Maschine MK2 Mikro - Step-Sequencer

TomKern

Hello everyone,

I recently bought a Maschine MK2 Mikro after having come from using Maschine MK1 for a long time. Mostly because the MK1 doesn't work on my new M1 Mac, but also I liked the smaller, more portable foot print of the Mikro.

Overall I really enjoy the Mikro, but Im really puzzled by the the step sequencer mode on the Mikro, especially what seems to be missing in functionality compared to my MK1 full Maschine.

One way I loved working on my MK1 was finger drumming in a few short loops and then go into the step mode and edit on a per step basis pretty much every aspect of the steps (timing, pitch, velocity, and automation values) by pressing the step in question and twiddling an encoder until I liked what I heard.

That whole work flow seems to be missing from the Mikro.

I kind of get that changing the step pitch and step - timing manipulation is gone because the Mikro misses a few buttons (though Im sure that could be accommodated by some button press combinations without too much hassle), but it seems that also the per step automation can not be changed anymore and not even the note velocity? (except during input ofc).

Basically what I'm asking is, is the encoder really absolutely unused in step mode or am I overlooking a method to make it control velocity and automation.

Thanks for your help and answers, (even if the answers confirm my fear - because than I can at least stop searching for a way to do it)

Uwe303

Hello,

maybe a stupid question - have you just tried it? Select a parameter you want to step edit, go into step mode then press and hold a pad and turn the knob. It's really long long time ago i had my mikro but as far as I remember you could do that - but maybe wrong.

TomKern

Well, yes I tried all the obvious ways to do that (and I searched the manual and the web). It seems when Im in step-mode the encoder is permanently controlling "fixed velocity", meaning not the step velocity, but the velocity that is used when entering the note. And that is totally independent of if I have "fixed velocity" even turned on.

I tried changing to control mode by pressing "control", but that takes me right out of step mode all together. I can simply not get the encoder to control anything but fixed velocity in "step mode". And pressing a step or not has no influence.

But maybe Im doing something wrong?! (I hope, I do)

TomKern

Not sure why this has been marked as answered, because its certainly not :/

Bump

Uwe303

The manual states somewhere that there is a different method for automation with a link to step sequencer, and there is nothing mentioned about step automation - but ok then it is maybe not possible, you tried it how it should work

TomKern

That's how it seems to me too, but I just find that so hard to believe. I mean why leave that out?! "Parameter locking" is such a useful step sequencing method to work with, all the tools are in place, the method is already developed on the big Maschines since MK1, the only thing missing is to implement some button combinations to switch to that mode.

Right now the encoder does almost do nothing at all in step mode on the Mikro. What a waste :(