Superbooth 25: Is NKS set to be the one sound browsing standard to rule them all? That’s the interesting and exciting prospect following the news that Arturia is embracing Native Instruments' standard even further - adding the browsing and selection of NKS compatible plugins to its previously 'Arturia-software-only' hardware controllers.
Arturia controllers gaining NKS compatibility are the KeyLab mk3, KeyLab Essential mk3, and MiniLab 3.
That means owners will soon be able to audition and select sounds from Native Instruments plugins and those from fellow partners such as Best Service, Big Fish Audio, Ohm, Spitfire Audio, Sugar Bytes and more - all directly from their Arturia keyboard. No on-screen pointing and clicking required.
“This collaboration gives producers, performers, and composers a streamlined creative workflow - where software and hardware speak the same language, right out of the box,” said a statement from Arturia.
It's the continuation of a journey we've previously covered - highlighting NI's drive to standardise the NKS format.
And, reinforcing the collaboration, Native Instruments will now be giving away its (on sale for €99) Komplete 15 Select - previously a freebie alongside their own Komplete Kontrol keyboards - with Arturia keyboards too.
Komplete 15 Select is a ‘highlights’ selection from the much larger (and more expensive) Komplete Standard, Ultimate and Collector’s Edition bundles. Offering Beats, Band, and Electronic versions (and such NI favourites as Massive X, Battery 4 and TRK-01) its inclusion is a big score for Arturia’s bundle.
A new age of cooperation? Or did the plugin world just get smaller?
Just as the rest of synth-dom banded around Sequential and Roland’s co-operation for the invention of a single MIDI standard back at the start of the 80s, so it seems that Native Instruments has successfully established NKS as the de-facto way to tag and search for sounds within our ever growing mountain of plugin presets.
Arturia's decision to incorporate the standard into its hardware (after adding NKS tagging to all the presets in their synths and the V Collection) only looks set to cement the standard’s profile and make it more tempting to more synth makers to get with the program.
Clearly the thought here is that Arturia’s keyboards and hardware (previously only a front end to the company's own plugins and the V Collection mega-bundle) just got more attractive to users already entrenched in the Native Instruments Komplete camp.
Certainly with NI's Komplete Kontrol keyboards already able to browse Arturia's libraries, the fact that Arturia's keyboards were unable to do the same back, was beginning to look like a disadvantage.
Can I tempt you with a powerful but pricey new MIDI keyboard?
As to whether the move will shift more hardware, Arturia certainly seems to hope so - with wider connectivity and breadth for their already impressive and software-integrated abilities surely good news for existing owners.
“Arturia is committed to designing universal MIDI controllers, built to inspire creativity without limits.” says Martin Dutasta, Product director at Arturia. “We're thrilled to partner with Native Instruments on NKS integration. This initiative brings greater connectivity and a more fluid workflow, benefiting creators who rely on both ecosystems.”
"This reinforces our commitment to an open and connected music industry," adds Simon Cross, Chief Product Officer at Native Instruments. "We’re giving musicians the freedom to explore sound without workflow limitations."
Official comms say that the new NKS integration to Arturia's hardware is 'coming soon'. We’ll keep you posted!
In the meantime head over to Native Instruments and Arturia's websites to keep abreast of the latest developments
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