Switch between 2 S-Series Mk3 Controllers in Komplete Kontrol software?

ToeCutter · 2025-07-26T07:36:36+00:00

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I have an S61 Mk3 and an S88 Mk3, both new to me. For the sake of this question I am using either Kontakt and/or Komplete Kontrol in standalone mode on my PC. I have not installed a DAW as yet.

I am using Windows 11, and all software and firmwares are up to date, including everything in Native Access (I have KK 15 Ultimate)

Both the 61 and the 88 are connected directly to my PC.

In the Komplete Kontrol software, I am able to connect both my s61 mk3 and s88 mk3. Both appear in the Connections pulldown menu at the top there.

I am (desperately) hoping to be able to switch between them by ticking the controller name in the “Controller” pulldown menu, however I do not seem to be able to do that. It seems the “Active keyboard” (which is either the only one turned on, or the last one turned on) can only become “un-activated” (allowing selection of the other keyboard) by turning the active keyboard off at the switch. Surely this is not the way to do this.

I am hoping some kind of feature within the KK software, or on the keyboards themselves can tell KK software that that keyboard is the primary controller, so I can switch between the keybed feels of the 61 vs the 88.. Please tell me this is possible without turning off the keyboards :)

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ToeCutter

Thanks so much. I'm slowly understanding all of this.

I am going to install Ableton Live, but wanted to learn slowly as I go and get the hardware situation sorted before adding more complexity with the DAW.

I understand what you're saying, although I wouldn't have just this morning. As I said, I'm slowly "getting it" and truly respect the assistance of people like you.

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JesterMgee

Hate to be the bearer of bad news and although this has been a request for many years, it is not possible to manage multiple keyboards on the one system, KK only supports 1 keyboard and it is typically whatever is listed first in the driver section is the one that is detected by KK and used. No way to even force select a different one, you would have to disconnect the one you don't want to use.

Don't place too much hope in that changing any time soon either.

nico5

I don't know if this is a feasible partial workaround, because I have only one MK3 keyboard. But if I was in your situation, I might experiment with putting one of the keyboards into straight MIDI mode, effectively dumbing it down to just use the nice keybed, while doing all of the integrated control stuff still on the other keyboard.

I'm not trying to imply that is satisfactory, but maybe better than nothing? Much like @JesterMgee, I also have very little reason to think that NI would fully embrace and enable your use case, so either sell one of the MK3 keyboards and maybe get one of the other partner company keyboards that have been recently announced to be NKS compatible?

Or live with the shortcomings and try to find workarounds and alternate use cases.

So, if you're also working in a DAW like Cubase, you could potentially do some other fancier DAW control with the keyboard that's not serving as the primary Komplete Kontrol controller.

Jef Gibbons did a video on his use of the Komplete Kontrol MK3 keyboard as a fancy Cubase controller:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8I0VwW0Mf_Q

Again: I don't have 2 MK3 keyboards, so I can't test any of the above ideas myself, so I have no idea how realistic or unrealistic they might be.

LostInFoundation

That is one of the things that makes me doubt of NI ability to judge situations and take good decisions.

An user request (going back to the birth of Maschine, also unable to be decently used when owning multiple devices) that tells them “we want to buy from you more devices, make them usable”… and they are deaf also to this…

PoorFellow

As already written by JesterMgee then two N.I. keyboards attached to the same time at the same computer using USB is not supported. You are supposed to attach one of the keyboards using only the DIN Midi out port using a Din to USB adapter (use a good quality adapter). Or alternatively use a not N.I. keyboard as the second one. (How this is going to work/apply when more keyboard makers adopt NKS compatibility I have no idea.)

Quote : Can I Use More than One Kontrol S-Series MK3 Keyboard Simultaneously?
Using more than one Kontrol S MK3 keyboard simultaneously on the same computer (e.g. Kontrol MK3 and another Kontrol MK3 / MK2 / A or M keyboard) is not supported.
This can lead to inconsistent communication between your computer and the keyboards and cause a number of instabilities.
If you want to use two MIDI keyboard controllers simultaneously, it is possible to use a second non-Kontrol MIDI keyboard controller, as this should not interfere with the Kontrol integration.

Quote JesterMgee , 2025-05-29 :

Not 100% correct (this is what makes actual use cases different from tech notes), both can be connected via USB and as LostInFoundation mentioned, one will be only MIDI enabled. That statement is (I assume) just a short answer simply to cover this kind of confusion.The "inconsistency" is the fact you cannot choose which connected keyboard will be the integrated one, it's always whichever keyboard is listed first in the device list (which if you have an A or M series keyboard, guess what, these will be chosen as the master over the more capable S series so even shooting for a cheap version doesn't work…).

It's useless anyway because who would spend that kind of money on a KK keyboard just for MIDI when it is possibly one of the least functional MIDI keyboards on the market without the software. So many better and more flexible options for much less that can be used with better success.

The TLDR of it all, you can't connect 2 KK keyboards to function together with the KK software and likely never will be able to.

ToeCutter

@JesterMgee @nico5 @LostInFoundation and PoorFellow: Thanks so much to you all for this deep insight, which comes as bad news, obviously. I truly appreciate your responses, and am impressed at the viability of using this community for assistance along the way. I'm just starting out, but have jumped in at the deep end I suppose. That being said, anything I ever learn, I will always pass on in discussions such as these to help others.

Ideally I'd wish to keep both the S61 and S88 for the keybed differences, and will have to manage this via: literally turning them off at their power switch.

<sigh>

The quick followup question that has me shaking in my boots: does this also apply to using a Maschine Mikro Mk3, which I also have? It too is an NKS capable device, so if I have to disable two of my three NI devices every time I wish to use just one of them, then "Houston…".

LostInFoundation

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/235437#Comment_235437

With this, you will stumble upon an ulterior issue: the “focus” behavior of Maschine software.

You can’t have multiple devices (e.g. a Kontrol keyboard and a Maschine hw) controlling different groups. Once a group is selected, both devices will control that one (another loooooong time users request being ignored).

There are some workarounds (achieved by changing the midi settings of some groups or pads, but then you’ll be stuck with that, being unable to change what the keyboard controls), but one thing is insurmountable: Maschine can record only on one group, therefore an eventual second group with an instrument loaded can only be played but not simultaneously recorded (until you switch to tha group).

The only way to record, e.g., 2 instruments playing together or a drum kit and an instrument is to load different sounds on different pads but on the same group and then setting up midi correctly.

Ulteriorly, you must add the more limited (almost basic) integration of the latest Kontrol MK3s with Maschine software, compared to previous integration MK2s and Mk1s had

ToeCutter

@LostInFoundation Let me see if I understand your reply (I'm new to all of this).

Lets say I have my S88 Mk3 and my Mikro Mk3 connected at the same time. Kontakt is open and running, and so is Maschine 3 software (by the way, starting the Maschine 3 S/Ware is the only way I can seem to fire up the Mikro into doing anything, as I don't have a DAW installed yet).

Okay, so I have the above setup, and using the S88, I load a drum kit from Kontakt. So now both the S88 and Mikro are playing that drum kit?

From what you say, only the drum kit can now be recorded, presumably using either the Mikro or the S88?

If I then wish to record a piano, I can load one from Kontakt using the S88, and the Mikro will then pad the piano I've selected, but to record the piano preset, I will obviously use the S88 in this instance.

Am I understanding this correctly? I re-read your reply five times slowly to understand it.

LostInFoundation

I was talking about a different case, namely using only Maschine software and using Kontrol keyboard inside of it.

If you use Kontakt or Komplete Kontrol softwares, the only way to record something you play in them is to have them loaded as plugins inside another program (Maschine, other DAWs,…). They don’t have an internal recorder or piano roll or anything like that.

In the case you describe (loading a drum kit in Kontakt standalone), there is no way to record it, neither with the Kontrol nor with the Mikro, simply because it is not loaded into a program that can record.

Another point is that a Maschine hw cannot be used to control Kontakt or Komplete Kontrol (well… it can… but in midi mode, losing all its bells and whistles).

If you don’t want to install any DAW, to be able to record (and sequence, edit and what else ) what you are doing your only way is to use Maschine program (that then can host Kontakt instruments). You will then stumble upon what I described in the other post.

To resume: to move past the “perform and listen what you play” point and be able to “record, arrange, edit”, you will need to add another program to the equation. Maschine (which you already own) can do it, in its own way and its caveats, otherwise (if you don’t like its paradigm) a DAW will be necessary. There are plenty of free ones to try… or free versions of the main ones (some also with all the functions available and limited only in the number of tracks at disposition).

Since you say you are new to all of this, I would suggest to have a look at some videos on YouTube, specially, since you already own it, about how Maschine works (groups, what you can load in them, how it works, the patterns and scenes structure,…)

A little preview of what you will learn: Maschine can have multiple Groups, each containing a different instrument or kit… let’s say a drum kit on Group A, a piano on Group B, a synth on Group C and a bass on Group D (well… it’s more complex than this… but let’s stick to this easy description atm).
Once you select a Group, the controller(s) you are using (in your case your Mikro and your Kontrol) will play that instrument (or kit) and you can record it into a Pattern (that you can then edit, moving notes or what else).
You can have multiple Patterns in a Group, which could be different melodies or slight variations (e.g. a drum loop with only kick and snare on Pattern 1 and a copy of it with added Hats on Pattern 2).
Once you have a number of Patterns for every instrument, you can arrange them in Scenes, allowing to play combinations of Patterns to build different parts of the song.

This is the very basic description of how Maschine works… you will then discover by watching videos that it is waaaaay more complex than what I described 😂

One step at a time ☺️

ToeCutter

Thanks so much. I'm slowly understanding all of this.

I am going to install Ableton Live, but wanted to learn slowly as I go and get the hardware situation sorted before adding more complexity with the DAW.

I understand what you're saying, although I wouldn't have just this morning. As I said, I'm slowly "getting it" and truly respect the assistance of people like you.

LostInFoundation

You’re very welcome 👍🏼

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