Native Instruments has unveiled an upgraded Maschine Mk3 controller
It looks like a beast
The next generation of Maschine is nearly here.
Native Instruments has unveiled the Maschine Mk3, which comes with a number of new and upgraded features.
It's also announced the Kontrol Mk2 keyboard, with both coming out in October.
Firstly, the Mk3’s look has received a slick overhaul, with many of the buttons turning matte black and the LED screens getting upgraded to hi resolution colour screens, much like the Maschine Studio ones.
It comes with a built-in audio interface and features balanced stereo in and outputs, dedicated microphone input, sustain pedal input and headphones input, a huge upgrade on previous models that only had USB and midi ports.
The workflow of the Mk3 has also been greatly improved with those annoying shift functions all but eliminated with four new pads – pad mode, keyboard, chord mode and step mode – added to the console. The selection wheel is now also a four-way push wheel making it easier to navigate through menus.
A mod strip has been added to replicate the pitch and modwheels on a keyboard. It has the ability to be used for modulating effects and also playing through individual notes in a chord when notes mode is activated.
The last major addition is the lock button, inspired by the Maschine Jam and utilised in a live environment. Users can lock a beat, mess with as many effects as they please before switching back to the original beat at the touch of a button.
The Maschine Mk3 will retail for $599 and the Kontrol Mk2 will retail for $699.
Check out some images in the gallery above.
Louis Anderson-Rich is Mixmag’s Digital Producer. Follow him on Twitter