Touch strip on S61 MK3 - why not in middle position when assigned as pitchbend?

TomSynsongs

Hi all,

sorry if this has been asked already, but I don´t understand the Touch Strip setting on the MK3. When I set it to "Pitchbend" the LED still stay on the very left.

On the MK2 (via KK software) it immediately bounced to the mid position.

Is this a bug or do I have to do anything else than assigning it on the MK3 keyboard itself?

Many thanks in advance!

Kind Regards

Tom

Jeremy_NI

@TomSynsongs Not a bug, there will be more options in the future for the pitchbend and touch strip, including the same behavior that on MK1 keyboards.

TomSynsongs

@Jeremy_NI Super, this sounds promising. I really want the touch strip behavior back (and honestly did not expect that this was changed).

TomSynsongs

@Matthew_NI

Thank you for your reply, Matthew. However, I beg to disagree. As a user who purchased an expensive keyboard only shortly after having spent money on the MK2s, it is legit to expect the same plus some extended functionality.

NI has never informed users (via their website or mails) that the MK3 would be a "stripped" down version of the MK2 in some areas, on the contrary, all the "computer inside" marketing did of course make us believe that there would never be any removal of features.

The touch strip behaviour of the MK2 was perfect for emulating guitar glides, because having the strip centered allowed for a very swift, hardly noticable touch slightly on the left or the right, which gave the guitar sounds the exact minimal "shift" required. This behaviour cannot be matched with the pitch wheel and would otherwise require to do some programming.

While I understand that there are other product releases planned, the current situation is extremely frustrating - even more so when nobody told us ...

Cheers

Tom

LostInFoundation

Aren’t there any settings for the touchstrip in the software?

TomSynsongs

@LostInFoundation

Thanks for your reply. KK Software (Standalone) does not offer any Touchstrip settings (unless my version is broken). This is why I thought that the keyboard itself (which offers a Touchstrip area) would take care of it.

LostInFoundation

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/104237#Comment_104237

You’re probably right. What remains to see is if it is another of those features/settings for whom the answer is “it’s not yet implemented, it will come in future updates”

Jeremy_NI

@TomSynsongs Not a bug, there will be more options in the future for the pitchbend and touch strip, including the same behavior that on MK1 keyboards.

TomSynsongs

@Jeremy_NI Super, this sounds promising. I really want the touch strip behavior back (and honestly did not expect that this was changed).

tv.lidor

@Jeremy_NI any updates with Touchstrip position when pitch mode? it's really required. can't understand why it not included from the beginning like in the mk2

Jeremy_NI

Maybe @Matthew_NI has an idea of the time line?

Matthew_NI

Kontrol S MK1 had some fantastic Touch-strip physics options.

Kontrol S MK2 for some reason did not inherit these options. Why, I'm not exactly sure, as those answers left years ago (the transition from Kontrol S MK1 to Kontrol S MK2 occurred in 2016). But I'd imagine it was largely a function of time, and a lack of follow up, rather than by design. MK2 did have some basic stuff (like bipolar lighting from center).

Fast forward to Kontrol S MK3, which we intend to be a much more expressive MIDI generative instrument than any controller we've yet released (hence the focus on polyphonic aftertouch thus far, and other things we're actively working on like Play Assist standalone).

To bring back to MK3 those physics models that MK2 skipped (and also the bipolar lighting that MK2 did have) was never a launch priority, but it does exist on our backlog as a to-do. Most people use the Pitch Wheel for Pitch Bend, so we rolled with that.

There are still quite a few things higher in priority. I've mentioned a few in other threads, but MIDI Templates, Play Assist Standalone, Accessibility support, are all things we're working on now, shipping throughout the first half of this year (2024) and would first complete before moving on to Touch-strip improvements. I cannot give a timeline for the Touch-strip improvements just yet, as we have a combination of the aforementioned features and some additional product releases to deliver this year. I can keep interested people informed as it gets higher up the backlog, or indeed, lower for whatever reason.

TomSynsongs

@Matthew_NI

Thank you for your reply, Matthew. However, I beg to disagree. As a user who purchased an expensive keyboard only shortly after having spent money on the MK2s, it is legit to expect the same plus some extended functionality.

NI has never informed users (via their website or mails) that the MK3 would be a "stripped" down version of the MK2 in some areas, on the contrary, all the "computer inside" marketing did of course make us believe that there would never be any removal of features.

The touch strip behaviour of the MK2 was perfect for emulating guitar glides, because having the strip centered allowed for a very swift, hardly noticable touch slightly on the left or the right, which gave the guitar sounds the exact minimal "shift" required. This behaviour cannot be matched with the pitch wheel and would otherwise require to do some programming.

While I understand that there are other product releases planned, the current situation is extremely frustrating - even more so when nobody told us ...

Cheers

Tom

Kymeia

To bring back to MK3 those physics models that MK2 skipped (and also the bipolar lighting that MK2 did have) was never a launch priority, but it does exist on our backlog as a to-do.

That would be great, I never understood what that was removed either

Matthew_NI

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/124160#Comment_124160

I understand the frustration, but I'm not sure with what it is you are disagreeing. The priority?

If the latter, the priorities are fairly set at this point, and unlikely to change.

TomSynsongs

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/124602#Comment_124602

Thanks for your understanding.

I am disagreeing with the comment that MK3 was conceived as "a much more expressive MIDI generative instrument than any controller we´ve yet released" when at the same time features like Maschine Support and Touchstrip configuration were removed.

It would be all good if NI had communicated these changes beforehand, because then we could have waited before buying.