Please tell me that's what the MIDI in is for. Please tell me I'm overlooking something and the ARP can be synced to an incoming MIDI clock.
No unfortunately it can't be synced to an external clock. But it is possible to use it as master clock (i.e. send the internal midi clock out of the midi din port) via the experimental settings. Also it does automatically keep it's BPM in sync with the DAW, no clock required.
this is ridiculous
It's not even true, just tried it. Connected with Ableton Live, I can go into DAW mode and control it but with Ableton running the internal Arp doesn't sync, it's still running in its own tempo… sorry but this is ridiculous and there's no excuse why there wouldn't be a simple MIDI clock sync function, my 75€ Behringer Swing can do that
It works for me and thousands of other people. Are you running all the latest versions of Live and the firmware?
The reason we don't have that feature is because a) nobody is asking for it (you're literally the first person to ask), b) midi clock output is MUCH simpler to implement reliably than input and works in 99% of use cases, and c) the DAW tempo sync works better than midi clock for all our main use cases.
What exactly are you trying to do and why can't you use the keyboard as the master clock?
Also please turn the temperature down a bit. Just because you don't understand the reasons for something, doesn't mean there aren't any.
sorry but these are very weak arguments.
a) just because nobody is talking about it here doesn't mean nobody is missing it
b) there are many keyboards out there with reliable midi clock input AND output. there is literally no reason not to implement it in a 700€ keyboard.
c) it doesn't work for me. I have all the latest versions of access, hardware connection software, firmware, Ableton. sync is activated in ableton's midi setup for all the kontrol outputs, it just doesn't work.
what I am trying to do is to have Ableton as rythmic brain (as I always have, as it always worked with other keyboards and synths) controlling drum machines, synths etc via MIDI. but even without ableton, it would have been nice to be able to have, e.g. my drum machines as rythmic brains (as also, I have done many times with other keyboards and synths). yes, I absolutely do not understand the reasons.
there is not a single mention of midi sync (or clock) in the manual, neither in the arp section nor in the ableton section and it also doesn't just magically work, so please tell me how thousands of other people are doing it.
The tempo sync with the DAW is not based on midi clock. It works automatically through our custom DAW Control protocol which provides several advantages over legacy MIDI clock. The feature is described here. The manual hasn't been updated for a while unfortunately, so the YouTube videos on the official account (and the change log in Native Access obviously) are the best source of information for the latest features currently.
As the MIDI clock sent from Live is ignored, I would recommend you do NOT enable sync on any of the Kontrol Mk3 MIDI ports on Ableton Live, as this will cause more harm than good.
Assuming you have configured the control surface correctly in Live, if you press SHIFT+TEMPO button on your Mk3 and turn the 4-d encoder wheeel, the tempo should change on both the device and the DAW. Likewise if you change the tempo in the DAW then the tempo on the device should also change accordingly, as shown in Brian's video above.
Nope, doesn't work. keyboard is selected in the settings as described, connected and in DAW mode, I can control the volume of the tracks and start and stop the sequencer, but the tempo of the arp won't synchronise. I think we're talking about different stuff here. I am on Ableton 11, mind you. So the integration of the DAW features of the keyboard work in principle but you're also talking about the firmware 2.0 https://support.native-instruments.com/hc/de/articles/29375940162333-So-verwendest-du-die-Kontrol-S-Series-MK3-Firmware-2-0 which require Live 12. If that is the reason tempo sync doesn't work I must repeat myself: that's ridiculous.
I mean, what's the MIDI in for, then? MIDI sync is available since the beginning of MIDI itself, it is a very simple thing to integrate and worked flawlessly for me so far. There's absolutely no reason to only integrate in a proprietary way that needs the newest software. Why not give both options? If it is so unreliable, well that's my fault then if I'm using it.
Yes you need Ableton 12 for the DAW control features shown in the video to work. Bitwig is also a pretty good option.
The main purpose of the midi in/out ports on the HW is just to provide midi IO for your computer. Think of it like the midi IO ports on an audio interface.
It's also possible to connect the midi out to legacy midi 1 devices of course, but this is not it's primary function.
Sorry it's not the answer you hoped for, I will mention to my colleagues that someone has requested midi clock sync, but the DAW control capabilities of this device are vastly improved by upgrading to Live 12, so this would be my strong recommendation.
"The main purpose of the midi in/out ports on the HW is just to provide midi IO for your computer. Think of it like the midi IO ports on an audio interface. "
What good is a MIDI interface if it doesn't receive, process, and forward MIDI clock signals? The decision to abandon a 40-year-old industry standard in favor of its own proprietary solution is deeply user-unfriendly. I am very happy with Live 11, and I will certainly not spend $200 on Live 12 just to get a basic feature like tempo synchronization. There is also absolutely no reason to incorporate this feature into the DAW integration that already works with Live 11. It is outrageous to require the latest DAW version for a feature that has been around for decades.
At the very least, give me a choice in the keyboard's options to use incoming MIDI clock when I'm in basic MIDI mode.
I don't even know what there is to discuss. A MIDI keyboard in MIDI mode should be able to handle basic MIDI functions, including tempo synchronization. End of story. Have you ever considered that the keyboard isn't always used in conjunction with a DAW? It's a bit like saying your car has an airbag built in, but we haven't activated it yet. However, you can drive the car in safety mode and use it in conjunction with software that costs €200. This unlocks lots of great new features, including the airbag.
You should watch the whole video that I linked previously. Staying on Live 11 with the Kontrol MK3 is like buying a Ferrari and only driving it in the inner city... Of course this is up to you, however I can confirm that that midi clock input is not currently on our roadmap 👍
