The latest version of NI’s keyboard sees heavy Kontakt integration. James Russell climbs into the K-hole to check it out
CONTACT WHO: Native Instruments
KEY FEATURES Kontakt integration, OS now built into hardware rather than relying on Komplete Kontrol software
I/O: Buspowered USB-C; USB MIDI; 4 x assignable TRS pedal inputs; MIDI in and out
DIMENSIONS: 86 x 967 x 323mm
WEIGHT: 6kg
Six years on from its previous version, and the ‘Komplete Kontrol’ keyboard range is now updated and renamed, with an expanded set of features.
The Kontrol Mk3 brings a new, more robust spin on the keyboard’s chassis, and an interesting new look, right on down to the level of typography. The lightguides are crisper and bolder. Getting hands-on, the feel of the buttons remains mostly the same from the Mk2, while the knobs and wheels have been replaced with anodised aluminium versions. Let’s not forget the keys, of course, which feel comparable to most other pro MIDI controllers on the market.
Last but not least, the two screens of the Mk2 have been merged into one larger one for the Mk3. The screen is crisper, larger, and seems brighter in use; no drawbacks. While some have complained that it’s not a touchscreen, this feels more like a decision than an omission. Those knobs and buttons are there to offer the tactile accuracy that musicians crave, not a return to smudgy, unresponsive finger-pecking.
One headline feature of the Mk3 is its expanded integration. While the Mk2 had to communicate via the Komplete Kontrol software as an intermediary, NI have given the Mk3 more capabilities to do things itself. The upshot? Load an instance of Kontakt on an active MIDI channel, and the keyboard will inherit the chosen instrument’s parameters for use with the screen and knobs.
A nod to modern capabilities that doesn’t sacrifice functionality
Kontakt developers can script what you’ll get access to on the screen, so this is quite a future-proof setup. Considering the number of working composers who rely on Kontakt to earn a living, it’s no understate
