Creating User MIDI Template with S61 mk3 and Komplete Kontrol 3.0.0

Just to add another take against the "narrow usecase/mindset". I just use a different controller for that stuff because even when we had midi templates in mk2 the functionality was pretty limited and it didn't really do what I needed. So that's why I'm alright with the current state of things and I'm actually looking forward to see what the new midi system offers.

I understand the frustration of those who relied on this feature though.

Here's my perspective. The MK3 is a LOT more than previous model transitions because all of the underpinning of the technology were changed to accommodate it in order to support the emerging standards in MIDI as well as expansion in the core VST architecture. This is not unlike the transition Line 6 made in 2015 when they introduced the replacement for their HD series modelers with the Helix modeler after 5 years in development. It's initial unit was lacking a ton of features normally found in the HD series, but after 6 months the first hint of some of the expanded capabilities were introduced. But even then it was another two years before a significant range of capabilities were put in place that could never have been dreamed of under the older architecture. That was all due to significant progress made in the underlying DSP processing chips and is still evident today with generally two firmware updates per year. That's really why I'm not terribly alarmed by this transition because I've experienced something like it before and the wait was worth it.

I think it's a fact of life when dealing with technology that standards will change, sometime dramatically. But you have to ask yourself how long have we been waiting for bi-directional MIDI interactions knowing there was a protocol for it defined for several years now, and what amazing things will we be able to do with it and the multiple MIDI input/output processing on VST3 in our future efforts?

As for myself I'm willing to be patient to discover such things….

Respectfully, it is insane to me to need another midi controller as supplement to the most expensive midi controller on the market. I also believe NI grossly underestimated how important this feature is, which is why they are scrambling now to catch up. I am skeptical they will be successful because I remember reading a pre-MK3 launch article where they mentiined how hard it would be to get the same MIDI control functions on their new platform. This is a grave error in my opinion when competitor products such as the Akai Force & entire MPC line can now control DAW like Ableton wirelessly and can control midi at the track level along with project level AND are building a very competitive plug-in suite to challenge a stagnant Komplete offering. Roland is on a similar path whereby most of their plug-ins can be “plugged-out” to dedicated hardware that works on a 1-1 basis as controllers for the software. I have been with NI for a long time and this is all a real let down to me. The MK3 should have advanced all the MK2 features and it was more of a regression. The midi template fiasco is the largest example of this, and I believe speaking up is important.

yall would all be better off putting DunedinDragon on ignore like I have. Also, it would prevent me having to read his posts when quoted by others.

Yep, I too bought my S88 mk3 knowing the problems and having another controller (Keylab 61 mk2) to use.

Basically I needed an 88 keybed and it seemed to make sense getting the latest rather than the mk2. I had the 61 note mk2 and didn’t use either Maschine integration or midi templates so for me, the wait isn’t a problem.

However I fully 100% understand how frustrated others are and I do understand their need to vent.

I read this forum a lot, if I’m honest, sometimes when another user is rightly venting, and post after post is complaining, I think to myself “arghh someone else moaning” but really they are in the right to vent, and if I was in their position I too would be moaning.

Sure I’ve read all of NI’s announcements and I do have high hopes for the future, but at the moment I’m really just using the keybed of my S88 and not a lot else.

We still see posts where someone’s just bought their S keyboard and the firmware won’t update or posts where they are told to buy additional equipment. People spending this sort of money are rightly peed off when NI tells them they need to buy a power supply or usb hub. I would have thought by now NI would have started to include a power supply in the box.

I understand how complex programming these promised things are, and how it’s not a days work etc. But it’s blatantly obvious there’s been too many staff laid off in the past and there simply isn’t enough staff left to cope with everything.

It sort of feels like NI programmers are now playing catch-up hence still not having midi templates. I suspect (pure guess) that if we didn’t have this Native Access debacle, Midi templates and other stuff would have been released for the S mk3 I suspect the reason the date has been moved is because Native Access has been a bigger pain than they thought, hence more manpower on NA rather than S series.

I fully sympathise with the staff at NI, said it before and will probably say it again, the people writing this software have no control on release dates, what they are told to work on etc. They will be as frustrated as we are.

I also fully sympathise with owners of the S MK3 that are out of patience.

The damage this slowness is still doing over the web, well NI would be silly to ignore it.

It doesn’t matter really whether there’s info on the NI forums to discredit these comments or not, it’s how the company is currently being perceived by a lot of people (not me) and there’s advice after advice to get out of the NI eco system and go with a competitor. NI need to get things moving to stop this getting any worse.

Most (not all) of the complaints are about their hardware rather than their instruments

Only yesterday I watched a YouTube vid where someone was talking about the current NI sale.

Comments like: (talking about Maschine, all in the last 4 days)

“Basic maintenance to keep the software up to date with computer operating systems have been very slow compared to competitors.

Updates are limited to a few bug fixes and a change of logo.

The last update is just fixing bugs introduced in the previous update.

There have been no new instruments added to run natively on Maschine for years.

The new Komplete Keyboards no longer support Maschine, which is frankly bizarre seeing how AKAI has successfully extended the market for its MPC platform with the MPC 61 and 32.

All these signs point to the conclusion that NI is no longer interested in Maschine, apart from occasionally launching new extensions. That’s of course very lucrative because they are dead cheap to produce, but NI will not be able to maintain the market share of Maschine against the likes of MPC and Ableton because those 2 are constantly innovating and offering new value.

I love Maschines workflow, but I have to now accept that it’s a legacy platform, not something for the future”

———————————-

NI should go back to their roots!
Bring Absynth back, make a new Reactor, the list goes on.

Moving on from Naitive Instruments, no more money from me ………

Person 2) Really, where did you get that from?

Person 1) The keyboard mk2 generation supports Maschine and the mk3 keyboards does not support maschine, it’s a known fact

It might be insanse but I'm just trying to be practical :)

The midi limitations of the mk2 & mk3 are not the reason I have other midi controllers. I have multiple controllers that serve different purposes and I would still have them even if NI's MIDI implementation was the best in the market.

The day my needs change or this keyboard stops doing what I need I'll just replace it with something else that does. No drama needed. And as I said, I understand people's frustrations but I do find the tone of many complaints very tiring (not only in this forum).