View other reviews for this product:
kondwanikaphaizi « One Interface To Rule Them All! »
Published on 07/16/14 at 02:10The Native Instruments Komplete Audio 6 is a USB audio interface which has a total of 6 inputs and 6 outputs. The front panel has 2 XLR/instrument inputs each with a gain control, a headphone jack, a monitoring control which has the option to switch between stereo and mono and mute button for toggling the monitor or off. The rear has a MIDI in port, MIDI out, SPDIF, balanced 1/4 inch input and output, a balanced 1/4 inch output for studio monitors and a button for turning the phantom power on and off. Power and data uses a single USB cable.
You get more than what you pay for in this package because in addition to the unit itself you also get a disc with NI Komplete Elements, Cubase LE 6 and a demo of Traktor LE 2 to get you started recording and editing audio. The box is polished, beautifully constructed and every control is solid; none of the knobs are shaky or flimsy. The top of the unit has the LEDs for all the various inputs so you can monitor clipping from a central location and it has a massive volume button. It's a really great package. I got it as my first audio interface and it's what I use in my main setup at home.
UTILIZATION
I use it mostly with FL Studio and REAPER, neither program has any issues detecting the unit. Unlike my other audio interface (the Avid Mbox 3 Mini) I haven't had any issues using the ASIO driver with the Komplete 6 in REAPER. On my Windows 7, 4GB RAM, i5 machine I'm able to get the latency down to around 13ms with this unit which is excellent when recording. I haven't used it much with the Cubase that comes in the package because I'm more comfortable with other software packages but it runs great in the other DAWs I use so this should be no problem. The two XLR inputs means you can record in stereo using two condenser mics or you could record two sound sources simultaneously, for instance a guitar with one mic while singing into another mic. I've experimented with this here and there and it's really good.
It also has direct monitoring which means you can listen to your audio with zero latency as you record. If you want to add external effects such as reverb you'll have connect an external unit which is not so difficult. On top of that you can toggle your monitoring output from stereo to mono. You can also connect an extra set of headphones for monitoring at the back of the unit. The performance of the unit is brilliant, I use it with my Blue Spark, AKG C1000s and Audix mics and all them sound awesome. The preamps are loud and the self-noise is low. You can get professional sounding recordings from this unit with very little work if you have a good mic and your room is setup well.
I rarely experience any crackling or popping when using the unit. On occasion it produces pops and clicks when I use it for playing back media in VLC or Windows Media Player but never when recording in REAPER.
GETTING STARTED
The unit comes with a good instruction manual which explains clearly how to setup the unit. It's compatible with Windows and Mac. I use mine on a Windows 7 machine. Initial setup is very simple, just plug in the device and it installs the drivers automatically. In case of complications there's a driver CD included in the package and they're also available on the NI website for both Mac and Windows. It also its own custom software for configuring the device i.e. setting the latency, etc. You have to experiment with it a bit to find the right settings for your computer. I had no issues whatsoever getting the device to work as it should.
OVERALL OPINION
This unit is almost perfect for small studio owners. It has plenty of inputs and outputs and is very durable. If you buy it brand new with everything intact you get a great suite of software to get you started with recording if you don't have any other DAW or audio editor. it's very difficult to find any cons other than the fact that the TRS in/outputs don't have a dedicated gain control unlike the rest of the unit so you have to control it from whichever software you're using to record. But it is worth the money it costs. You will only get bad recordings from this device due to other factors such quality of your mics, cables, room noise/treatment, bad recording technique, etc. The device itself is almost faultless. It's one of the best in its price range and one of my favourite pieces of gear.
Pros:
- Solid, great build quality
- Comes with Cubase LE 6 & Komplete Elements
- Easy to setup
- Multiple headphone jacks
Cons:
- No gain control on the TRS inputs/outputs 3 and 4 so controlling the level has to be done in the software that you're using
You get more than what you pay for in this package because in addition to the unit itself you also get a disc with NI Komplete Elements, Cubase LE 6 and a demo of Traktor LE 2 to get you started recording and editing audio. The box is polished, beautifully constructed and every control is solid; none of the knobs are shaky or flimsy. The top of the unit has the LEDs for all the various inputs so you can monitor clipping from a central location and it has a massive volume button. It's a really great package. I got it as my first audio interface and it's what I use in my main setup at home.
UTILIZATION
I use it mostly with FL Studio and REAPER, neither program has any issues detecting the unit. Unlike my other audio interface (the Avid Mbox 3 Mini) I haven't had any issues using the ASIO driver with the Komplete 6 in REAPER. On my Windows 7, 4GB RAM, i5 machine I'm able to get the latency down to around 13ms with this unit which is excellent when recording. I haven't used it much with the Cubase that comes in the package because I'm more comfortable with other software packages but it runs great in the other DAWs I use so this should be no problem. The two XLR inputs means you can record in stereo using two condenser mics or you could record two sound sources simultaneously, for instance a guitar with one mic while singing into another mic. I've experimented with this here and there and it's really good.
It also has direct monitoring which means you can listen to your audio with zero latency as you record. If you want to add external effects such as reverb you'll have connect an external unit which is not so difficult. On top of that you can toggle your monitoring output from stereo to mono. You can also connect an extra set of headphones for monitoring at the back of the unit. The performance of the unit is brilliant, I use it with my Blue Spark, AKG C1000s and Audix mics and all them sound awesome. The preamps are loud and the self-noise is low. You can get professional sounding recordings from this unit with very little work if you have a good mic and your room is setup well.
I rarely experience any crackling or popping when using the unit. On occasion it produces pops and clicks when I use it for playing back media in VLC or Windows Media Player but never when recording in REAPER.
GETTING STARTED
The unit comes with a good instruction manual which explains clearly how to setup the unit. It's compatible with Windows and Mac. I use mine on a Windows 7 machine. Initial setup is very simple, just plug in the device and it installs the drivers automatically. In case of complications there's a driver CD included in the package and they're also available on the NI website for both Mac and Windows. It also its own custom software for configuring the device i.e. setting the latency, etc. You have to experiment with it a bit to find the right settings for your computer. I had no issues whatsoever getting the device to work as it should.
OVERALL OPINION
This unit is almost perfect for small studio owners. It has plenty of inputs and outputs and is very durable. If you buy it brand new with everything intact you get a great suite of software to get you started with recording if you don't have any other DAW or audio editor. it's very difficult to find any cons other than the fact that the TRS in/outputs don't have a dedicated gain control unlike the rest of the unit so you have to control it from whichever software you're using to record. But it is worth the money it costs. You will only get bad recordings from this device due to other factors such quality of your mics, cables, room noise/treatment, bad recording technique, etc. The device itself is almost faultless. It's one of the best in its price range and one of my favourite pieces of gear.
Pros:
- Solid, great build quality
- Comes with Cubase LE 6 & Komplete Elements
- Easy to setup
- Multiple headphone jacks
Cons:
- No gain control on the TRS inputs/outputs 3 and 4 so controlling the level has to be done in the software that you're using