S61 MK3 Preview volume very low - can this be changed?

TomSynsongs
TomSynsongs Member Posts: 57 Member
edited October 2024 in Komplete Kontrol

Hi all,

I wonder if there is a way to have louder previews with the S61 MK3?

When browsing presets, the previous are very low in volume, often hardly audible - however when loading the sound and playing it (without fixed velocity) it is much louder.

I have already tried the little volume slider on the left bottom of Kontakt 7 but it is already in the rightmost position (aka "loud").

Many thanks in advance!

Kind Regards

Tom

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Answers

  • reffahcs
    reffahcs Member Posts: 874 Guru

    Are you on Macos or Windows? For me on Macos the previews seem to play and whatever the default system volume level is, whereas once an instrument is loaded it'll play it at whatever volume KK is set to via the control in the upper right corner of KK.

  • TomSynsongs
    TomSynsongs Member Posts: 57 Member

    @reffahcs Many thanks for your reply. I am on macOS and wonder why it feels as if the previews are playing at a velocity of -50 or so.

    Of course I can change the system volume, but since I am listening through the system volume out via headphones too, the change would make the previews louder but lift the general volume to an unbearable level ;-)

    I wonder why there is no general setting in the keyboard or elsewhere. Will check KK Standalone again.

    Thank you!

  • BIF
    BIF Member Posts: 1,080 Guru

    I have the same question, but for Windows. And in the forum, it shows this thread marked "answered", but It doesn't seem to me that the above posts were an "answer". Eventually, I will want to test this on my Mac too, hence my interest. Thanks!

  • reffahcs
    reffahcs Member Posts: 874 Guru

    I use my Mac as my daily driver and I feel like I'm constantly struggling with getting sounds in general at appropriate levels. I'll be watching a YouTube video and the volume is fine but then I get a Discord notification that feels like it's +80dB. I miss the volume mixer from Windows. I know that there's options for Mac that provide similar features, but I cringe whenever I have to install another audio driver.

    Yeah I'm at a loss for why the preview volume isn't tied to the existing KK volume control in the app? Or like you said, at the very least an option in the audio settings of KK to set it at a specific percentage.

  • Dr.Z
    Dr.Z Member Posts: 2 Member

    I have the same issue of low sound when in Maschine Software , and it's frustrating. Previewing the same preset with Maschine MK3 and KK A25 is ok but not S61 MK3. And if I increase the volume via S61 MK3, I get red clipping & distortion ....

  • Jeremy_NI
    Jeremy_NI Customer Care Posts: 13,856 mod

    I tested it on a Mac and the volume of the previews in Kontakt and in Komplete Kontrol are ok and the slider is enough to get them as loud as the loaded preset, this is also the same without the keyboard connected. What ouput did you select?

  • reffahcs
    reffahcs Member Posts: 874 Guru

    For me the preview audio is the same regardless of the volume setting in app.

    All the way down

    Or all the way up. It doesn't change the preview sound at all for me. MacOS 14.1.1 on the latest version of NI software.


  • reffahcs
    reffahcs Member Posts: 874 Guru

    I noticed too that the audio meters don't move at all either during the previews either. Not sure if that's intentional though.

    They work fine when playing an instrument though


  • Jeremy_NI
    Jeremy_NI Customer Care Posts: 13,856 mod

    Ok, I think I see where the problem is. Top right is the volume for Komplete Kontrol and the instruments once they are loaded, the volume for the previews is on the bottom left.


  • TomSynsongs
    TomSynsongs Member Posts: 57 Member

    @Jeremy_NI Thanks for chiming in, Jeremy - but this sadly does not solve the problem.

    The volume slider on the lower left is already full right, still the previous are way too low in volume.

    This is obvious, when playing e.g. videos or music without changing the volume (aka leaving everything at 0) and it is also a problem when working with the DAW. Mostly previews can hardly be heard and when I increase the general volume on the amplifier, the rest is too loud. As soon as I load a sound, the volume is back to normal.

    I am on a Mac Studio M2 Ultra and also tried via headphone outs, just to be sure.

    Kind Regards

    Thomas

  • reffahcs
    reffahcs Member Posts: 874 Guru

    That was it! :facepalm: I can't believe I never noticed the volume control on the bottom left.

    It's working though, when I set it to max volume it plays as loud as my system volume is set to. And I'm able to make it as quiet or as loud as I need.

  • TomSynsongs
    TomSynsongs Member Posts: 57 Member
    edited November 2023

    That´s interesting. Maybe something changed in the latest KK update (which I downloaded last night but have not checked). Over here, it definitely did not work.

    P.S.: Please note that my initial post was NOT associated with the Komplete Kontrol software, but with the S61 MK3 keyboard itself in conjunction with the direct connection to Kontakt 7 and the preview volume I get when browsing on the MK3.

  • PK The DJ
    PK The DJ Member Posts: 2,366 Expert

    The NI keyboards don't have an audio interface.

  • TomSynsongs
    TomSynsongs Member Posts: 57 Member

    Of course it does not. It communicates with Kontakt 7 and in this combination, the preview volume is/was too low no matter which level I have set in the software.

  • reffahcs
    reffahcs Member Posts: 874 Guru

    In Kontakt 7 the audio previews do not work for me. I've tried K7 in standalone, as well as the AU and VST3 version in Live.

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