KOMPLETE KONTROL

Kontrol yourself

Native Instruments’ Komplete Kontrol series of MIDI keyboard controllers seek to bridge the gap between hardware and software by allowing you to control both your DAW and your individual plugins – all from the keyboard – without having to touch your computer keyboard or mouse. While not unique in this approach (both Akai and Novation have similar systems), NI’s solution is one of the more well thought-out ones around. Once set up, its two big, high-resolution colour screens and thoughtfully laid-out controls can reduce the amount of time spent at your computer, increasing your focus on the creative hub of your setup: the MIDI keyboard. It achieves this through the use of the Komplete Kontrol software that ships with the keyboard, in both standalone and plugin versions.

Acting as a kind of host within a host, you load your instrument into the Komplete Kontrol plugin, which then communicates with the controller to enable control of that instrument directly from the keyboard’s front panel. It obviously works best with NI’s own software instruments, sample libraries and effects, but can be configured to work with third party instruments, too.

> Step by step

4. Loading NKS presets on the Komplete Kontrol S61

1 Call up an instance of the Komplete Kontrol plugin on a