Native Instrumentsis legendary for its synth sounds and production software.
For the purposes of this review, Ill be discussing the Mikro in the context of building beats.
But, for me, its a drum machine.
Producers didnt want furniture-sized gear anymore especially those who primarily wanted to work with samples.
Fast-forward to present-day music gear, and were seeing the bloat return.
This thing is gorgeous when the lights are on.
And, oddly, I kind of like that about it.
Itwantsme to make beats with it.
It doesnt even come with an AC adapter you power it via USB from your desktop or laptop.
It also doesnt have a headphone jack or anywhere for you to plug your monitors into.
I know that sounds counter-intuitive considering you have to have it connected to a computer.
I barely ever glanced up at the laptop screen.
And I didnt miss the big colorful dual screens of the Maschine Mk3 at all.
When I built a new workflow around the Mikro, it was even easier work with.
Ideally, youll find your perfect medium somewhere in-between.
But when it came to sound-shaping (changing the reverb, tuning and detuning, etc.)
Also, it combines with your other gear perfectly.
In fact, my current favorite production workflow includes both the Maschine Mikro and the Komplete Kontrol controllers.
Credit: Nicole Gray
If theres one place the Mikro absolutely shines though, its in the pads.
Theres no wobble or sponginess but they still feel equally good tapping drums or mashing organ sounds out.
Unless you prefer squishy pads, in which case youll want to shop around.
Tiny details like that make your music unique and your experience top-notch.
Its amazing how much the learning curve has come down for audio production in just the past decade.
I think Native Instruments has pulled off a practically magical Maschine with the Mikro.
Such is the life of an amateur producer.
Its not rocket science.
Even total novices will be able to make some noise with the Mikro Mk3.
Because, like any musical instrument, youll get better at using it the more you practice with it.
The Maschine Mikro Mk3 is the kind of hardware that inspires entire careers.
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