Hey what’s going on Maschine Masters family? I am very excited to share my first product review with you all. I want to introduce everyone to the Native Instruments Komplete Kontrol S-series midi controller. Before I jump straight into this review, I want to let the audience know that this is strictly a review on the midi controller itself. There are 3 models to choose from which are the S-25, S-49 and S-61. All 3 models work exactly the same and have the same functionalities except they differ in the amount of keys they have. We have been getting a lot of question about this product and want to hit you all up with all the right answers. Don’t fret MM, we are working on a follow up review to explain how well it integrates with the new Maschine 2.2 update.

As you all know the Native Instruments Development Team have been working around the clock this year to give both the Producer and DJ world the best and most modern equipment we can possibly imagine. Well I happen to get my hands on a Komplete S-61 midi controller and all I can say its love at first sight. The exterior display of the Komplete midi controller has a very beautiful and sleek design. While it only comes in the color of black, it does share similar features that of the Maschine Studio (surface, buttons and knobs). The lights above the keys illuminate with every keystroke and the pitch and mod wheel can be manipulated with a touch of the finger. It also has a transport section (Play, rewind, loop, fast forward, record, and stop), performance section (Arp and scales), Transpose section (octaves up or down) and a navigation section (browse, arrows for presets and selections). The 8 touch sensitive knobs also have 8 mini display screens located just underneath them. You can control Komplete plug-in parameters and tweak certain macro settings with just a twist of a knob not limiting you to a mouse for slight adjustments.

On the back of the midi controller you will see 1 midi input/1 midi output, a power button (it’s alive), sustain/expression pedal inputs, usb and power (AC-DC) inputs. It’s simple but has a lot of power to run the Komplete midi controller smooth and efficiently. The Komplete midi controller is universal (you can use this inside any music program) and will trigger sounds like a regular midi controller.

The Komplete midi keys are semi weighted and have almost a natural feel, it does not feel spring loaded like most midi controllers on the market. Having playback lights above the keys are great for beginners who are still on the verge of learning scales and chord progression, helping you start where you left off. All beginners and skilled players can take advantage of light assist when triggering drum samples from your midi controller, assisting you in finding where your drum samples and samples are when placed up and down the midi keyboard. The keys are also very responsive and you barely have any latency which is a huge plus factor when trigger midi notes.

Some may question if the Komplete midi controller is worth the asking price. If you own Komplete 9 or 10 plug-in bundles or Maschine software then my answer based on my own opinion would be YES! You can take full advantage of the capabilities and controls of this product. If you do not own any of the products listed then you can still use the controller like any other controller on the market but the functionalities will be limited. After purchase you will receive a $25.00 voucher to use towards any Native Instruments product listed on their website. Please visit Native Instruments Website to see more information on the Komplete S series Models. Thank you again and until next time peace!