# Any led strip that can act as NKS lightguide without giving away my liver?



## Ciochi (Jun 22, 2021)

I already own a full-weighted FATAR-bed 88 midi controller in the studio, but I do really think that those lightguide from NI S88 keyboards could be very handful. Being it 1k there's no way I could ever buy it. So, apart from going to alternatives such as akai or similar, is there any device, led strips or whatever that could go above the keys of mine and be used like that?


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## Antkn33 (Jun 23, 2021)

You should be able to get a lot more for your liver.


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## LivingEdge Studios (Jun 23, 2021)

Christmas Lights... not sure how much your liver is worth to you, but it's probably pretty important.


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## Soundbed (Jun 23, 2021)

I use these multicolor Dioder from IKEA. They don’t change with every Kontakt patch sadly.






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hmm… almost a year after posting this, it appears they’ve stopped carrying this product. 

Here’s a new link: https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/ledberg-led-light-strip-multicolor-00430825/


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## Ciochi (Jun 23, 2021)

Antkn33 said:


> You should be able to get a lot more for your liver.


I am Italian. We grow up having afternoon break with bread, wine and sugar.


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## RichardBrown (Mar 22, 2022)

As was mentioned above, you can use the Dioder from IKEA, and this is a cheap and straightforward replacement in your situation. Also, if you are not looking for a fast and cheap solution, I recommend you order the led strip light from the VONT brand. You can order them directly on the VONT website or from the amazon site. If you require further suggestions about installing the led strips correctly, feel free to reach me via private messages. Have a great day, Ciochi!


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## aeliron (Mar 22, 2022)

LivingEdge Studios said:


> Christmas Lights... not sure how much your liver is worth to you, but it's probably pretty important.


The random setting could be inspiring.


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## Elrik Settee (Mar 22, 2022)

I got a secindhand NI KKS25 for 94£. Its on top of main kb. Set to wherever octave shows keyswitches


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## DonnamarieMulhern (May 22, 2022)

I'm sure that there are some online marketplaces where you can purchase an LED light system for an affordable price, from what I know. For instance, I have recently purchased a LED light system for my car from , to be honest, it wasn't that expensive. So mate, if you browse the internet carefully enough, you will be able to find something that will suit you. Anyway hope that you will find my message helpful.


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## homie (May 22, 2022)

Isn't the point of the NI KK light guide to control each LED independently? How are some random LED strips going to help? AFAIK the NI KK light guide is a proprietary system.


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## Elrik Settee (May 22, 2022)

homie said:


> Isn't the point of the NI KK light guide to control each LED independently? How are some random LED strips going to help? AFAIK the NI KK light guide is a proprietary system.


yes to Q1
Q2 they aren't
yes it's proprietary 
so?

his question is very interesting and valid.

he obviously wants some non random LEDstrip with individual controls.

or just buy 88 multicolour LEDS...


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## Elrik Settee (May 22, 2022)

Elrik Settee said:


> yes to Q1
> Q2 they aren't
> yes it's proprietary
> so?
> ...


btw, on my KK S25 mark1, the lights only happen in the KK app, and not in Kontakt, grr. Is this a mark1 quirk or am i missing something?


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## Reid Rosefelt (May 22, 2022)

The light guides work through a handshake protocol between Komplete Kontrol software and an Native Instruments NKS keyboard. You need both. That is the only way.


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## homie (May 22, 2022)

Elrik Settee said:


> so?
> 
> his question is very interesting and valid.


The question is valid for sure. I'm interested in it myself.

But the first step would be reverse engineering the protocol. In the next step someone has to write the code for a microcontroller and then finally we could start looking for LED strips. Right?


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## homie (May 22, 2022)

Finding a fully controllable LED strip/matrix with the exact key spacing is probably going to be difficult also.


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## homie (May 22, 2022)

Reid Rosefelt said:


> The light guides work through a handshake protocol between Komplete Kontrol software and an Native Instruments NKS keyboard. You need both. That is the only way.


If someone would write a device emulator it could be possible. The emulator translates and talks to the microcontroller which controls the LED matrix.


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## Reid Rosefelt (May 22, 2022)

homie said:


> If someone would write a device emulator it could be possible. The emulator translates and talks to the microcontroller which controls the LED matrix



First, NKS communicates differently with every single NKS keyboard that NI sells, depending on how many keys and whether it's first generation or second generation. But it's a closed system. When you look in KK you can see what a short list it is. This emulator would have to be a lot more complicated than NKS because it would have to work with everything. So either there would be a small list of keyboards that it works with or you buy it and maybe have issues.

Also, NKS keyboards include Maschine functionality, and the light guides are part of this. This is a big feature for a lot of musicians.

And of course, the physical LED matrix would have to fit all keyboards. It could be something that's customizable, but maybe it wouldn't be as durable as the built-in NI ones.

After solving all these technical issues, the developer would certainly face a lawsuit from Native Instruments by the time they got their Kickstarter up. It's NI's intellectual property, and they make money by licensing it out to developers.

I'm not saying all these technical and legal problems can't be solved, but it's a gamble.


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## jbuhler (May 22, 2022)

Reid Rosefelt said:


> The light guides work through a handshake protocol between Komplete Kontrol software and an Native Instruments NKS keyboard. You need both. That is the only way.


This is only the case if you need it to be automatic. You can have presets with your own designated lighting, This is what I do most of the time since I abhor the Komplete Kontrol software and use it only to make presets for my S61 Keyboard.


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## Reid Rosefelt (May 22, 2022)

jbuhler said:


> This is only the case if you need it to be automatic. You can have presets with your own designated lighting, This is what I do most of the time since I abhor the Komplete Kontrol software and use it only to make presets for my S61 Keyboard.


True. But, as you said, you still need the KK software to put those presets into your keyboard.


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## homie (May 22, 2022)

Reid Rosefelt said:


> I'm not saying all these technical and legal problems can't be solved, but it's a gamble.


As long as it stays in the DIY realm it should be ok, i'd hope. Although technically it would be quite an undertaking.


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## IOnian Streams (Jun 3, 2022)

jbuhler said:


> This is only the case if you need it to be automatic. You can have presets with your own designated lighting, This is what I do most of the time since I abhor the Komplete Kontrol software and use it only to make presets for my S61 Keyboard.


I agree and have started doing the same myself -- creating my own custom light guide presets. I wrote up instructions for how to do this using Virharmonic Bohemian Violin as an example in THIS POST.



Reid Rosefelt said:


> True. But, as you said, you still need the KK software to put those presets into your keyboard.


Correct, you do need the KK standalone software to create these presets (so it doesn't directly answer the OP).

@jbuhler may I detour from the thread and ask what you dislike about Komplete Kontrol software and what other workarounds you may have found in the KK ecosystem?


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## IOnian Streams (Jun 3, 2022)

Elrik Settee said:


> btw, on my KK S25 mark1, the lights only happen in the KK app, and not in Kontakt, grr. Is this a mark1 quirk or am i missing something?


I think that's right. All the pre-programmed light guides from Native Instruments apparently only work within the Komplete Kontrol software. But outside of KK the light guides are unavailable, even in Kontakt -- which is one of my main gripes (someone correct me if wrong).

But when you create your own light guide presets (see my last post), they are available all the time. You don't need KK. So, they do work in Kontakt. But you don't even need Kontakt or your DAW. The custom light guides you create are stored in the keyboard and you scroll through them with the PRESET buttons on the keyboard (at least that's how it works on my MK2 keyboard).


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## dts_marin (Jun 3, 2022)

Hear me out.. a led strip but with a transparent crystal layer that obscures light so that you also get the articulation names on the keys.


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## jbuhler (Jun 3, 2022)

IOnian Streams said:


> I agree and have started doing the same myself -- creating my own custom light guide presets. I wrote up instructions for how to do this using Virharmonic Bohemian Violin as an example in THIS POST.
> 
> 
> Correct, you do need the KK standalone software to create these presets (so it doesn't directly answer the OP).
> ...


I don’t like wrapping my libraries in the kk wrapper. In the old days it was very buggy among other things, it would frequently lose settings, and it was hard to navigate and find what I’m looking for, ironic given the purported function of the software. Then too it seemed like every time I opened the program it would have to spend minutes loading new libraries and rebuilding the database. That’s still an issue but I don’t use the software that often so it’s not as big of a deal. Then too for most of the functionality kk promises, a solution like Unify accomplishes the task far better. 

It’s kind of funny because I bought the S61 keyboard back in the day partly on the promise that kk would help organize my libraries. I still like the keyboard and love the light guide (a dumb thing to love about a keyboard especially when you don’t use the functionality that maps them automatically) but it’s very much in spite of the KK software rather than because of it.


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## Loïc D (Jun 4, 2022)

jbuhler said:


> I don’t like wrapping my libraries in the kk wrapper. In the old days it was very buggy among other things, it would frequently lose settings, and it was hard to navigate and find what I’m looking for, ironic given the purported function of the software. Then too it seemed like every time I opened the program it would have to spend minutes loading new libraries and rebuilding the database. That’s still an issue but I don’t use the software that often so it’s not as big of a deal. Then too for most of the functionality kk promises, a solution like Unify accomplishes the task far better.
> 
> It’s kind of funny because I bought the S61 keyboard back in the day partly on the promise that kk would help organize my libraries. I still like the keyboard and love the light guide (a dumb thing to love about a keyboard especially when you don’t use the functionality that maps them automatically) but it’s very much in spite of the KK software rather than because of it.


I’m exactly in the same situation.
That said, I’ve set my KK lights according to octaves and it’s already pretty useful.


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## IOnian Streams (Jun 4, 2022)

jbuhler said:


> I don’t like wrapping my libraries in the kk wrapper.
> 
> It’s kind of funny because I bought the S61 keyboard back in the day partly on the promise that kk would help organize my libraries. I still like the keyboard and love the light guide (a dumb thing to love about a keyboard especially when you don’t use the functionality that maps them automatically) but it’s very much in spite of the KK software rather than because of it.


Yup, ditto. Sometimes I'll use KK's preview feature to find a sound. But then I want that sound to open up in its original plugin, not inside the KK wrapper. Of course, you can do that step-by-step by hand. But it's tedious.

I do like the light guide, however, especially with a short 49 key keyboard and especially with a plugin like Bohemian Violin that has mucho arts.

I just installed the Super 8 synth yesterday. I learned that it ONLY runs inside the Komplete Kontrol plugin wrapper; it has no standalone synth plugin.* (The walkthrough video says it runs in Reaktor 6 but I couldn't find it therein.**)

EDIT: *Wrong! There is a standalone VST3. Somehow I didn't find it at first. **Looks like the first release of Super 8 was Reaktor-based. But now the latest release is VST3 running as standalone plugin or inside KK.


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## jbuhler (Jun 4, 2022)

IOnian Streams said:


> Yup, ditto. Sometimes I'll use KK's preview feature to find a sound. But then I want that sound to open up in its original plugin, not inside the KK wrapper. Of course, you can do that step-by-step by hand. But it's tedious.
> 
> I do like the light guide, however, especially with a short 49 key keyboard and especially with a plugin like Bohemian Violin that has mucho arts.
> 
> I just installed the Super 8 synth yesterday. I learned that it ONLY runs inside the Komplete Kontrol plugin wrapper; it has no standalone synth plugin. (The walkthrough video says it runs in Reaktor 6 but I couldn't find it therein. Maybe I need some rescan or something?) I hope this is not indicative of a future direction for NI virtual instruments.


I find Reactor confusing and tend to avoid it. I just encounter so much friction in trying to get the synths made for it loaded. It seems like a powerful engine once I manage to get everything loaded but such a trial to get to that point.


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## ReelToLogic (Jun 4, 2022)

Ciochi said:


> I already own a full-weighted FATAR-bed 88 midi controller in the studio, but I do really think that those lightguide from NI S88 keyboards could be very handful. Being it 1k there's no way I could ever buy it. So, apart from going to alternatives such as akai or similar, is there any device, led strips or whatever that could go above the keys of mine and be used like that?


I have used Teensy controllers (similer to an Arduino) to control individual multi-color LEDs on addressable LED strips like this one (https://www.amazon.com/BTF-LIGHTING-Flexible-Individually-Addressable-Non-waterproof). You could definitely manually do something like that for minimal cost. A multi-position switch could be used to select from a preprogrammed set of color maps. The biggest issue would be the pitch of the LEDs vs your keyboard. I have several different LED strips in a range of pitches and none matched up perfectly to my keyboard. But a fine pitch could probably be used if you did a "best fit" and didn't mind some keys getting two LEDs and some one LED. I don't know how you could do an automatic mapping based on the loaded library like a real NKS keyboard.


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