A
The device does everything what I was expecting. It's a MIDI controller, not a DJ controller like a K2. There is a back-lit for the buttons (it helps in the dark), more colors on the LED's (only 3 can be used) and no matte coating which will degrade over time. The case is made from metal. It is heavier than the K1/K2. The buttons are customizable with an app from A&H. You can tinker MIDI and color settings for every button/fader/pot/LED.
But at the moment, unfortunately there's some but's.
The annoying thing - LED lights on the same buttons are wonky. It doesn't work as it should when changing from one color to another. X-LINK works only if the secondary device is powered from another USB-C cable. You can use the phone charger for that. Maybe that will make LED’s brighter on the sunny day? And there is no case with the device. The old one from K2, perfectly fits it.
Another one thing (this was the biggest issue for me). Windows users doesn't have MIDI driver from the manufacturer. You need to use the default one from the Microsoft. That means, the controller cannot be used in more than one application at the same time. The famous "There is not enough memory available for this task" error will pop if You try to use it in another application. Yes, it doesn’t work even on the Windows 11 22H2 in multi-client mode. And this is weird because there is Windows drivers from A&H for the K2 and even for the K1. But not for K3.
I hope A&H will release the driver for the multi-client support and will fix the LED issues with firmware updates.
You may also like