Hi,
Any sign of Keylab Mk 3 yet as also looking at Native instruments Kontrol S61. 
Is it in development.
Kind regards
Mike
Iām another person waiting to see what the MkIII offers, especially as I will be moving from an NI 88 MkI which NI abandoned without prior warning or even notification. I am really hoping for poly after touch and midi 2 as they are the future proofing elements I think any controller keyboard will need these features from now on .
I half agree with you about NI.
I had a NI s61 mk1 and was going to upgrade to the NI S88 mk2 but thankfully just before I did, I found out they were no longer supporting the mk1 with āFutureā updates.
That led me to decide to get the NI S88 mk3 instead of the mk2.
The thing is, the mk1 still works exactly the same as it always did on their 2.9.6 software, and will still work as a standard midi controller keyboard until the day the hardware physically fails beyond repair.
I openly admit that had I bought a second hand NI mk1 S series keyboard in the past few months, and then discover a couple of weeks later they were no longer supporting it in future updates, I wouldnāt be happy.
But at the same time, as technology changes, as things move forward, there comes a point where itās either not practical from a business point of view, or not possible from a hardware point of view to keep the old models working with the latest software.
So that leads them with a dilemma. Do they forget about adding new features for their new keyboards that (according to NI) canāt work on the mk1 keyboards (for example, kontakt 7 without Komplete Kontrol, NI says something along the lines that the way it worked on the mk1 is that everything was done at the PC/Mac end whereas on the mk3 itās done in the keyboard itself), do they stop innovating, stop moving forward, or do they reach a point where they have to say that no future development will be done for the mk1.
NI didnāt really say that about the MkIs, they used weasel words around it, thereās no technical reason they couldnāt support them, just they chose to abandon a product they were still selling up to 5 years ago.
NI have a long history of cutting viable products from support, I have a lot of regret in choosing them over an abelton based setup now.
Things only seem to be getting worse since they were acquired.
NI talk up their mysterious upcoming new tech very often but donāt actually deliver or support.
Sadly 99.99% of companies behave in exactly the same way.
Years ago I would abandon a particular company if I thought they acted unfairly, over the years Iāve realised itās just me who is loosing out,
I wouldnāt have any broadband provider, any Sky TV, any bank account etc if I stopped using a particular one when they peeved me.
I bought my Keylab s61 mk2 this month, for all I know they could announce the mk3 today, then again it might be months away. No company is going to announce new products until the day they are released, people have been asking for months if thereās any news on a mk3 Keylab.
I donāt want you to think Iām sticking up for NI or Iām some sort of NI (or Arturia) fan boy, I just use what I like and what works for me, I do like Kontakt, I do really like Arturia V collection and so far, I really like my NI S88 mk3 (but didnāt use Maschine integration, might have a different opinion if I did). Although I do think the on off switch is in a very stupid place, sure thereās a lot of problems with the current software version but Iām hoping that over the coming months it matures into what it should have been on release.
Wanted both 88 weighted and 61 synth keyboards and as I use NI and Arturia the most, made sense to get one of each.
NI did say Komplete Kontrol S series MK1 keyboards End Of Life ā Community
āāāāāāāāā
Why has NI decided to retire software support for the Komplete Kontrol S-Series MK1?
The Komplete Kontrol MK1 keyboards are built on a legacy tech stack that is now over a decade old and no longer compatible with the new features we are introducing. As with all technology companies, our resources are not unlimited; it is not possible for us to continue the maintenance of all our older software while also focusing on research, innovation, and supporting new product releases and features.
āāāāāāāāāā-
Whether thatās factual or an excuse, who knows.
Had I not been in the process of getting an 88 note NI controller, I would have been as angry as you and I would have felt like they deserted meā¦
Had they made the mk3 announcement about a week later than they did, I would also have been very angry as I would have just purchased the NI S88 mk2.
My Keylab s61 mk2 is my first Arturia keyboard Iāve touched/owned, for what I want it for, it works superbly, sure the screenās dated etc but Iām not totally sure they could add anything that could tempt me to want to upgrade at the moment, poly aftertouch is always nice (owned SQ80 when it was originally released), but not sure that alone would do it lol.
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On the one hand I can see where people are coming from, i.e. not wanting to buy the āoldā if the ānewā is just round the corner. On the other hand you can spend your entire life unnecessarily paralysed by FOMO. If a particular product (eg MkII KL) meets your needs, then buy it, rather than wondering what a soon to be (or not soon to be) announced successor might bring to the table.
If you buy a MKII KL today and youāre satisfied with it, and they announce the MKIII tomorrow, your MkII is not going to suddenly stop working, nor meet your needs less than it does today. Any new model isnāt going to be so vastly different that youāll wish youād waited one more day anyway. Product releases donāt work like that.
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NI didnāt actually send that message to most of their users - I was removed from their mailing list despite being an active customer, still purchasing new products and they still havenāt added me back despite numerous attempts for them to do so on my part.
Their support is now mostly handled by their customers using those fora.
BTW that message was only posted on their forums just before they realeased KK 3.0 which was a bug ridden mess missing many features. There was no warning in the software update itself and nor is there still. If you update as instructed by Native Access your MkI hardware stops working and you have to forum dive to find out the solution then get access to 2.9.6 - itās not straightforward and they donāt help.
Donāt make excuses for NI, they sell very expensive products and offer very low levels of support. Itās because consumers accept this that they get away with it. Iāve had recourse to consumer law in this country that makes this behaviour explicitly illegal and they will eventually receive large fines for acting like this. You shouldnāt accept it just because some other companies do - and itās nothing like the majority let alone 99.99% as you claim.
Hold them to account, you have rights.
Jon, your points are fine but frankly with both MIDI 2 and poly aftertouch becoming more commonly available theyāre features many will find worth waiting for.
Nobody is claiming they need something today, theyāre just looking for more info on what will eventually arrive. Youāre addressing a non-existent issue.
@spindizzy Iām not addressing a non-issue. The original thread OP (who wasnāt you) was asking if there was any sign of a MkIII. Arturia tend not to give any hints about upcoming product releases, so itās a question none of us are ever going to know, and the people who do know, are not at liberty to talk about it.
So beyond that as a given, the question then is, does an existing product actually meet your requirements, and if it does, just buy it, rather than worrying if it will be replaced next month, next week, or even tomorrow. Itās possible to spend a lifetime not doing something today because tomorrow might provide better opportunities.
That said, I would consider upgrading my own Mk1 KL88 if a new KL was launched with poly-aftertouch. Thatās currently the only thing I find my Mk1 is missing. However, my decision would be cost-dependent. Arturia famously source their KL88 keybeds from Fatar. Iām not sure if Fatar manufacture P/A keybeds. Even if they do, or if Arturia change suppliers, such a keybed would likely double the price of the current KL88. Iād have to ask myself do I really want to spend two grand on a midi controller just to primarily get P/A. The answer would probably be no. I want it, but I donāt want it that much.
You responded initially with a bit of a strawman, thatās all.
The new polytouch keybeds in the NI Kontrols are from Fatar according to Engadget āMore exciting though, is the new keybed which was developed in coordination with Fatar and brings polyphonic aftertouch to the Kontrol series.ā
Not sure where you get double the price from, certainly isnāt the case with the NI controllers. Just a guess by you I suspect.
I would like to get the next Arturia KL if itās got the features I desire as I have a good experience with them and their products and would enjoy greater integration. Iād like midi 2 because it has massive potential.
I wonāt buy another NI product as they have EOLd everything I have bought while the hardware was still perfectly viable on fabricated pretexts.
Looks like NO Keylab MK3 at Namm 2024 then or it would be news by now 
Regards
Mike
One more day to goā¦
Gear4music (similar to Thoman) for Music Products are no longer listing MKII for sale on their site. They have everything else Arturia so maybe that is something of a signal. ;>
Long & McQuade here in Canada still lists the Mk2ā¦ last day of the NAMM show todayā¦ doubtful weāll see an announcement this late thoughā¦ 
I was disappointed about last yearās NAMM and again this year. Was hoping for a KeyLab 61 MK3 and maybe a SuperFreak, but neither happened.
If my memory serves well, back in 2018ās NAMM, the Keylab MK2 was not announced, but it still made it in June of the same year 
It obviously was a guess: I do not have inside information. But it was an educated guess. The Kontrol S88 MK3, with which a theoretical poly-A/T MkII KL88 would be a direct competitor, is priced at Ā£1149. I can buy the outgoing Kontrol S88 MkII for Ā£600 if I shop around. The best price Iāve seen on the KL88 MkII is Ā£699. So I would expect a poly-A/T MkIII to sit at the Ā£1200-Ā£1300 mark.
I can buy the outgoing Kontrol S88 MkII for Ā£600 if I shop around. The best price Iāve seen on the KL88 MkII is Ā£699. So I would expect a poly-A/T MkIII to sit at the Ā£1200-Ā£1300 mark.
Well thatās just silly, you canāt compare a runnout cost for a discontined product and the full recommended price for a new one and extrapolate the parts cost from that. Itās completely disingenuous.
Compare their recommended retail price and youāll only see a difference that is based on rises due to inflation, not your bad guess.
Inventing āfactsā and then making up prices based on them is just wasting our time and annoying.
<<Inventing āfactsā and then making up prices based on them is just wasting our time and annoying.>>
Are you even for real? Iām not inventing facts. It was purely my speculation, and I said as such. If itās cheaper, Yay! Great. Until we find out what/when/if a MkIII is announced / arrives, weāre literally ALL speculating. And every view or opinion is just as valid and invalid as the next. Thatās what speculation is about.
I think you need to ask nurse to give you your daily a chill-pill or whatever it is they usually inject you with when you find yourself unnecessarily triggered by something innocuous.
Hi all,
Please all stay on topic and avoid comments about persons.
Please read the guidelines for the forum here: FAQ/Guidelines - The Sound Explorers Community
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