Native Instruments Komplete Kontrol S49 Mk2 Keyboard

First, let me say that this keyboard is totally amazing - and well worth the $780 price tag new if you're serious about music production and are in the Native Instruments ecosystem. Kontakt is an wonderful piece of software and integrates tightly with this keyboard.However... I decided to purchase one of the Amazon Warehouse units at $200 less. I already owned the software and didn't feel as though I needed a new unit. I saved a couple hundred bucks, the keyboard came well packaged, I plugged it in and everything lit up, and launching Komplete (standalone or in FL Studio / Ableton Live) everything seemed great. The keyboard has a very nice, semi-weighted feel.All good, right?Wrong.This was totally My Bad - I didn't check each and every key, button, and knob on the unit. If you buy used - from anyone - this is a must. I was busy with other projects and the keyboard seemed as though it was in great condition. A couple weeks after the 30-day return period had ended I pulled the keyboard out, fired up Ableton, plugged everything in, and marveled at how gorgeous the thing is. Then, I started to work on a piece and realized that a stretch of eight keys were dead - Ab0 to Eb0 simply didn't work. Nada. However, I couldn't return it because it was beyond the send-back date.I don't really have anyone to blame - I should have carefully checked the unit over. Nothing appeared damaged overtly and it came described in "Very Good" condition, which means a few scuffs or scratches. It was not supposed to be defective, which mine obviously was.So, let this be a gentle reminder and caveat emptor if you are thinking about purchasing used.One other observation: if you buy a used unit, the accompanying software will almost certainly have been registered by the original owner, which means that the $200+ worth of software will belong to someone else. You need to factor this in when you're trying to figure out if you want to buy new or save a bit by purchasing used / refurbished.Just another friendly warning and something to consider.Still, this is a gorgeous keyboard and, like I said at the outset, totally worth the investment. Just be careful.Good luck and enjoy!

1. Great synth style keys.2. Encoders, switches and two beautiful displays that are solid in a layout that makes sense regardless of the software vendor - NI, Arthuria, Sonicculture all play well together under the NKS standard. My setup has more than a dozen vendors available.3. It plays well with my Maschine Mk2 and 3 otherr hardware synths as well,all via DIN MIDI.I only wish for more connectivity- why not leap forward and give us AVB (low latency over ethernet!) as well as MIDI in and through, and perhaps even more inserts in and out. Sometimes the simplicity daemon goes too far.It's very happy in Logic Pro X, and reasonably so in Studio One (used in conjunction with Notion - its sibling program dedicated to notation.) So far-+-*+-*+*+++++++++++ it hasn't been very happy working with Notion alone, but i have the idea that the fault is mine. i think I've messed up which listens to what for timing signals....In spite of the timing issue - which only effects Notion running solo, the install is no less or more pleasant than most. I have an upgrade already to a very large komplete Kollection so I didn't need to wait for gazillions of bits and bytes to download from Germany (just kidding - I think they have a North American host for us el Norte types, as the downloads I did receive showed no salt water effects and were very, very fast.

I upgraded from an S61 to this S88 MK2 just to have the extra keys but found that the keyboard on the larger model is really much nicer. I wasn't unhappy with the S61 keys at all but these fully weighted keys feel great and my playing has improved because I enjoy it more. Initially, I hesitated to get the S88 because of the few reviewers and YouTube videos saying the keyboard on this model was defective but I thought most of these reviews weren't really unbiased. Having used the S88 for some weeks, I am totally satisfied and now believe these overly negative reviews are disreputable. Native Instruments is a top shelf company and they make superb hardware and software. I wholeheartedly recommend this keyboard.

I've owned this keyboard maybe for a year now, but I would say it doesn't play with the same level of ease as even a Roland FP-30x. And after playing this thing for so long even for on-stage events, I just regret buying this piano.The greatest perk is it's integration with Komplete Kontrol, and how it lights up the appropriate keys when using MIDI instruments, but if you actually want to play piano for long periods, the action will wear you out faster than a Roland.Sadly, I'm likely going to have sell this thing :/

The M-Audio SP-2 – Universal Sustain Pedal with Piano-Style Action for MIDI Keyboards doesn't work with this one!

I was the proud owner of an S49 original. When I caught wind of the MkII I was skeptical, but seeing the beautiful color screens, the re-introduction of the wheel along with a ribbon controller, DAW integration, etc...I was sold. I purchased and haven't looked back since. The color screen alone is just the biggest change-up ever and the software integration just continues to get stronger and stronger with every update. For what I do, it is the cornerstone of my studio along with my UA Apollo.It doesn't get any better..these guys are writing the book on how to do software instrumentation right!

Build Quality is an instant 10, it looks and feels fantastic. The knobs feel like the old 70s audio equipment and they're weighty and butter smooth.The built in integration with the Komplete Kontrol VSTi is both an incredible time saver and a visual spectacle.I love this thing, it has streamlined my workflow so much. If you own a full version of Komplete, just bite the bullet and get this thing. It's just an indisputably wonderful controller.