Glyn Barnes
Ac ouple more things about using the NI keyboards without the KK Software. In Komplete Kontrol you havd 128 possible encoder assignments, in straight MIDI mode this reduces to 16, however if you are having to assign by MIDI learn 16 is probably enough!
 

I'm sure you may have figured this out by now but you can add more pages in regular midi mode, you can then change the cc values to keep things in order, and then can change some knobs to program change mode.  In this thread at AZslow's site I started a thread on my desires.  http://www.azslow.com/index.php/topic,303.0.html it shows how I set up the program change and why

frankjcc
I'm sure you may have figured this out by now but you can add more pages in regular midi mode, you can then change the cc values to keep things in order, and then can change some knobs to program change mode.  In this thread at AZslow's site I started a thread on my desires.  http://www.azslow.com/index.php/topic,303.0.html it shows how I set up the program change and why

I had not worked that out yet, thanks!

Glyn,
 
Thanks to your trailblazing, I have just spent the weekend getting an S88 up and running with Sonar. FWIW, the AZControl plugin works very well with this keyboard. I'm using the IQP Mackie Variant preset and the transport buttons work as they would in other DAW's, with lights and all. I posted a question to Aleksy at AZSlow and he said he would make a special KK preset for the DAW transports without the added stuff in the IQP preset. That should make it easier for us to remap the transport controls to do other things but, for now, I'm pretty happy with the default mappings...except for the Loop button.
 
Like you, for now I am not mapping the rotary encoders because I am leery of having conflicts with the nks mappings, though I would love it if it were possible to use the giant rotary button to navigate tracks in Sonar, it doesn't look like it is exposed.
 
The keybed on this controller is very nice, and the light guide is awesome.
 
Regards,
Dan

Hi Dan,
Since I have written yesterday that I have no time these days, you probably have not checked my site today. I have created the preset MackieTransport.
Mackie Control unit has 2 "loop" buttons: one is "loop" and another "loop on/off". The first is changing FF/Rewind action, so I assume NK imitates this button, not "Loop on/off". I have defined Stop/RTZ for it.
I have also prepared track changing control, but it is not mapped to any hardware encoder. Also that track changing does not "deep integrate" NK into Sonar, it will change focused track in Sonar but it will not change the instance of synth (as I understand, that is what "supported" DAWs have).
 

azslow3
Hi Dan,
Since I have written yesterday that I have no time these days, you probably have not checked my site today. I have created the preset MackieTransport.

 
Thanks!

azslow3
Mackie Control unit has 2 "loop" buttons: one is "loop" and another "loop on/off". The first is changing FF/Rewind action, so I assume NK imitates this button, not "Loop on/off". I have defined Stop/RTZ for it.

 
The default functionality is that when "Loop" is enabled, pressing either Rewind or FastForward does RTZ but keeps on playing. Thanks for adding the option to RTZ and Stop.
 

azslow3
I have also prepared track changing control, but it is not mapped to any hardware encoder. Also that track changing does not "deep integrate" NK into Sonar, it will change focused track in Sonar but it will not change the instance of synth (as I understand, that is what "supported" DAWs have).
 

Yes, you are correct. the "deep integration" simply means that the DAW tells Komplete Kontrol that the track AND instance have changed. Us Sonar folk have to change the instance manually, but track changes still work as in any midi controller. This only matters on tracks where you want to load your VSTi in KK. I posted more info on your site yesterday on how NI surfaces the midi controls. I'll experiment with your preset in a few days and post back the results on your site.
 
Thanks again!
Dan
 
 

Glyn - Thank you for posting all of this great info.  I've been in a loop on keyboard selection for a while.  This info makes the Kontrol a real contender as I've been wanting to pick up Komplete too.
 
 
 
((my short list also includes the Akai Advance, and giving up deep integration altogether with an FA06))
 
 

Hi, Glyn... love the effort you've put into describing the ins and outs of NI's kbd... I'm trying to decide on this right now... frustrated that all the quality 88s are weighted, although the new Nektar LX-88+ looks like it might do the trick.  However I already have an old lx-61, which gives me a good selection of sliders, sonar transport controls, and rotories/pads/buttons.
 
So after reading your thread I'm again considering the NI S-61, as I can use the LX for the lower registers/key switches/controllers.   I'm particularly interested in it because of the light guide... Using things like Sonokenetics phrase libs or Orange tree guitar libs it seems like the light guide would provide much better visual cues on how things are set up.
 
I would really appreciate yours and others thoughts on the value of the light guide.  As a singer/songwriter, my keyboard chops suck enough without stumbling around trying to remember where one facit of a vst ends and another begins and it just seems like this is the most brilliant aspect of the Kontrol keyboards from my non-user vantage point.  Lots of companies are adopting the nks format so this would seem to continue to grow as a visual cue which I will benefit from.  However, if it really is just a gimmick of little value (doubt that, but wtf, gotta ask), it'd b nice to know
 
Just last week I was all set to jump on the new LX-88+ but now I'm rethinking things, from a user perspective.  Don't mind having two keyboards stacked...
 
Thanks again for all the effort you've put into this thread and for the contribution of others to this wealth of insight.

Much more than a gimmick, that light guide, really. Check out the vids on this. It even works well with the new Kontakt look. This said, I went for the 49-keys one. Compact and handy. Anyway, 61 should be good too. Tried the 88-keys version, but found it too big, heavy and not handy at all. Then the LX would be better indeed.

Fleer to Dana:  "spend ur money"  We seem to do this to each other a lot!  
Seriously, do you find it really helps in just sitting down and writing more intuitively?  Seems it should (always found the Kontakt keyboard a clugy way to work)  but u guys have um... for the keyswitching and all?  It's only a few hundred more than the new LX-88+ and I'm sure holiday sales might be around the corner... I'm about vst'd out so time for ssd's and other hardware considerations...

As for me, yes Dana, I wouldn't hesitate, also for NKS compatibility. That and light guide would be more than sufficient reasons to get this keyboard. On the other hand, I also love my Nektar P6, with some great integration, particularly with Propellerhead Reason. So that's my main controller set up: Kontrol S49 and Nektar P6. I also use Alesis 88 and a number of M-Audio, Korg, CME and Line6 ones.
Please bear in mind that I'm not a keyboard player, I play the flute. Oh yeah.
As for SSD, I go with  T1 and T3 from Samsung. Never go up in flames.