MK3 Successes Big or Small; a Can-Do Thread

BIF

I get it; the Mark 3 release of the Komplete Kontrol hardware has been met with ... I'll say, "mixed reviews". It's getting to the point that I think positive comments are being steamrolled, and members having a good experience are not posting, either for fear of being talked over or just because it can be a big muse-killer to read all the anger in the other threads.

I believe that NI is working hard to stay in communication with all NKS2 and MK3 customers, and I believe that the KK software will be updated and will gain maturity and reliability.

And THIS is a big admission coming from the guy who reamed NI a new one on multiple occasions when they didn't give us the time of day after eliminating Kore 2, or for being so damned secretive during their decade+ delay of a new Guitar Rig, plus a string of other slip-ups and outright gaffs over the years.

But I get the sense that NI is going through a maturing process of its own, probably at least partly due to the change in ownership over the last year or so, and maybe partly due to the influx of new team members who are themselves bringing a whole new culture with them.

So this thread is for anybody enjoying their MK3. Even if you are having some troubles with it but you think this thing or that thing is really helping you, let's talk about it!

All I ask is that you bring your can-do attitude with you. I will start in the next post...

BIF

I mentioned in another post somewhere that I'm very much enjoying the new bigger single screen. A few more days have passed, and I like it even more now that I've used it some.

Here are a few other things I like:

• The browser button gets me back to the instruments. Bam, I'm there.
• When I'm in an Instrument, the right-arrow button (directly beneath the MIDI Settings button) can quickly take me to more settings pages. Good for quickly reviewing what THAT instrument has initially been set up with.
• The Shift button on the left side of the controls is easy to hit with my pinkie finger, which leaves all my other fingers free to find the key I wanted to shift. Nice and comfortable.
• I like the open space below the transport row (left side) and the open space below the main rotary. Resting spots for the heels of my hands, so that I can mentally go into a "poke around and see" mode without accidentally activating some other function via a rotary or button, and without accidentally playing any notes on the keybed.

More to come. And I hope other folks feel welcome to add their thoughts too!

Kymeia

I don't have the keyboard yet but it does look amazing and I so want a poly aftertouch keyboard. The fact that it supports MIDI 2 is also great. The software needs a lot of work but it does look cleaner and I like that NI were thoughtful enough to enable NKS 1 patches saved in it to be backwards compatible, and to give it a separate database to KK2 (which reduces the risk of corrupted databases if you removing between both versions as I have been doing). I think it does lay the foundations of what I hope will be more positive and useful changes to come.

BIF

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/103276#Comment_103276

I haven't used PAT yet, but yeah; Poly AfterTouch was a major reason I bought this! I'm still coming to grips with the braintrain thing, since everything is laid out differently. That, plus I'm also a bit behind the 8-Ball with respect to Komplete 7, so I'm playing a bit of catch-up.

Thank you for the contribution!

LostInFoundation

Not really a post about the joy of MK3, but more of a suggestion to NI: what about sending to the man Kymeia here a new MK3? @Kaiwan_NI ?

With all the things he has done for the NKS community, I think he deserves it. And I’m sure that in future, when everything in the software will be fixed (see editing functionalities and the introduction of the various new features of NKS2), it will pay off, since I’m sure he will continue all the work he is doing in making the NKS world even wider than what it is.

Maybe not the big very expensive one, if you still want to hope that he is gonna buy one in future. But a small, little, tiny version of the new device (I’m sure there is a spare one lying around somewhere that you used for testing in search for a new owner) will allow him to start serving users and you with all his knowledge. And will surely be in good hands

rthree

While I'm waiting on my MK3, just wondering whether anyone can comment on the quality of the knobs and touch strip (I've had a few high end workstations with good keybeds but lackluster controls, so I'm curious) ie are they plastic or metal

BIF

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/103297#Comment_103297

I can comment on this. The knobs are sturdy and firm, and they turn smoothly. Touching one will bring that control to focus, which is easily visible on the KK's screen.

The touch strip is very nice! It responds promptly and accurately to my fingers. No stuttering. No false positives. Or false negatives, either. I actually like the touch strip a lot more than I thought I would!

BIF

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/103292#Comment_103292

I have no strong opinion on this one way or another. Thank you for your contribution!