Today I got an email, that there will be a new series of the S keyboards with polyphonic aftertouch
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I also saw the announcement… might be quite promising. No cheapo, but could be worth the money. Let’s wait for the first reviews to come…
Yesterday I read an article plus 33 comments on Audiofanzine ,it is in French but the browser extension DeepL helps.
The comments are as usual more or less relevant but some of them are well thought out.
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Really nice update to my S61 Mk II. I’m happy that I held off on buying an S88. 
Quite a bit more expensive, though. Looks like something in the neighborhood of a 20% increase in list price. We’ll have to wait for the street price.
Obviously they released a new firmware which allows to use the keyboard as a “regular” masterkeyboard with enhanced “stand-alone” functionality (great support for hardware synths via midi without having to use a computer, respectively the Komplete Kontrol software)
This might change a lot and makes this keyboard very attractive (despite the price).
Here is a demo video:
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Installed.
Note that here are also related updates for Kontakt 7, Hardware Connection Service and Komplete Kontrol, all via Native Access.
Yeah these look kinna sweet - one thing I’ve liked about the NI keys are the lights above each key - MAN, if there was some way to utilize this within Gig Perfomer to show where my different patches are laid out on each Rackspace, I’d go out and buy one RIGHT NOW.
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If the protocol to communicate with keyboard is known, it probably wouldn’t be too diffficult
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The protocol to control the light guide on S-Series Mk3 MIDI controllers is NI proprietary, but there is a way to access and control it via templates in Komplete Kontrol. This might work for you.
I liked my S61 Mk2 controller, but it’s now in the box that my new S61 Mk3 came in. It’s an excellent semi-weighted keyboard. Unfortunately, I don’t have room in my little home studio for a second keyboard, or I’d buy an S88 immediately. One thing (among many) I really like is that there are NO sliders/faders. I will spare you my normal rant about non-motorized faders and the general lack of soft-pickup support in apps.
I’ve read a bit through the manuals and forums, regarding the new MIDI-template support…
Generally it’s IMHO a big step in the right direction, which lets you configure the controller more like you want it.
What i miss is the ability to make it remote-switch between templates (i.e. by sending PC messages to it) - it seems that one can select a template only manually by scrolling through the list and then press a button.
If that was possible to be done via MIDI, we could actually set up templates including all the needed knob and button configuration, also predefined key-splits (using the LED lightguide as indicators), and then calling (i.e. via PC) the right template from within Gig Performer, corresponding to the selected rackspace.
I think this would also be very useful also for other DAWs (like Cubase and such) if the right template for a plugin could be automatically selected, depending on which track/plugin is active.
Of course, the best thing for us GP users would be a fully accessible LED-strip configuration - no question. Everything else could be done from within GP in a much more comfortable way.
But i don’t think NI will reveal the secrets of their communications protocol.
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