Maschine Mikro hardware / software frustrations thoughts and questions
So after about two months of owning the maschine mikro mk2 I’m feeling a little bit frustrated. maschine software is amazing software wise but my workflow always seems to come to a screeching halt when using the hardware for anything other than maschine. Specifically traktor remix decks, as i have gotten multiple different mappings and not just a few but all seem to not work properly, and it always turns into a hair puling experience. I have also tried to write my own mappings found this to be nothing short of a complete nightmare. I also use ableton and mappings that are specifically designed by NI are nothing short of useless and again i am losing hair over the experience, as well as using maschine as a VST plugin in lags and i have tried the forum posted fixes with no luck. Curious if i am the only one that has had and or having this experience? Now for the real questions…
It seems that people that use the maschine MK2 model seem to have a much more enjoyable and fruitful experience, anyone feel this way? As for remix decks seems that MDF 3D and twister combo would be way more fun and work the way it is supposed to, can anyone comment on this? Yes i know that in abelton push is supposed to be nothing short of phenominal but would i be better to purchase a maschine mk2 just hardware ony and work out the kinks over time? or just drop the bank and roll the push and adapt it to the maschine software?
Any help or constructive thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
If you want to use knobs a lot, you really can’t go wrong with a MF Twister. If however you’re trying to use the Maschine Mikro as part of your live set up, use the Traktor virtual MIDI clock, and sync Maschine to the Traktor Virtual MIDI clock (there’s a DJTT article by Ean, on how to do this). I used to want to integrate my Maschine Mikro into the Remix Decks, and then discovered Maschine was superior to anything the Remix Decks could give me… by leaps and bounds. I used to drive Maschine through a live Traktor deck, but I have a mixer with a separate, external, sound card now so I don’t have to (after a couple of hours, there’s some grittiness that builds up in the sound). As far as I know (I’m certainly willing to be proven wrong), the color-coded part of the LEDs is not interactive with the Mikro MK2 from the Remix Decks (like they are on the F1) and while you can dumb-down your Maschine Mikro for the Remix Decks, why would you want to?
I’m suggesting that you keep your loops in Maschine and toggle sync (in Maschine) off to set new live loops (and optionally use Note Repeat for quick drum rolls, or Bass hits), and then turn MIDI sync back on (in Maschine) to play them in time with Traktor (which requires hitting that play button above the sync to get the drums back in time with Traktor. You CAN render the Maschine files out and drop them in the Remix Decks, but I think that’s asking a lot of a person who has a few seconds in which to pick the next song, sync it, and mix. Also, I recommend dedicating a channel strip fader (either on your DJ mixer or sub-mixer) for this purpose… from experience.
my personal tips ,i use the mapping to traktor all assignations to the rmx decks ABC i don’t use in for controling knob etc by the way to the mapping to traktor for ableton and also maschine with traktor virtual input/output
I have had my Maschine Mikro MK2 for 3 years now. And had 0 issues with it! It’s the best piece of gear I’ve invested in thus far and has contributed to me getting placements on major artists. The only time I was frustrated was when I first got it and after spending days to weeks looking at You Tube video tutorials. That frustration went away quickly. I use it in Ableton and Logic. I don’t like using it in stand alone mode. But, if you want to use it with Traktor to control the decks, etc. Check out this mapping it works flawlessly with Traktor. I love it! Make sure you follow the instructions on installing it:
