Komplete Kontrol 2.9.6 and Massive X on M2 MACs

DS99

I would like to switch to an Apple MAC with an M2 processor in the near future. As I still have a KK MK1 keyboard I have to use the 2.9.6 software. Therefore the following question: Does this work reliably with Massive X? Thank you!

Vocalpoint

Massive X works fine in KK v2.9.6

However - if you are planning to move to the M2 and Mac OS Sequoia is in play - be aware that none of the NI product line is currently supported

Finally - KK v2.9.6 is officially retired.

Even when NI does finally get their stuff "Sequoia" ready - it's a strong bet that KK v2.9.6 will not be tested under that OS.

It is offered "as is" to anyone who wants to use it.

VP

DS99

Thank you for your reply. I was hoping to get some feedback from users who are already using it on the M2.

Lionzinio

Except it's very easy to crash Logic Pro with it, or if not crash it, then somehow rearrange its audio systems so that despite instruments and outputs appearing to generate sound, nothing will be coming out of your speakers.

I really like my S1 49, it's a lovely piece of kit, so I have no idea why NI should decide it's not worth their time to keep accommodating. But I guess they're all about selling hardware, not supporting it.

iNate

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/186520#Comment_186520

9+ years of support for these software-encumbered keyboard controllers. People who wants forever support need to use Class Compliant MIDI Controllers that contain their own firmware and do not rely on a binary driver or control software to function.

There's nothing to fault re: the length of time they have supported them.

I think the shift to ARM on macOS and even Windows is going to force more developers to recalibrate support timelines for these types of devices. For example, many older interfaces on Windows will become unusable unless you run everything through emulation on Windows on ARM devices. Those developers are not going to go back and port the drivers to ARM Native.

Lionzinio

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/193121#Comment_193121

I disagree.

I've just spent £300 on a real life synth. A piece of hardware that should still be capable of playing in 10, 20, 30 years. That's the basic lifetime expectation of an instrument. My studio hardware will still be working in 10, 20, 30 years. My speakers, amplifier and hifi have all lasted 30+ years. That's the basic expectation of proper, serious musical hardware.

It's unacceptable for NI to be creating instruments that they're selling for far more than £300 that have the life expectancy of a cheap USB drive. Hardware that won't be updated simply to be recognised by newer computers. Building your business plan on forcing me to keep forking out for hugely expensive 'controllers' that you will deliberately kill off every half decade or so, isn't acceptable. Doing so without any kind of trade in/upgrade policy is idiotic. Because once you've fleeced me the first time, I'm really, really going to be resistant to being fleeced again.

If NI or other developers "can't be ars***d to update their drivers to accommodate generational changes in computer hardware design", that shows a level of contempt for their customers that is pretty impressive.

Given NI's track record of regularly abandoning their hardware and software, of deliberately building hardware that isn't class compliant, I wonder how long their new, expensive hardware is expected to last. The end of this year? Next year? 2026? How long before the Mk 3 versions of Maschine or the Keyboards are rendered inoperable? What is the expected lifespan of the new Traktor Kontrollers?

None of this encourages me to upgrade my devices or NI software. So that's money that NI have lost.

iNate

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/193592#Comment_193592

Not reading beyond the first two sentences of this reply, because your entire text is going to be based on that false equivalency. I'm am done wasting my time on that stuff.

A Synth and a Keyboard Controller encumbered by PC Software Compatibility are completely different classes of devices.

An actually apt comparison is the Maschine MK2 and the Maschine+. Even if they dropped support for the PC Drivers, it wouldn't stop the Maschine+ from being 100% usable, and you could still just plug it audio output into the input of a sound card and get what you want out of it.

The Maschine MK2 was always encumbered by software. As a controller, its value is tied to Native Instruments keeping the drivers up to date and compatible with new Architectures and OS Revisions. Komplete Kontrol MK2 Keyboards are the Keyboard equivalents of the Maschine MK3 - the latter of which share the same encumbrances as the Maschine MK2 (it just hasn't been dropped from support, so I used the other as an example).

They share the same encumbrance, so there is a reasonable support time frame that we should expect, but a decade is definitely good enough.

Of course, people who own them - like you - will always want more. That doesn't make them (you) correct… or even reasonable.

A Synth works on its own and its value is not tied to the degree to which a company will continue to update PC Software necessary for its operation. It's requirements are self-contained.

To me, a Keyboard Controller that is encumbered by PC software is virtually no different than any other PC Software application. The hardware is only as valuable or as usable as the software it depends on.

NI is not going to feel 20 people not updating their hardware. If they did, they'd have done something differently. They have entire departments running these numbers, and they're pretty in-the-know with what they're willing to drop to reap benefits on the other end. Trying to blackmail them with the ignorable number of sales they could get from you is not going to work. You really are exaggerating your value to them as a customer ;-)

Vocalpoint

@Lionzinio

"None of this encourages me to upgrade my devices or NI software. So that's money that NI have lost."

Pretty hard to argue with @iNate on this one.

You - specifically - not upgrading or buying anything else from NI - is just you saving your money.

It is not a trend, a worry, a threat or even a thought at the scale this company runs at.

TBH - if any single one of us suddenly decided to not spend one more dime here - no one would really care at the end of the day.

VP