The hardware is designed specifically for the Maschine software, but can also be used with other Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs) like Ableton or Logic Pro, with a little adaptation. Plus, you can’t buy the software as a standalone. It’s used for both creating music and live performances, and while the software portion can be used without the hardware counterpart, the whole point is to use them in tandem. The MK3, which I’ve now had for a few weeks, is the latest update to Maschine’s core hardware controller. Since then, the company has released several variations on its hardware / software hybrid, including the budget-minded Maschine Mikro and a premium version of the physical interface called Maschine Studio. Physical samplers had existed for ages, but this took the idea and paired it with software on a computer. When Native Instruments first released Maschine in 2009, there was nothing like it. How intuitive is the Maschine MK3 for someone who’s never used any Maschine products? WHAT IS IT I was really thrown into answering all these questions, as when the MK3 was shipped to me, the manual wasn’t even available yet! So, here’s a review by a producer who had to guess her way through most of the MK3’s interface and has never used a hardware-based drum machine. I’ll be breaking this down from the perspective of a newcomer to the system, as many of you likely are. So, just how intuitive is the $599 Maschine MK3 for someone who knows other music production programs? What’s it like to start making music on pads if the Maschine MK3 is your first drum machine? How much learning is involved in order to operate the Maschine MK3 on a basic level? I might not have ever made music on a system like this, but my inexperience here is an asset.

Maschine, a hand-in-hand combination of sequencing software with a physical piece of gear, lets you program beats, loops, and melodies by tapping touch-sensitive pads while its software component runs on your computer. So, when the opportunity arrived to try out Native Instruments’ newest hardware / software combo, the Maschine MK3, I was intrigued to experience a different way of music-making.

I’ve spent years making music and programming beats, mostly with software-only tools, such as Ableton and Logic Pro.

Maschine daw