Custom Plugin Images in MK2 anyone know how

Does anyone know how to get the images to show up on the new Kontrol Mk2 keyboard hardware while the instrument is selected, as the one being played? Is it possible yet? It shows up while browsing but when selected only shows the generic icon.

I have already created a number of NKS banks for my non supported VSTs and added the custom images so they show up in the software - but no luck yet having them show up on the hardware. I have tried emulating what the Arturia plugins are set up and doesn't work.

Would love to hear what others are doing.

pitsta

 

For Komplete Kontrol 2 with the second screen you need to play around a bit with the folder locations. To show just in the browser and software app third party plugin images and database entries tend to go in a shared folder by company name. However we found on the NI forum that to get plugin images into the second browser they need to go in the root of the images folder under the plugin name - easiest way on Mac to do this is to create a symlink to the plugin named folder that’s inside the company named folder and put this in the main images/dist_database folder, on Windows you can just copy the folder and paste it into the image/database folder root

ie to get stuff in the browser/software host the paths are:

Put image thumbnail files in:

\Users\Shared\NI Resources\image\synthmaker\synthname (Mac)

\Users\Public\Documents\NI Resources\image\synthmaker\synthname (Windows)

Database (category and colour info) files go in:

\Users\Shared\NI Resources\dist_database\synthmaker\synthname (Mac)

\Users\Public\Documents\NI Resources\dist_database\synthmaker\synthname (Windows)

but to get image thumbnails and also the correct colour database info to show in the second screen in plugin view the path is:

Put image thumbnail files in:

\Users\Shared\NI Resources\image\synthname (Mac)

\Users\Public\Documents\NI Resources\image\synthname (Windows)

Database (category and colour info) files go in:

\Users\Shared\NI Resources\dist_database\synthname (Mac)

\Users\Public\Documents\NI Resources\dist_database\synthname (Windows)

NI need to correct this legacy 'bug' but for now this workaround works

More info in the KK templates pack and thread

https://www.dropbox.com/s/hpb5s3g52kjyeil/Info.txt?dl=0

https://www.native-instruments.com/...-templates-for-non-nks-plugins.262959/page-31

 

Thanks Kymeia, appreciate the response. I must say that I read all your threads on the subject late last year and you helped a lot. So thanks mate.

I will give that a try. but before i just wanted to confirm what i was wanting to achieve. I have added pics of what the hardware screen looks like for me using FabFilters Twin2 as the example. 1st pic is while browsing, left and right screens show up okay, 2nd pic is selecting the plugin and show the generic image on the left screen and 3rd is just a close up of that.

cheers

 

Yep that's what I'm referring to as well - the fix is to put the plugin thumbnail image (to be precise you need MST_plugin.png and MST_logo.png) in a folder set to pluginname not company name (or to avoid file duplication I use symlinks but not sure that would work on Windows)

Do the same thing for dist_database files too if you want them to have the correct categories and colours

To demonstrate I've made a ZIP with the structure inside

 

When I follow these steps, everything works, except for one thing: the MST_plugin.png is not showing up in the plug-in panel of the Komplete Kontrol software.
I did create both the <plug-in> and <vendor>/<plug-in> folders in the image directory, both containing all the pictures. The pictures show up nicely in the browser and on-screen overlay, etc., except for the plug-in panel. Instead, I always get the following image in the plug-in panel:

 

It should work, KK is extremely sensitive to even slight discrepancies in plugin name though - see if it matches what the plugin is using in KK exactly - same with company name, even a capital instead of a lowercase letter can throw it off - tooks a lot of work for me to get every plugin I have working perfectly but now apart from a couple of Kontakt libraries they are

 

Okay, thanks, I will give it a shot. However, it is a very strange thing that all the other images in the same directory do work except for this one.

 

Can you post a screenshot of the folder name/location?

 

I worked on this for DAYS! So the first thing you have to know is KK is ANAL about file and folder names.

The best way to figure out what names its looking for is to open a preset from that plugin inside of the KK browser on your computer and check the "EDIT" view at the bottom left.
On the "Bank" tab you'll see the actual plugin name.
On the "Properties" tab you'll see the vendor name.

All folders for images and dist_database MUST be in lowercase.
You must have two sets of files for each location. One in the <vendor name>/<plugin name> AND one in the <plugin name> folders.

Here's the breakdown:
image/<vendor name>/<plugin name>
VB_artwork.png - Sets the thumbnail in the computer browser
VB_logo.png - Sets the logo at the top of the computer browser
MST_logo.png - Sets the logo on the right keyboard screen WHILE in browsing mode
MST_artwork.png - Sets the thumbnail image on the left screen of the keyboard WHILE in browsing mode

image/<plugin name>
MST_plugin.png - Sets the thumbnail on the left keyboard screen AND the thumbnail on the top of the KK computer screen when plugin is loaded
MST_logo.png - Sets the logo on the right keyboard screen

I copied existing files that I know were working and opened them up in an image editor (Photoshop, affinity, etc.) and left the atributes and image size the same. Edit contents to taste with new pictures/ text and save as same file name.

Its not clear what the other files are there for. I have removed them on e at a time and seen no change anywhere. That being said I would copy the rest over as well just so the file names are there.

PS I havent had much luck with FF Twin2 inside of Komplete Kontrol. I cant get it to save any patches as the option is greyed out...

 

Some files are for the On screen display popup for the MK1 keyboards so for MK2 users you may not see them used but MK1 users will still need them.

 

Awesome thanks

 

This is almost true. I played a little around and figured it out.

• Only the images for the plug-in itself (MST_plugin.png and MST_logo.png) have to be in a folder with the exact name of the plug-in. The name can be simply found if you lookup the filename of the vst file itself, but KK will show it also.
• All other images should be in a folder with the same names for vendor and product as used in the categories.json. Often the product is the same as the plug-in, hence, the above is true. But this not necessarily the case. For instance, kontakt libraries are shown as a product on their own. You can do this also for your own libraries. For instance, I made a library for UVI Digital Synsations. The plug-in is called UVIWorkstationVST: like Kontakt, it is the player for the sample library. But in categories.json the product is "Digital Synsations". And also in the NKSF files the Bankchain becomes ['Digital Synsations', 'DS1',''], where DS1 is subbank.

So the folder structure has to be:

• image/<vendor>/<product name>
• image/<plug-in name>

For the dist_database it is different (allthough it doesn't hurt to create these folders for the plug-in as well):

• dist_database/<vendor>/<product name> (containing all json files)
• dist_database/<product name> (containing the color.json with the color for the product)

Since most of you will not make a difference between the product name and the plug-in name, the end result is the same as TheBassGuru descibed.

By the way, on a mac, the folder names don't have to be lowercase. Just as long as the names are exactly the same. Is this a windows problem?

 

I did say that actually

Although the easiest way is just to create a symlink to the plugin name folder and drop it into the Image one (so it doesn't seem to really matter if it has more, just that's all it needs)

 

I benefit a lot from this conversation here, thanks a lot guys!
Though is it possible to change the display name of a plugin? It looks quite silly to have something like AnalogueSynth_FinalVersion_x64 on the screen ...

 

shortname.json (in dist_database) defines how a plugin name should appear on different displays, but it doesn't change the plugin name itself

 

Ah ok, I created dist_database folder yesterday but no affect at all not even colors... Should I have this folder by default because I don't? And I used your example zip...

 

No it goes in dist_database - it's a folder in User/NI Resources, you don't need to create that it's already there, with subfolders for each instrument. Edit the shortname.json in the folder for the plugin whose name you want shortened on screen.

 

Surprising enough, i don't have that folder But having _DatabaseResources with a SQL light database in it having all NI plugins as records so i guess this has been changed at a certain point. I added a new record to it with no luck, I try it again maybe missed something.

 

Wrong folder - it should be \Users\Shared\NI Resources\dist_database (Mac, something similar on Win presumably) - unless you deleted it by accident it should be there, it's there by default. Don't mess with the NI database, that's for their own stuff.

 

That's the one, never mangled this Folder... and here the custom images are working And no idea why doubled but no dist_...