Impressive stuff: Komplete Kontrol S88 is available on October 27, 2015, from the NI Online Shop and major music retailers worldwide, priced at $999 / 999 € / £729 / ¥119800 / AU$ 1399.
The Komplete Kontrol 1.5 software update will be available via the NI Service Center application on October 27, 2015.
http://www.native-instruments.com/join-the-evolution
I know this is major for VST and maybe not so much for Scope (considering MIDI CC issues) but I thought I'd throw it out there. Many of our favorite native developers are on board. IMHO, a great value for the price if it delivers what it says.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/TdHQFEZ0QcA
Komplete Kontrol S88
Komplete Kontrol S88
"I’ve come to the conclusion that synths are like potatoes, they’re no good raw—you’ve got to cook ‘em, and I cooked these sounds for months before I got them to the point where they sounded musical to me." Lyle Mays
Re: Komplete Kontrol S88
I'm not really clear about what it comes with? I am not interested in samples at all. But I read something about Arturia (don't care about their emulations) and U-he (I like them). My SSD is too small for gigabytes and gigabytes of samples 
Actually, the real problem is that I have all the gear I need. I am in 'learning mode now' to make the most use out of it. The GAS has stopped finally! The tools are here, now onto programming sounds, saving them, tweaking them and of course laying down MIDI tracks
-Tom
Actually, the real problem is that I have all the gear I need. I am in 'learning mode now' to make the most use out of it. The GAS has stopped finally! The tools are here, now onto programming sounds, saving them, tweaking them and of course laying down MIDI tracks
-Tom
Re: Komplete Kontrol S88
The thing is, for me not so much for the VSTs bundled, although that adds a lot of value for sure. The Massive synth which got great reviews (not interested in another synth deep-dive), a piano, The Gentleman (I've got that covered already with PianoTeq), which is probably as good as the existing NI ones and Monark which is supposed to be a really good MiniMoog emulation (hey, it's free and if it is that good, a MiniMoog ain't no modular and could be tweaked pretty quick).
What attracts me is the keyboard itself with supposedly high-end Fatar keybed (if so, the price is good right there). I like the idea of the NKS for the VST/DAW navigation sans mouse along with the controller's ability to be auto-mapped to the supported manufacturer's (NI, Arturia, u-he, etc.) VST controls which are loaded into the thing automatically (and settings saved) when in current focus in the DAW and having the parameters displayed on the controller's smallish but apparently not so tiny screen. Of course I'd have to see and try this in person but it seems to me this could be huge, especially for piano players like me who rely on PianoTeq, VB3, and Lounge Lizard, should they get on board. This new “Native Kontrol Standard” (NKS) will allow developers to customize support for the colored LEDs above the keys, parameters, unique behaviors for the touch strips, so plug-in developers add tagging (this is code and NOT MIDI) so their presets show up alongside NI’s. Coding for NKS may be hard, IDK, but it should be much tighter than MIDI ccs.
"This isn’t accomplished via MIDI, so you’ll need to be a plug-in maker with access to NI’s developer tools to exploit those parameter controls. Those developers are granted access to what is essentially a simple API for the Komplete Kontrol host software (and, by extension, both the Browser and the hardware functions on the keyboard). This isn’t some new control protocol, and it isn’t a new plug-in format; it’s some kind of thin layer of description that plug-in developers add when they bundle their software for release". It looks like the DAW folks don't need to do anything????, just the VST guys?.
Now this is a neat feature, if it works as advertised, loading VST plug-ins directly into Komplete Kontrol. Supposedly, once loaded, those VSTs will work in any host – Pro Tools, Logic Audio Unit hosts, etc., with all parameters controllable by the keyboard.
Considering the price, it might be worth eating eggs and pasta for a while.
The ability to bring such a keyboard controller (kontroller?), not exactly light at 31? lbs, (14 kg) but manageable; with a laptop able to handle NI, Pianoteq, VB3, Lounge Lizard, Diva, etc., is pretty compelling. With a nice VST host like Cantabile, with it's live features this could be the winter of the egg.
What attracts me is the keyboard itself with supposedly high-end Fatar keybed (if so, the price is good right there). I like the idea of the NKS for the VST/DAW navigation sans mouse along with the controller's ability to be auto-mapped to the supported manufacturer's (NI, Arturia, u-he, etc.) VST controls which are loaded into the thing automatically (and settings saved) when in current focus in the DAW and having the parameters displayed on the controller's smallish but apparently not so tiny screen. Of course I'd have to see and try this in person but it seems to me this could be huge, especially for piano players like me who rely on PianoTeq, VB3, and Lounge Lizard, should they get on board. This new “Native Kontrol Standard” (NKS) will allow developers to customize support for the colored LEDs above the keys, parameters, unique behaviors for the touch strips, so plug-in developers add tagging (this is code and NOT MIDI) so their presets show up alongside NI’s. Coding for NKS may be hard, IDK, but it should be much tighter than MIDI ccs.
"This isn’t accomplished via MIDI, so you’ll need to be a plug-in maker with access to NI’s developer tools to exploit those parameter controls. Those developers are granted access to what is essentially a simple API for the Komplete Kontrol host software (and, by extension, both the Browser and the hardware functions on the keyboard). This isn’t some new control protocol, and it isn’t a new plug-in format; it’s some kind of thin layer of description that plug-in developers add when they bundle their software for release". It looks like the DAW folks don't need to do anything????, just the VST guys?.
Now this is a neat feature, if it works as advertised, loading VST plug-ins directly into Komplete Kontrol. Supposedly, once loaded, those VSTs will work in any host – Pro Tools, Logic Audio Unit hosts, etc., with all parameters controllable by the keyboard.
Considering the price, it might be worth eating eggs and pasta for a while.
The ability to bring such a keyboard controller (kontroller?), not exactly light at 31? lbs, (14 kg) but manageable; with a laptop able to handle NI, Pianoteq, VB3, Lounge Lizard, Diva, etc., is pretty compelling. With a nice VST host like Cantabile, with it's live features this could be the winter of the egg.
Last edited by ronnie on Mon Oct 19, 2015 5:40 am, edited 1 time in total.
"I’ve come to the conclusion that synths are like potatoes, they’re no good raw—you’ve got to cook ‘em, and I cooked these sounds for months before I got them to the point where they sounded musical to me." Lyle Mays
Re: Komplete Kontrol S88
Hmm, Kraft Dinner? 
Sure, it has nice features, but if you just want a nice controller, there are way cheaper options out there. I used to have an M-Audio Axiom 61 or something like that. It had knobs, faders and transport controls. It probably cost me less than $200 brand new. It was USB powered, but it had real MIDI ports too. I never use the transport on a controller anyways. Easier to do with a mouse on the screen.
Got rid of that one, because space way getting tight. Now my main keyboard is the M3 88. It has heavy keys. I don't know what keybed it uses, but it feels rock solid. The only think I don't like it is the heavy keys. I am not a piano player. Much prefer semi weighted synth keys. I am starting to get used to it though, but can't play as fast on it as on a light keyboard. Oh yeah, these M3s go for like 1500$ and it comes with great sounds, sampling, Karma 2, etc etc. I think it can load sounds from an USB drive, but I have never tried to be honest. A lot of the stock sounds were taken from the $10,000 flagship Oasys. The only thing that I don't like on it is the filter. It's a crappy sounding one. When the resonance is really high, it start to sound really weird. I don't understand why, because Korg had the legacy collection out way before releasing this keyboard and the filters on those plugins sounds terrific and don't eat up all your CPU like the Diva
-Tom
Sure, it has nice features, but if you just want a nice controller, there are way cheaper options out there. I used to have an M-Audio Axiom 61 or something like that. It had knobs, faders and transport controls. It probably cost me less than $200 brand new. It was USB powered, but it had real MIDI ports too. I never use the transport on a controller anyways. Easier to do with a mouse on the screen.
Got rid of that one, because space way getting tight. Now my main keyboard is the M3 88. It has heavy keys. I don't know what keybed it uses, but it feels rock solid. The only think I don't like it is the heavy keys. I am not a piano player. Much prefer semi weighted synth keys. I am starting to get used to it though, but can't play as fast on it as on a light keyboard. Oh yeah, these M3s go for like 1500$ and it comes with great sounds, sampling, Karma 2, etc etc. I think it can load sounds from an USB drive, but I have never tried to be honest. A lot of the stock sounds were taken from the $10,000 flagship Oasys. The only thing that I don't like on it is the filter. It's a crappy sounding one. When the resonance is really high, it start to sound really weird. I don't understand why, because Korg had the legacy collection out way before releasing this keyboard and the filters on those plugins sounds terrific and don't eat up all your CPU like the Diva
-Tom
Re: Komplete Kontrol S88
Heh, heh. Kraft dinner! As a piano guy I like the Fatar 88 keybed thing. I love my Kurzweil SP88 which I can totally control the feel, heavy to light, and Fatar - (and the sounds are decent for 32 voice polyphony - but it's not a PianoTeq!). So that's nice, for piano. Close to 40lbs! I use my Roland MKB-300 for organs (close to 50lbs!), it feels really close to a Hammond and I use assorted others, M-Audio, Roland, Alesis for the synths. I have assorted BCF, UC-33, and my trusty SAC-2K as controllers too but I'll be damned to say the whole shebang is portable. I have an M-Audio Pro-Keys 88 at 17lbs but the keybed is just lousy. So for a portable, live rig for VSTs, the NI S88 could do the trick with Cantabile (love it) and VSTs. I love the Korg Legacy collection! I was able to transfer all the M3 patches that I had in Sysex from back in the day. It took two passes to convert to text and then back with a little editing of the headers (one byte - I think). So the hardware is gone and I don't miss the tiny screen and button gymnastics. I already have a nice laptop with an I7 2.4 clocked to 3.5, SSDs and 32 GB which purrs with all these VSTs, including Diva so the NI Keyboard is part of the equation. Even the onboard SoundBlaster X-Fi3 is fantastic for playback - plug the laptop right in to FOH. Laptop and Keyboard. That's it.
Just for S&Gs I got the IK Real Piano (free) for my LG G3 Android and plugged in the Pro Keys 88 to the USB, took the headphone outs into a mixer and played through the studio monitors. Well, it ain't no PianoTeq, and it has some latency issues (but not unplayable). You have to tweak the Android for audio (no WiFi, Super-Airplane don't hassle me mode and have the battery full (or use a powered hub or double cable with power). It works! Not great, but I can see the potential. Carry a keyboard and your phone! Maybe in a couple of years?????
Again this is just for basic bread and butter live gigs, Scope will always be in the studio.
As a piano guy I like the Fatar 88 keybed thing. I love my Kurzweil SP88 which I can totally control the feel, heavy to light, and Fatar - (and the sounds are decent for 32 voice polyphony - but it's not a PianoTeq!). So that's nice, for piano. Close to 40lbs! I use my Roland MKB-300 for organs (close to 50lbs!), it feels really close to a Hammond and I use assorted others, M-Audio, Roland, Alesis for the synths. I have assorted BCF, UC-33, and my trusty SAC-2K as controllers too but I'll be damned to say the whole shebang is portable. I have an M-Audio Pro-Keys 88 at 17lbs but the keybed is just lousy. So for a portable, live rig for VSTs, the NI S88 could do the trick with Cantabile (love it) and VSTs. I love the Korg Legacy collection! I was able to transfer all the M3 patches that I had in Sysex from back in the day. It took two passes to convert to text and then back with a little editing of the headers (one byte - I think). So the hardware is gone and I don't miss the tiny screen and button gymnastics. I already have a nice laptop with an I7 2.4 clocked to 3.5, SSDs and 32 GB which purrs with all these VSTs, including Diva so the NI Keyboard is part of the equation. Even the onboard SoundBlaster X-Fi3 is fantastic for playback - plug the laptop right in to FOH. Laptop and Keyboard. That's it.Just for S&Gs I got the IK Real Piano (free) for my LG G3 Android and plugged in the Pro Keys 88 to the USB, took the headphone outs into a mixer and played through the studio monitors. Well, it ain't no PianoTeq, and it has some latency issues (but not unplayable). You have to tweak the Android for audio (no WiFi, Super-Airplane don't hassle me mode and have the battery full (or use a powered hub or double cable with power). It works! Not great, but I can see the potential. Carry a keyboard and your phone! Maybe in a couple of years?????
Again this is just for basic bread and butter live gigs, Scope will always be in the studio.
"I’ve come to the conclusion that synths are like potatoes, they’re no good raw—you’ve got to cook ‘em, and I cooked these sounds for months before I got them to the point where they sounded musical to me." Lyle Mays
Re: Komplete Kontrol S88
Ahahaha, it sounds like you need to make some more room in the basement
You're all set. Yes, the M-Audio is cheap, it did feel flimsy compared to a pro keyboard like a Korg or Yamaha.
Why not just get an iPad? You can run synths on it just fine!
-Tom
You're all set. Yes, the M-Audio is cheap, it did feel flimsy compared to a pro keyboard like a Korg or Yamaha.
Why not just get an iPad? You can run synths on it just fine!
-Tom