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Breathe a little humanity into your next electronic anthem with the tactile Maschine Mikro MK3. The controller’s footprint is smaller than the laptop you’ll plug into, and it draws all its power via the USB cable. Load up a set of sounds in the companion Maschine app—choose from built-in libraries, your own samples, or loops from Native Instruments’ Sounds.com community site—then tap out kick and snare patterns, exuberant handclaps, or cone-rattling bass bombs on the 16-pad grid. The velocity-sensitive buttons let you add nuance, varying the volume and attack to reflect glancing brushes and aggressive thwacks. By twisting the control knob to switch instruments, you can plunk out a slinky bass line or melodic chord sequence. Slide a finger along the capacitive strip to add whooshy filter sweeps. And when you debut your jam, the audience will get to see you play an actual instrument, not just your laptop.
$259
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