Kontrol S88 Mk3 Won't Send MIDI to Multiple Applications on Windows 11

I'm having an issue with the Kontrol S88 Mk3 not sending MIDI to multiple applications. Previously I was using a Kontrol S49 Mk2 with Komplete Kontrol and Playground Sessions for practicing/learning piano. I wanted the fully weighted keys so I upgraded to the Kontrol S88 Mk3 for a more "realistic" practice experience.

With the S49 Mk2 I was able to send MIDI to both Komplete Kontrol and Playground Sessions simultaneously to get the piano audio from Komplete Kontrol and the live feedback from Playground.

With the S88 the keyboard will only send MIDI to one application at a time. I thought maybe it had something to do with the NKS control on the NI patches, so I loaded up Cubase and pulled up a piano in Halion. Same issue.

Is there a fix for this? Does this have something to do with the firmware/hardware connection service and the way it's implemented? Really bummed about spending this much on a keyboard that broke essential functionality that became a staple of my practice routine.

Updated to the latest 2.0.4 firmware on the keyboard and updated all of my NI apps in Native Access. If anyone has a fix or workaround for this let me know. Thanks.

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Comments

nico5

Yes I also found that part of moving from the MK2 to the MK3 a little frustrating.

In the longer term, to the best of my understanding Windows 11 MIDI is getting a major overhaul to enable multi-client MIDI in the near future, which should hopefully fix this issue properly.

However, in the short term, the only work-around I'm aware of would be to use virtual MIDI cabling (loopMIDI or similar) to send the desired MIDI to multiple destinations.

i.e.

make a new loopMIDI virtual cable named "from KK" (or whatever you want to name it)
Open Komplete Kontrol
- Open the Piano you want to play, make sure it works as expected
- In the Komplete Kontrol Preferences > MIDI > Output, enable the virtual cable "from KK" (or whatever name you chose)
Open the desired 2nd application (PlayGround Sessions or whatever else)
- In the MIDI settings for this app, enable the MIDI Input "from KK" (or whatever name you chose).

With any luck, you should now have the MK3 connected to both applications.

Optionally you can connect additional apps to this same virtual cable.

CAUTION: Make sure, you never connect the same virtual cable name to both MIDI In and MIDI Out on the same software. Because doing that will create a endless MIDI feedback loop, likely leading to a freeze of that app, and you'll have to force quit the affected app (Task Manager). If that ever happens and you can't even open the app anymore, simply delete the virtual cable in the loopMIDI software, and now you should be able to open the affected app to fix the MIDI In or Out. And then make another virtual cable without creating an endless MIDI feedback loop.

Couch_King

Thaks for the suggestion @nico5. I will try that. My interface also has a DIN MIDI in. I may just run a physical cable from the Kontrol S88 Mk3 MIDI out as a temporary solution and select the interface as the input. Frustrating that it has come to either of these rather than the keyboard having the same functionality as the Mk2 to say the least.

nico5

Yeah, using the 5pin DIN MIDI out should also work - assuming you do the appropriate setting in the MK3 to use both USB and MIDI.

While I share your frustration, I think in this case, most of the blame for the MIDI mess on Windows lies with Microsoft. who have zigged and zagged over the years and are ridiculously late to a delivering a proper modern MIDI implementation. The delivered a multi-client MIDI API some years ago, then took it back again, because it broke something else. And now their new MIDI API has been delayed so many times, that it won't even make it into Win10 anymore (due to it's upcoming demise).

I other words Microsoft over-promised and under-delivered to MIDI software developers like NI (and everyone else).

While some other functionality reductions are pretty much NI decisions, I don't blame them for the state of multi-client MIDI on Windows.

Couch_King

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/239839#Comment_239839

I didn't have this issue with the S49 Mk2. I still have it and could hook it up to my PC to verify this is isolated to the Mk3 board but I don't think it will help my current situation. My mk2 is now happily parked alongside my Maschine+ as a standalone/dawless rig.

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