Native Instruments announces new Maschine Mk3 & Komplete Kontrol Mk2 hardware

Native Instruments has announced the next generation of Maschine and Komplete Kontrol hardware. Unified by an all-new industrial design, both units have been re-engineered "to inspire and enable nonstop creativity, boasting more intuitive workflows, optimized layouts, vivid visual feedback, and deeper studio integration".

Maschine Mk3 delivers its best ever workflow for quickly sketching and capturing ideas. It adds two high-resolution color screens for easier sound browsing, editing, sample-slicing, and more. The new hardware also features more dedicated function buttons and larger, more responsive pads that retain the same ergonomic layout users know and love. For enhanced convenience and portability, Maschine now features a built-in 96kHz / 24-bit audio interface.

Komplete Kontrol Mk2 extends the original keyboard's workflow with 17 additional function buttons and two high-resolution color screens for browsing, previewing sounds, and more. And now – thanks to enhanced DAW and Maschine integration – it's possible to mix, navigate, and edit projects directly from the hardware. The Fatar keybeds and unique Light Guide are joined by new pitch and mod wheels, plus a horizontal touch strip for additional expression.

Pricing and availability
The new Maschine, Komplete Kontrol S49, and Komplete Kontrol S61 will be available at the NI Online Shop and retailers from October 5, 2017. All three units are available to pre-order at the NI Online Shop. Pricing remains the same as the previous versions in all markets:

• Maschine
  • EUR 599.
  • USD 599.
  • JPY 72800.
  • GBP 479.
  • AUD 899.
• Komplete Kontrol S49
  • EUR 599.
  • USD 599.
  • JPY 69800.
  • GBP 479.
  • AUD 899.
• Komplete Kontrol S61
  • EUR 699.
  • USD 699.
  • JPY 79800.
  • GBP 559.
  • AUD 1049.

Maschine Mk3
The next generation of Maschine hardware lets you effortlessly produce beats, melodies, and harmonies with powerful drum synths, premium sounds, an integrated sampler, and more – cutting-edge software meets intuitive hardware for an ultra-smooth workflow.

Key features:

• Integrated hardware/software system includes sampler, arranger, mixer, FX, and more
.
• 8 GB Maschine library with samples, one-shots, sliced loops, sampled instruments, presets, patterns, drum kits, and songs
.
• Includes 25 GB Komplete 11 SELECT library
.
• 25 pro-quality studio and creative FX including filter, EQ, delay, reverb, and compressor
.
• 2 high-resolution RGB color displays for precision sample slicing, sound tweaking, note editing, mixing, browsing, and more
.
• 16 large, ultra-sensitive pads make two-handed drumming easy
.
• Pro-grade, 96kHz / 24-bit audio interface with 2 x ¼" TRS line outputs, 2 x ¼" TRS line inputs, ¼" dynamic mic input, stereo headphone output, 1 x MIDI In, 1 x MIDI out, and 1 x Footswitch
.
• Touch sensitive knobs for parameter tweaking
.
• Smart Strip for strumming notes, pitch bending sounds, performing with FX, and more
.
• Four-directional push encoder for browsing, navigating, and adjusting levels and balance
.
• Powered via USB 2.0 or with the included power supply unit
.
• Seamless integration with Komplete 
.
• Classic groovebox features including 16 velocity levels, swing, pad link, note repeat, step sequencer, and vintage MPC 60/SP-1200 sampling emulation
.
• Compatible with all major DAWs (including Ableton Live, Logic Pro, and FL Studio) as a VST or Audio Units plug-in, with full multi-core support
.

Komplete Kontrol Mk2
With the latest generation of Komplete Kontrol hardware, music-making becomes a more intuitive, hands-on experience. Perform expressively, browse and preview sounds, tweak parameters, sketch your ideas, and navigate and mix your project – all from one fully integrated centerpiece for studio and stage.

Key features:

• Smart keyboard controller for all your virtual instruments
.
• Pro-grade Fatar keybeds with aftertouch – 49 or 61 semi-weighted keys
.
• Ergonomic pitch and mod wheels, plus touch strip for expression control
.
• Pre-mapped control of Komplete instruments and hundreds of Native Kontrol Standard (NKS) instruments from leading manufacturers
.
• Full VSTi support
.
• Tag-based preset browsing: Find sounds quickly and hear instant previews
.
• Two high-res color screens for browsing, tweaking, mixing, and more
.
• Light Guide: RGB lights above each key highlight drum cells, key switches, chords, scales, and more
.
• Smart Play: See scales and modes on the Light Guide, play chord progressions and arpeggios with single keys, or map any scale to white keys only
.
• Deep integration with Maschine software / hardware
.
• Intuitive control over Logic Pro X, Ableton Live, and GarageBand. Cubase and Nuendo integration coming soon after initial release
.
• 4-directional push encoder for one-handed sound browsing and project navigation
.
• Two assignable pedal inputs
.
• MIDI in / out
.
• USB 2.0 bus powered
.
• Includes Komplete 11 Select
.

Native Kontrol Standard
Native Kontrol Standard (NKS) is Native Instruments' extended plug-in format for all virtual instrument developers. NKS allows for intuitive and seamless interaction between plug-in instruments and Komplete Kontrol and Maschine hardware. With NKS, support for powerful features like tag-based browsing, Light Guide feedback, and pre-mapped controls extends to hundreds of instruments from 40+ leading plug-in manufacturers.