Just received the MK3 keyboard - Feedback

xgman1 · 2023-10-15T20:39:56+00:00

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Just setting up now. No more power plug option, just usb C. The keybed is way different than the MK2. Very little travel. Kinda feels more like an organ bed. Will have to get used to it after so long using the MK2. Overall impression is that it has a very nice refined build quality. Lights work well in Kontakt 7 latest directly.

Not quite sure how to get the control knob working in Ableton LIve. Transport works and DAW mode, but no control knob when you turn or push it. Also the STOP transport button behavior is off. Playhead doesn't go back to start like it does when you click the Stop button.

Same issue in Studio One. Transport knob moves Volume control.

Same on Logic. Knob controls track volume and not transport like the default on MK2 did.

edit: (logic transport via knob starting working after removing and redoing the control surface numerous times)

Works properly in Luna DAW>

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Accepted answers

Jeremy_NI

Hey all, I edited the title of this thread. I see a lot of different issues being brought up here and it's hard to find the correct answer. So let's keep this thread for general feedback. For any specific issue that you may encounter or any help you need regarding your new keyboard, I would suggest to look for similar symptoms in an existing thread or create your own.

For example, there's a dedicated thread already for the firmware update of the S88 MK3: S88 MK3 Windows Users - Read this before you try the initial FW Update!!!

All comments

PoorFellow

Congratulations on the new keyboard and thank you for providing feedback ! 🙂

Kymeia

The latest Live update adds support for series III keyboards, not sure if s1 has that yet

xgman1

yes using the latest Live version. Just not really an easy setup like the MK2 was. I suppose if I knew how to do the proper scripts, but that's too much trouble and over my head really. Just seems to me it should be easy to set the main control knob on the MK3 to default to the transport and then any other setting you prefer. It's not, but it does seem to be highly DAW compatibility and customization friendly dependent. It's definitely a quality board, but for the price, you should really be able to customize it more beyond the basics a given DAW provides.

xgman1

I set the Velocity to Soft 1. With the new stiffer keybed, I found the Linear setting too hard to compare with what I was used to on the MK2. Depends on how heavy handed you are.

Matthew_NI

If you have the latest firmware installed, and the latest version of Ableton Live installed, then all you should need to do is:

Go to Live/Settings/LinkTempoMIDI
Under control surface, select Kontrol S MK3 from the drop down
Select DAW as the input and output
Select Track checkboxes to send MIDI

xgman1

did all that. midi works fine, but the control knob on the right of the MK3 won't move the transport or much of anything else in Live for me. Even in Logic I had to set it up custom navigation. On Luna it works fine for transport by default. I'm only mentioning these things because they did seem to work properly by default.

Matthew_NI

Fully set up, it works fine in both Logic and Live. Logic setup is automatic even. I just confirmed both on my end.

I'd suggest getting in touch with customer support directly (@Jeremy_NI is on vacation), and they'd be able to take it from here.

nightjar

My S61MK3 is "Out for Delivery" according to Fedex tracking ... due today between 10am & 2pm.

Unboxing fun ahead!

nightjar

Unboxing and setup was a good time!

Very impressive feel of construction... premium product no doubt.

Firmware update to 1.5.3 from 0.2.9 accomplished with a small issue. After Updater had finished and keyboard display went through a cycle.. there was an alert message on desktop saying an error had occured and to disconnect/reconnect and try again. When I did so and launched updater again.. it showed the firmware was now at 1.5.3... despite the error message. This is with macOS Sonoma on an M1.

Have been exploring and playing around for a few hours... keybed is feeling very good to me. Display is excellent too.

All behaving as expected in KK3 and Kontakt 7.6.1 so far.

Logic transport not dialed in yet.... could be kludge from previous Logic/MK2 setup.

Matthew_NI

@nightjar it sounds like you experienced an intermittent connection issue known to affect USB-C peripherals on Apple Silicon. It's not just our keyboard, but can of course happen to it. The permanent solution is to use a USB-C hub, which interrupts the problematic connection on affected computer hardware. Without doing that, you may find it works inconsistently. It could lose connection at random, sometimes a lot, sometimes not a lot, with no predictability.

frankspappa

Just letting you know that at my local music store there unit didn’t work when using a USB-hub. They had to connect directly to their Mac Mini instead 🤷‍♂️

But I will buy mine today keeping my fingers crossed.

nightjar

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/101231#Comment_101231

Thanks for the suggestion. However this incident did occur while using a usb-c hub.

The firmware actually did update on first attempt, just a false alert of an error occurring at the end of process.

Oscar Morante

Mine just shipped! I have a lot of stuff connected through usb-c on my Apple Silicon mac and I've never experienced those issues, crossing my fingers here.

nightjar

FYI.. the hub I am using is an Anker PowerExpand 5-in-1 Thunderbolt 4 Mini Dock with 85W charging:

https://www.anker.com/products/a8398?variant=41093989892246&collections_hubs-and-docks=undefined&Sort_by=Recommended

xgman1

caldigit hub here also works.

FYI.. Received notice from NI today that the Main Control Knob lack of working on the transport has been duplicated and a fix requested.

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