Next update

Trouble with writing complex software is that when you give a date (this applies for any company), you are really pulling a random date out of the air.

If people aren’t given a date, they scream and holler demanding some idea.

When companies respond that they don’t like giving dates because when they tell customers the dates an estimate, customers still go berserk if these dates are missed, we beg them to give us dates anyway, and assure them we won’t complain if the dates are missed etc.

Then the dates are missed and while you, I, many of the others don’t howl and scream, there’s loads and loads of others who do. People say “you said this would be released by September, it’s now October….”

Again this applies to all companies and is why companies hate being held to a date.

Weekly updates are pointless because they are meaninglessness.

Let’s take midi templates. What sort of update would you have wanted? In depth info that most can’t understand, or basic info that really tells us nothing?

Either way it would cause a load of posts causing the mods to step in or NI staff to stop working on what they are supposed to be working on, and instead post on here explaining that they did not say/mean what abc accused them of, what they said ……………………

Week 1: Road map for Midi Templates set out

Week 2: programmers working on …………….

…

Week 12 It’s looking good, next week hopefully going to beta

Week 13. Sorry, unexpected problem came up with xyz, this has had a knock on effect with abc and we need to get them fixed first

Followed by a load of totally unnecessary posts towards them, slagging them off, saying their programmers are ******, no one knows what they are doing, poster saying he/she is never using companies products again etc etc etc

Week 18 it’s looking good, hopefully start beta next week providing no other serious show stopping bugs are discovered

Week 19. Sorry we discovered another critical problem ………

Followed again by a load of unnecessary posts……..

Rinse and repeat again and again and again before it finally ends up in beta and is eventually released to the public (and in Native Instruments case, their midi templates have received a very very good welcome).

or do what NI did, staff spent time telling us what they could, estimating when they hope to have it released, still received abuse for not sticking to these dates, but in my opinion at least ten times less abuse than had they given weekly updates.

While many do miss Maschine integration, many others myself included, never used it. Obviously if you did then you miss it and can’t fathom why they removed it, I totally understand that.

What I don’t understand is what is it about the software that is so bad that it makes you leave your S mk3 unused and your Arturia Keylab Essential mk3 superior?

At my main desk I have:

Native instruments S88 mk3

Arturia Keylab 61 mk2

Native Instruments Maschine mk3

I also have Arturia Keylab Essential 49 mk3 that I use when in my armchair with my laptop.

If you had said that you didn’t like your S mk3 as it didn’t have enough controls on it, I personally could totally understand it (although I would question your decision to purchase)

I’ve said a few times both on here and on Arturias forum how I purchased my Arturia Keylab 61 mk2 at the same time as my S88 and love them both.

I go on to say they compliment one another and how just the NI S88 mk3 by itself wouldn’t do it for me, I need more control which the Arturia gives me. Likewise browsing on the Arturia (both my Keylab and Keylab essential) well the NI S88 mk3 is on a completely different level, it’s leap years ahead.

Admittedly I haven’t used either to control my DAW very often, the times I have, both keylabs and the S88 all control channel volume great and the S88 gives me a high res display of the channel volumes.

So, my S88 has much better browsing than either of my keylabs, it has hires channel display when using the knobs to control my DAW, it’s new midi templates are out of this world.

The only thing I can think of that some owners might be upset about is the lack of maschine integration and while I personally never used this when I owned my S61 mk2, I do think I fully understand their anger.

That said, there’s zero maschine integration on the Arturia keylabs so I still don’t understand why your NI mk3 is sitting unused due to ****** software?

Edit: Edited to correct spelling and make a few parts more readable, content hasn't changed

Yeah I agree with the "Midi Templates should have been included at launch" as should have accessibility and several other missing features that were all present in V2. Not something i'm praising where almost a year of time is needed to release the first basic feature. I know some actual talented programmers that could likely build a whole new KK from scratch with almost everything people want in that time.

When a new version of software comes out it is logical that people expect it improves and builds on the previous version, Especially when it is a forced "update" that replaces the previous version in Native Access as the new version (not optional). One thing I never see in any software product is whole features and large chunks of function (absolutely needed by some users) completely removed with an update, without any notice or warning that they are no longer a thing (Maschine integration for instance). Also, things like the Sub Bank issue is a BUG that is seemingly taken with no seriousness as I cannot find one confirmation from NI in the Beta, on the forums that this will be addressed or even confirmed as an issue!

If they wanted to make a new version they should have focused to develop the features and test the software properly with another year before release. Seems very clear to me that this should have released end of this year not last, but likely there are investors back there hounding the powers that be about drops in profits and since the other attempts at quick cash grabs failed (sounds.com) why not push this out quicker and just develop it while the user base beta tests it. Not sure this more would have done any good for long term stability, only for the short initial peak of sales before it dies out after users become as frustrated as some of us long time users.