Komplete Kontrol 3x Updates Roadmap ?
Comments
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"What I wondered was IF your more recent decision to integrate with 3rd party hardware would also influence and perhaps trigger a rethink about taking the Kontrol S MK1 series OFF their "death beds" and placing them on their "life beds" again!"
I thought NI were pretty clear that MK1 is now retired.
But I am curious - what exactly does "taking a MK1" off it's "death bed" look like to you? That hardware series is not designed for OR supported under the new NKS2/KKv3 ecosystem - so I do not get the question.
Are you expecting all the forward motion with the new partner program and all the other work done in the last three years ON the new platform - to simply stop - while NI revisits a device built in 2014 so they can bring that old tech into the fray?
The way I see it - your only recourse should not be thinking about landfills and do what all the rest of the MK1 and even MKII folks (like me) are doing - is to keep on keeping on with KK v2.9.6 and enjoy your board. It is not like it is broken or something.
VP
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My biggest issue with the current design is the inability to pin the browser on the hardware as the MK2 was so much faster for my workflow, I'm a musician, and want to work as fast as possible..
I know you mentioned this is possible, and is coming so I'm just hopeful it's coming soon.
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Yes. This and split window for easier browsing while working on something, drag & dropping etc
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what are the chances of making Kontrol Sxx MK1 machines continuing to be supported if the decision to EoL them was made BEFORE the decision to embrace other companies hardware with NKS1 functionality? My S88 Mk1 remains fully functional and fulfills all my requirements - I would love to be able to avoid it being sent to landfill…
As you can probably tell it still narks me deeply, that an S88 controller that I bought less than a decade ago for a shade over £1k will eventually become landfill. I am trying to think of the environmental impact of things more and more these days.
I actually went all the way with this and posed this suggestion to Matthew_NI :
(Ref. : NAMM 2025: Introducing the NKS Hardware Partner Program ) ….. If N.I. can do something like this could N.I. then not make some sort of adapter that could go between the computer and older keyboards to lend/emulate MK1 and MK2 keyboards the "processing power" ? I do not have a S-Series MK3 keyboard setup and have never even tried one so I don't know that much about the actual differences But at a glance then it would appear to me that you could just place a small processing power box between the keyboard and the computer with some sort of translator/transformer software to make the NKS2/3? and Direct Connection available to older MK2 and MK1 keyboards ? I mean e.g. Raspberry Pi Compute Modules come in all sorts of models and even in 'Industry' versions which I am sure that depending on version does not cost that much. And even if you say wanted to make something that can be used by the dumbest most cheap midi controller and you for that reason had to slap a screen on top of the box and a row of buttons around it then if you look at the price of cell phones and tablets, which as far as I understand have lots of processing power, then in today's world then price does not have to be that high.
So I mean if N.I. really wants to bring it all to more keyboards then why not do something like that ? For the N.I. previous versions then the effort could be less than what would have to be done than if you had say a midi keyboard with no screen and noting other than transpose buttons and a modulation wheel ? And you could make the whole thing customizable by allowing it to be flash-able.
Probably this is not going to fly but I thought that I'd at least give you the suggestion/pose the question.
….
I will share Matthew_NI's answer if/when he allows it or let Matthew_NI answer it here also if he prefer.
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It's been so long since I tried it that I can't even remember that. Perhaps it's time to give it another chance :)
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Anyone @ NI ,
Does NI still plan to support the integration with Maschine v3 Hardware & Komplete Kontrol v3 software moving forward ?
Or is this an area where NI feels like it didn't make sense for the two to seamlessly work together, as they once heavily pushed the two pieces of hardware with the respective software in bundles etc. in every ad / promotion youtube video WHEN IT WAS SUPPORTED ?
At the moment, we can't even browse while using the two together, this is another major feature that needs an update right ?
Or is this an area where NI feels like it didn't make sense in the newer versions ? Just looking to gain some clarity on this, as this will definitely affect my purchases moving forward.
Thanks in advance if you can help clear this up
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Same gripe many have had, but again as Matt highlights, unless it is a quantifiable margin of people they can pull from their metrics, it is not enough for some of the most experienced and long time users to all be saying the same thing if they are not 10,000 new users saying it…
This is what I see as the issue, development is blind to improving anything if they can't justify it via metrics.
Still have no sub banks for libraries in the user library either.
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so true unfortunately.
for example, their metrics don’t reflect the people that are too annoyed to used the products they ve paid for, until things eventually get fixed or improved enough (if it ever happens).0 -
development is blind to improving anything if they can't justify it via metrics.
This is not what I'm saying, nor is it true.
That implies everything is binary: will do / won't do.
In reality, it's a useful tool for prioritization. This is particularly useful for a small team facing a long to-do list and wanting to make the biggest impact that they can with each move that they make.
their metrics don’t reflect the people that are too annoyed to used the products they ve paid for,
That's not quite true either. We can compare total sales with active usage and for opted in users, usage behaviors, for a pretty reliable picture of the state of the union.
Anticipating the question; so Matt, what do you think of the current state of this union?
I think we're in a much better place than we were, with a lot more still to do. And, we're doing it. But, we won't be doing everything as quickly as folks desire, and all we can commit to doing is maintaining transparency on what/when/why along the way.
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These are excellent questions.
By chance; you mean Maschine 3 software and Kontrol 3 hardware (the other way around)?
Yes, we plan to support the the integration between Kontrol S MK3 hardware with Maschine 3 software moving forward → this is why we reintroduced it as a more manageable integration. Let's call this the "basic" integration.
The prior integration that Kontrol S MK2 hardware has with both Maschine 2 and Maschine 3 software is also still supported. It's not something we plan to take away. Let's call this the "deep" integration.
I was not here when the "deep" integration was launched, but as a user myself, I know how powerful it is. It was built because NI believed in the power of things working seamlessly together.
Despite the push, what transpired was a fairly limited amount of crossover. Very few of our users owned both a Kontrol keyboard and a Maschine pad controller(s), and fewer still used the integration we'd actually built. And of those that used the integration, most used a few elements of it, but rarely the full shebang (technical term). Kontrol users outnumbered Kontrol+Maschine users by more than 10x, and we often heard from Kontrol users who were confused about a bunch of the buttons on their controller appearing to be "broken".
That left us with a dilemma: a fluid integration we believed in, but that was used infrequently, and costly to maintain. In these situations, you first try to actively promote it more extensively. Eventually, with limited adoption, such things enter passive maintenance.
Sure, it got a lot of social attention (and thus eyeballs) from us, and from key beat-making influencers. It developed a very passionate and involved audience, but in reality, the audience remained niche (never really grew), no matter the investment.
Enter Kontrol S MK3. Here's where if you want to point fingers, you look to me as one of those accountable. As a team, we knew it would take more time than we could ever justify to port the feature as-is, and result in another unsustainable maintenance burden that would continue the problems of the past: being unable to deliver on high user expectation due to other things slowing us down. So, it was deprioritized, up to and including physical hardware exclusions.
But we've always believed in the power of things working seamlessly together. So we focused on exactly that with Kontrol S MK3 in ways that more users could (and now have) benefitted from. Features like Direct Connection to Kontakt, NKS2. We also started to explore questions like "what would it look like if NKS was open to all, rather than just us?".
It is because that belief remained, that we resolved to implement at least some form of integration betwixt Maschine 3 and Kontrol S MK3. And the design thinking by that point in time was not to replicate screens in both places, or duplicate other functions, but think about the main actions a user takes on each device when using them in tandem. Kontrol excels at plug-in control, for instance. Maschine is better at Maschine project navigation. This approach helped outline an integration that would do the essential things users need, and be sufficiently streamlined.
It's not the "deep" integration. It's not got every feature of that, and so some will miss certain features.
The "basic" integration won't get substantial changes. But it may get some changes.
At this point, I've summarized the points I can be held accountable for during my time on the project, and would rather hand to @Chris_NI who will continue shepherding this over time, and can say more when appropriate about any plans here.
Does that help answer the question?
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Thanks for your reply @Matt_NI,
I understand that Komplete Kontrol users outnumber those who own both Maschine and Komplete Kontrol keyboards. That makes sense—not everyone can afford both. However, it’s concerning that Native Instruments (NI) has chosen to cripple what was once a professional, integrated workflow for those who have invested more in the ecosystem.
How does it make sense to disable key functionality for users who upgrade to newer hardware and software? This approach feels like a punishment rather than an incentive for loyal customers who have supported NI over the years. It’s frustrating to see long-time users sidelined in favor of catering primarily to new users. If NI continues down this path, it risks alienating the very community that helped build its success.
Stephan Schmitt’s original vision for NI and Reaktor was about innovation and pushing creative boundaries—something that NI seems to be moving away from. Instead of stripping away pro-level features, the company should be focused on advancing forward-thinking tools. New users need something to aspire to, not a watered-down experience that limits potential.
One particularly baffling decision is the removal of browser pinning. The argument that it was left out of the design due to concerns for new users simply doesn’t hold up. It was an option in Komplete Kontrol V2 + MK2 hardware—an incredibly useful one at that. Taking it away serves no real benefit but actively disrupts established workflows.
I do appreciate you taking the time to address these concerns. From our private conversations, I know your goal is to improve Komplete Kontrol, and I sincerely hope upcoming updates will reflect that. NI has an opportunity to reaffirm its commitment to both new and experienced users alike—I hope it chooses the right path.
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Hi @Vocalpoint I'm aware that previously NI had pulled the plug on Sxx Mk1s, but I was just wondering that if they have opened NKS1 up to other KB vendors they may have a way of prolonging MK1 functionality at it's current NKS1 level for at least a little bit longer. As I said I'm PERFECTLY happy with my current setup's functionality (using S88 MK1, KK v2.9.6 and Mac Sequoia) and am not really interested in any of the new features - I would just like my hardware to continue working as it is currently for as long as possible… and with it being in my music room rather than landfill…
Sorry about "life" and "death beds" - a legacy of my lifetime past professional career… I was being facetious…
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Ok but leaving aside the semantics of 'deep' vs 'basic' integration - it is a good thing that the 'basic' integration between Maschine 3 and MkIII keyboards was not so 'basic' that it was just transport controls, and that it includes some NKS2 features even with support for plugin controls and groups. However I do not understand why we can't browse NKS presets, this is so necessary.
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totally agree
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Based on Matt’s response, it’s becoming increasingly clear that we will likely never see a return to deep integration between Maschine and Komplete Kontrol. At best, we might get a stripped-down, limited version of what once was—but certainly not the seamless workflow that many of us have relied on for years.
This decision reinforces a troubling pattern: Native Instruments continues to alienate its most dedicated and experienced users rather than supporting them. The previous two versions of their ecosystem offered a much more complete and functional experience, yet instead of building upon that foundation, NI seems to be actively stripping away what made their products great in the first place. This isn’t just a lack of progress—it’s a step backward.
Time and time again, NI has demonstrated that upgrading comes with significant drawbacks, effectively punishing those who choose to invest in their latest developments. Their decisions are made without meaningful input from their user base, and it’s painfully obvious that they do whatever they want without considering the needs and concerns of the people who have supported them for years.
This latest move feels like yet another blow to their reputation, and unfortunately, it’s nothing new. NI has consistently shown a disregard for customer loyalty, failing to learn from past missteps. Instead of listening to feedback and refining their approach, they double down on choices that make their ecosystem more frustrating to use.
To make matters worse, it remains unclear whether NI even intends to support browsing from the Komplete Kontrol MK3 within Maschine—a fundamental feature that should be a given. The lack of transparency on this issue only adds to the frustration, making it harder to trust their direction moving forward.
Frankly, this all gives the impression that NI has either lost key talent in their development team or shifted priorities away from deep software and hardware integration. If that’s the case, it would explain the lack of vision and execution in their recent updates.
Regardless of the reasoning, one thing is certain: this does not inspire confidence in NI’s future. The more they strip away from their ecosystem without offering real improvements, the harder it becomes to justify continued investment in their products.
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