Why do NI instruments not have an XY pad?

Lionzinio · 2025-07-31T22:34:04+00:00

There was an error rendering this rich post.

I am curious why none of NI's products have an XY pad on them given so many of their software products to have XY elements built into them. And key functionality and playability of these functions is lost when you don't have an XY pad.

Products like Massive X Player, which is, essentially, entirely build around an XY pad are quite unplayable on most NI instruments.

So is an XY pad something we can look forward to in the near future or is this a case of the software side of NI not talking to the hardware side?

Find more posts tagged with

Maschine MK3

Maschine Mikro MK3

Playbox

Komplete Kontrol Keyboards

Massive X Player

Comments

Uwe303

Hello,

good idea, but if native instruments implements an xy pad then please only with as touch screen that can serve also for other purposes.

chk071

The Komplete Kontrol software would have to incorporate an XY pad as well, and, I don't know if that and having it on the hardware is really the "vision" NI has for KK hardware and software.

oobe79

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/236274#Comment_236274

Incorporating an X-Y pad into KK software seems like a trivial task given how often they have implemented one across all their other software portfolio. Also, you can use the MK3 keyboard without the KK software, and you can use the KK software without the MK3 keyboard (although I don't know why anyone would; I never use it, and I have a MK3 keyboard).

I know it would have cost more, but I agree that they kinda dropped the ball by not including an X-Y pad on the MK3 keyboards. There are so many Native Instruments branded synths and Kontakt instruments that utilize the X-Y pad, not to mention the countless numbers of licensed and unlicensed third-party instruments that do so. I also would have liked a touch screen for navigation purposes, but that is much less important. This thread probably should be moved to the Komplete Kontrol board.

chk071

"Also, you can use the MK3 keyboard without the KK software, and you can use the KK software without the MK3 keyboard"

Well, yeah, like with every keyboard. Doesn't change that they're developed to work with the KK software though.

What you're asking is changing both the hardware and software to have a XY pad. I don't know if NI really want to do that, but, who knows.

Lionzinio

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/236305#Comment_236305

I thought that the new implementation of the hardware keyboards had removed the need to control everything using Komplete Kontrol.

In any case, my question is really more about why would NI release and promote so many pieces of software that rely entirely on an XY pad for their functionality, when they don't support this by having an actual XY pad on their hardware?

Playbox, Ashlight, Hypha, Jacob Collier Audience Choir, Kontakt, Mysteria, Pharlight and others including Massive X Player all feature some kind of XY pad functionality and are clearly designed to use this as part of their creative functionality.

It seems silly for NI to keep promoting and developing this kind of software while not building hardware that incorporates some kind of basic XY pad.

So is this something NI intend to rectify or will they just ignore it?

Kymeia

This is a request that goes back to Kore which had a morphpad (rather like Alchemy's) and many of us wanted the next generation to have a touchpad to control it but alas it never happened. yes I agree a touchable XY (like I have on my V-Synth) would be great. At the moment I use a Roli LightPad Block for that.

chk071

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/236315#Comment_236315

"I thought that the new implementation of the hardware keyboards had removed the need to control everything using Komplete Kontrol."

As far as I know, you could always used the control as generic MIDI controllers, i.e. use MIDI CCs to control plugins or the DAW.

I only ever owned the KK M32, and, it was definitely possible with that one.

Kymeia

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/236332#Comment_236332

The new implementation does make it easier to work oustide of Komplete Kontrol in terms of controlling not just plugins but also outboard gear. However for plugins KK can load (ie VST) the degree of control and customisation of that control is on the whole still superior - not least because you can build your own control template and have that applied to all presets for that plugin (if you save them as NKS too based on the template)

Some hosts such as in particular Bitwig and Live, do allow a good degree of customisation of device mappings and in conjunction with shared panel mappings such as I have posted about here can enable a degree of functionality that is equivalent to - and in some ways superior to, that provided via NKS. For me this doesn't replace NKS but does compliment it nicely. The problem here is not all hosts are equal with respect to the ability to customise plugin params available for the keyboard, whereas NKS via KK and Maschine are universally the same across any host that can load those subhosts.

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/225808#Comment_225808

MLARS

With possible future instruments like a new M-series keyboard and a possible expressive (MPE) X-series (just guessing here) I am curious if any of these could get an XY pad or XY stick.

Would also love to see NI release a separate series of speciality control tools like 3-4 fader control for composers using (Dynamic, Expression, Breath and misc FX controls), where the current modulation wheel and expression strip on Komplete Kontrol still is not really feasable in production (bad design), and a single or dual XY joystick controller (there are enough NI products with XY for this to happen).

Third party support for Fader controllers would also be nice. The competing Spitfire sample player just got bespoke control support on the SSL fader controller, which should at least make NI consider something similar with Kontakt 8, perhaps with SSL and Softube Fader controllers.

Kymeia

Have to say if I had a choice of XY or joystick, as long as it did not return to centre I would always prefer a joystick. Used to have a Hartman Neuron VS and the joystick for that was amazing.

MLARS

Yes, more XY joysticks would be cool.

The Game of Thrones composer Rawin Djawadi has a MIDI CC controller with three XY sticks (costs around 500 Euros).

Quick links

Unanswered questions