Here’s my Komplete Kontrol MIDI Script:
My basic script makes the LOOP button switch Pattern/Song Mode, and have normal operation of transport buttons.
Here’s “Deep Integration” Native Instruments MIDI Scripts:
- DAWNLIGHT (hobyst) – KOMPLETE KONTROL A-Series & M32
- soundwrightpro – Native Instruments Komplete Kontrol S-Series / A-Series / M-Series
These give a more immersive experience with the Komplete Kontrol Keyboard. You can still use these and not have to use .NKS or KOMPLETE KONTROL plugin. (More info below).
Is the Komplete Kontrol MIDI Keyboard for You?
If you are still in the buying stage, I personally suggest the Oxygen Pro (Review) to students of my FL Studio courses. However, the Komplete Kontrol A49 (Review) will do you well, with a little bit more restriction/workarounds.
They both pass my test of a good MIDI Keyboard for FL Studio.
Helpful Knowledge on MIDI Scripting
FL Studio 20.7 introduced MIDI Scripting.
This enables users to write their own custom Python scripts to set up MIDI Controllers (includes MIDI Keyboards) almost any way they’d like!
A big problem with MIDI Keyboards prior to FL Studio 20.7 was the transport buttons not functioning properly. If you couldn’t find a controller-type to work well with the device, there was really no workaround at the time.
The user was stuck with “the way it was”, or find a controller which did work great in FL Studio.
MIDI Scripts are extremely easy to install, and there’s lots of free ones on the Image-Line forums.
Learn more about MIDI Scripting if you’d like.
You can also learn how to install FL Studio MIDI Script.
Do Komplete Kontrol A-Series and S-Series Keyboards Work in FL Studio?
Yes, these MIDI Keyboards work quite well now, but require a free MIDI Script. (See my NI Komplete Kontrol A49 review).
Komplete Kontrol series keyboards also offer “Deep Integration” mode through DAWNLIGHT’s “nihia” (more info below). Deep integration enables users to access special features of the keyboard.
I caution FL Studio users before using .NKS and entering into Native Instruments “eco-system”. When using KOMPLETE KONTROL plugin, you are opening your plugins inside their plugin. It’s important you understand you are stuck with a plugin once you use it on a serious music project.
I personally suggest opening plugins by them self to keep your projects as compatible as possible for the long-term. A tool like Patcher inside FL Studio is different.. that is a part of FL Studio!
Quick History on Komplete Kontrol MIDI Scripting
Initially, Native Instruments did not implement standard MMC transport controls in the A-Series MIDI Keyboards..
Native Instruments then updated Komplete Kontrol to firmware v1.8, which now gives access to how a normal MIDI Keyboard’s transport buttons work.
To fix this, we need to use a MIDI Script.
It’s important to understand FL Studio has never been a DAW for easy “hands-on” music production like we see in the music studios. FL Studio is very powerful in what it does, and manually mapping (and GLOBAL LINKS) offer tremendous capabilities, if you know what you want to do!
Komplete Kontrol “Deep Integration” MIDI Scripts
DAWNLIGHT (hobyst) created “nihia”, which is “Abstraction layer of the Native Instruments’ Host Integration Agent API for the FL Studio MIDI Scripting API“.
It allows users like you and me to enter “Deep Integration” in our MIDI Scripts for Komplete Series keyboards to access special features of the keyboard. Things like unusable buttons prior, or cool features like making PLAY go extra bright when the DAW is in play mode.
These “Deep Integration” scripts worked well during my testing while I was reviewing the Komplete Kontrol A49.
Closing Out..
I liked the A49 (review), but do prefer the M-Audio Oxygen Pro 49 (review).
They both get my recommendation.
To become a good beatmaker, it’s important to learn the basics. Flashy tools can be fun, and sometimes be really helpful, but rarely give benefit to the beatmaking workflow in FL Studio.
I suggest a MIDI Keyboard with semi-weighted keys and transport buttons that allow for: Play/Pause, Stop/Reset, Record, Loop (Pattern/Song Mode), Forward, Reverse. That is what I personally use, and what I teach students of my platform.. my free midi script is here.
(Again, make sure you understand about choosing the right plugins for you before using .NKS and Native Instruments’ Komplete Kontrol eco-system.)