Ask me anything: Kontrol S-Series MK3

No issues - it's backwards compatible with all content we have ever produced. In fact, you'll see old content already looks a lot better and has some improved parameter metadata (we took advantage of information Kontakt already could provide).

Got it - not yet.

I can tell you why not yet, but also acknowledge your idea would be awesome if we ever figured out a scalable way to do it.

The input to the NKS metadata map (think of this map as the thing that tells our hardware what is what, where to go and what to display) is parameters with an automation ID. The parameter has to be exposed to the host software by the plug-in, so that we can see and connect to it, and then do the things the map tells us to do (e.g. if a waveform, display waveform... if a toggle display a toggle).

The graphical representation of the sample is obviously a separate construct. The automatable controls built around it can be mapped, but there's nothing about the graphical representation that is exposed to a host today. For us to display this on the keyboard would be a custom solution. Not impossible, but if we were to instrument a method by which we could replicate or mirror that UI on the keyboard screen, I certainly wouldn't want that to be limited to Ashlight. I'd want it to be scalable so that other plug-ins could use it. Doable? Absolutely. A lot of work? You bet. A potential improvement as NKS continues to grow on this new hardware platform. Could be!

For the Arpeggiator, it's somewhat of a similar story, but with more nuance. Today, there is Play Assist in Komplete Kontrol. There is also Play Assistance type stuff in a number of our 1st or 3rd party instruments. It's not uncommon for a piece of content to contain an Arp or Sequencer. At NI, we are thinking about the role of Play Assistance across our product line holistically. Not to say it will become homogenous, but at least designed with more cohesion across the product lines.

1. Step 1 is to get the existing Play Assist into the MK3 keyboard standalone starting this year (we would not remove it from KK for users of older hardware).
2. Step 2 is to improve what Play Assist is capable of in general
3. Step 3 is to bring those capabilities into our product lines to varying degrees

It is very likely you'd continue to find that content products contain scales and arps and whatnot, separately to the keyboard, because we're thinking of the keyboard as a standalone, expressive MIDI generative instrument the more time passes.

That is certainly appreciated! Back at you. We've not properly met, but I've become well acquainted with your forum moderation, and curated wishlists in the last 1.5 years since joining NI. I wish more could change for the better faster, but we intend to get there. I completely understand where users have impatience in the meantime, much as we've had turbulence and impatience internally too. It's reasonable that some folks might be skeptical until proven otherwise, but things are in a really good place these days. We have dedicated and passionate teams focused on building cool things, from the top down. Our new owners very much understand that the growth they expect can only come from building things people will want to use, which some corners of the internet tend to forget 😁.

And on the PR front, AMAs are intended to be unfiltered, IMHO. The sooner we can move from debate to dialogue (which I appreciate has been happening thanks to folks on this thread), the better. It's also simultaneously true that 1) reading some of what people write isn't easy and 2) it's part of the job, particularly if users are unhappy. I'm also not afraid to be direct in return.

And let's be honest - I'll still be on the forums after the 29th, when this AMA officially ends. And we've already said we'll do one for Maschine. I imagine we'll do several for Maschine. Because even when the next updates ship*, and/or we can tease the updates beyond that, it's been sufficiently long that no amount of feature improvement will be enough for some.

*For folks who haven't seen, in some of the posts I alluded to having a build of Maschine Plus with VST3 and Polyphonic Aftertouch support, that we hope to get at least to beta in Q4 2023, if not shipped.