Komplete Kontrol S series MK1 keyboards End Of Life

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Comments

  • spindizzy
    spindizzy Member Posts: 50 Helper
    edited November 2023

    I still haven't received any sort of notification that NI EOL'd my MkI S88 despite being on the mailing list to the best of my knowledge. My support request has also been ignored.

    Matthew told me to DM him before he went on leave which I did then did not acknowledge it despite a follow up message.

  • Kubrak
    Kubrak Member Posts: 3,067 Expert

    I can confirm, I have received an information email from NI the day it has been presented on web.

  • Chris_NI
    Chris_NI Product Team Posts: 53 mod

    Hi @LostInFoundation

    Thanks for taking the time to write such a long opinion piece. Give me some time to respond as there are quite a few questions in there i would like to answer, and points i would like to clarify.

    First i will need to go through the rest of the posts as i've been away from the forum for some days.

  • Chris_NI
    Chris_NI Product Team Posts: 53 mod

    Hi @nightjar

    The immersive experience is valuable within the studio environment, by making your software instruments (NKS catalog) feel real, much like you would go over to your favourite synth in your studio, this is the experience we wanted to improve with the bigger display and advancements in NKS, with improved navigation, parameter visualizations, which each has a custom & unique experience for that instrument you have loaded.

    In the same train of thought, thats why we expanded the DAW Control functionality (with more coming in the future), to give more functionality on the device, keeping you in the flow when you are working with an instrument on the keyboard, and minimizing the back and forth with your computer at every step.

  • Matthew_NI
    Matthew_NI Product Team Posts: 1,454 mod

    Didn't receive the message until I was on leave. I'm now back - and will get to it.

  • Matthew_NI
    Matthew_NI Product Team Posts: 1,454 mod

    Almost all users did - some appear to have slipped through the cracks. Whether that's a junk or spam filter on their end, a long forgotten opt-out, or something on our end, I can't say. Probably a case by case basis.

  • nightjar
    nightjar Member Posts: 1,322 Guru
    edited November 2023

    I no longer associate using a hardware synth as being any more "real" than using a VI. And I have had a lot of hardware synths going back to the mid 70's. I am more than done with hardware synths... rather silly to me to venerate them so... about as silly as the resurgence of vinyl.

    Trying to escape the DAW paradigm is pretty silly too. Having DAW control on the MK3 is not an escape from your DAW, it is merely a convenience of having handy physical "DAW-actions buttons" close to your performing fingers and in prime desktop real estate.

    The display and navigation methods on-device will remain a clumsy effort compared to the display and navigation methods only inches away on the desktop.

    And by trying to parallel the display and navigation, NI is artificially constricting the evolution of the desktop environment.

    It is a weak strategy in the long run.... the desktop will ALWAYS be far ahead in communicating creative choices and superior workflow.

    It's like NI keeps on trying to create a mechanical horse in an age of motorcars.

  • mykejb
    mykejb Moderator Posts: 1,758 mod

    Probably not 100% relevant to KK3, but using hardware keyboards for me isn't necessarily the sound and the fact that they're old, it's the tactile nature of them. I feel I'm playing an instrument rather than a computer, even though the hardware "synths" I have are Motif/Fantom/Kronos/Juno and a microKorg which are basically computers!. But then I like vinyl and use fountain pens so go figure!

    -- Mike

  • spindizzy
    spindizzy Member Posts: 50 Helper

    Wow that's crazy short paternity leave - we get 3-6 months here.

    Belated congratulations to you and thanks for responding.

  • nightjar
    nightjar Member Posts: 1,322 Guru

    I certainly agree with tactile control of physical knobs. Having them responsive and smartly mapped is essential to being in the immersive creative zone.

    But the slight difference of location of big display and cpu is not the same type of immersive creative factor, instead it is sort of an "nostalgic/cultural" factor... Like the lingering perception of the public mind that recording studios all have large format analog consoles.

  • Kubrak
    Kubrak Member Posts: 3,067 Expert

    Well, from ergonomical point of view it is way better to have a screende on controller. But of course it has to be done right, if it is not done right, it may be better to use computer screen....

  • nightjar
    nightjar Member Posts: 1,322 Guru

    Well, ergonomically, if you are using your keyboard with a DAW, the vast majority of your time you'll be looking up at computer screen anyway.

    So why try to "force" eyes to look down at keyboard to fully enjoy the benefits of NKS2?

    Let the full glory of NKS2 exist in the software and on the computer screen so we aren't forced to look down as much and can instead ergonomically keep our vision "heads-up"?

    I think a strong argument can be made that designing with the requirement to look down more often at the keyboard is a negative to both ergonomics and overall creative workflow.

  • B.Minor
    B.Minor Member Posts: 194 Advisor
    edited November 2023

    Best would be if both, the application itself and the keyboard features would somehow “match from scratch”. If the application is “done right”, it doesn’t need that much additional “intelligence” on the keyboard. If developers would just be able to introduce a smart KK application which finally includes customer requests raised for many years, the keyboard would just reflect a more or less similar representation of what’s going on at the application’s display (and vice versa), and parameter edits, views and functionalities could be immediately performed in either way, I guess all users would be more than happy.

  • Kubrak
    Kubrak Member Posts: 3,067 Expert

    Exactly!!!

    The user should decide when it is more handy use controller screen and when computer one, not SW/HW developer. It may differ user by user. And also task by task for one user. Or even the same task might be sometimes more pleasant on computer and another time on controller.

  • BIF
    BIF Member Posts: 965 Guru

    I agree. For me, it's about the size of the instrument on my computer screen. If it could just fill up a 27" monitor, I might not even need a MIDI controller with built-in screens.

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