Kontrol S 88

Nice find Mickeyl...and I agree with Spidouz regarding the Studio version of the S-Keyboard series. That is what I'm holding out for; that, and (one can only hope) some real mod wheels...Gotta love those boozed up equipment demos, where the guy doesn't even realize he's not supposed to talk about it after!

 

Controller Editor 1.9.0 release notes:

* Support for KOMPLETE KONTROL S88

 

I had no doubts NI was releasing an 88-key KK this year, but if what the guy in the other forum is saying is in fact true and this he's is not completely full of crap, its exactly what I dreaded.; and it would mean NI is going to release a $999 or slightly hire priced 88 key version of the Komplete Kontrol S Keyboard with the only difference being the number of keys. Then in about a year to a year and a half from its release they'll release a Studio version targeting all of us who bought the first 88-key for a grand or more. I don't think that's the case though, it shouldn't have taken over a year to just upscale a keyboard and they need to give those who bought the 61-key a reason to buy the 88. Although for me if I had purchased a 61 I would still be getting the 88. But they also purposely didn't release an 88 last year so that people who wanted an 88 got 61's and NI new they'd drop the cash again a year later for an 88. Only time will tell. Whatever it is, I'm expecting an October announcement, with a release before Christmas.

 

Doesn't matter people are going to buy it lol. I'd rather wait and put the money for the next version of maschine studio/komplete 11 ultimate for myself. The S61 Mk2 will probably have bigger screens.

 

A Kontrol S88 will be great, although I too would have preferred the presence of a color display and more controls onboard, in short a Pro or Studio version of the current Kontrol series.
I agree that in the time span of one whole year more could have been done than just changing the keybed, and it's a bit disappointing to read that it seems to be exactly the same as the 61 keys version, only with a different keybed.
Nevertheless, I'm glad that finally a Kontrol S88 sees the light of day.

The question remains what the keybed feels like, if it is quiet, what the price will be, etc. I'm looking forward to more details from NI hoping the price will not be too extravagant for what is essentially a larger (and weighted) keybed for the current Kontrol S series.

 

DZ101, I'm afraid there's some truth in your suspicion... still ultimately I'd also prefer a Komplete Kontrol Studio S88 to finally fix my studio ergonomics (keyboard vs maschine space problem).

 

The price is going to be very very expensive. If you thought the kontrol S61 was expensive lol. I'm personally holding on to the S61 and going to use that money for komplete 11/maschine studio Mk3 (when it comes out)/traktor DJ mixer. I can't travel with S88 going from studio to studio or going out of town for sessions.

 

If what the guy in the other forum told is really true, then I wonder why it's taking so long. If it's _just_ a usual KOMPLETE KONTROL with a larger keybed, then why hasn't it already been released once they have decided to make it. Or perhaps they're still pondering...

 

If nothing is announced november 1st, it gets pushed back next year maybe? Me personally I would rather keep the S61 and buy the new maschine, traktor dj mixer, and komplete 11!

 

If they've demoed it to distributers/product specialists I think it's safe to say it's on its way....

 

The good news is that it definitely is on it's way, just check this link or this one.
The bad news is that it's expensive (almost 1000 Euros) and it does not offer any additional controls since it's just an 88 key version of the Kontrol S series.

 

If it comes with a real good keybed, its price might actually be more justified for the hardware than with the previous models...

 

It's dropping.

 

Yes, you may be right, but I'm a little concerned about the Fatar keybed.
Akai's MPK and Arturia have a Fatar keybed in their 88 key controllers, and both are quite noisy.
But I'll wait and see what NI have done with the S88.

 

The handful of control knobs and buttons seem so lonely on that big surface space...

 

I stumbled across another link to the S88 which mentions the all new NKS standard, so I guess NI has planned an announcement of the simultaneous release of the new S88 and the NKS feature for the Kontrol series.

 

Bingo...which is exactly what happened.

It's full hammer action....

This is a real problem...and unfortunately they will please a lot of people but piss off others no matter what they decide to do.
They (sensibly I think, as you seem to agree that it's the consensus) decided that the 88 key version should have full hammer action to cater to the piano players in their market.

 

WRT piano action: And there's not even enough space to put a S61 on top since the LED area is centered *sigh*

 

What does WRT mean?

 

http://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/keyboards/detail.asp?stock=151008289894002