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MCU support for Komplete kontrol seems to be on its way


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According to this thread in NI forums, it looks like it is finally  at least planned
https://www.native-instruments.com/forum/threads/host-transport-control-doesnt-work-with-komplete-kontrol-mk2-due-to-ni-removing-mcu-support.329081/page-25

"Hi all,

MCU Support for Komplete Kontrol S-Series MK2 and A-Series (including M32) keyboards is currently in development and is nearing completion. It will be available for beta testing on Centercode shortly, and will be available as part of the next Komplete Kontrol software release.

Thank you for your patience in the meantime!"

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I guess that is homogeneous (S1/2 and A) MIDI based bi-directional communication. MKI was MIDI based, MKII was/is OSC based and I guess they have understood that is a mess.

Not that they make all that a big secret (they have allowed open source projects which are using all these technologies), but for some reason they do not publish protocols in public.

Note that these protocols are more advanced then MCU, obvious since "DAW integration" for supported DAW is above MCU level.

From CbB side, a reliable  way to find which Synth has relations to which track (available on surface API level) still does not exist. On NI side track switching functionality is unlocked for a while (was previously locked to "supported" DAWs).

From practical perspective of full integration with CbB, I still do not have any of these keyboards 😉

And while I have found my X-Touch Mini preset (developed without the device) is reasonably good with Mini (which I have bought recently), I for example have found my accessible RME app (developed without the device) far from perfect, since I have misunderstood some concepts of TotalMix and so my imagination how things work was not bound to the reality... (I have fixed that since I have RME now). So there will be no (my) preset till I have the device.

 

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I have an MK1 S49 but I've barely used the KK plugin to be honest... :)

What does it mean for me as a Cakewalk/Sonar user that the MK1 has MCU support? Will transport buttons work without any extra configuration when using the Komplete Kontrol plugin?

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2 hours ago, azslow3 said:

From CbB side, a reliable  way to find which Synth has relations to which track (available on surface API level) still does not exist. On NI side track switching functionality is unlocked for a while (was previously locked to "supported" DAWs).

There is always the workaround of putting your synth in the track's effects bin. 

This was the legacy way of doing things though, and I'm not sure how long this will be supported in CbB.

Edited by msmcleod
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7 hours ago, Deckard said:

I have an MK1 S49 but I've barely used the KK plugin to be honest... :)

What does it mean for me as a Cakewalk/Sonar user that the MK1 has MCU support? Will transport buttons work without any extra configuration when using the Komplete Kontrol plugin?

You need "extra configuration", you have to say Cakewalk explicitly that you have MCU 😉

5 hours ago, msmcleod said:

There is always the workaround of putting your synth in the track's effects bin. 

This was the legacy way of doing things though, and I'm not sure how long this will be supported in CbB.

This feature is not "legacy", effects with MIDI input and synthes are effectively the same thing. So I do not think that is ever going to be obsolete.

I try to deduct related synth a bit hacky way,  from the number returned for the track MIDI output. The track should be MIDI (or "Simple synth") and then it works. But I remember there are situations when that fails (Cakewalk has rather fancy way to reference IO channels, I guess the reason for occasional problems with In/Out assignment inside a project once the hardware configuration is changed). So, explicit API should be added into Cakewalk to do the same "production quality" way.

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  • 1 month later...
6 minutes ago, Moxica said:

It was released today.
Now I need to find a way to assign this stuff.
Is "Mackie control C4 1" the same as MCU?

No:

"Mackie Control" is for the MCU and most control surfaces that support the MCU / Mackie protocol.

"Mackie Control XT" is for the 8 fader MCU extender

"Mackie Control C4" is for the 32 v-pot controller

image.png.9832046e2a73b28839abb8c61db88a72.png

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Ok, normally you shouldn't have to change any of that.

The only thing you should need to do is make sure your MIDI IN / MIDI OUT devices are setup in the main preferences.

However.... unless Komplete Control specifically says it supports SONAR / Cakewalk, you may run into problems. This is because Cakewalk's MackieControl support conforms to the original MCU spec which required a handshake on startup. Mackie has since updated their protocol not to require this, and therefore most controllers don't bother supporting the handshake. Controllers that specifically support SONAR or Cakewalk have added in this handshake.

So if Komplete Control has generic MCU support, and doesn't specifically mention SONAR or Cakewalk, you'll need to use either my version or Azslow's version of the MackieControl.dll, and click the "Disable Handshake" checkbox in our version of the setup dialog:

image.png.4b40b384c85844e7949ef42089ebb92c.png

My version has all of Azslow's fixes, plus a few extras, and also comes with its own installer/uninstaller and it lives alongside Cakewalk's rather than replaces it:  http://msmcleod.co.uk/cakewalk/MMcLMackieControlSetup.zip

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So I have been playing with this for a while, and after reading on the NI forums how someone got it to work in Reaper, I got it to work in CbB with my M32 (sort of)...the rub being that I can use it as a Transport control OR a Midi Controller, but not both at the same time... I had to disable KOMPLETE KONTROL M32 MIDI in Midi devices and only have Komplete Kontrol DAW enabled.  Then the Play/Stop Record controls worked (nothing else though) but No Keyboard input using that device.

I enable the KK M32 Midi device and the Keyboard Plays, but the Transport controls do not work... so basically, useless for both at the same time.

you do have to use the MMcL Mackie Control #1 2,3 etc and disable handshake in the configuration as listed above by msmcleod if you want to try it out yourself to see  what I am talking about.

I basically did this just to see if it would work or not, does not concern me too much as I have an MCU Pro to use for transport control.  And I want to thank msmcleod for the link to those new control surface drivers as the only thing that has bugged me for years about the MCU in Sonar/CbB was the "Faders not returning to zero on project exit"  when I saw those faders zero out, I almost pissed myself...Ha...not really.  Again. Thanks!!!👍

 

Peace

Blindeddie

 

Edited by Blindeddie
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