Sad state of Native Instruments

[elxsound]

My wish isn't hardware oriented, it's that Kontakt could interact with these keyboards without the Komplete Control plugin. One of the best things about the Komplete keyboards is the illumination of key switches in Kontakt, but that information comes from Kontakt, it shouldn't need the plug in IMO. Most of the key switch libraries are orchestral so it would be nice to be able to load multiple less CPU intensive patches into a single instance of Kontakt and switch between them etc. which isn't possible with one instance of Komplete Control.

Any chance that's part of the new NKS2 spec, or is it already confirmed that its not?

I'm more trying to understand the advantage of the "computer inside." So far it seems its just there to seed up visuals by storing them on the keyboard, instead of the computer.

[DrGonzo]

Beautiful controllers. Not going to order the mk3, but I owned both the mk1 and mk2 and I absolutely loved the keybed. Fantastic feeling of the keys.

[zerocrossing]

As far as I'm concerned, all's forgiven NI. You're back!

Anyone want to buy a lightly used Hydrasynth Deluxe?

Begrudgingly, I agree. Already preordered.

I’m mulling it over.

I had a scare with my GEM S2 last spring. All of the sudden, one key stopped working. I opened it up, but so nothing mechanically wrong with it. It didn’t look dirty or like the contacts needed cleaning. I put it back together and it was still not working. I messed around a bit and found that if I put it in a different mode, it worked fine. I switched it back and it was still fine. Why? No idea, but it made me think that now that I use it to work, I really couldn’t be without it for even a few days, so I picked up a Hydrasynth Deluxe and put the S2 in storage as a backup.

That’s where I am now. I’m pretty happy with the Hydrasynth, though I missed the feel of the S2 for a bit. Now I’m used to it, though, and I really don’t think about it. Once I got over how bad the aliasing some of the mutators had at the top end of their values, I actually found I liked the sound engine. Kind of like an updated old Ensoniq. I like the extra octave too, and my Maschine fits nicely on the blank spot with the extender on.

But I don’t need another VA. I’ve got so many awesome plugins and actual analogs that it doesn’t get that much work as a sound source. As good as its interface is, I prefer using software, and it doesn’t have a software editor, and for some odd reasons probably never will. Do I sell it, and loose a few hundred dollars, to get something that feels better and has a tighter integration with software? The lazy in me says, “you have a working setup, leave it.” Maybe that lazy dude is a bit pragmatic too. Still, the proceeds from the sale of the Hydrasynth Deluxe would more than pay for the 61 key Kontrol and leave me some to help pay down my Nina debt. I put up a REV2 and an ATC-X and for some reason I’ve not gotten a single bite, but I figure it’s summer and people are busy doing other things, but I am a bit worried. My M sold instantly, but these last two are holding on. Would I even get a buyer for the Hydrasynth at this time? I guess the only way to answer that is to put it up.

[EvilDragon]

My wish isn't hardware oriented, it's that Kontakt could interact with these keyboards without the Komplete Control plugin. One of the best things about the Komplete keyboards is the illumination of key switches in Kontakt, but that information comes from Kontakt, it shouldn't need the plug in IMO. Most of the key switch libraries are orchestral so it would be nice to be able to load multiple less CPU intensive patches into a single instance of Kontakt and switch between them etc. which isn't possible with one instance of Komplete Control.

And that is exactly what mk3 does, it connects directly to Kontakt, no KK needed.

Any chance that's part of the new NKS2 spec, or is it already confirmed that its not?

Direct connection to Kontakt is not mandated by NKS2 spec, that is a completely different thing. NKS specifies parameter description and parameter navigation and preset tagging. Direct connection to hardware is a whole different API.

[machinesworking]

And that is exactly what mk3 does, it connects directly to Kontakt, no KK needed.

That's great to hear.
This is a big one for orchestral libraries, does it switch to the selected instruments key switch setup when you have 8-16 instruments loaded into a single instance of Kontakt?

[EvilDragon]

Yes! That is the whole point of direct connection to Kontakt.

[soulata]

And that is exactly what mk3 does, it connects directly to Kontakt, no KK needed.

Why wouldn't they do it for the mk2 as well? Except as a sales tactics.

Btw, anyone having troubles with the latest Service Center? I can't update anything.

[aatreya]

Considering the S61 mk3 vs the S88 mk3. Does anyone know if the hammer action on the S88 will make the aftertouch harder to use? I saw a video of the S61 aftertouch today and it looks like there is quite a bit of key travel from 0-127 aftertouch, which seems like a good thing. Curious whether the S88 is similar

[EvilDragon]

Why wouldn't they do it for the mk2 as well? Except as a sales tactics.

Completely different hardware stack and communication APIs on mk2. Very very different beasts. It's not at all driven by sales. It was already not a walk in the park to implement mk3 direct connection, mind you. mk2 and mk1 are considered legacy at this point, and Kontakt is forwards looking, rather than adding further legacy baggage (to a codebase that is already riddled with legacy tech debt of 20 years).

[Atlatnesiti]

What a disappointment. I was hoping for standalone mode in MK3 aka MASCHINE+ but that obviously didn’t happen
Will stick to my trusty S49 MK1 for while longer I guess…

[Lbdunequest]

What a disappointment. I was hoping for standalone mode in MK3 aka MASCHINE+ but that obviously didn’t happen
Will stick to my trusty S49 MK1 for while longer I guess…

Why you hoping for that? what indications were its gonna be that way?

[DrGonzo]

What a disappointment. I was hoping for standalone mode in MK3 aka MASCHINE+ but that obviously didn’t happen

Akai put out their MPC Live in keyboard format. NI doesn't seem to hot on Maschine+ though. But who knows. If it would have a port for SSD expansion and you could put a lot of the Kontakt sample libraries on it - it would be a workstation killer. Maybe NKS2 is laying the groundwork for something like that further on.

[classic]

I’ve been saying this for a long time.

NI only has two products that matter: Kontakt and Reaktor. But mostly just Kontakt.

However, the sample library industry has matured a lot over the past 20 years. The big names all have their own sample players now, so Kontakt isn’t even as essential or necessary as it once was.

Looks like it was no good idea to make the Kontakt sampler usable for everybody to create their own library's and sell them for lots of money, and survive this way.

It would have been a much better Idea to keep it closed and sell libraryś of great value of their o
Or take great sound designers in and let them create libraryś for them and so on.
Now this chance did pass by and other make money with it.


Well, might be not the most bright idea at all, but while reading all this posts here, I got the impression, that NI gave the most value product, there flagship, out of their hands to others.

[Double Tap]

Seems to me to be completely the reverse of that. Although there are alternatives, any small or medium-sized library maker has a huge incentive to design their libraries in Kontakt, which means that customers need Kontakt too, which means new sound designers use Kontakt first etc etc.

And they have a similar strategy with NKS and virtual instruments - plugins will automatically map to NKS hardware so people have an incentive to get into that ecosystem a different way. The more plugin makers use NKS, more more useful it becomes, and NI reciprocates by using its marketing clout to promote those plugin makers.

In both ways, NI is trying to put itself absolutely in the centre of the set up for every producer and composer.

[kinkajou]

nvm