New Native Instruments controllers!

[MoonMusic]

Muse Research already has an "app store" for "pre-approved VSTs"
http://www.plugorama.com/search.php
They currently have 164 products so there are quite a few to choose from....I personally only have a couple user installed on mine - Omnisphere, Trillian, and Komplete 9 Ultimate......Those 3 alone have a staggering amount of amazing sounding presets....But it also came with a lot of preinstalled things from the factory that are pretty good too....Not to mention all the IK Multimedia stuff I bought during the group buy....I don't really use any of it but it's there....moon

My best idea so far is and appstore with addapted and supported VSTs, from which the hardware company gets 30% of the sold vsts price...

[Bachus]

So the NI one really isn't all that strange then. Komplete seems a pretty decent package to work with as a start and while you can't add "any" VST, there's a TON of Kontakt expansions available. Not to mention Reaktor should satisfy a lot of synth and "utility" needs.

My point is you can either have hardware/software integration or a "generic" approach, not both. NI seems well on the way now and they are ideally positioned to accomodate new synths into the system, whether third party or their own.

You cant add external vst sounds to the komplete kontroll software list...

However if you choose an external VST sound in your DAW with kontroll keyboard connected, it automatically switches to Mackie midi support.... If you choose a Komplete sound, it uses all the features of the keyboard and the software.... The komplete kontrol software functions as a VST client when selected trough a DAW...

So while i dont have the extended kontrol features when selecting a VST, i can still use a midi template on the arranger, switching between midi and kontroll software is fully automatically..


Nice to know is that most of the kontroll features are also added to the maschine 2.2 software, even the arpeggiator is available in maschine 2.2..
And kontrol and maschine are intended to be used in adition to eachother..


Hardware software integration of the komplete keyboard interface is one step further then the rest, with only things like push apc40mk2.. And the arturia keylab ( with keys )

[Jan1]

My point is you can either have hardware/software integration or a "generic" approach, not both. NI seems well on the way now and they are ideally positioned to accomodate new synths into the system, whether third party or their own.

Yes, 'generic' and 'integration' don't go exactly hand in hand.
I don't mind having several controllers tailor-made for specific software if that controller indeed is capable of making the interaction with software synths etc. so direct and intuitive that it feels as if you are dealing with a hardware synth.

But then there's the issue of reliability of course.
There's definitely a difference between a generic computer and a dedicated computer-based system like the KRONOS which is fine-tuned and streamlined for specific functions.

[MoonMusic]

There's definitely a difference between a generic computer and a dedicated computer-based system like the KRONOS which is fine-tuned and streamlined for specific functions.

I agree....I think NI is going to close that gap of "hands on" now that it started down the road with the Komplete keyboard.....They've been doing it with Maschine for years now....Sure this first edition is a limited interface but they will only make it bigger and better like they did with maschine.....moon

[jimknopf]

I must say, the longer I look at this piece of hardware, the less sense it makes to me.

What I really dislike, is that
- a) it doesn't have enough knobs/sliders etc. for what I would want to do with it, to see a real jump in usability, and the little LED gimmick show isn't really able to compensate for that from my perspective: it's just not the way I keep good overview over the information I want to see.
- b) it has a completely disgusting pair of riboons instead of a decent pitch/modwheel pair: this alone makes it completely unuseable to me
- c) it is more or less specialized/limited to a single software company and their products: I'm not going down that road, just to fill my home studo with half a dozen controllers from all the manufacturers perhaps picking up the same questionable idea, originating from Arturia in better, but still not completely convincing form.

To me this whole thing is just something completely dispensible.
But I use only chosen NI sample libraries in Kontakt, and don't appreciate mega packs like Komplete anyway, containing too much stuff I either already have or don't use.

And of course to each his/her own!

[SanderXpander]

If you're looking to replace the "hardware synth" idea, you really do need a complete (ha!) package like "Komplete". I appreciate that it may not be for you but I don't agree that this is a senseless move for them. I still think the controllers are too expensive and I would like to try the implementation myself but it seems like it could be very cool.

[jimknopf]

Software isn't really unified anyway, not even within Komplete.

Even if I didn't have the Kronos, I would never need a package like Komplete for fast access to my chosen software arsenal of sounds, well enough organized in the Cubase media bay, where I can organize instruments, track-ready with their whole effect chain in Cubase presets.

And concerning a controller keyboard for my software, I would prefer a quality Logitech Numa 49 (not yet existing), with advanced controller mapping for more than just one software package, hands down over any such propietary solution.

I don't think it doesn't make sense for NI. I just doubt it makes enough sense for users, and certainly not at that price tag.

[SanderXpander]

I'll just say it doesn't make sense for you
I think they'll get a fair amount of customers after the usual price drop.
At the very least I'll be interested to see how they develop the platform.

[jimknopf]

I won't prevent anyone from buying the stuff.