Using Komplete Kontrol Software with Maschine MK3 hardware

Hello,

if you really wanna use it cause of the nks features and all that use maschine instances you have the display and everything. But you can use maschine in midi mode and learn the 8 knobs and 6 buttons if i remember correctly and use it that way with maschine but then you loose the displays and other stuff. Open up KK within cubase or stand alone, the kk keyboard tuned off, then you see "MIDI" in the upper left area, just click it and you will see, you can also do that with kk stand alone.

Komplete Kontrol doesn't work with Maschine. NI wants you to buy a Komplete Kontrol controller.

Maschine only supports NKS in the Mashchine software. The screens, encoders, etc. work better with Bitwig Studio than their own Komplete Kontrol software.

If you will be using NI software with something other than Maschine most of the time, you are better off getting Komplete Kontrol S-Series and a competing - cheaper - pad controller (like Nectar Aruba). It's only worth it if you will be using Maschine 2/3 a ton, or a DAW (like Bitwig) which has retrofit support for those controllers…

And in the latter it's hard to justify the cost over a Launchkey Mini, which has 16 usable pads.

This is why the S Series have no pads and the Maschine controllers do not work with Komplete Kontrol. They want you to buy two controllers.

S Series + Maschine Mikro for PC DAW users, or A Series and Maschine MK3 for Maschine users…

A + Mikro/S + MK3 for people who are on a budget or have more disposable income. In any of those scenarios, they increase their profit margins on that one user.

Maschine Software without the sequencer is not something to care about, since one can simply ignore it and use it as a Drum Samplers. Not optimal, but there is nothing really to "develop." Users just have to accept that the other bits exist for obvious reasons and choose to look beyond them. I get what you're talking about, but that isn't related to this discussion at all.

Komplete Kontrol Software, as a concept, is fine. It's a way to control NKS instruments when you are using something other than Maschine Software. The issue is not whether or not KK or Maschine have merit to exist. They both do.

The issue is that a Maschine controller should [ideally] function with Komplete Kontrol as a Komplete Kontrol controller does, and a Komplete Kontrol controller should function with Maschine as a Maschine controller does. There is no rationale for this not being the case, other than NI deciding to intentionally cripple these products so people will buy an additional controller from them.

Again, the Maschine MK3 (and Plus, by extension) has the same Displays, Knobs and many of the same core NKS buttons as the Komplete Kontrol MK2.

One user should ideally have been able to choose whether they wanted Keys or Pads and gotten the applicable controller while still getting the same NKS support out of both product lines.

The lack of NKS support in the Maschine controllers is why there are so many pre-owned machines on the market (many of them in practically mint condition) and why these controllers are so bad at retaining value.

All comments

Hello,

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/197138#Comment_197138

Hi ! Thanks for your time and the answer, actually I know exactly what you are talking about ! I already did it, but it's kind of boring to spend time to program everything and at the end you can not even using the NKS, when NI sells you "NKS is a game changer blablablabla", anyway I read somewhere else we can always not get the Maschine VSTi with a "no daw mode" to remove that cheap Maschine DAW software so I just gave up and put it back in the box, I don't really know where NI is going, new cheap logo who got 0 identity, no major update with Maschine… At least, I hope they will keep sniffing white powder to enjoy their "job", honestly it's pretty disgusting how they manage their product ! I remember 15 years ago, the company was not like that !😂

That's not true, after that mapping you use nks, you have the mapping with rows of 8 encoders. You only do have the browsers search function on 3rd party controllers or maschine in this case. But with the buttons you can jump through patches and the control pages.

Komplete Kontrol doesn't work with Maschine. NI wants you to buy a Komplete Kontrol controller.

Maschine only supports NKS in the Mashchine software. The screens, encoders, etc. work better with Bitwig Studio than their own Komplete Kontrol software.

And in the latter it's hard to justify the cost over a Launchkey Mini, which has 16 usable pads.

This is why the S Series have no pads and the Maschine controllers do not work with Komplete Kontrol. They want you to buy two controllers.

S Series + Maschine Mikro for PC DAW users, or A Series and Maschine MK3 for Maschine users…

A + Mikro/S + MK3 for people who are on a budget or have more disposable income. In any of those scenarios, they increase their profit margins on that one user.

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/197541#Comment_197541

wrong - it works like with any other generic controller, but of course not like with a kontrol keyboard but you have the mapped controls and more

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/197138#Comment_197138

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/197552#Comment_197552

I think he is completely right, it doesn't work with Komplete Kontrol to get the NKS, i didn't buy that to spend time to make personal template, it's crazy to put 500€ in a drum controller with a company who sell you "NKS blablablabla, auto mapping blablabla" but then it's only working with their disgusting maschine software who give you this horrible windows of Maschine inside your daw, "guys let's put a DAW inside another DAW" 😂

I was asking if Komplete Kontrol can map everything for me because I was expect the Maschine hardware to be a easy controller with the NKS in complement of my actual master keyboard, but then you are telling me if I want to do that with KK vst I lost the NKS and I have to map all the parameters by myself, what is next? Being a employee for native instruments without getting paid?

The point is, in term of hardware, Komplete Kontrol and Maschine are exactly the same things 2 screens, same knobs etc… Why they didn't allow me to use the Maschine hardware like a Komplete Kontrol keyboard in term of mapping without this disguting maschine vst, a small interface like KK vst and not this double windows with this horrible Maschine VST, honestly Native Instrument can definitely beat any other controller if they add this feature, but as @iNate said, that company wants to make buy the Komplete Kontrol !

Honestly, they really deserve to get some disrespectful comment about that, but I will keep it for me. I can not even understand how it's possible to put the customer in this position. They came with a beautiful hardware, the idea of NKS is insane, but my God, since they gave up the old logo for that cheap "sober" NI logo made by some untalented dude who probably study business at school instead of art, this company lost me, and I think i'm not alone on that point !

Anyway, sorry to be rude, nothing personal and thanks for your help ! But man, i'm so sad to know this controller is useless to me right now…

Sorry for that long silence, but yep I was thinking the same, they just want to make me buy their master keyboard ! Kind of sad actually, as I said in the post… When I got Maschine MK3 I was like "beautiful", I got my masterkeyboard from Roland, i'm gonna use Maschine to record some drum line and doing the editing of my prest without touching the mouse because of the NKS. But then what ive got? Disgusting maschine windows inside Cubase, and then if you open the VST you are editing on your second screen and then you close the Maschine window, it's close everything 😂 I mean, i'm fine to use this disguting vst (I mean powerful at the same time because you can do some crazy template actually), but why I need to get it, why they didn't do a "No daw mode" or something similar to KK software but for Maschine for people who don't care about their daw !? Anyway, thanks guys for those answer !

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/200606#Comment_200606

Uwe303 is a technologically partisan fanboy and these people will cope and manufacture every conceivable excuse to rationalize the obvious as something other than a corporation doing whatever they can to milk as much money out of their users as possible.

And for some reason stating the obvious has become borderline offensive, here.

There is no reason whatsoever for a Maschine MK3 to not work with Komplete Kontrol, other than a conscious decision by NI to herd users into buying an additional Komplete Kontrol controller.

The fact that people will get on here and debate this is absolutely crazy.

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/203098#Comment_203098

Of course integration could be much better, I also would like to have a maschine software without the sequencer for example or maschine to work with kk software. But it's wrong that it doesn't work at all. And as native instruments I would have never made komplete kontrol, I would have made one software for maschine and the keyboards or simply integrated the keyboards into the maschine environment, so you can just develop one app and always enhance stuff for maschine and kk hardware at once. And yes I'm a native instruments fanboy - but not uncritical about native instruments, I just try to concentrate what's possible, cause I can't change the software, I can also just vote and fill out surveys and hope the best.

Again, the Maschine MK3 (and Plus, by extension) has the same Displays, Knobs and many of the same core NKS buttons as the Komplete Kontrol MK2.

One user should ideally have been able to choose whether they wanted Keys or Pads and gotten the applicable controller while still getting the same NKS support out of both product lines.

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/203213#Comment_203213

That's exactly what i'm talking about, I mean there is no better answer to this topic. NKS is useless since you are not a Maschine user who produce with Maschine software and controller. That's so sad, actually the Maschine hardware is pretty good, pad are fine, many knobs/controller. I don't even understand why they don't do something about this case. Anyway thanks again for the answers guys. I will wait like a idiot and see if one day it's gonna happenning.

"The lack of NKS support in the Maschine controllers is why there are so many pre-owned machines on the market (many of them in practically mint condition) and why these controllers are so bad at retaining value."

I just checked the market (in France) and that's exactly why i'm just gonna keep it and try to use it with Maschine software even if it's boring and that disgusting windows will take 80% space of my second monitor…

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/203220#Comment_203220

EDIT: Misread first paragraph. Disregard.

NKS is coming to 3rd party controllers, though, so that is going to alleviate the issue - somewhat.

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/206131#Comment_206131

Yep I read somewhere it's gonna be compatible with other brand, anyway i'm still there with my Maschine MK3 waiting, let's see how they gonna manage their own product since NKS will be open to other controller.

sacer11

there would be more love for NKS if Komplete Kontrol could be used with Maschine mk3 and plus.

It would spread the user base, because a lot of people don’t want to buy a other master keyboard and in Maschine software there is no daw automation and to use Maschine sw as synth controller is circumstances.

If Maschine hw would be supported in Komplete Kontrol, we could use it with our own controllers like Ableton Push3 or other keyboards and browse and access via Maschine3 all Parameters