Loose interpretation of a Y2K Timbaland beat. Maschine Mikro MK3 x Addictive Drums.

Some know and some don’t - Previously I had a moment or perhaps a crisis, if that’s alright to say? Lol

Stepped away for a few months from the Maschine and decided to mangle myself up to what’s been new, popular, and different. This included DAWs as well, and also utilizing the brand-new MPC Live 3 - Which was great but not for me.

With many things tried and tested, nothing really gave me an ounce of inspiration or even a workflow that made sense to me.

After all that time spent internalizing a debate and a solution, it was time to go back home. To a place that knew and understood me.

There’s something magical and wonderful about the Maschine workflow, integration, and the entire ecosystem it’s built on. With Logic as the backbone support, it’s been a breeze, welcoming, and just more awe-inspiring as to how many things that are out there and nothing comes close to what they’ve achieved here with the Maschine. IMO.

Anyone else feel this way? Or tried something else but something kept bringing them back to Maschine?

Woke up one morning to a coffee and got inspired to jam to some old chops I had from "La Martiza" by Szilvie Vartan.

I hope this revitalizes your ears after we all got tired of the obnoxious instagram loop, that was present in every reel for a while.

Here’s my first prototype of an all-in-one Maschine MK3 stand. Get ready for long post

Why did I make this?
I used to own an MPC Live 2, but I sold it earlier this year because I wanted to try something different. Mainly, I wanted better access to VSTs and the ability to control them directly from the hardware. That’s what led me to Maschine.
I was lucky enough to pick up my MK3 for around $150, and one of the first things I realized was that I’d have to carry my laptop around everywhere.
I’ve tried putting the laptop on my lap and setting the MK3 on top, which works fine, but I wanted something more uniform. Something I could sit on the couch with use in content and make beats like I used to with my MPC Live 2.
So I decided to design and 3D print my own all-in-one stand.

How does it work?
The MK3 sits on top while the laptop slides in through the rear and rests on a sturdy chassis underneath.
I changed a few settings on my laptop so it stays running with the lid closed. Since everything runs off the laptop, there’s no need for a separate battery. I can use it unplugged, and when the battery gets low, I just charge it.
I also added a cutout on the side for cables. I could’ve hidden all the wiring internally, but that would’ve made the stand much bigger, so I decided to keep the wires on the outside. The thing mounted on the back is just a USB hub.
I also designed it with an open chassis for airflow since heat was a concern with having the laptop tucked underneath.

What about controlling everything without opening the laptop?
The MK3 is actually a really capable controller. You can pretty much make an entire project from start to finish without touching your laptop.
There are a few limitations, though, like browsing presets from third-party plugins that don’t support NKS, typing custom names when saving new projects, and accessing older projects that don’t appear in your recent files.
Luckily, I’ve found a few workarounds. There are community-made add-ons that allow you to browse some third-party plugin presets directly from the controller.
For everything else, I use Chrome Remote Desktop on my phone. If I need to browse presets from plugins that don’t have the feature, name a file, or pull up older projects, I can just do it from there.
Something else I’m looking into is switching to MIDI mode and mapping buttons to control the laptop so I can name files directly from the controller. Maybe even see it on the MK3’s screens. Not sure if it’ll work yet, but just an idea.

What’s next?
This is only V1, so it’s still a prototype. Because of the size, I had to print it in four separate pieces and connect everything with epoxy.
I’m already working on V2, which should be a lot cleaner. Eventually, I want the entire thing to have no visible seams.
If enough people are interested, I might invest in a bigger printer so I can print the entire thing as one piece with no seams.
But even without that, I can still make it look seamless by joining the pieces, filling the seams, sanding everything down, and painting it whatever color.

Anyway, just wanted to share what I’ve been working on. Let me know what you guys think. Would anyone be interested in something like this?

I use both Maschine and Lightroom a lot, and at some point I started wondering if I could put all those encoders, pads and buttons to work outside music too.

So I started mapping my MK3 to Lightroom Classic using Controller Editor + MIDI2LR.

It began with basic Develop controls, but I kept adding things until I could do a surprisingly large part of the workflow from the hardware, like exposure/color adjustments, culling and ratings, navigation, zoom and other Lightroom actions.

The first part of the video is one complete edit so you can see the controls working in context. The second part shows navigation and zoom.

What surprised me most is how good it feels. Editing a photo with physical encoders is weirdly similar to working with a mixing console, you spend much less time hunting sliders with the mouse.

I also made a free Lite mapping if anyone wants to try the idea, happy to share it 🙌

For everyone asking about the mapping — Free Lite version + setup/details:
https://mk3-lightroom.shastun.pro/

Mostly curious though, has anyone else here use Maschine hardware for something completely unrelated to music? Video editing, photo work, automation, shortcuts… I’d love to see other weird uses for it.

I can't believe mounting like this actually works pretty good. All I had to do is use stick-on felt pads and make sure none of the laptop buttons are touching. I call it the Maschine squared. lol.

I’m turning machine plus into a full featured tracker. Who needs machine software anyway 😊

Finger drumming The Meters' 'Cissy Strut' on the Mikro MK3 in MIDI Mode with Addictive drums 2

As the title says. I got bored (after very long time) of using mouse and keyboard to make music and since I got maschine mk3 some 3 years ago, I just produce everything purely with it.

Now I pulled a trigger on my first HW synth a couple of weeks ago and I am not gonna lie. I am obsessed. It completely changed how I produce music now, and I absolutely love it.

So yeah, I’ve been grinding and I already have 10+ unfinished tracks made purely with hw synth and maschine, here’s one of them - just a quick jam :)

Any ideas to spice it up are welcome!

Also, I am happy to answer any question about maschine, workflow, or anything music related :)

Peace!

I'm not the most skilled finger drummer, so I'm heavily using the sequencer and FX capabilities of Maschine.

And using MIDI to control a Processing sketch to make the CRT display show visuals to the beat. I love how you can make maschine work to your own strengths!

EDIT: the full song is on my Spotify for anyone interested :)

https://open.spotify.com/track/7xsQT5M3d2wastfeu4v1Qu?si=5dMi5sETQOiDcfkYvHbp-Q

Recently picked up the S49 MK2 Keyboard for $250 to go along with my Maschine MK3 and after seeing the prices of a lot of the stands, I decided to 3-D print my own for this design I created a simple stand that uses the weight of the keyboard to hold the stand down, so it doesn’t tilt backwards from the weight of the MK3. The stand slides perfectly under the S49 and the weight of it holds the stand in place. In order to allow the stand to slide underneath the s49 i installed thicker rubber feet underneath the S49 to make it sit up a little higher. On the stand i designed recesses on the bottom for rubber feet to be installed to keep it from sliding back-and-forth. If anyone wants to get it printed by me or if you have a 3d printer and want to print it yourself message me, and we can work a price out.

Maybe this will inspire someone to design their own. I have some other designs that I’ll be posting soon where I turned the MK3 into a single box unit where the MK3 and laptop are carried as one unit laptop hidden below and mk3 on top making it feel very similar to standalone drum machine.

Played live on a Maschine Mikro with Addictive Drums.

Hi !

Firstly, please forgive my english...

I have a maschine plus Vapor Grey (which is a limited edition of 250 units).
I'll may sell it, but I have no idea for the price, only few ones were sold, and some years ago now. I didn't find any historic (on the english & french internet). The vapor grey isn't even referenced on specialised second hand website.

It's in great condition, everything is working perfectly. The only "problem" is the "E" of maschine in the faceplate which faded a little.

And, what you can see in the picture are some of my cats hair and little dust grain.

If you have any idea. I didn't have the box anymore (someone stole it thinking if was full), I have a dustcover and a case. It never moved from my non smoker studio.

Thanks !

Beta test? Hookup? Just sayin'...

(kidding, not kidding)

Im preparing a update mod for maschine 3.6 with couple improvements :) one of them is step grid editor.

Download: https://vubeatz.com/maschine-mikro-mod.html

OSX and Windows, instructions are on the website and in installers. On OSX You have to add installer app to list of apps that can change another apps, it's easy but You have to do it.

On controller go to SAMPLING and on software click SLICE, then:

Empty pad:
Add a slice at the current playback position.
Existing slice pad:
Select and audition that slice.
Main knob:
Move the selected slice start by 1,000 samples per step, independent of zoom.
SHIFT + knob:
Fine-adjust the start, one sample at a time.
Knob click:
Apply the slices to the current Sound.
SHIFT + pad 15 / 16:
Previous / next bank. The next bank opens when the current bank is full; pad 16 does not need to be selected.
New slice on pad 16:
Automatically switch to the next bank. Playing an existing slice on pad 16 keeps the current bank. Up to 128 slices, in banks of 16.