FL Studio 12 and Komplete Kontrol S61 MK2

FL Studio has always been my go-to for sequencing music. It is nice that we are able to use multiple instances of the KK VSTi in FL Studio and control the settings of each using the MkII. If they could work a way where selecting the instance of KK would switch to that channel in FL Studio, I would be 100% happy with NI. Currently, that is not the case. Please let me set up multiple instances of KK VSTi and swap between them using the "Instance" button on the controller! For the love of music!!

 

Unless I'm missing something, Controller Editor only works with MK1 too, right? I've seen people mention you can split the keyboard into parts using it, but I can't find anything like that for the MK2. But I'm not sure if the same can't be achieved with Kontakt/Komplete Kontrol?

From what I've gathered though, it is not possible to have two instruments loaded at the same time, each mapped to a different part of the keyboard? (I'm not sure if it was possible with MK1 tho)

 

FL Studio seems to be laughed at by DAW snobs.

I started recording in 16 track studios on tape before DAWs existed and have used many DAWs (since Cubase on the Atari) and FL is my favourite.
I use it to record live bands, it's no longer a lightweight for loop manglers (no offense to loop manglers).

I also love NI. I have a Maschine Mikro and have just splashed out on a new Komplete Kontrol Mk2 in the hope that it will soon integrate with FL Studio.
The silence re. integration is deafening. Please give us FL users a glimmer of hope

 

NI states that controller editor compatibility for the MK2 series will be coming in "late 2017" (I think we're already there, right?)

 

BTW This is not being nasty to you EvilDragon, keep up the good work !!!

Sorry to bump this but MusicRadar (not the be all and end all I admit, but very popular) has recently announced, in their open poll,
the best DAW 2017.

Guess who won? You've probably seen it so I won't insult your intelligence.

It may not be the best DAW but it is continually voted favourite.

Logic, Live and Cubase may appear more important but FL Studio appears more popular

FL Studio is a great DAW. Come on NI there are a huge number of NI fans who use and love FL.
Integrate us you swines

 

Anyone can fake votes on polls like that using a proxy, so I wouldn't take those polls as de facto the norm.

 

While they're not 100% accurate, it's not unusual for FL Studio to be voted as #1 in popularity on different occasions.

Personally having licenses for Studio One, FL Studio, Cubase and Ableton I spend most of my time in FL Studio tbh. It might be because I still suck a lot, but it is very good at some things.

 

I used FLS many moons ago. I also know a lot of hobbyists/beginners that use it and where it's appeal lies is for the beginner. The graphical GUI and "game-like" appearances do make it easier for someone (almost anyone) to pick up the software, open some sounds and create something almost immediately without any training. It is aimed at the novice in every aspect which is why it is rated so popular.

Not to say it isn't capable but there are some limitations compared to other daws and from my own perspective I find all the little screens/controls "fiddly" and I find things like automation, routing, grouping, multi-IO MIDI/Audio far easier in Live or Cubase than FLS.

So I think things need to be kept into perspective. FL is not a "joke" (to most)_ but in the pro arena of DAWs with Pro Tools/Logic/Live/Cubase at the top of the Pro spectrum, FL is down the other end with Reason but both can be used to do amazing things when the user knows how to use it.

The focus from what I can see when things like Komplete is integrated with DAWs it will always start at the Pro end because that is where the serious players play and they have money to spend on tools and the knowhow to use them.

It's gonna take time but I would expect some stage after the first round of updates for the MK2 we will see basic compatibility for other DAWs via MCU at the least.

 

Why did they judge this toy like DAW for Maschine Jam to be given a template? I made this very same argument about Maschine Studio lacking DAW integration options too. I dont really understand why they are so reluctant, I mean if it works for one it should the other. You get a tractor template for every maschine version bar the studio. Why restrict the use of your own products?

 

Yeah part of the problem is there is no standard across products, they are released exactly as it appears... from different departments with different teams that work on each one. Doesn't appear there is a "group focus" to make sure each products features reflect the next.

Look at Maschine Vs Komplete Kontrol software. They appear kind of the same but there are simple things like you can open Preferences in KK with a keyboard shortcut (Ctrl+,) but in Maschine you cannot.

I think there needs to be some focus to make everything play together nicely and have the same feature set across the board where possible. That is what is suppose to be the case, that the experience is to be intuitive and seemless between every product but at the moment we have the case where if you use a Maschine Studio to integrate with Live it is different from the MK3 even though both have the same screens, controls and features.

 

I just got Live 10 license so I can safely go for KK MK2. I will compare what works in live vs fl studio and how it may generally impact on the workflow.

Stay tuned

Best Regards,
Albert

 

hey Albert, any updates ? what functions are actually supported in FL, does the standard integration between the S61 and the KK VST exist i.e you can browse through all the presets, pre hear them, all the pots etc work to tweak parameters on all the NI instruments or is it just a 500 quid brick in FL

 

Those things work in any host

 

Hey!

Not yet. I will own KKs61 on early December

Best regards!
Albert

 

Hi JM,
I completely understand that FL users aren't first in the queue - not a problem.
I have no idea how difficult it is to integrate DAWs to NI soft/hardware, and I presume it takes a lot of time and effort (and time=money).

Just like to say I'm far from a beginner. Yes in the past it was putting its toe in the DAW market but now it's relatively simple to learn, yet goes as deep as you want. IMO a very capable and professional piece of kit (I wouldn't use it otherwise).

Its popularity is important. A solid DAW (with free lifetime upgrades!!!) - they care about their users, and they have a growing user base.

I'm not here to criticise NI - I'm here because I genuinely LOVE 'em (and nag a bit - NI/FL is a match made in heaven)
xxx

 

Guys sorry it took so long but finally got kk mk2 so I can make video for you how kk mk2 works with these two DAWs and how this impact on workflow. Keep in mind that I am new to KK and ableton so reliable tests may take some time. Ask me anything.

Albert

 

ok to make the long story short. Ableton with KK works like a charm. I don't know Ableton much except I've seen couple of hours of tutorials but it's not as scary as they say.

With FL Studio you can literally control the instruments what is nice. All keyboard features like arpeggiotor and scaling work. Besides this almost all function keys are inactive, you can't undo things, start and stop, record, none of transport keys work. There's no quantize option and you can forget about loop and tempo switches. Even switch between kontakt/kontrol instances from the keyboard level doesn't work what is really surprising because this feature was made and dedicated especially for non indepth integrated DAWs.

What else can I say? Using it with Ableton gives so much fun and joy. You can still use it with FL Studio but many things related to DAW control are just grayed out. There are still some workarounds for FL Studio on the Youtube but this requires switching between KK and MIDI modes when working what can be a bit frustrating. I hope FL will get at least transport keys support soon what could be something...

meanwhile I just got the KK firmware update and I have no idea where to find the changelog. I can see the touchstrip has now correct calibration and before the update was a bit off.

Best Regards!
Albert

 

still no news, right ?

 

any news on that Mackie Control Universal feature to get Transport Control on any DAW ?
It's been almost a year, and i'm still clicking Rec with mouse and play with space bar, very frustrating..

 

We're all waiting for FL Studio 20 hoping they will add full KK MK2 support