VIP vs KK Software

Without the required software packages both keyboards are simply a MIDI controller with a high price tag. Both keyboards have a software package that operates in both Standalone and VST/AU mode and communicates on a high-level with the keyboard both allowing the keyboards to browse and control presets and also deliver control data back to the keyboard displays. Much of what the keyboards can deliver is due to the software so this is an important part to consider. In both cases your plugins will be wrapped using these software packages and you then need to control your plugins through the software. This may be seen as a hindrance because any templates you have created in the past will now need to be updated to add the software wrappers in. Additionally this is another layer between your plugin and DAW which could be seen to add extra load, complexity or unreliability but the fact is this is more and more of a non-issue with DAW environments as software driven environments and computers seem to handle all fo this pretty well.

Using both software packages I did not notice much CPU loading or even crashes with either of the packages. Time will tell but they both worked seemless and simply extended the capabilities of my workstation to my controller.  

First we will look at the Akai VIP software.

The Akai VIP (Virtual Instrument Player) is installed in both a 32/64 bit version but will only accept either 32 or 64 bit plugins (does not work as a wrapper). It works purely with VSTi (instrument) plugins (no AU support or effects) but does offer an AU plugin for your host which essentially allows AU only hosts (such as Logic/Pro Tools) to load VST plugins. This does mean, though, you need to ensure you have the VST version of your plugins installed. Multiple plugin paths can be added and the software reads sub folders which is good. Once your path is selected you can then scan your plugins into the software. In addition to the plugins a standalone program is also installed allowing management of your patches and playing of instruments without the need for a DAW. This is useful for live situations if you simply need an instrument and not an entire DAW. 

The software works by detecting the plugins you have installed then loading what is called a "plugin map" which is essentially a preset map of each of the plugins presets with mapped controls. Think of this as each preset has been configured with controls and then exported as a "VIP Preset" saving the controller assignments. It is possible for the user to then change any of the mapped controls for the entre plugin or for a selected patch only which is handy. 

These plugin maps work quite well and most had the top controls I wanted pre-mapped. There is a bit of a downside here though and that is as you may have guessed plugin maps are pre-programmed by Akai for the "top" instruments out in the market. Not all instruments will be mapped, user created presets are not auto-mapped and any expansion content for some instruments will also not be mapped. Additionally if you are the owner of Kontakt or Reaktor the software cannot detect what library's you have so you have to manually load these plugin maps which is a simple process but you need to spend some time getting this all configured.

For plugins that do not have any maps available or user created presets you have to manually import these and create your own plugin maps that you can then export and save away. This requires first configuring your controls to use (there are 4 banks of encoders and buttons available to configure for each plugin/patch) then clicking through each preset in the instrument and saving this to the plugin map. There is a feature that can attempt to read the name of each preset and save this automatically as you lick through but I found this rarely worked resulting in each preset being loaded, then click save then enter the preset name. If you are faced with an instrument with hundreds/thousands of presets to work through you will soon get tired of this.

Browsing for presets via the software is pretty simple. As you select a plugin or sound the options that do not apply are greyed out (the next version of software will remove empty tags altogether). Selecting a patch on the Left then loads the instrument and preset and you are away. Switching most VSTs is pretty quick but obviously for large sample based presets it will take time to load. 

I was instantly pleased with how quick I was able to find sounds and test new sounds and it was extremely helpful when searching for a Piano for instance to have all the plugins available that contained Pianos to sort through. It really did offer quick browsing and filtering of presets and worked just fine on-screen without the keyboard. 

The plugin window is one area that needs improvement in the software (and it is coming). The VIP browser is a fixed size so most plugins load in a cramped window that you need to move it around to see the whole thing. It is possible to pop-out the plugin into another window but when you have a few plugins this soon becomes a mess on screen so the ability to make the window bigger will be a welcome upgrade

The Multi feature is another great feature that allows multiple VSTs (up to 8) to be loaded into a single patch. You can then use the keyboards Pads to enable and disable these which makes for previewing, comparing or layering instruments a breeze. 

While you can set each multi channel to a separate MIDI channel there is no way to set an individual auto output for each channel (in the current software version). Software due for release very soon adds this and many more user requested features (resizeable window, hidden empty tags, patch map updates within software). 

For all the usefulness and fun I did have with the software I also had a fair share of issues. There were some VSTs that simply did not work with VIP (EastWest Play, Z3tA+2) and the support was close to non existent. I had a few emails go completely unanswered and forum support was close to nothing. I also suffered from the VIP software displaying a blank screen often with all the controls and data simply missing requiring the software to be minimised and maximised to "refresh" the display. After the first day of excitement I was soon frustrated and worried that my issues would not be resolved and I would be stuck with an expensive keyboard. Searching the forums for answers made me even more worried as I saw a mix of frustrated users and unanswered questions which just added to my worries. 

Next we have Komplete Kontrol

The interface looks much cleaner and in a sense easier to understand. My initial opinion after using Akai VIP was "this is a little bland and basic" but it really opens up when you start using it. 

The KK software is installed in much the same way as VIP installing both a 32/64 bit version of VST and AU plugins along with the standalone program. 

After installation of the KK software you are required to run the standalone program so it can scan the installed Komplete plugins and your other VST plugins to start building the library

Browsing is accomplished by either selecting an instrument or sound tag and filtering down or optionally you can browse by plugin/library. The browser window allows comprehensive filtering and enough information to help find instruments or presets quickly without overloading you with useless controls and information. The uncluttered look is very easy to understand and it really only takes a few minutes to understand how the browser works. This is in contrast to the VIP browser where there is much more going on and some hidden features that require holding Shift or Ctrl. 

Both software packages have methods of browsing using keyboard/mouse or the keyboard itself which we will compare shortly.

Upon loading a preset a "mini instrument" is loaded into the window which is a scaled down interface for the full plugin. I thought this was quite neat as it simplifies some of the instruments. The full interface can be opened by pressing the + button at the top and this expands the window to display the full plugin.

3rd party VSts are where the 2 software packages drift apart because for all the splendour of how KK works with the Komplete content access to 3rd party VSTs is almost a "tack on". Rather than map all the presets for all VST instruments such as AKAI have done Native Instruments have decided to introduce the NKS protocol which allows VSTs to communicate the data to the controller. This allows for immediate and direct integration (and many future possibilities) but requires plugin manufacturers to implement the standard which only a handful have done. Without this you can simply save a preset manually from the VST so you can access it in KK... From the User tab, not the main library. This would require me to rip over 20,000 presets for all my instruments just to browse them... Then there is the issue of tagging everything. 

Both KK and VIP offer great browsing features and allow the user to locate sounds quickly no matter where in their library they are but there are some obvious drawbacks that affect both such as the fact you must load the plugin for it to be useful then load your instruments through the software. The other issue I see is neither allow access to your DAW plugins (such as Ableton's numerous instruments) or your own sample or drum libraries and really are only tailored to "patch browsing". Another limitation is neither solution offers any control or integration over VST effects (other than generic MIDI control) so you are limited to only instruments. 

In the comparison between browsers I have to admit I prefer the NI solution over VIP for the uncluttered appearance BUT one thing I do not like is the fact presets are listed without any idea of the instrument they belong to whereas the VIP software details both preset and instrument. Hopefully that will be added. The other obvious thing is the KK browser does not offer browsing of VST presets but this is something I am currently adding to my collection as it is actually possible to do with some scripts and work.

Hardware Features

The hardware features are really where you have some significant differences though both appear to fill the same peg hole. Both options have good quality keybeds, 8 encoder controls, browser navigation but then there are the extra unique features that set each option apart

Build Quality Comparison

Both are very well built, with a solid quality feel. The Akai has a nice black piano finish with metal ends but all plastic body while the KK is a beautiful all black keyboard with brushed aluminum top. The Advance has hard plastic control and navigation buttons while the KK opted for soft rubber buttons but these have a nice click to them for feedback. Both keyboards have a browser wheel and controls for browsing presets. 

Keybed Comparison

The keybed is going to be one area that is very particular to a user. The Advance boasts a "Premium" semi-weighted keybed while the KKS boasts a "Fatar" semi-weighted keybed. I am certainly no expert and reading reviews it's a split between opinions they are "great" to "too stiff" to everything in between and this is the same for both products. 

I personally loved the feel of the Akai keybed and instantly found it expressive and responsive. In fact I did not even touch the velocity settings, it simply fit my style and it felt smooth and nice to use. The Komplete keybed is also just as nice with the actual feel of the keys being (in my opinion) nicer on the Komplete than the Advance. I did find the Komplete was louder when hammering keys with the definite thwack of the weighted action and I also found that the standard velocity was not good enough for me. In fact I had to adjust how I play lightly to fit into one of the velocity settings and wish there was a diagram available for each velocity curve. 

Basically both keybed options were brilliant to use and I would be happy with either.

Controls Comparison

Controls between the 2 keyboards appear a similar selection but it's how they are used which makes the difference. I will start with the Advance because it appears there is more going on there than the Komplete. 

Akai Advance:

Programmable Encoders = 8
Encoder Banks = 8 (VST Mode) 4 (CC Mode)
Pitch/Mod = Physical Fixed
Programmable Pads = 8
Programmable Buttons = 8
Control Buttons = 27
Menu Knob = 1
Total Controls = 55

One thing to first point out is that the 25 key version has a different layout for the buttons and Mod wheel, smaller encoder knobs and smaller pads so much of the layout is changed but the controls are all still the same.

First to note is the pitch and mod wheels are in the top left and not to the direct left of the keys. These are nicely illuminated so make for easy location in low light levels and they have a very nice feel to them with soft rubber grip and smooth but firm operation. Directly below these are the octave shift buttons which illuminate at different intensity depending on how far up/down the scale you go.

To the Left of the screen are the Setup/Shift/Midi buttons that open the keyboard menu options and switch the keyboard between VST and Midi control modes.

Below the screen we have page buttons to cycle the display pages of the display and transport buttons for host control. This is where I would like to point out one of the gripes I have with the Advance. The transport buttons are illuminated but do not follow host status so pressing Play on the keyboard and stop on another controller leaves the play button still lit. This is the same with the Loop button and support failed to see how this was an issue or could be helped. This is not an issue with the Komplete Kontrol.

There is a "Tap Tempo" button that allows the user to try and set the keyboards internal clock to a beat manually. This gets the prize for the most useless control on the whole keyboard as it is close to impossible to tap anything to these hard buttons. It flashes to indicate beat and can be synched to flash to a hosts BPM (where it is then disabled as tap tempo).

To the right of the screen we have the browser buttons used to navigate the LCD display. These work well though I did find myself getting confused in the browser when I should be twisting the knob or using the arrow keys to select things. This would probably become better with time but initially I was a little frustrated it simply didn't feel "intuitive".

There are 4 bank buttons that switch the pad banks next to the pads and each pad can be customised with different colours for each bank. The pads themselves certainly do the trick and flash upon each hit for visual feedback. Having owned an MPD32 in the past these felt very similar and are certainly usable. They also double as control buttons for activating multi-layered instruments in the VIP software and can also be programmed to send CC commands instead of notes. I setup the pads on CH10 to control a dedicated drum rack while the keyboard was on CH1. Splitting like this allows for a flexible solution especially live. 

The buttons below the encoders are dual function time division settings (for the well known Akai note repeat feature found on MPC/MPDs) and VST/CC control buttons. 

The Encoders on the 49/61 key version are larger than your typical encoder knobs and this is a welcome because it makes for fine adjustments. There is just enough resistance to make it feel firm but smooth to use. 

Switching to the encoder display page on the LCD you receive the feedback of the controls on-screen. For VST control the name of the mapped control is displayed along with the current value. You can then bank through 4 pages (32 separate controls)

I had some issues with my keyboard that a few users have reported where you move one encoder and the value of another will change by 1 increment each time. This was frustrating because it would trigger automation of other controls when recording which I did not want. No solutions were offered and I am sure this is a bug.

Another issue I found was simply matching up the control on the LCD to the actual physical knob. It may seem simple but in a dimly lit environment you cannot see the bracket markers over the controls and often I would be watching the screen and randomly grasping at controls until the one moved I wanted. This actually started to annoy me quite a bit to the point I switched my lights on so I could see. Some LED illumination around the knobs or something is really needed here.

Komplete Kontrol:

Programmable Encoders = 8
Encoder Banks = "Unlimited" (VST Mode) "Unlimited" (CC Mode) 
Pitch/Mod = Programmable Touch
Programmable Pads = 0
Programmable Buttons = 0
Control Buttons = 25
Menu Knob = 1
Total Controls = 33

All versions of the Komplete Keyboard have the same control panel and same keybed. There is no difference between either of the models except the number of keys. The 88 key version apparently has hammer action keys so the keybed is different (more aimed at piano players) but the controls are all the same.

The layout is clean and clutter free which personally I prefer over a panel full of buttons and controls. The number of actual fixed control buttons (not programmable buttons) is pretty much the same but where the Advance has programmable pads and buttons the Komplete has more banks of encoder controls for Both VST and CC control AND an easy ability to create unlimited encoder preset banks to easily call up a preset for a specific device.

Firstly looking interestingly at the Pitch Bend and Mod controls we see these are replaced with Touch ribbons for the controls. I was initially put off by this because my Push controller has a touch strip and I found it not all that smooth to operate. However I was very surprised at how smooth and responsive both the pitch and mod controls were and the illuminated bars really helped feedback the controllers state. Then there is the customisation of these!

You can customise the way these behave using software or the keyboard itself (press Shift + Oct) which is simply not possible with physical controls. For the pitch bend it "snaps" back just as a spring loaded control would but you can adjust how fast this occurs which makes for very smooth bends with little effort. 

The Mod control can also be programmed with "gravity" and "friction" settings to allow it to act almost as an oscillator and it can be set to ping pong or simply scroll through the top back in from the bottom and can even be tempo locked to your daw. Because you can assign this to anything in your DAW it opens up some creative possibilities and simply seeing this operate put a smile on my face. Also it is worth mentioning this Mod strip is automatically mapped to a useful control in each Komplete instrument which always has me checking what it will do next.

One issue these present though is the accuracy of a physical control. I find with the pitch bend for instance it is very hard to get your finger directly in the middle without causing the sound to bend initially just a touch however Native Instruments have considered this and allow the user to set "Absolute/Relative" option for the strips that allow it to either jump to the fingers position or simply start from that point.

The left of the control panel we have the Performance and Transport buttons. The Performance controls allow activation of the Scales and Arp feature which it has to be said are a very good feature. These require the KK software to be used (not available in MIDI mode) and it is possible to engage both modes together to allow a scaled arp or even a chord based arp. Holding Shift and pressing one of the modes allows editing of the parameters on the encoders giving access to many scale and arp parameters. The buttons are illuminated to indicate when a feature is engaged and the actual note data can be exported quite easily to apply to other tracks. 

The Transport controls are the same offerings as the Advance only these also illuminate with DAW feedback so they reflect the state of the DAW where Akais Advance only sends commands and does not receive an update if you press a button on another controller. 

The right of the control panel we have the Navigation section which is used to both browse the Komplete software and also navigate the DAW. THis is another feature missing from the Advance keyboard where the blue directional keys can change tracks in the DAW (Live) which then automatically sets the keyboard controls for that track. If a KK instance is not loaded into a track the keyboard switches to MIDI mode automatically. 

Holding Shift + Instance will toggle the keyboard between KK and MIDI control mode so it is actually possible to switch to an instance of KK on another track without selecting the track. 

Lastly we get to the Encoders. I have to admit I prefer the feel and quality of the Akai encoders but like the features and setup of the Komplete way more. 

The encoders are touch sensitive and display a bar indicator for position but display the numerical value when touched. Operation is smooth and accurate and one benefit to having the display directly below the control is it simply makes sense immediately. I really struggled to get use to the way the Akai had the encoders info on the screen in 2 lines of 4 but there is simply no mistaking these controls.

The VFD display is very easy to read even from a distance and the 4 lines of information are enough to provide the info you need.

The Page buttons allow you to step through the banks of encoders and the KK software allows creation of pages, renaming of controls and even allows controls to be left empty to help divide up banks and pages. I simply cannot express how much better the management of controls is and even with a dozen pages of controls the ability to lay out the banks to your liking makes it just work! Additionally having possible access to 128 parameters instead of just 32 is a huge difference and in my opinion worth the loss of buttons and pads.  

I really thought I would prefer a nice colour screen over simple VFD display but actually found the opposite.  

The last feature though not a "control" as such is the Light Guide which is an RGB LED above each note that changes dynamically for each loaded patch or when Scale/Arp features are enabled. 

The light guide assists with showing where key ranges and keyswitches are when playing Kontact instruments. This can be very helpful in Scales mode to actually show which keys are in a scale. Additionally when activating a chord mode all notes that make up the chord will illuminate on the keyboard. 

Users can also create templates for MIDI mode and assign different colours (and even channels) for the keyboard notes allowing the keybed to be split up to play multiple instruments which can be indicated by colour. Any NKS enabled VST can also take advantage of this feature 

Browsing From Keyboard

Browsing your instruments and presets directly from the keyboard as if they are inbuilt is the main feature being pushed by both companies. The promise of being able to drill down and find the sound you are after quickly and regardless of the plugin is a dream almost all DAW users have had since the age of the DAW. So which of the options does it best and which method is going to appeal to the user? 

Komplete Kontrol:

We will start with Komplete Kontrol because the first thing you may pick up on is there is no display built into the keyboard that allows you to browse. Pressing the Browse button will bring up an OSD popup browser on your computer screen which closely resembles the KK software but just has the browser features and not the control/edit features and also is a bigger display. This does mean you need to have a screen in front of you and it doesn't really allow you to move from your PC in this case so this may be a big thing for you. 

I was pleased that it works with multi-display monitor setups and I was able to shift the browser to the display that is close to my keyboards. You can easily select plugins and tags to help narrow your search and the use of the menu knob and arrow keys to get you around the interface is quick and simple to master. 

Browsing Komplete instruments is a breeze and fantastic.... VST is a little meh at the moment. To access VSTs you need to first save a VST preset to have it appear in your User library. This separates the komplete browser from your own Presets and 3rd party instruments which kind of slows down the browsing experience. And then there is the issue of browsing 3rd party presets. There isn't a way easily. 

Basically to browse a preset you need to first load the VST and save the preset to be able to then open it again. Take Omnisphere 2 for instance that has about 8000 presets. This is a lot of work to click through each one, save and tag them. Users have already started on this (me included) using scripts to do the work but even after this if you want to locate a Grand Piano for instance you have to do a separate search in the main library then in the User library. Hopefully these can be tied together at some point.

The main thing is it is easy to use and really does not get in the way of your creative flow which is what I like. It simply extends to the keyboard seamlessly and is unnoticeable in the chain of things. My wish would be for the introduction of an iOS app that could allow the browser window to be placed on the keyboard (just like the Akai).

Akai Advance:

The Akai Advance has the obvious benefit of being able to browse presets directly from the in-built screen and the way the presets are organised and catalogued makes this task both fun and impressive. It is very useful to dial in a sound type and then simply scroll through and test presets to get started. Especially good while you have your track playing so you can test a sequence in place as you search. 

The browser is actually simple to use though I did find myself accidentally pressing buttons when I should have been using the knob to scroll or select things and there is no Enter key, just the click down on the scroll wheel. 

I also liked the fact you have a preset count showing how many match the selected tags which makes for browsing even quicker. You can sometimes forget though that you have filter tags set because you have to switch screens between tags and patch browsing but for the most part the actual browsing is very reliable and rather quick to jump between VST instruments. It really does make it feel that these presets are built into the keyboard itself.

Working Within a DAW

The good news here is both solutions work very well within a DAW. I tested using Ableton Live 9 and had no issues related to the DAW at all with either. I noticed no real difference in performance or CPU load using VST instruments within the "wrapper" software nor did I have too many issues getting things to work as I wanted. 

I will say I was disappointed with the way the Akai Advanced "integrated" (or should I say didn't integrate) with the DAW. There are transport controls which worked but did not sync their LED status to the DAW unlike the Komplete keyboard which not only offered synched transport feedback but also offered track navigation controls and auto display of the controller data for an instance in a track. I was also able to get the Komplete keyboard setup with several pages of macro controls with the first page acting as "blue hand" macro control in Live allowing the keyboard to control the first 8 controls on ANY track without mapping. Additionally the controller positioning was fed back to the controller which was not the case for the Advance.

The Komplete software allows you to send the MIDI Arp and Chord data to another channel in Live to actually print the notes instead of the single input note. This is very handy to create varying melodies and simply adds to the more featured abilities of the Komplete Vs the Advance which is another area I believe wins for the Komplete option. 

Conclusions

Honestly, it's a tough decision and mostly will come down to personal taste. For me the initial issues I suffered with the Advance and the initial feeling of lack of support did not fill me with confidence. Had I have stuck with it though I would have found almost all my issues were resolved with the v1.1 software release so many of the issues I have detailed could be considered non-issues. 

However, I still find the layout of the Komplete Keyboard with the info under the encoders instead of being on a screen off to the side to be much better for workflow and though I cannot browse presets from the keyboard directly I am more than happy about using the PC monitor here. 

Each option has unique features enough that these are really different products just like Machine and Push appear to have the same types of features but work in different ways. Both are a quality product and both have an amazing ability to offer quick and easy control over instruments. I could not really say one is better than the other, only my preference is with the Komplete Kontrol after testing both.

I would recommend for those that are torn between the 2 offerings to spend as much time looking on the forums of each product to see what users are actually saying: 

http://community.akaipro.com/akai_professional

https://www.native-instruments.com/forum/forums/komplete-kontrol-s-series.354/