Hey,
I have the Presonus ATOM.
I am very satisfied with it but want to upgrade to the next level of pads.
I’m debating between the mikro mk3 or the Nektar aura.
My question is only about the PADS, who has the better pads in your opinion?
In addition, I saw that in the maschine software it is possible to perform midi mapping to mikro mk3, is this true?
This is the link
Right now I would recommend the Maschine mikro mk3. The pads of the aura are very responsive as well but you have to set them up well and theyre smaller.
So over all the mikro mk3 is best value for money.
Its correct that the mikro has midi mode which turns it into a normal midi controller to be used with any DAW.
One thing to keep in mind is to always have the option to return the device. Of every type controller there is a small chance you get a bad specimen, and the only way around that is to return it and get another one.
With the mikro the chance you get a bad one is pretty small but i have heard of students needijg to return it.
I myself own 3 mikros and theyre all great.
And all of this applies to the aura too. There are simply no controllers out there that guarantee a certain level of pad quality. For most customers this is not the most important thing so nobody makes that 100% a priority.
So: get the mikro, test it, and then see if you keep it!
Thank you very much for the help!
Thank you very very much! I bought the mikro mk3. I am very satisfied! I use Apple Mainstage and it’s just an amazing combination! at an unbeatable price
I’ve bought a used NI mikro mk3 at reverb which was provided by NI to someone for a demo purpose. Machine Software for such ‘not for sale’ devices can’t be transferred. In this case, you should consider an extra 69 EUR for Machine Software. And without software the controller is useless
It’s not absolutely useless. You can use it with your DAW, and there is a lot of free software available to play with it.
You can get this one for example:
There is also this one for digital kits, but unfortunately the grid is 3x4 (instead of 4x4).
I never tried it.
And I am pretty sure there is many more out there.
It is exactly useless without Maschine software. You cant’t switch it in MIDI mode.
I never experienced your problem, I am just trying to help, but to my understanding you can turn your Maschine Mikro into MIDI mode, and be able to use it as a MIDI controller.
I would recommend checking out the free Begginer’s Course where Robert explains everything step by step.
yeh… you already have Maschine software installed, some drivers come with it. I had only Controler Editor and all the stuff you can have for free from NI. Editor will not connect to it, the hardware did not flash with pads by plugin it in USB. And of course shift + maschine button does literally nothing. Then I contacted NI support and they confirmed that without Maschine software bundle it can’t be used even in MIDI mode. NI Maschine is tightly connected with its software, for example, you can’t use it in Linux just as MIDI controller.
After buying Mashine Essentials Native Instruments
everything start to work.
Ah shit. That sucks!
I am sorry 
Yeah correct. It seems to do something to the device or to your computer or both when installing the software after which it awakens.
