DAW mode malfunction with Logic Pro

sanvandur

I've recently acquired my new Kontrol S61 MK3 in hopes of the wonderfully seamless workflow heaven seen so many times all over youtube. I've already started support tickets with NA and Sweetwater (my vendor). Until that ball gets rolling, I'll try here.

The problem:

The actual keyboard is new and in perfect condition. After installing all necessary firmware and software, and carefully following NI setup instructions, I've been unable to consistently switch between "browser", "plug-in", and "DAW" modes on my Kontrol MK3. All NI software is up to date. All relevant programs have "all disk access" on my Mac. I've removed and re-added Kontrol MK3 in Logic's Control Surfaces Setup feature, and done "rebuild defaults" many times. There are a couple threads (thread 1, thread 2) in this NA Community with loads of troubleshooting tips for this issue. I've done them all multiple times. After follwing these tips, Kontrol MK3 seems to function. Switching between modes works for a few minutes until DAW mode stops working out of nowhere. When that happens, I also lose the ability to scroll through additional pages of Plugin settings on Kontrol MK3. Other times, only the DAW button lights up, but the Kontakt MK# screen is blank. Not the "workflow heaven" I was expecting.

My setup:

Apple Mac Mini M2 Pro, OS 15.6.1

Logic Pro 11.2.2

Kontrol MK3 from USB-C Host socket connected directly into Mac Mini Thunderbolt port with NI included USB-C cable. I've also connected a brand new USB-C Anker charger into the Kontrol MK3 USB-C power socket to rule out any power supply issue.

Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance :)

oobe79

What version of Komplete Kontrol and Kontakt are you using? Is this an issue with both KK and Kontakt, or just Kontakt?

I have the exact same setup (literally, exactly the same). And I had this exact problem with Kontakt 7 and Kontakt 8 in Logic Pro. I reported it, and Native Instruments were able to reproduce the issues confirming the bug. It appears to mostly affect Logic Pro owners but Cubase owners have sometimes experienced the same problem. What triggers the loss of integration between the MK3 keyboard and the host (Logic Pro) was the act of inserting a new instance of Kontakt. in most cases, it took creating 2 or 3 or 4 new tracks and loading Kontakt in each one to trigger the bug. Occasionally, it would happen with the very first track and loading Kontakt. I never had the problem with Komplete itself, just Kontakt loaded natively. Here are my notes to Native Instruments about the observed behavior:

1. I cannot replicate the bug when loading Kontakt instruments within Komplete, either by creating multiple tracks or by duplicating tracks.  I got up to 8 instances of Komplete, each with a Kontakt instrument, and the MK3 screen loads correctly and the Browser/Plug In buttons are functional.

2. However, if I load a Komplete with a Kontakt instrument on Track 1, and then load an instance of Kontakt native on Track 2, I do trigger the bug.

3. Kontakt 8 demonstrates the same bug as Kontakt 7. The bug is a bit unpredictable. Sometimes, it happens with the very first track with Kontakt, and sometimes, it takes 3 tracks.

I have noticed since then, I have not had the problem in the last couple of months with Kontakt 8, so I think it's been fixed since it last was updated. I don't know if it's been fixed in Kontakt 7, however. A workaround was to use the 4D knob to navigate to another track with Kontakt on it, which restored the integration with the MK3 keyboard. Hope this helps.