I’m moving from using Cubase as a live performance platform to Cantabile. One thing I’m losing is that my NI Komplete Kontrol mk2 has other controls (non-MIDI) that are compatible with apps like DAWs. For example there are Mute, Solo, Stop, Start, Metronome, Preset (up/down), and a sort of jog-knob I would use for navigating Cubase tracks up and down. There isn’t currently this compatibility in Cantabile but is this something that NI has to build or is it something Cantabile programmers can do?
Things like Stop/Start/Metronome and up/down, as well as the navigation knob would be great to use in Cantabile. I know I can map buttons for song up/down, that send MIDI signals, but curious as to what could be done with full integration.
You can use a Binding to tie any MIDI control to any VST or Media Player parameter. I’ve used controllers, notes, buttons, pedals, knobs, faders… to a vast multitude of VST params (including some of Kontakt’s 511 parameters).
Also, you aren’t constrained to MIDI channels for discrete routing. In Cantabile you can define as many separate Routes as you want. And now you can do it graphically!
I use Start/stop/etc. for the Media player I put in each song. I always have a copy of the original or latest practice to play to or reference.
Oh of course, but many of the buttons and controls on the Komplete aren’t MIDI controls. Thus a DAW for example, becomes compatible with the Komplete Kontrol controller when it can receive the special signals from those buttons and controls. Buttons like “Start” and “Stop” are literally labelled as such and today do nothing in Cantabile… but they could, like they do in Cubase, Ableton, etc. if Cantabile recognized whatever signal they provide.
Don’t know about the programmability of the MK2, but if that’s not an option perhaps AutoHotKey or some script which can interface with the device (and interpret the messages) will work?
EDIT: I know there are packages for USB devices and midi output in node.js which could be setup but it would take some time (and require programming experience)
You’ll have to put your Komplete Kontrol in MIDI mode - that should allow you to assign MIDI commands to most of the knobs and buttons, if I understand Native Instruments correctly. As I understand it, you can use the Controller Editor to do that.
The NI “Komplete Kontrol” interface is a proprietary one - it does not send “normal” MIDI. Only a tiny handful of DAWs have had the “integration” provided to them. (Ableton, Logic and Cubase.) However, it is promised to be made more widely available in the future. We’ll see.
The MIDI mode (accessible from the Controller Editor) gives you much more control over everything, as it assigns normal CC numbers to the various buttons and knobs. I’m not sure about the transport controls and several other of those on the Mk2 devices - those only use the proprietory interface - but you get a lot of stuff you otherwise wouldn’t as controllers for things.
Myself, I have so many controllers that I actually use my two NI keyboards exclusively through the Komplete Kontrol software and plugins and love it. (I’ll NEVER use all the banks of sliders, buttons and knobs on my two Akai MPK2xx series controllers as it is!) I only use the transport and buttons to control Maschine 2, which is what it was all made for anyway. But many things CAN be reassigned using the Controller Editor and going with MIDI mode.
Oh, yeah, when I’m using Cantabile or Cubase it’s in MIDI mode already. Just that when it’s in Cubase, as a regular MIDI controller, due to the integration I can use many of the non-MIDI buttons on the keyboard for DAW functions. That’s all I was wondering about. Leave it in MIDI mode, have the ability to use the other non-MIDI buttons to control additional stuff in Cantabile.
