Native Instruments Release Komplete 12, Komplete Kontrol, Traktor and Maschine
Music software giant Native Instruments is releasing a number of new products. The new Komplete lineup was expected, but they've announced some surprises too. Read on to find out more.
Komplete Kontrol A series
Let's begin with one of the surprises: the Komplete Kontrol A series USB/MIDI keyboards. The S series has been around for a while now and it's been highly praised for its excellent keyboard and Light-Guide feature. Among other things, the latter highlights the keyswitches in Kontakt libraries with LEDs above the keys. It's things like this that make the S series a worthy investment even though it's more expensive than standard USB/MIDI keyboards. While the A series leaves some of the premium features behind, it retains all of the essentials and is a lot more affordable too. Rotary knobs, NKS integration, pitch and modulation wheels and a small OLED display are all present. Add in a number of virtual instruments and you've got a great product on your hands no matter whether you go for the 25, 49 or 61-key version.
Komplete Kontrol S88 Mk2
Native Instruments have also released the Mk2 version of their S series Komplete Kontrol S88. Its large keyboard, two beautiful colour displays and comprehensive controls give you plenty of possibilities. It's perfect if you use Kontakt for things like large orchestral projects. Having 88 keys saves you having to play around with octave controls which some people find annoying. There's plenty of room for keyswitches too and these are becoming increasingly common.
Maschine Mikro Mk3
Those who use grooveboxes will be pleased to know that there's now a Maschine Mikro Mk3. It's essentially a drum machine that follows in the footsteps of classic MPC/SP samplers, meaning it does a lot more than just drum beats. While MPCs created their own sounds, the Mikro Mk3 is a controller for Maschine software in your DAW. As well as integrating beautifully with DAW software, the Mikro Mk3 also integrates seamlessly with NKS. It comes with 1.6 GB of sounds and Massive, Monark and Reaktor Prism virtual synthesizers.
Traktor Kontrol Mk3
For DJs, there are two new Traktors: the Traktor Kontrol S2 Mk3 and the Traktor Kontrol S4 Mk3. The biggest difference between them is that S2 only has two physical mixing channels, while the S4 has four. That makes the S2 more suitable for beginners especially as it has a lower price too. More experienced DJs, on the other hand, are sure to appreciate the extra possibilities the S4 offers. Both controllers allow you to work with the Traktor software on your laptop and the S4 has small displays under its platters that gives you even more information.
Komplete 12
Last, but certainly not least is the latest version of what is probably Native Instruments best known product. Like its predecessors, Komplete 12 comes in different versions. Select is the most affordable entry-level version that comes with a small selection of virtual instruments. Standard is the intermediate version, while Ultimate finds itself almost at the top of the pile. That's because there's also a new Komplete 12 Collector's Edition that adds all of the libraries Native Instruments has ever brought out to the Ultimate version. You may not be surprised to hear that this comes to a whopping 900 GB of material, but thanks to compression you'll only need 650 GB for installation! As you'd expect Komplete 12 has plenty of new content compared to the previous version.
If that lot isn't enough to help you produce fantastic musical compositions, we're not sure what is!