Komplete Kontrol & Ableton Live Macro Control
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- Опубликовано: 7 фев 2025
- In this video I show you how to create a custom control script to allow your Komplete Kontrol keyboard to access Live automation features such as "Blue Hand" and track volume control in addition to Komplete Kontrol and MIDI modes all switchable from the keyboard.
For new users to Komplete/Live integration I also run over how the Komplete Kontrol integration works with Live and how to get that working.
You can download the Ableton Live User Control script and the Komplete Kontrol MIDI template used in this video using this link:
freelancesoundl...
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Awesome. Detailed and on point. For guys coming here the first time: take ur time and follow/ reproduce every step exactly (rewind if you are unsure). It is a lot of information packed together but it's incredibly valuable.
Edit for Ableton Live 11: You can now assign 16 controllers in the config file (8 before) and you don't need the Input/Output name in the file anymore. Works like a charm.
So great!! I was just about to give up on this, then stumbled upon this old-ish tutorial. Ableton 11 and S-Mk2 are slightly different, but all that still works
I wish I found this 2yrs ago! Will be putting this to great use. Thanks for sharing
Man, you are a genius! I just got my first NI product (Komplete Kontrol M32) and was a bit disappointed about the lack of "blue hand" / automap features. Glad i found your tutorial. I will try it... THANK YOU! :)
Did it work for you? I'm considering getting an m32
@@serena_m_ Sorry i am late; Yes - it works with M32 exactly like Jester showed it. It is a kind of compromise. I am not shure if i will use this way to control my VSTs inside Ableton. I own push2 and i see all the parameternames on the display. So .... if you already have a bunch of Ableton vst racks (preset files for VSTs with logical mapped parameters) its a good way to use them with the M32. But perhaps its better to map/use NKS-Preset and use the Komplete Kontrol mapped parameters inside Komplete Kontrol. Too many options... I am not shure which way to go....
Btw Jester, your videos on this have been an absolute godsend! I didn't know anything about custom control scripts; this video actually was the final piece that convinced me to buy the kontrol. Thank you for the detailed and awesome tutorial!
For Komplete Kontrol Mk2 users:
The user manual does say to leave "Input" and "Output" at "None" in the MIDI Link section. However, when you set up the Macro control surface, DO set your KK keyboard for both "Input" and "Output". If you don't do this, the "blue hand" won't work.
Also, on my setup, I've turned ON the "Remote" button for the keyboard (not in the "Control surface" setup section, but underneath it), for both the input and output. This allows you to hard-code MIDI controls within Ableton; if you don't do this, you can't do any hard-coded MIDI mapping within Ableton.
Another thing I've done is to change the original (NOT the custom Macro that Jester creates) KK control surface's "Output" from "None" to the keyboard. I know the manual says to leave it at "None," but I haven't found any issue turning it on. (If someone knows otherwise, please let me know.) The advantage to turning it on is that when you load up a third-party instrument like Omnisphere, each parameter will update the keyboard with its initial value. If you don't do this, then while Omnisphere might have its first 8 CCs at various levels, your controller won't be updated to show those values. (So, if Omnisphere's first CC is at 127, your keyboard will display a different value until you physically move the encoder.) So, set the control surface's output to "Komplete Kontrol."
I'm having a party here, I was just about to buy an additional controller with 8 knobs! Donated.
Great to hear, cheers. Yes there is a similar script for Bitwig, I don't use that DAW but there is some info somewhere on the Komplete forums.
I have been trying to make this hand control to work for years on my Maschine MK1 - THANK YOU!!!
Great work mate! I’m about to get delivery of a KK S49 MK2 so will be putting all these tips to use...just bought a couple of your nks packs recently too (Arturia Analog Labs and Omnisphere) - makes life a lot easier! I’m in a band so will be looking to use the KK as a ring “to rule them all”! 😀
4 years later! Did you manage to use KK in the band context? I'm planning on doing the same 😁
@@stuartduncan3706 No mate...moved on from KK
EXTREMLY helpful. Thank you very much!
Fantastic Video, Its got me back using my Komplete M32, A49 in Ableton. Thanks.
I’m not sure in which version of Komplete Kontrol it was introduced but there’s an easier and more comfortable way to map Omnisphere (or any other 3rd party VST that’s currently not NKS capable) parameters to the encoders. Simply open an instance of Komplete Kontrol, call the non-NKS VST from KK’s “Plug-ins” menu (via the triangle next to the magnifying glass in the top row). For Omnisphere it would be “Plug-ins | Spectrasonics | Omnisphere”. Now you have access to 16 pages of 8 encoders. To assign these to the wanted Omnisphere parameters simply right-click on the wanted slider or encoder in Omnisphere and choose “Enable Host Automation”. This way you can assign the parameters inside Komplete Kontrol to the macro knobs in the usual manner and voilà the names of the assigned parameters are shown in the scribble strips.
That is not what this video is demonstrating. This video is showing how you can use the keyboard in Live to control other devices and elements on the fly using custom scripts.
I’m referring to your Omnisphere parameter explanation from minute 7:30 on. Hence I added the information about how to map these parameters inside Komplete Kontrol to control them from the Komplete hardware.
Could I take a knob on my komplete control mk1 and reassign it to control volume fader?
Thank you for a great video and a good explanation in this subject!
I wonder would this method work if I was to do the same thing for a Korg Nanokontrol? I.e create a new macro and map to whatever CC values I have the nanokontrol set to? At the minute I just have an Ableton template saved where I manually MIDI mapped the nanokontrol to various plugins etc, so it would be nice to have it already set up if I were to bring in new instruments etc!
Thanks a lot for the video, I was a little on the fence about getting a Komplete Kontrol keyboard compared to an Arturia keylab due to the increased Ableton functionality on the Arturia, but knowing I can control everything with the KK helps make up my mind towards it!
You can cerate a user midi script like in this video for ANY midi device to make it a "control surface". All you are doing is telling live to use the MIDI device you set in the file as a comtrol surface and use the listed CC values to control the corresponding live function. There are tutorials out there on making midi scripts, this is just to demonstrate how you can create a midi template for the KK keyboard and when you switch to it, the controls map directly to the macros. This will be even more flexible in Live 11 with the 16 macro update.
This video was for the Komplete Kontrol MK1 and the MK2 adds track volume control to its template but still they do not offer the "blue hand" mapping to macros like shown here, so you can still add this to the MK2 to add macro mapping which makes the KK keyboard very flexible in terms of control. Only thing I would love is label feedback but that needs a full python script and the API for the keyboard isn't open so not sure how possible it is to do it.
Hey man thank you for this great contribution. I have followed all of your steps but Im not getting the Input and Output options as named on the '.txt' file. It only shows me the Control Surface folder name but when I'm about to select the other two it they are are just nowhere to be found. Any advice please?
Thanks
I’m having this issue too - in the user configuration file the section where you’d type in the keyboard name is simply missing
Well I thought it was going to be as simple as following things as best I can, and then the rest of the pieces will fall into place. For me, the missing link is in creating the macro controls in the first place. I altered the script, saved it, set the proper controls in Preferences, got the device with the indication on the right that it's the rack version. When I failed to see parameter settings after using the "shfit-instance" key command, my first thought is that it looks as if I have to map some parameters first.
I'm trying to map KK woodwind solo. How can I map main (BIG) knob ?
hi ive been on this for hours and i followed it to the t and it has still not worked out for me. can someone help me to understand why this is?
EXACTLY WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR... !!! Appreciated.
Oh, got one question tho. Why can i only have 2 pages of mappings on one template? I add more pages to it but it doesn't show them in the KK, what could be the problem?
This was a brilliant tutorial, but is an updated version available anywhere? - I completely agree that Native Instruments should make assignment of the standard 16 macros part of their setup. But until they do, an update to this tutorial would be hugely helpful. Some items like InputName: and OutputName: no longer appear to exist in Ableton's default UserConfiguration.txt - I have tried adding those lines and skipping them, but each way I end up, with my M32 kind of crashing, refusing to go back to 'Instance' or 'MIDI'. In the mean time, how did you get round these?
NI Customer Service suggested this link, which is working for me so far: ruclips.net/video/i6-PR5FrnJA/видео.html (if I ignore the InputName: and OutputName:) they also said they take customer feedback seriously, so I'd suggest that we all get in touch and request that they write it into the official controller surface script.
so if i load massive onto its own track i cant see the scale option which kinda sucks... everything is working properly and i successfully copy and pasted midi remote scripts and all that... so i basically i have to load up a new komplete kontrol track for every new instrument track i want? maybe thats where im confused
Works perfectly with a S88 Mk1. Cheers!
Awesome ! A few questions though:
1) Would this also work with the newer A-series keyboards ?
2) If i'd mainly be interested in using the keyboard as a blue hand controller, would it be possible to do that without the Komplete Kontrol plugin/rack at all ? I.e. just using your method with the custom control script ?
3) If so, wouldn't it then be possible to either load up the specific VST's in the channel to control them via the 8 macros or even load up Komplete Kontrol (not as a rack) to also control the contained VSTs within KK through the 8 macros ?
I just hate the idea of having to load up an instance of KK on each track that i either want to control 3d party VSTs or Ableton devices.
1) The A series currently does not have any way to program MIDI controls so you only have 8 available which could work if you just setup the Macro control. That is all you need for the A series really since it has Track control already so you could just create a simple script to use the 8 MIDI for Macro and then when you switched to MIDI mode on the keyboard it would control the first 8 macro controls of the selected track.
2) The instrument rack as of Live 10.0.6 does not need an instrument rack. This script technically does not need the rack but the S series MK1 and MK2 need the instrument rack.
3) Well yes but you only have access to 8 controls and you would have to first map those controls in Live which defeats the main purpose of the keyboard. Loading an instance of KK on a track isn't all that much of an issue. I have run tests (in Windows) and it does not seem to place any real load or much memory. The small amount of inconvenience of having to place it in the chain is circumvented by the fact you can load any sound and instantly start to tweak things and shape it without touching the DAW, that's the main reason one would get the Komplete series of keyboards otherwise there are many more capable keyboards with more controls on the market.
Thanks for the in depth answers ! The only reason i'm interested in the keyboard is 1) it's one of the few that has encoders instead of knobs and 2) the software that comes with it. Otherwise i wouldn't have even given it a thought. Thanks !
One more question: As i'm totally not familiar with writing scripts, what would a script need to look like to accomplish what you have answered in question 1), i.e. setting up an A-keyboard so the encoders will always control the 8 macros on a given track ?
Great vid! I have a Macbook Pro and I can't locate the folder. Are there any mac users here who were successful implementing this? I need help. Thanks.
Is it possible to change the transport button mapping? I never use session view and would love for the record button to record into the arrangement view without having to press shift
At 20:53 of your presentation, could you change the Range From value to 1 to 4 in the controller editor so that when you turn the knob it would not change the bank too quick?
Nice job!
Also on the Omnisphere 2 NKS .
Bought it 👍🏼
Thank you very much for this, that was a huge time saver for me!!
Very useful, thanks a lot. Would it be possible to change the script to control the missing transport controls on the Mk1? Moving the timeline with the big encoder, turn on and off the metronome, undo, etc
Cheers,
Nope, only basic midi and macro control is available with user scripts. For more advanced stuff you need a dedicated python script and to do some advanced stuff like undo/redo you need Max4Live. There are solutions out there for that, check isotonikstudios.com/
2:05 Hey hey, thank you so much for this very detailed tutorial! You mentioned the instrument rack that NI provides... Can I ask where that can be found?
Thanks again!
Well if you use the MK1 I think it is ioncluded with Komplete Kontrol when installed, not sure where anymore since I use an MK2 keyboard which can still work the same way with this method, no instrument rack needed anymore. Instrument rack was just used for the plugin ID insttance using a special pre-mapped parameter which for the MK2 is not needed anymore.
@@jestermgee ah ok! I do have the MK2 and it does seem to work without it. And now, thanks to you, i have the instant macro mapping working as well. :)
Are these blue hand controls relative or absolute mapping? Do the values jump when you first move the control knob on the keyboard or does it pick up and move smoothly from whatever the starting value is?
Relative since the KK keyboard has encoders that send Inc/Dec messages. The current value of the macro will display on the screen of the KK keyboard.
Fantastic !
Any tips on finding out the full MIDI name in Ableton Preferences, for adding to the text file ?
All I can see is Komplete_Kontrol_A Input (KOMP
:(
Thank you for the great explanation and provided files :)
I don't think this will work with the NI M32 or the A-series of keyboards as apparently the encoders are sending all the same CC ? I#m confused, this seems all to be so complicated :)
Is there any way to set up custom scripts and use KK to control Ableton instruments (like Wavtables) entirely with the KK keyboard?
Thanks alot for this - this was the only method I tried that ACTUALLY worked on my s49 mk1. Such a sloppy implementation from NI. (Not that I'm surprised mind you...)
Great video. One question: is it possible to pick up the macro “names” and dynamically display them in Komplete Kontrol?
If this is possible via python script I can code it, but just looking for a point in the right direction.
How did you get on with this? any luck?
hey, excellent video, thanks.....just wondering if NI has made any improvements in this area since you made this video? thanks for your time
Well yes and no. This was created for the MK1 keyboard which had no track control at all. The newer S2 series and A series have track control but as NI seem to have little interest in creating full featured integration, you really get the ability to navigate between tracks and control the volume and pan of the mixer. That's about it. So still there is no way to access device parameters or sends/returns.
Hi there! Thanks for the video! Where can I find the Komplete instruments Rack (.adg).
support.native-instruments.com/hc/en-us/articles/209557689-Setting-Up-Ableton-Live-for-KOMPLETE-KONTROL
Jester Mgee Thanks!
I am re-scanning plug-ins in my preferences and my vst comes up whichI'm able to use such software as massive/solid bus comp within the third party plug-in bar in ableton, but like you have here in this video, what seems to appear under 'toontracks'. either way I need help atlas getting to the point of enabling the 'NIKB00'
awesome tutorial! but I can't see the KoompleteKontrolMacro on the MIDI list on Live 10.
i'm using Windows 10.
got it! i wasn't putting on the right folder! needed to SHOW HIDEEN FILES to see the AppData folder, then to see the USER MIDI SCRIPTS > that's the folder to put the script in.
thanks!
Thank you very much for this combi video :)
oi, im having a problem hja. I for somereason cant add more than 2 pages? o.O
ah hey, just open the komplete kontrol standalone application and add pages there.... THAT SIMPLE :D
Hey Jester, Thank you so much for creating this script! This thing is so handy and time saving its amazing! This was working really well for me until I updated to Catalina on Mac. When I click the little arrow to pop out the side controls to view all the macros, it only on some VSTs now! It will work on Massive X but there will be no macro controls on Serum. I know your on a PC, but I just though Id ask. Maybe you or some other user have ran into this problem and can help me figure out a work around. Maybe I need to update some part of the script somewhere. Any help would be greatly appreciated. In any case, thanks for all that you've done for the community!
Nothing to update on the script at all, it is just a user script. Keep in mind that I believe only parameters you have learned will appear in the VST loader configure section so you may need to click the configure button then start moving the controls in the loaded instrument to have them appear.
@@jestermgee Hey Jester, Thanks for the quick response. That was super helpful. It seems as though the macro controls of some plugins auto-populated and others didn't. For example, the parameters for Massive X auto-populated all the sliders, but nothing was configured on the original Massive. And it seems like plugins like transient shapers or amps or limiters all seemed to auto-populate just fine without me touching anything. But more complex VSTs like Avenger or Serum didn't auto-populate. I thought that was pretty strange and I was just wondering if I may have missed something. I don't remember having this problem in Mojave, but now that I have a new Mac and am working on Catalina, it seems to have a bunch of little bugs with certain VSTs and other things. In any case, your suggestion above works and Ill just have to spend some time manually configuring. Thanks for the help and thanks for this incredibly time saving script
@@adammeow5679 I think it's based on how many overall parameters there are to populate. Live will "auto populate" if the number is I *think* under 64 parameters open to the host and over this you need to select which ones to map selectively.
I typically never bother until I need to automate tsomething and then it is just a case of pressing record and moving a control on the KK keyboard and it maps automatically so I never even look in the configure section anymore.
Thank you for this video. IT REALLY HELPED! May I ask you since the Control Editor no longer works with MK2, how can I assign the key bed to different splits and/or midi channels?
I don't own an MK2 but the next version of the KK software should add that functionality, should be released within a month
Thanks!
Thanks mate that helps a lot
Will the Ableton Live User Control script and the Komplete Kontrol MIDI template you provided work with a MAC system?
Should do. I don't have a Mac to test but the scripts are OS independent. If you download and give it a go just let us know if you have any issues.
Tested it out. Im using a USB port. Heres where I placed the script, pretty sure I got the location right. Ableton Live 9 > Contents > App - Resources >MIDI remote scripts folder. Most of the file types for the other MIDI scripts are in a .pyc (Gen564) file format, while the script I downloaded is in a .txt (Plain text) file format. Perhaps a simple file conversion??
In the script it says...
"# If your controller is connected via USB, replace ControllerName
# with the name of the respective port. Live will then try to
# recognize the ports for you when you select your Instant-Mappings
InputName: KOMPLETE KONTROL S61 (Port 1)
OutputName: KOMPLETE KONTROL S61 (Port 1)"
"ControllerName" is referring to the "InputName" and "OutputName" right?
I tried the following names and reopened Ableton each time to test them.
KOMPLETE KONTROL S61 (Port 1) / KOMPLETE KONTROL S61 (Port 1)
KOMPLETE KONTROL S61 (Port 2) / KOMPLETE KONTROL S61 (Port 2)
Komplete_Kontrol Input / Komplete_Kontrol Output
Komplete Kontrol - 1 / Komplete Kontrol - 1
Thanks for the help man. A fast workflow is essential to me and this is super helpful.
You need to place the script in your "User Scripts" folder. On Windows it's in User/Appdata/Roaming/Ableton then it will list all the versions you have had installed. All you really need to make sure of then is the name in the script matches the name of the USB device. Lots of info around on "Live User Remote Scripts" which can be used to make any MIDI device a control surface in Live, that's basically what I have done on top of the KK smart features.
The folder with a script doesn't even show in the "Control Surface". I don't understand what's wrong with it
WHat hardware version? What version of Live? Did you download the script and manually install it? etc?
MacOS. Komplete Kontrol A25. Ableton Live 10.0.1
Downloaded your script and put it the "MIDI Remote Scripts" folder. Struggling for more than 2 hours to find how to make the knobs work in Ableton.
how did you download Komplete Kontrol into the plug-ins within ableton? I have a Mac and cannot figure out how to get to the step where I have Komplete Kontrol applied with the 'NIKB00' I have been unable to effectively load the proper instrument rack to the right spot. I simply have been unable to teach myself or learn how to work the KK into the plug in.
The KK plugin needs to be found within your "Plugin" sub menu in Live. If you click the Plug-in section in Live and it does not list the Komplete Kontrol plugin then it cannot be loaded into the instrument rack. If you are having issues getting Komplete Kontrol to even be seen by Live i'd recommend heading over to the NI forums and asking (or searching for the solution) there.
How to map keys in KOMPLETE CONTROL. Normally Kontakt display a keyboard at the bottom of the plugin, but KK doesn't so if the keys are not mapped it is very hard to edit it in the NI Controler Editor. Any trick to do it ?
Not quite sure I follow what you mean. There is no need to map keys within KK.
When having a Kontakt instrument opened in Komplete Kontrol you can use the “View | Edit View” menu (via the triangle next to the magnifying glass in the top row) to switch to the usual full Kontakt view with the keyboard at the bottom.
@@PantaFlux that was it, thank you
thanks a lot, I tried it in mac and it works mk1, what if, that the macro template works only if I have open the editor, when the server returns to cc1, cc2, etc. How can I click to have the editor closed and the default template KomleteKontrolLiveTemplate work? thanks Jester
Not quite understanding your issue but the template should work at all times when you are in MIDI mode as it does not rely on the Komplete Kontrol instance at all
now it worked for me To use the control macro in an external plugin that does not come nks mapped, is it convenient to use an instrument rack and map?, Thanks for respond quickly.
Does it work with Komplete kontrol m32?
It should but you would need to change the MIDI device name in the file and also the CC numbers as there is (still) no editor for the M and A series midi controls to set them up for the same as in the video. It should be easy enough to make it work tho, I don't have an M series but I did get it working with an A series.
Thank you!
Thank you!