2.0 + mikro controller tips & screenshots

After using the maschine mikro for a couple of hours with the new 2.0 software I can honestly say it's a major improvement. I decided to share a few tips here.

The Nav Button
The way the nav button functions is completely different in Machine 2.0. Holding it down will show you a menu on-screen which corresponds with the top row of pads. There is now no need to hold nav while scrolling through pages of parameters, and only 1 parameter is show on-screen at a time. This gives the display a much cleaner look and is much simpler to operate.


Rec Options
Holding record for a couple of seconds will bring up a menu where you can choose the patern length (2, 4 or 8 bars) using the 3 function buttons above the screen. you can also adjust the pattern grid.


Rec Mode Menu
Holding shift and pressing grid brings up another menu where you can adjust the metronome level, time signature, count in and record quantization.


Show Mixer
I was asking in another thread if there is a way to switch between the mixer/plugin strip view and the classic pattern/arranger view. The answer is yes, just press shift + view!

Main Mode
Pressing Main works the same as in 1.8 and allows you to select the global volume, swing and tempo using F1 F2 and F3. To exit main mode you no longer press main again, you press enter.

 

Sampling mode
Holding nav while in sampling mode brings up the 4 options rec, edit, slice and zone. Use the top row of pads to select between them.


Note Repeat
The note repeat function has also been updated, there are 3 parameters; gate, rate and type.

 

Navigating the GUI from the controller
As you can see in the screenshot, There is a little bracket around the option that is in focus (in this case it's the level knob.)
Simply press left and right on the mikro controller to move this bracket left and right, and adjust the parameter with the encoder. You can cycle through the options in the row above (in the screenshot they are audio, aux and midi) by holding nav and left-right.


In my opinion this is a massive improvement and one which will speed up my workflow considerably. Cheers NI!!

 

controlling mixer levels from the mikro controller
This is something I have been wondering about since I first saw the mixer window in the machine studio launch video.
Firstly hold nav and choose "out" using the 2nd pad in the top row. then hit the right arrow key and scroll through to 3/5: level.
You can now select any sound or group and adjust the volume. you can also scroll accross to 4/5: pan and adjust that in the same way.

 

Controlling Plug-in Parameters From the Mikro Controller
It is now extremely easy to adjust plug-in parameters (particularly NI plugins) from the mikro controller. Here I'll cut some of the low end from a massive patch.
Firstly make sure your massive sound is selected, then hit nav and choose plug-in with the F3 button.

The GUI will now look like this:

Hold nav and press left and right to tab through the different categories, Here I'm selecting master/EQ

and then use left and right to move the little bracket to the knob you want to turn, in my case it's EQ lo shelf.

Using this method you can effectively control any parameter of any plugin with just a few button presses!

Obviously all of this shows up on the controller too but with such a small screen and so many parameters I would probably use the computer screen when controlling massive parameters.