Komplete Kontrol S series MK1 keyboards End Of Life

nobadmojo

I agree. Additionally having that big pretty screen adds a lot to the price and makes the keyboard much wider/deeper making it not able to fit in confined workspaces <many of us work on confined workspaces>. It might be a different story if it was a touchscreen..I;m hanging on to my mk1 until the wheels fall off..its a great design and Driven by Moss has written a great script so the mk1 integrates tightly with Bitwig. The nk1 looks a lot like the new Korg Keystage so Korg must like the mk1 design as well. I would much rather buy that than the mk3 especially since the mk3 isnt working so well in a myriad of different ways for a lot of people/

BIF

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/106111#Comment_106111

Now that I've had my MK3 for a few weeks, I can say that the chassis is not overly large just because of the screen. It's the SUM of the height of the screen + button row + knob row that makes the keyboard have to be deeper. The light guides are very narrow, but they too add to the depth of the whole unit.

But that also affords you with nice spaces where you can place the palms of your hands when you are browsing and scrolling, loading, and test-playing sounds in your library. That's a very nice convenience.

Also, I think more than ever a touch screen would not work as well, and that's purely because there's already a knob for everything you'll really ever need. Yes, only up to 8 functions at a time, but you can bump to the left or right with a button, and you'll have 8 more knobs.

Plus, if you REALLY need more UI twiddly bits, the Komplete interface on your computer screen is right there too. Why not use it? I'm even thinking of putting an old 24" monitor in front of it and changing the resolution just to make VSTi UI windows take up most of that screen. If you're playing live, you're going to configure your needed instruments so that you don't need a monitor anyway, so having an added monitor won't be needed.

And finally, a touch screen would also limit what keyboards you might be able to put above it in a 2-tier or 3-tier stand. But then the same is also true of keyboards with a lot of physical controls. I also have a Roland Fantom 61. It's like having the helm controls for the Starship Enterprise, and with all those fiddly bits you just can't put anything above it on a multi-keyboard stand. You just can't, because it will make it too difficult to see and access the bottom keyboard's myriad of sliders, buttons, knobs, and the touch screen too.

Kubrak

Also, people who have more keyboards/controllers may have them placed that computer screen is not before them to watch it more or less comfortably, but on side.

nightjar

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/106364#Comment_106364

If the desktop screen and on-device screen are designed to match.. then this would still be fine.

Gives the preferred option to all... those who want and immersive "heads-up" experience and those who want an immersive "heads down" experience... whatever keeps a creative person in their best creative flow.

The "NKS2 experience" should not be locked into the on-device CPU/display.. let it fully exist in desktop software and screen too.

Kubrak

It has been always the both, controller and PC screen. It is just you, who says, that PC screen rules everything, is ergonomic in all cases and fits all... And that device screen is for nothing...

So, beside the fact, that different people have different preferences, there are also clear cases when just PC screen is very far from ergonomical optimum. Like if one has keyboard placed so that PC screen is not ahead of player. And this is not so exeptional case. It is typical, if one has more keyboards.

nightjar

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/106524#Comment_106524

I thought you and I had aligned some thinking when you gave a positive "Exactly!" reply to this post from @B.Minor:

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.

Alexbg

5 year's is not a long life circle, they only reason they do this because the want everyone to buy a new one, there is no reason the 8 knobs wouldn't work with newer System too as the worked before, also would it be a possibility to make 2 different software so nobody can't update to a version which doesn't support mk1

mousetrap

Hi to all, usualy i'm not a big fan of posting comments, but in this case within i'm affected too, i was thinking why NI doesn't implement in Native Access a option to remove the update notification if you own a KK S MK1, i guess it won't be confusing anymore for those who hit Update All button when you have more than 2-3 updates. I don't know, just saying...sorry for my rusty english. Peace!

spindizzy

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/105890#Comment_105890

Any update on this @Matthew_NI ? It's been another 9 days with no response to my messages.

Kymeia

Is there a download for 2.9.4 available still? (never mind found one)

Vocalpoint

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/108095#Comment_108095

Should actually consider using v2.9.6

VP

idris_john

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/99429#Comment_99429

Re: trying to sell Mk1's. Perhaps unintentionally, these have turned out to be great as MIDI controllers, because the displays for the pots will receive data, effectively giving you motorised controls using Mainstage/Ableton etc on stage. I've got through three or four of them over the years as they don't stand up to touring very well. The keybed is also super playable so I wonder if those niches might make them easier to sell than you might fear.

DistantMem

Im under Sonoma now, why KK 2.9.6 doesn't show VST2 anymore?

thx!

Kymeia

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/109347#Comment_109347

Are you on Apple Silicon? If so you can load VST2 still but only in Rosetta mode

mykejb

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/109333#Comment_109333

Yep, they work great as a MIDI controller. Once I get a MK3 Ill still hang onto the MK1 as it's still a perfectly good keyboard and seems to work alongside a A25 so hopefully will be ok alongside a MK3. And it still has the transport controls, even if it won't work in KK3.