# Please Help ! NI A49 Keyboard controlling Kontakt in Logic ?



## GingerMaestro (Mar 31, 2019)

I just bought a new NI A49 keyboard and I'm struggling to get this control my virtual instruments (predominantly ProjectSam & Embertone) in Kontakt. The keyboard is controlling Logic fine, but I don't really need it for this. I want to change parameters in my virtual instruments. (release,attack,velocity,reverb etc..) Please would anyone be able to help ? It seems everything works ok in Kontrol, but not Kontakt (i.e.The plugIn button doesn't want to function. Is there a work around for this (other than running Kontakt through Kontrol in Logic) ? I use multiple instances of Kontakt in my DAW. It’s been driving me a bit crazy and can’t seem to find the answers on the internet ! Many thanks Ginger


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## Reid Rosefelt (Apr 2, 2019)

Ginger, Komplete Kontrol keyboards only control virtual instruments with the prebuilt NKS mappings if the instruments are loaded up inside Komplete Kontrol.


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## GingerMaestro (Apr 2, 2019)

Thank you Tiger. Yes. I’m using Kontakt and Logic and that seems to be the the case. It seems you can run Kontakt, through KONTROL within Logic and it kind of works, but that’s a bit of a weird work around.

All that said when I open up The Automation window in Kontakt (within Logic) there is a host automation page which seems to have a load of pre assigned cc number for the Instrument (currently Grand Piano) I am working on. I just have to now figure out how to automatically assign those to the 8 knobs on my S61 controller. Any tips ? Other than the drag and drop thing. It all seems a lot more complicated than it should be considering all these products are made by the same company, but they don’t seem to want to talk to each other easily. Thank you again Ginger


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## Alex Fraser (Apr 2, 2019)

Is there not a way to switch the keyboard to "midi mode" and send normal CC data to Kontakt? I was under the impression that this was an option (shift + plugin button)


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## Reid Rosefelt (Apr 2, 2019)

First, when you start up Komplete Kontrol, it checks to see if there is a Komplete Kontrol controller connected. Depending on which one is attached, it acts in different ways. Because of this, in my experience, you can't plug in more than one KK controller at the same time, or at least, only one will work. If there is none attached, you can use the new MIDI capabilities of the current version of the software.

You switch to MIDI mode on the original series by clicking SHIFT+INSTANCE. With second gen controllers it is MIDI/PLUGIN. With A-Series and M32 it is PLUGIN MIDI. In MIDI mode the KK controllers act like any standard MIDI controller, and you can do MIDI learn with them.

But you can do more with them. With your S61, you can use the NI program CONTROLLER EDITOR, which if you don't have already, you can get here In this program you can create templates for your favorite libraries and give them names. You can assign CC numbers (and all kinds of stuff-- pitch bend, program change, etc) to the knobs and give the parameters names, and set up the light guides too. In the first generation S series you can do unlimited pages. Just remember to save a file (which includes all your templates) on your hard drive. If will stay resident in your controller, but it's good to have a backup.

I'm not sure but I believe that Controller Editor functionality is built into Komplete Kontrol MK2 controllers. I'm not sure if Controller Editor works on A-series controllers.


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## Alex Fraser (Apr 2, 2019)

TigerTheFrog said:


> First, when you start up Komplete Kontrol, it checks to see if there is a Komplete Kontrol controller connected. Depending on which one is attached, it acts in different ways. Because of this, in my experience, you can't plug in more than one KK controller at the same time, or at least, only one will work. If there is none attached, you can use the new MIDI capabilities of the current version of the software.
> 
> You switch to MIDI mode on the original series by clicking SHIFT+INSTANCE. With second gen controllers it is MIDI/PLUGIN. With A-Series and M32 it is PLUGIN MIDI. In MIDI mode the KK controllers act like any standard MIDI controller, and you can do MIDI learn with them.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the detailed reply, Tiger!

It seems that midi mode might be the way forward for the OP then, unless I’m missing something. Can the midi mode be accessed when using Kontakt outside of KK? (edit: It can.)

With regard to changing the midi mapping on the A series, as I understand it, the functionality will be rolled into a future update of KK.

In the meantime, you can reassign cc data on the fly via the Logic scripter midi plugin. I use a handy script posted by another forum member that I can repost if the OP wants it.


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## jbuhler (Apr 2, 2019)

TigerTheFrog said:


> I'm not sure but I believe that Controller Editor functionality is built into Komplete Kontrol MK2 controllers. I'm not sure if Controller Editor works on A-series controllers.


I'm not sure if I'm completely following you, but the controller editing function is handled through the Komplete Kontrol software on the S61 MK2 keyboards. (Setting up presets is the main thing I use the KK software for; I never use it in the DAW.) The KK software lets you create presets and assign knobs and buttons to send out particular midi data. I have a Spitfire preset, for instance, that maps the common settings of Spitfire Kontakt instruments, so any time I work on a track with an instance of one of those instruments in the DAW, I switch to that preset. I will often look at the automatic mappings of a library in the Komplete Kontrol software and use that as the basis for creating a preset for it. (I don't think there's a way of copying that information into a new preset however; you have to do it by hand.)



Alex Fraser said:


> It seems that midi mode might be the way forward for the OP then, unless I’m missing something. Can the midi mode be accessed when using Kontakt outside of KK?


On the S61, I push have to select the "midi" button on the S61 keyboard, and then I'm in midi mode. In midi mode, I still have access to the presets I made, like the Spitfire one I mentioned.


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## Alex Fraser (Apr 2, 2019)

Looks like the CC values are fixed (for now) on the A series:
https://support.native-instruments....sing-the-KOMPLETE-KONTROL-A-Series-MIDI-Mode-

In which case, Logic scripter midi plugin to the rescue.


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## GingerMaestro (Apr 2, 2019)

Thanks Tiger. That's brilliant, reading up about the Controller Editor and Midi Mode, which I think is probably the way to go. I'm just setting up my overall template (which takes a while) so hopefully I can I can come up with something not too complicated that is good for my workflow. I was looking at buying an additional little controller (Korg Nano or Behringer X Touch mini), but hopefull I won't have to now. I'm just a bit stumped by all this as I thought the point of NKS was that it does all this for you, but seems they haven't got it into kontakt yet. Thanks again all, really helpful..


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## Reid Rosefelt (Apr 2, 2019)

jbuhler said:


> I'm not sure if I'm completely following you, but the controller editing function is handled through the Komplete Kontrol software on the S61 MK2 keyboards. .


Thanks for clarifying that. It's what I meant to say when I wrote, "I'm not sure but I believe that Controller Editor functionality is built into Komplete Kontrol MK2 controllers." When KK sees that an MK2 controller is attached, it offers that feature.



Alex Fraser said:


> Thanks for the detailed reply, Tiger!
> 
> Can the midi mode be accessed when using Kontakt outside of KK? (edit: It can.)
> .



The MIDI Mode can be accessed outside of KK, but only as MIDI learn, which isn't permanent unless you save the mappings in the instrument, not on the controller.

The elaborate MIDI mapping with the names of parameters on the knobs, etc, will only work if you run your non-NKS plugin within Komplete Kontrol and then switch to MIDI mode.

But... and this is very important: if you change any of the mappings of the instrument's parameters while creating your KK template, you'll need to create a default patch of the instrument that loads all those parameters back at startup. (I learned this lesson the hard way)

There is a third option for controlling non-NKS virtual instruments through your KK controller. You can buy a template for an instrument that will show up in your USER section. Then the instrument will look exactly like an NKS instrument, with the little pictures and everything . There will be sample notes when you scroll through presets, and all the parameters will be on the knobs. It's very useful to have somebody do all this work for you for a big instrument like Omnisphere. My favorite company for this is Freelance Soundlabs.

By the way, I'm not claiming to be expert, just trying to be helpful, so correct me if I got anything wrong. I'm still struggling with my new M32, and I'm sure I'm not getting the most out of it.


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## jbuhler (Apr 2, 2019)

TigerTheFrog said:


> Thanks for clarifying that. It's what I meant to say when I wrote, "I'm not sure but I believe that Controller Editor functionality is built into Komplete Kontrol MK2 controllers." When KK sees that an MK2 controller is attached, it offers that feature.


The manual calls it "Midi Assignment Editor," and you access it via the midi port icon that appears next to the NI icon in the upper right of the Komplete Kontakt window.





You can then create your assignments and templates there.


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