With the version 1.5 update shipping on the 27th of October, developers of Kontakt and VST instruments will map the hardware to their software. NI announced earlier this year that it wanted Komplete Kontrol to be a “standard.” Rather than just blindly assigning those displays and encoders and touch strips to plug-ins, that means working with plug-in developers to make hardware and software feel like an integrated instrument. So, the important part of this announcement is that the control features are expanded. (In fact, you can get the same keybed for a fraction of the price if you want, just in a different body.) And that means there’s no earthly reason to spend the extra cash unless you want the control features. On a digital piano, though, you’re left wondering just who is playing advanced repertoire that uses the octaves (most classical literature doesn’t) … on an electronic piano But I digress. On an acoustic piano, the extra octaves add resonance and color the sound. Actually, to be honest, the affection for 88-keys in the marketplace I find a bit misleading.

Native Instruments’ KOMPLETE KONTROL S-series keyboards later this month get some updates that will be essential to improving the value equation – a piano-friendly keyboard, third-party plug-in support, and custom control mappings.įirst, for pianists, there’s the inevitable 88-key hammer-action model. Do you want to buy a keyboard with integrated control for your software? Sure! What if it only controls specific Native Instruments software via pre-defined mappings? Uh… hrm.

Native instruments keyboard 88