Native Instruments has announced it has partnered with Softube, Waldorf, Sugar Bytes, Sonic Faction, and XILS-lab for a limited-time offer.

The instruments on sale are just some of the growing number of plug-ins that are compatible with Native Kontrol Standard (NKS) – the extended plug-in format that allows deep level integration with Native Instruments’ KOMPLETE KONTROL S-Series and MASCHINE hardware. The special offer runs from April 21 until May 9, 2016. The products on offer are Heartbeat from Softube, Nave, Largo, PPG Wave 3.V, and Waldorf Edition 2 from Waldorf, Cyclop from Sugar Bytes, the Archetype bundle from Sonic Faction, and XILS 4 and PolyKB II from XILS-lab.

Kristofer Ulfves from Softube states: “We’re thrilled to be part of the NKS-family and to see that Heartbeat really comes to life using the NI hardware. The NKS-mapping of Heartbeat have been optimized for swift tweaking of the drum channels, as well as for intuitive and fun performance. Have fun!”

Similarly, Taylor Martyr from Sonic Faction highlights the advanced interaction of their Archetype instruments and NI hardware: “NKS gives you total control of every sound, bringing each of the eight Archetype instruments out of the box and directly into your hands.”

Xavier Oudin, from XILS-lab, was also impressed by how NKS provides a deep-level connection from keyboard hardware to software instrument:
“When working on the NKS compatibility for the XILS 4 and the PolyKB II, we realized how much fun it was playing our two soft synthesizers with a KOMPLETE KONTROL keyboard – modifying parameters in real time and switching presets without ever touching a mouse. It is an experience we wanted to share.”

Native Kontrol Standard (NKS) is NI’s extended plug-in format that allows third-party instrument developers to directly address hardware features in KOMPLETE KONTROL S-Series and in MASCHINE. NKS instruments organically appear in the Native Browser with all presets readily tagged, offer sensible parameter assignments via Native Map, and make use of the Light Guide to display key switches and sample assignments.
NKS also brings Smart Play features to third-party instruments, allowing detailed access to the S-Series’ touch strips, scale mapping, Chord Sets, and the powerful arpeggiator. The list of partners supporting NKS with free updates for their instruments is growing rapidly.

The offer ends May 9th, 2016.

More information: Native Instruments