Poor pad sensitivity in MIDI mode (Maschine Mikro MK3)

fercontreras8

Hi folks,

I just bought two Maschine Mikro MK3 units, and I ran into the following issue on both:

https://www.native-instruments.com/forum/threads/very-bad-pad-sensitivity-in-midi-mode-mk3-hwm-823.458671/

The above post is in an old NI forum, so I am not sure if NI ever addressed it.

Were any of you able to solve this?

Thank you

Nico_NI

Did you try Adjusting your MASCHINE Controller's Pads Sensitivity already?

Peter Harris

I have a similar problem and yes, I tried adjusting that.

But with mine, fourteen pads are fine but two have very low sensitivity in both normal and MIDI modes.

Can the pad triggers be replaced?

D-One

No, it's still unsolved.

The sensitivity in MIDI Mode is just different, unfortunately... altho the velocity curve can be adjusted (in controller editor) the minimum actuation force required to trigger a Pad cannot, and it's miles apart. (MIDI Mode requires a lot more force)

If adjusting the curve in the controller editor is not enough then you can also do it in your DAW, Ableton, for example, has a MIDI FX that can change the velocity curve of incoming MIDI, most DAW's should have something similar but again this can't change the minimum actuation force; only NI can do that.

I think this started with the MK3 series, so affects at least the Mikro Mk3, Mk3 and M+.

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/45875#Comment_45875

Seems like a completely different issue and HW-related.

The sensor sheet? Hard to imagine it being damaged but it could be dirty if you have had your unit for a long time. There's this trick I used to do with my M-Studio, I would lift the Pads up a bit with my fingertip and wiggle them around a bit, it helped with that sort of issue but it's not a permanent solution and might be causing more damage if you do it a lot.

NI does not sell spare parts so you would need to ship your unit in for repair.

Or... try to fix/clean it at your own risk... MPC Stuff sells sensor sheets for the MK3 for example as well as wacky ways to physically change the sensitivity like the corkx thing. This last one is basically just adding material between the Rubber Pads and Sensor to make them more sensitive, this sort of mod used to be popular in the MK2 era... Since the MK3 I haven't really seen people doing this, the average user of this era doesn't seem as adventurous as past decades.

Peter Harris

Thanks for the ideas. Much appreciated!

The unit I'm talking about is a $100 second hand Mikro MK3 from ebay so I might try opening it up and giving your cleaning idea a try. Always been curious what NI products look like inside...

D-One

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/45966#Comment_45966

Just be careful not to use any cleaning fluids that would leave residue, like household cleaning stuff... Water and random chemicals can corrode the PCB.

Since the graphite sensor sheet touches PCB traces I think your best bet is to use what people use to clean PCB's, Isopropyl alcohol... While you have it open, inspect if the pad traces look clean and golden, it should look like this:

If they are nasty then clean it too and make sure it's fully dry before turning it on, Isopropyl alcohol is conductive. I'm not an expert on this topic tho.

Peter Harris

@D-One, you gave me the confidence to try opening up my second-hand Mikro MK3 yesterday and I'm so glad I did. Once I gave the insides a through cleaning with soft brushes and alcohol (especially the pad sensors), it works perfectly. I think the culprit was mostly weed crumbs that got down into the guts, gumming things up with the resin!

Thanks for your advice.

D-One

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/46261#Comment_46261

Weed? haha Thats so funny! 🤣

Glad you got it sorted. Merry XMAS.