Weekly update 4

Hi there,

Here another weekly update on the progress of the KNTRL9.

Ordering process

Most of the parts are still on their way, which is according to plan. The slide potentiometers are also finally shipped after the factory first cancelled the order and I only found out after checking my spam folder last week. They should arrive beginning of April.

The new and improved PCBs will arrive the 14th of March and they will be tested before I order the large batch.

The panels will be sent on the 16th of March. The samples for the stainless rotary knobs for the second batch (I switched factories to have more things made in one place) should be ready this week.

Packaging

The package design is still at the designer. I'm waiting for him to come with the new design so I can send it to the printing firm. Should be this week.

Software

I finished the firmware for the controller last weekend. I will be testing the new firmware thoroughly this week but right now there are no more known bugs.

The tool to setup the controller is also nearly finished last weekend. I hope to dot the i's and cross the t's this week.

The Ableton script has not been updated to the new controller yet and still needs some work. Depending on how everything goes, this might be released right before or after the controllers are shipped. Of course, you can use the controller without it, also in Ableton (by using MIDI mapping).

Price

As you know, we are currently living in tough times. The price of the KNTRL9 was based on the costs from one year ago. Unfortunately, a lot of prices have been soaring. Shipping costs almost doubled and raw materials are now way more expensive.

I therefore see myself forced to update the prices soon. If I don't do that, this company would not be able to be profitable. I really hate doing this because I spent so much time last year to try and get the price down but I see no other choice. I will probably start updating the prices in two weeks.

Planning

I am going to the Netherlands for a few days because of an unexpected family matter. This takes a few days from the planning unfortunately.

We are still looking at shipping in spring 2022. With the current state of the planning I expect to be able to ship mid to late spring.

That's it for this week. If you have any questions, feel free to send me an e-mail at koen@midique.com.

Cheers,

Koen