With a glass and aluminium case, NI’s Komplete Audio 6 interface looks as good as we hope it sounds

Native Instruments Komplete Audio 6

Promising both style and substance, NI has launched a revamped Komplete Audio 6 audio interface. This is a larger sibling for the Komplete Audio 1 and 2 boxes that were announced earlier this year.

The Komplete Audio 6 follows the same design blueprint as its little brothers, but ups the ante with a glass and aluminium housing. This is said to make the interface more durable, though the original version was actually pretty bombproof anyway.

This new model certainly looks slicker than its predecessor, though, while controls, connections and the new LED VU-meters are designed to be positioned where you need them to be. Enhancements have been made on the inside, too: you can now record at 24-bit/192kHz, while the all-new preamps offer improved gain range and higher dynamic range for lower noise floors when recording.

There are six inputs and six outputs in total: 4x analogue in/out (with DC coupled 1/4-inch TRS outputs for controlling modular analogue synths, 2x digital in/out (SPDIF), and MIDI In/Out. Two high-power headphone outputs are onboard, too.

The Komplete Audio 6 can be powered over USB and comes with a sizeable software bundle. It’ll be available for pre-order on 15 May and will ship on 12 June priced at $239/£189/€229.

Find out more on the Native Instruments website.

Ben Rogerson

I’m the Deputy Editor of MusicRadar, having worked on the site since its launch in 2007. I previously spent eight years working on our sister magazine, Computer Music. I’ve been playing the piano, gigging in bands and failing to finish tracks at home for more than 30 years, 24 of which I’ve also spent writing about music and the ever-changing technology used to make it. 

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