Maschine MK3 Audio Interface

Just leaving my feedback here. If I had to do this again, I would not upgrade from mk1 to mk3 only for the built in audio interface. FOUR audio interface problems I see with the MK3:

1. the audio interface drivers appear to have a bug on my mac and on my windows machine, there are glitches and stutters and the audio sometimes just stops.
2. even when the audio interface drivers WORK fine, the MK3 audio interface is about the lowest gain I have ever seen on the INPUTS. As an output only device the MK3 is fine.
3. there is preamp gain to speak of, no balanced mic input, no phantom power so you can't use powered condensor mic, and the gain on the line input, an SM57 or SM58 really needs a dedicated analog preamp with line level outputs to be used properly with the MK3 audio interface. Even on NI's own tutorials page they share the tip of ADDING 18 dB of digital GAIN in the audio groups level as an effect, because the inputs are SO DEAD. At least, making lemons from lemonade here, I can't imagine inputs clipping much unless you actually do use a really beefy preamp and goose your signals, or you are using a really hot "much hotter than normal line level" input like a vintage synth. My DX7 is so hot that I have to turn its volume to somewhere near minimums to record it on maschine. The input gain is useful in this case as a built in attenuator for about -6 dB of range.
4. There are widespread issues with cue mixes and the built in interface that usually (if you read the threads here) recommend avoiding using the MK3 as your audio interface if you perform live and need cue mixes.

The input GAIN knob on my MK3 works much more like an input attenuator than like any normal preamp I have EVER seen on even the worst audio interfaces I have ever used.

As an audio interface, the performance of the MK3 is abysmal for anything other than basic non-live beatmaking, and for recording from line level analog gear, and terrible/useless for use with microphones. Oh, and there's no high-Z support (for guitars and basses).

I think using a digital USB audio interface and mixer with your mk3 would be a far far better choice for a person performing live. Having maschine use the audio interface drivers for my budget Behringer Xenyx mixer, or using an all analog mixer with a standard non-NI audio interface would work far far better for performance and for beat making than the MK3 does.

As far as configurability the NI driver looks great. It even has built in tools for measuring latency and telling you if DPC latency is hosing your realtime audio. Unfortunately even when latencies are fine and CPU performance (power states, bios settings, hyperthread, voltage/thermal throttling) are not killing you, it seems something in at least MY and a few other people's MK3s still makes the thing just not work.