Maschine+ vs Maschine MKIII pad sensitivity difference

Wilmar Boer

I recently bought a Maschine+ and intent to sell my MK3. But now I have the two together I notice a big difference in pad sensitivity between the + and the MK3. With the same pad sensitivity and scaling settings on both devices I have to hit de + a lot harder to get the same output. For finger drumming it's not a big issue, but I managed to learn myself quite a bit of melodic instrument playing on the pads and I can't play nearly as subtle on the + compared to the MK3. Any tips on solving this? Or is anyone experiencing the same?

ozon

This is an interesting question. I always wondered how much differences are to be expected between two devices and how balanced pad sensitivity is to be expected on a single device. In my experience (with Maschine Mk1, Maschine Mk2, Maschine+), sensitivity among the 16 pads is so erratic, that the captured velocities rarely represent the performed dynamics.

D-One

Most Maschine HW I've tried have a different feel, particularly the minimum actuation force and lower velocities in general. In some HW releases NI tweaked the "sensitivity" after lots of user complaints, well at least back then when the forum had more active users commenting on such things...

I don't quite remember if I noticed it much difference from MK3 to M+ tho, their construction inside is pretty much identical afaik but there could be differences in the firmware, if NI doesn't match MIDI mode and Maschine Mode to be even remotely close they also might not from the MK3 to the M+.

With all that said note that Pads generally have sort of a break-in period. The best thing you can do is use the scaling setting to match the feel rather than using the same settings and expecting them to be equal.

ozon

I was wildly disappointed by my Mk2 (which is a used unit, and probably no reference) and had really high hopes for the brand new M+. But even there, some Pads have an acceptable response over the whole velocity range while others produce only medium low (30 - 50) and super high (110-127) velocity values.

@D-One what‘s your experience with consistency across pads on the same Maschine?

D-One

@ozon asked:

@D-One what‘s your experience with consistency across pads on the same Maschine?

On my M+ It seems OK, can't complain. It's more consistent close to the min/max velocities, between say 35-75 it's harder to be consistent, but just tapping my fingers trying to maintain the same force is very unscientific, it may very well be my fault. It's impossible to get anything lower than 8-10 velocity but since I don't usually go that low it's not a problem for me.

It would be cool to see some results made with a testing machine, maybe with an Arduino + solenoid or something, or even hear the opinion of a professional drummer / percussionist since they train their whole life to tap things consistently.

Theres a limit to how precise Pads can be, afaik it's a graphite sheet with very low conductivity in between pcb switch traces, measuring how much current ends up passing thru is how velocities are mapped and this current naturally fluctuates depending on external factors.

Wilmar Boer

It seems to get a bit better now that I used the Maschine extensively during the weekend. The previous owner didn't use it much and it stood still a lot of the time. Maybe it's because of that that the pad needed to worn in a bit.

ozon

@D-One wrote

but just tapping my fingers trying to maintain the same force is very unscientific

Well… since I’m playing bass for about fourty years, I think I might have developed some consistency with my plucking fingers. But even if not: I can tap a rhythm on a table and get a recognizable repetitive loudness pattern. I’m unable to achieve that with the Maschine Pads, especially when more than one Pad is involved (like in Step mode). Probably a test that works for everyone.

But maybe I should try out different sensitivity settings.

D-One

Interesting... You got your M+ early, right? Maybe it's time for a sensor cleaning altho the only people I've seen confirming drastic changes with cleaning are usually people who smoke 🥦 , as the sticky icky builds up there after a while, not sure if dust can make a big difference if you dont smoke anything. Risky attempt tho 😬

ozon

Yeah, October 20 IIRC. Not smoking anything, everything kept in a smoke free environment with Decksavers on. I don’t think it’s from dust. The Pads have been inconsistent right from the start. Maybe its really that I prefer to play with a soft touch and am using less than ideal settings. Or I should really practice playing the Pads instead of relying on my neglected skills for other instruments.

Thanks for the suggestion though!