More importantly, though, it means live performers now have one less box to lug around. Not only does this give those working in small home studios - perhaps with Maschine and an audio interface as their only pieces of external hardware - the option to claim back a bit of desk space. It’s been a notable omission since version 1 of the hardware, but finally, NI has taken the obvious step of building an audio interface into Maschine. Sadly, however, Maschine Mk3 still doesn’t have fold-out legs for angling it to suit seated desktop use - only Maschine Studio gets that embellishment. Oh, and there’s a power button now, so you can turn it off without unplugging it. A power supply is included, for ramping up the brightness of the LEDs, should their bus-powered maximum not be enough. Like Mk2, Maschine Mk3 is USB bus-powered - an impressive achievement, given that it not only incorporates two full-colour screens but also an audio interface (see Wired for sound). This gives the whole unit a much classier appearance, making the buttons on all other Maschines look comparatively chunky and toy-like.
The LED backlit buttons have been overhauled: all but the Group and top-row function buttons are now solid black with cutout lettering allowing the light through. It’s 0.25" longer than Mk2, an inch shallower at its deepest, and weighs 0.4kg more. We never had any issue with Mk2’s build quality, but Mk3 takes the device’s physicality to new heights, its all-metal construction, sturdy knobs and firm, clicky buttons putting it right up there with Ableton’s Push 2 - the current controller construction benchmark. Maschine Mk2 made minimal changes to the layout and construction of Mk1, but Maschine Mk3 is a total redesign.
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