the market for a MIDI pad controller and definitely want one that works well with Reaper. I saw a lot of reviews saying that this unit is no good if you want to use it with another DAW.
I would disagree with those people.

Maschine works fairly well as a vst inside Reaper. The DrivenByMoss extension really adds some nice functionality to the Mikro Mk3. It's not perfect by any stretch but the unit itself is really well built in my opinion and once you learn how to utilize the DBM extension, I think you'd be happy with it.

I also have an A49 and use ReaKontrol. These two things work pretty well together.
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Old 08-07-2020, 02:18 AM   #3
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So, being new to MIDI stuff and all, what functionality is missing from the Mikro when you have to use at as a VST in Reaper? What do you lose when you go from the proprietary NI interface to Reaper? I hear the Mikro MK3 has pads that are superior to AKAI stuff, but none of that really means anything to me if I can't use it any DAW that I want.

I'm looking at the Akai MPD218, MPD226 and I'm open to other options as well. Any suggestions My main interest is in the pads because I think I'll just get a separate keyboard controller down in the line if it becomes something I really want.
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Old 08-07-2020, 04:25 AM   #4
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So, being new to MIDI stuff and all, what functionality is missing from the Mikro when you have to use at as a VST in Reaper? What do you lose when you go from the proprietary NI interface to Reaper? I hear the Mikro MK3 has pads that are superior to AKAI stuff, but none of that really means anything to me if I can't use it any DAW that I want.

I'm looking at the Akai MPD218, MPD226 and I'm open to other options as well. Any suggestions My main interest is in the pads because I think I'll just get a separate keyboard controller down in the line if it becomes something I really want.

So I'm definitely not new to midi. But I am new to Maschine. So new that I haven't made anything in it yet. I am in the process of learning the Maschine workflow.

In regard to using Maschine as a VST vs Standalone, I don't think there's a difference really, but it's possible that's just my Maschine inexperience talking.

The pads are incredible. I do feel like they are slightly better than the pads on the Akai Advance 49 but I liked those too to be honest. Overall I'm super happy I bought the mikro mk3.
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Old 08-07-2020, 06:31 AM   #5
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The pads are incredible. I do feel like they are slightly better than the pads on the Akai Advance 49 but I liked those too to be honest. Overall I'm super happy I bought the mikro mk3.
You nailed it on the head here. I've been an AKAI head since I was mashing out beats on an MPC2000XL. That was a long time ago and obviously I'll be doing a lot of soft-sampling. (Don't think I don't still go dig for vinyl though :-P). The pads on the Mikro MK3 have been amazing in the demos I've seen.


All in all, I guess I'll have to dig into what exactly I can't do with the MK3 in Reaper and how big of a pain in the ass it is going to be (if possible at all) to do it in the NI environment and transfer it to Reaper.

If it's too much of a hassle, then I'm not going to dump good money into a proprietary ecosystem.
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Old 08-09-2020, 02:35 AM   #6
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I'm still not understanding what functionality the Mikro MK3 is lacking in Reaper. One glaring negative point I see as I look through reviews is that it only works with NI's DAW or as a VST. I'm still very new to all of the MIDI/VST stuff so I guess I don't understand what the issue is. Does that mean that you would have to use it as a standalone if you weren't using the NI DAW and that you can only use it in Reaper with very limited capability? Also, some of the more recent reviews seem to mention that there was a big problem using it with other DAWs but that the issue has since been resolved with a firmware fix. I need to do some more digging I suppose. Wish I could just find a damn changelog for their firmware LOL. I guess I'll head over to the NI forums. If there were/are pissed off customers, I'm sure I'll find a few there.
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Old 08-09-2020, 03:43 AM   #7
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NI doesn’t really have a DAW but more like a DAW Lite. It’s great in stand alone mode because you can be very hands on with the controller and only look at the big screen when you’re doing more intricate stuff. It allows you to do a whole bunch of stuff you’re normally doing in a DAW.

It works well in VST mode inside any regular DAW but the point is a little lost I think. Usually the DAW is way more powerful in all aspects. I use my Maschine as a controller and pad instrument in this case instead and I think it excels at that.

Sometimes I use stand alone mode just to bang out ideas or experiment because of the tactile feel. I think, but don’t know for certain, that if you work more with beat oriented music you can use stand alone pretty far into production and only go full DAW towards the end if at all. Or something in between.

I think one of the big points with Maschine or any NI product is the huge amount of high quality content that comes with. And the fact that the content is smartly organized and works well with different products in their eco system. From the Maschine I have all my instruments and effects at my fingertips which is pretty cool for an MPC.

I’m talking from the perspective of the bigger models with screens so the Mikro might work differently. I used to fiddle with an old Roland R8 though so any screen bigger than a ferret’s knob is luxury to me.
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Old 08-09-2020, 05:28 AM   #8
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Ooooof! I just stumbled upon this Reddit post regarding the exact same questions I'm asking...

https://www.reddit.com/r/maschine/co...mk3_midi_mode/

This definitely has me about to pull a 180 toward something like an AKAI MPD218 or MPD226 as an inexpensive first MIDI pad controller. And to add insult to injury, here's a gem from the official NI forums...

https://support.native-instruments.c...uestion-en-us-

This is another example that has me wondering what the current status is. The post from "Dominick" (NI staff member) that says - "This is not possible with the Mikro MK3, there will be no further Controller Editor Support" is very unsettling. The last post in the thread says that the issue has been resolved and is from 2/17/2020, but looking at the drivers on the NI site, the latest Mikro MK3 drivers are from 10/16/2018 which was before OP made the post. How could the issues be fixed if OP was still having them with the latest drivers? Or did the "fix" come from the "Controller Editor 2.6.0" software that was most recently updated on 01/26/2020?

I think my head is about to explode.....
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Old 08-09-2020, 10:40 AM   #9
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What are the exact questions are you asking that you're still uncertain about??

You already ascertained that midi mode had note mapping added which I believe was really the only thing stopping this working like any other midi controller.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mqb-wlAVr0

Last edited by Stella645; 08-09-2020 at 10:47 AM.
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Old 08-11-2020, 06:38 PM   #10
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Originally Posted by kmplsv View Post
Ooooof! I just stumbled upon this Reddit post regarding the exact same questions I'm asking...

https://www.reddit.com/r/maschine/co...mk3_midi_mode/

This definitely has me about to pull a 180 toward something like an AKAI MPD218 or MPD226 as an inexpensive first MIDI pad controller. And to add insult to injury, here's a gem from the official NI forums...

https://support.native-instruments.c...uestion-en-us-

This is another example that has me wondering what the current status is. The post from "Dominick" (NI staff member) that says - "This is not possible with the Mikro MK3, there will be no further Controller Editor Support" is very unsettling. The last post in the thread says that the issue has been resolved and is from 2/17/2020, but looking at the drivers on the NI site, the latest Mikro MK3 drivers are from 10/16/2018 which was before OP made the post. How could the issues be fixed if OP was still having them with the latest drivers? Or did the "fix" come from the "Controller Editor 2.6.0" software that was most recently updated on 01/26/2020?

I think my head is about to explode.....
The DrivenByMoss extension is literally based on midi mode and is quite extensive. I really love it. He has alot of really cool functionality packed in.

I would also stay approximately a country mile away from Akai. That Advance 49 keyboard I spoke of earlier was fantastic. However they basically completely abandoned VIP which was the software marketed with it that rivaled Komplete Kontrol. The messed up thing (in my opinion) is you can still buy VIP. It's incredibly buggy and it's been years since they touched it and they just quit replying to forum posts.
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Old 08-12-2020, 04:01 AM   #11
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What are the exact questions are you asking that you're still uncertain about??

You already ascertained that midi mode had note mapping added which I believe was really the only thing stopping this working like any other midi controller.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mqb-wlAVr0
You're right. Basically, I just want to know that the issues that originally prevented the Mikro MK3 from being used like any other MIDI controller have been resolved. That's all. I don't want to be stuck having to use only NI software to get the full potential of my Mikro MK3.
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Old 08-12-2020, 10:46 AM   #12
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You're right. Basically, I just want to know that the issues that originally prevented the Mikro MK3 from being used like any other MIDI controller have been resolved. That's all. I don't want to be stuck having to use only NI software to get the full potential of my Mikro MK3.
If you have less interest in the things Maschine can do that a "dumb" DAW controller can't you're wasting its potential, and your money. In that case an MPD is probably much better.
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Old 08-12-2020, 11:40 AM   #13
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Im using mashine mk3 in reaper as midi controller or Maschine VST controler with great success.
Maschine has some advantages like the software/sound it comes with and the discount it then offers on Komplete. But mostly the pad quality is really nice and enjoyable.


Compare to AKAI it sould missed some knobs and sliders, and changing MIDI mapping presets require using FX or NI Controller editor.



I made a midi mapper JSFX for 16 pads controller : https://forum.cockos.com/showpost.ph...7&postcount=10


It is a nice product for the price but sure more generic controller will be even more affordable.
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Old 08-12-2020, 04:21 PM   #14
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If you have less interest in the things Maschine can do that a "dumb" DAW controller can't you're wasting its potential, and your money. In that case an MPD is probably much better.
This. If you only need a pad controller, there are a ton of options. If you want to use a controller to control things in Reaper, a used Maschine MK2 would be a much cheaper (and better) bet. They run about $170 used, and that's cheaper than Mikro MK3, with great pads, two much bigger screens, and 8 encoders to assign how you want.

Plus you get the benefit of the Maschine plugin, or standalone (assuming the license transfer is included, which it usually is easy to do).
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Old 08-12-2020, 04:47 PM   #15
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Try my templates. It's more or less perfectly well integrated. You can use it natively as a plugin with Maschine's intended workflow, do all the recording in Reaper, or some combination:

https://forum.cockos.com/showthread.php?t=194950

Also, mk3 has some new features like chords and scales, quick fx, etc that can't be used with earlier versions. Definitely recommend it. If you don't mind doing most stuff in the GUI and already have an audio interface, go for the mikro version. Cheap, great and fits comfortably in your lap. Main thing I didn't like about the bigger versions is you always need 2 hands to switch to MIDI mode.

And yea, support was added to the controller editor.
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