Once you’ve followed the setup process you can press the “mixer” button on the right to bring up a graphical representation of your DAW’s mixer tracks, which you can control with the knobs underneath. It was possible to do this with the original model, but the dual screens add a new dimension of integration. Ableton Live, Logic and GarageBand are the first to be fully supported at launch, with Cubase and Nuendo following later this year. The real changes to the MK2 are in the way it integrates with both third-party DAWs and NI’s Maschine software. However, it’s still the best reason to choose a Komplete Kontrol over any other MIDI keyboard: those who have music training or like to go off-piste might find it too limiting to established conventions and scales, but for the rest of us, it’s nothing short of revolutionary. Functionally it’s sharper and brighter than before, but it’s also a lot more obvious when the keyboard’s turned off. The Light Guide, which makes it easy for anyone to play melodies and chords in the correct scale without musical training, also returns. It’s still an amazing tool if you use Komplete or NKS-compatible software like Output’s Substance or Arturia’s Mini V. Browsing with the new screens is great: almost a little too great in fact, if you’re like me and have a tendency to lose hours scrolling through presets. You can still browse for presets and tweak pre-mapped parameters with the eight function knobs (which are now touch-sensitive), but you can now do it in color. There’s also the same new four-dimensional push encoder found on the Maschine MK3, which can be turned or used as a joystick-like substitute for directional buttons.įor the most part, the MK2 does everything the original does in terms of integrating seamlessly with Native Instruments’ Komplete suite of software instruments (a limited selection is included with every keyboard). There have been plenty of all-in-one MIDI keyboards in the past from Novation, Akai and Arturia allowing you to control your DAW, sketch out beats and tweak parameters, but none of them have had the two color screens ( Akai’s Advance range has only a single screen) sitting at the heart of NI’s new keyboard, which the company hopes will keep your attention on making music and not on Facebook or Twitter.Īpart from these screens, there’s not much between the MK2 and its three-year-old predecessor besides the introduction of proper pitch and mod wheels to replace the touch strips, which were the weakest part of the original a touch strip for modulation still exists, but it’s underneath the wheels in a much easier to use horizontal position. Native Instruments’ new Komplete Kontrol MK2 (available in $599 49-key and $699 61-key models) feels like an attempt to reframe the MIDI keyboard as an all-in-one production station like the Push or Maschine. Like a computer, they’ve got screens too, but they’re focused on one task – and you can’t browse the internet or check your emails with them. Whether it’s the Push’s sequencer mode or Maschine Studio’s (and new Maschine MK3’s) dual screens for displaying a graphical representation of the software’s mixer, these controllers make it easier to see what’s going on in the software without having to look at your computer. But there are still plenty of people out there who use MIDI keyboards: there’s something reliable about working your way up and down the keys that will never be bettered by an 8 x 8 grid of rubber pads.Īnother reason why controllers like the Ableton Push and Native Instruments’ Maschine have slowly started to replace MIDI keyboard in the studio is visual feedback. Too big for most bedroom studios, it’s been pushed aside in recent years by grid-based controllers that let you play drums, sequence melodies and play chords on one space-saving box. Spare a thought for the humble MIDI keyboard. But are those screens enough to help keep our eyes off the laptop, or are they a distraction in themselves? Scott Wilson reviews the Komplete Kontrol MK2. The spotlight might be on Native Instruments’ new Maschine MK3, but the company has also updated its Komplete Kontrol keyboards with a host of new features, including two color screens.
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