Komplete Kontrol S-series MK2 Owners Discussion

[Vocalpoint]

I am also a KK MK2 user. I don't find myself using the integration much, however, but when I do, it does what I want it to so. Honestly, I need to sit down and really play with it to figure out how it will help my workflow.

Not much to it. Drag Komplete Kontrol onto a track, pick an instrument and record. Move on to the next.

Then when done - use the S61 (in DAW mode) to control transport and even mix the track with the knobs on screen.

The integration is actually very well done.

VP

 

[TimC340]

Not much to it. Drag Komplete Kontrol onto a track, pick an instrument and record. Move on to the next.

Then when done - use the S61 (in DAW mode) to control transport and even mix the track with the knobs on screen.

The integration is actually very well done.

VP

What you describe is pretty much exactly the 'basic Mackie' I was referring to. Anyone who's had the old Mackie MCU Pro or Behringer X-Touch will know that 'basic Mackie' (Mackie Control Universal Protocol) is not that restrictive, but it's far less than can be achieved with dedicated scripts. MCU includes: transport controls, scribble strip and metering screens, faders (levels), encoders (panning), mute. solo, track selection, and a degree of plug-in control (unmapped).

The S Mk3 v2 firmware adds the following to the MCU protocol that the S Mk2 and unsupported S Mk3 offer:

1. Unified Plugin View (Non-NKS Support)

While basic MCU generally focuses on mixer levels and transport, this update introduces the ability to control any non-NKS plugin or DAW device directly from the keyboard.

• Automatic Mapping: In supported DAWs, third-party VSTs, stock effects (like Logic's Smart Controls or Ableton's Instrument Racks), and DAW-specific devices are automatically mapped to the keyboard's eight encoders.
• Visual Feedback: Plugin names and parameters are displayed on the high-resolution screen for quick selection and editing without needing to touch a mouse.
• Chain Navigation: Users can now navigate entire plugin chains and flip through multiple parameter pages for complex effects.

2. Deep Visual Integration
The firmware enhances the visual synchronisation between the hardware and software beyond basic level metering:

• Track Colour Sync: The MK3's encoders, VU meters, and buttons automatically match the specific track colours set in your DAW.
• Bi-directional Tempo Sync: The on-device arpeggiator stays in perfect time with the DAW; changing the tempo on either the keyboard or the DAW updates both instantly.

3. Precision Control

• Fine Adjustment Mode: Holding SHIFT while turning encoders allows for high-precision edits to track volumes and parameters (where supported by the DAW).

4. Advanced Accessibility
Firmware 2.0 introduces an industry-first Accessibility Helper specifically for blind and visually impaired users:

• Voice Feedback: Physical buttons, encoders, and navigation menus can be read out loud.
• Training Mode: A dedicated mode that speaks a control's function when touched without actually triggering the action.

That's what I'd love to see my Mk3 do in Studio One/Pro - and what my Icon controllers already offer, along with Stream Deck-like dedicated controls for deeper functionality in S1/P. My Nektar controllers are somewhere between the MCU and enhanced Icon/S Mk3 scripts.

 

[Vocalpoint]

The S Mk3 v2 firmware adds the following to the MCU protocol that the S Mk2 and unsupported S Mk3 offer:

Respectfully - I think you may want to study NKS (Native Control Standard) just a tad more - before making assumptions that any S-Series (or Studio One/Pro for that matter ) is based upon (or using) using MCU.

VP

 

[TimC340]

Respectfully - I think you may want to study NKS (Native Control Standard) just a tad more - before making assumptions that any S-Series (or Studio One/Pro for that matter ) is based upon (or using) using MCU.

VP

I’m sure you’re right and that I’m missing something, but as far as I can tell from the ‘Studio One 6: Komplete Kontrol Integration Chart’ the feature set is: ‘Fully Integrated (Mixer, Transport and Komplete Player)’ and that Komplete Kontrol 2.14 is required. This integration allows the Mk 2 to control NKS-compatible plugins hosted in the DAW, but (as far as I can tell) adds little or nothing to the actual MCU DAW control abilities. My current Nektar devices offer exactly the same level of DAW control, and my old Impact LX+ could exploit the NKS compatibility script (intended for the new Nektar Impact LX Mk3 keyboards) to control NKS plugins too (the Panorama and Aruba don’t have that NKS layer).

The ‘Komplete Kontrol Integration in Studio One (Parts 1-3)’ pages on the Knowledge Base appear to present the MCU and MIDI Learn aspects as part of the NKS-compatibility feature set, but I can’t actually see a great deal of exclusive ability here.

I have used MCU, MIDI Learn and Midi-OX to create templates for the control of some plugins, but I have to say the effort considerably eclipses the benefits derived! One of the aspects of the Nektar ecosystem is Nektarine, which makes such template-making a lot easier, and allows comprehensive control of any plug-ins from their devices, whatever the source of those plugins - and that can include Kontakt, Opus, Labs, Analog Lab, HALion and WHY.

As I say, I may well have missed some capabilities of the Kontrol S with respect to Studio One. If so, my bad - I’ll look into it a bit further.

 

[Vocalpoint]

The ‘Komplete Kontrol Integration in Studio One (Parts 1-3)’ pages on the Knowledge Base appear to present the MCU and MIDI Learn aspects as part of the NKS-compatibility feature set, but I can’t actually see a great deal of exclusive ability here.

To be clear - I was coming at this exclusively from the NI prospective as you were implying:

"The S Mk3 v2 firmware adds the following to the MCU protocol"...

From the NI NKS engineering workbench - there is no concept of the new MKIII v2 firmware "adding" anything to the ancient MCU spec.

And I have no idea (or really care) what Presonus/Fender is doing to host Komplete Kontrol. If they need to lean on some flavour of MCU protocol to get KK (or an S-Series) to work correctly in Studio One/Pro - that is news to me.

But if this is the case - logically - one would think that shiny new MKIII V2 firmware should just work in Studio Pro right now?

VP

 

[TimC340]

To be clear - I was coming at this exclusively from the NI prospective as you were implying:

"The S Mk3 v2 firmware adds the following to the MCU protocol"...

From the NI NKS engineering workbench - there is no concept of the new MKIII v2 firmware "adding" anything to the ancient MCU spec.

And I have no idea (or really care) what Presonus/Fender is doing to host Komplete Kontrol. If they need to lean on some flavour of MCU protocol to get KK (or an S-Series) to work correctly in Studio One/Pro - that is news to me.

But if this is the case - logically - one would think that shiny new MKIII V2 firmware should just work in Studio Pro right now?

VP

Yeah, I think we’re talking at cross-purposes slightly here. As far as I can tell, the Mk2 and Mk3 boards have exactly the same interoperability within S1/SP vis-a-vis both MCU and NKS as things stand. If the v2.0 firmware ever gets enabled for the Mk3 in S1/SP, it will add a lot of new controllability - as it already does in Logic, Ableton and Cubase. But other controllers already offer an enhanced level of controllability (both with the DAW and with plugins, whether NKS or not) within S1/SP, so it would be nice to see those capabilities enabled for the Mk3 - and indeed the Mk2, where it’s capable of handling them.

 

[Timo]

I also use a Komplete Kontrol S61 MK2 with FSP8. Everything works well in this combination. And since I also use Maschine Studio and the MK2 keyboard works perfectly with it, there's no MK3 for me right now. Unless FSP8 supports it as deeply as Cubase.

My further experience with Komplete Kontrol V3 vs. V2 as a plugin and its compatibility with the MK2 keyboard is as follows:

In KK 2.9.6, everything runs like clockwork. My workflow with FSP8 involves having, for example, eight instances of KK 2.9.6 open, and each instance remembers its location from which it loaded samples, instrument presets, effect presets, etc. This allows me to quickly select an instance and use the Preset Up/Down buttons on the MK2 to cycle through the sounds, samples, or presets, as I'm always at the correct source location, i.e., within the NKS ecosystem.

I can't get any of this to work with Komplete Kontrol V3. The locations are forgotten, and as soon as I press a preset button, it jumps to the very first sound. It doesn't remember anything.

Furthermore, I've noticed that I can browse through samples incredibly quickly with the MK2 keyboard and Komplete Kontrol 2.9.6, using the dial. With KK V3, there's always a slight delay; I can't browse the samples at the same speed.

Long story short: I'm waiting until FSP8 achieves full compatibility with the MK3 keyboard, and then I'll try KK V3 again. But I'll probably keep the MK2 anyway, also because of its perfect Maschine Studio integration.

 

[lokeyfly]

At the risk of repeating myself from other threads, neither the mk3 keyboards from Arturia or NI integrated properly with V7; and other keyboard workstations which can double as keyboard controllers—like Roland Fantom and Yamaha Montage/MODX—can't properly integrate with V7 or V8 as things now stand.

Certainly not to derail the thread, but could you elaborate on what the issue is with the Arturia Keylab Mk3? My buddy just bought the 88 key Mk3 and is setting it up very soon. Any issue before hand could prove useful. We can stay out of the way of the main subject, or simply message me. Thanks ahead of time, MisterE. .

 

[MisterE]

Certainly not to derail the thread, but could you elaborate on what the issue is with the Arturia Keylab Mk3? My buddy just bought the 88 key Mk3 and is setting it up very soon. Any issue before hand could prove useful. We can stay out of the way of the main subject, or simply message me. Thanks ahead of time, MisterE. .

Hey, I can answer that in a sentence right here without derailing anything. The problem with Arturia Keylab mk3 is exactly the same as the one with NI S-series mk3—there's less available integration with S1/FSP than there was with the mk2 versions from both manufacturers. Arturia doesn't list full mk3 integration with our DAW, just like NI doesn't (although as many of us recall, they did for a moment before withdrawing it). If you or your friend cruises the Arturia forum, you'll see what I mean.

On the bright side, that 88 key Arturia mk3 is a handsome object.

 

[lokeyfly]

Hey, I can answer that in a sentence right here without derailing anything. The problem with Arturia Keylab mk3 is exactly the same as the one with NI S-series mk3—there's less available integration with S1/FSP than there was with the mk2 versions from both manufacturers. Arturia doesn't list full mk3 integration with our DAW, just like NI doesn't (although as many of us recall, they did for a moment before withdrawing it). If you or your friend cruises the Arturia forum, you'll see what I mean.

Less integration is quite broad, but I'll see what the Arturia forum has to say. OK, thanks.

The fact that either doesn't list them makes the research worse. Yuk.