M32, life span ? thoughts anyone ?

outsounder
outsounder Member Posts: 6 Member
edited December 2024 in Komplete Kontrol

Thinking of buying an M32 for my niece to take to school/music lessons etc. (She's 12 years old) The worry is how long before it's dropped like a brick from the current Eco system? S-MK1 has been dropped, writings on the wall for Mk2 and the M32 was released in 2019 so it will be 6 years old by next Music Messe.... I don't want to buy her something that won't run with whatever native access and kontrol next year, maybe and akai or aturua mini might be wiser choice, thoughts anyone?

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  • komthusr
    komthusr Member Posts: 54 Helper

    If you don't update your software, (disconnect from the internet), it will last for a loooong time.

  • MLARS
    MLARS Member Posts: 253 Pro

    A new M32 (or similar product) will likely arrive during 2025. One guesstimate is sometime in Q1 2025.

  • BIF
    BIF Member Posts: 1,080 Guru
    edited February 15
    https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/40003/m32-life-span-thoughts-anyone

    You talk about support being dropped like a brick, but you don't say if your 12 year old niece is careful with her stuff. Or is in a school situation that is safe for instruments.

    A 12 year old CAN be trained to value his or her tools, but it's rare for someone of that age to not drop things. When I was 12, I played trombone. I never once dropped my instrument, in or out of a case. But I may have been an edge case, partly because I knew how sensitive the slide was, and how hard the instrument is to play when the slide isn't working right.

    But man oh man, I sure did have to keep my boneheaded non-band friends away from my horn. Most people have no understanding of how easy it is to damage a brass instrument. I once crinkled the center valve casing on my trumpet by being too forceful trying to remove the valve for cleaning. It just twisted the metal like one of those chinese finger puzzles! And by then I was an adult, not a kid!

    While the M32 won't get dents as easily as a trombone or trumpet, I don't think the M32 would be completely impervious to the usual bumps and knocks it'll get when being carried back and forth to school. There will always be some risk.

    So if you can get 6 years of young-teen bumps and bruises out of the M32, I'd say you're just about at the point where it might be time for a new one anyway; either due to lack of software support for the MK2 or just because of the road-wear. And by then, she'll be close to graduating from high school anyway, and who knows what she'll be into by then. So it might all work out fine.

  • LostInFoundation
    LostInFoundation Member Posts: 5,105 Expert
    edited February 15

    ”dropped like a brick from the current Eco system” wasn’t referring to the young lady dropping the keyboard on the floor…😂

  • BIF
    BIF Member Posts: 1,080 Guru
    https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/211359#Comment_211359

    No, but OPs choice of wording sure did make me think along those lines. Which is a good thing, because questions of longevity are only partly answered by support. And I think we DO have to talk about this other aspect to longevity.

    And she's 12. Unless she's like me, she probably WILL drop it a time or two before she graduates from high school. Or (God forbid), it could be bumped right off of a table or keyboard stand in a school environment. At that point, say a prayer, because the unit doesn't even have the minimal protection from even a poorly designed travel case…it's taking that dive completely naked. Hulk smash!

    Now…it's not one of the older Arturia "lab" devices, so it has that going for it. I've heard many stories about how easily the Arturia knobs, sliders, and especially the keys can be broken on those. And the best source of spare parts is…another unit you can cannibalize from.

  • JesterMgee
    JesterMgee Member Posts: 3,089 Expert

    It's a "cheap" keyboard so if you get a good 5 years it's a decent win.

    General rule for most hardware that relies on software these days is 10 years of supported use which simply means that is how long the developer will offer updates and support. If you are a Windows user, you can likely keep it going another 10 years, the MK1 is still a perfectly usable option for Windows users. macOS has built in obsolescence so usually once a dev stops supporting hardware, a few OS updates usually ensure the drivers no longer support the hardware and it's destined for the trash can.

    Personally, even 5 years would allow enough time for her to discover the fun and progress to the point that by the time it is obsolete, she will be ready to upgrade anyway.

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