It’s hard to believe Native Instruments has packed this much functionality into such an unassuming device. For the money, you’d be hard-pressed to find something that offers as much, and does it as efficiently.
Pros
+
Plenty of on-device control
+
Lots of inputs and outputs
+
Two headphone outs
Cons
–
Glossy black housing will attract fingerprints
–
No USB-C connectivity
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Features & design
If you’re shopping for a guitar-orientated audio interface in the $100-$200 bracket, you are not going to find yourself short of choice. The low-mid end of the audio interface market is crowded, that’s for sure, but if a product earns the right to a second iteration then you know it’s coming from a good place. Before we get too ahead of ourselves though, let’s look at the Komplete Audio 6 mkII in more detail. This second coming of the 6 comes in a shiny piano black (or, fingerprint magnet, if you prefer) housing, with a few touches of matte metal for contrast. It also has a decent weight to it which, working with the rubberized feet, means it won’t be sliding around your desk easily.
The top of the unit houses the various LED status indicators for levels and signals, along with the large, tactile knob for controlling the main volume coming out of outputs one and two. On the front, you’ll find a couple of jack/XLR combi inputs, with switchable line or instrument settings and individual volume controls for each.
(Image credit: Chris Corfield/Future)
The two instrument inputs are ready-made for guitars, basses and anything else that pumps out a low-level signal, with the two analog preamps doing a sterling job of converting things into a usable audio sample. There are a couple of headphone outputs, with individual volume controls, and a small switch to choose whether these mirror outputs one and two, or three and four. Useful if you’re cueing up sounds from three and four before they hit the main mix.
The front is finished off with a direct monitoring knob, taking you from computer audio to whatever’s being input into the device, and a 48v phantom power switch for using condenser microphones. To the rear you’ll find four analog jack outputs, a couple of S/PDIF connections and then some full-size MIDI connections for communicating with external gear – very nice to see and welcome at this price point, particularly if your pedalboard includes MIDI controllable parameters.
Hands-on
At standard audio interface duties, I found the Komplete Audio 6 perfectly capable of delivering clean audio from a variety of sources, including guitars being fed into Amplitube or the included Guitar Rig 7 LE software. I also loved the way the rear-mounted outputs allowed me to route audio out of a DAW, into a guitar pedalboard – controlling a couple of parameters on my Chase Bliss pedals via MIDI – and back into the KA6’s two rear-mounted inputs without my desk being a mess of cables and clutter. It’s the small things.
(Image credit: Chris Corfield/Future)
So who is the Native Instruments Komplete Audio 6 aimed at? Its stealthy appearance, DJ-friendly features and a phalanx of bundled NI software will make it an obvious choice for producers and performers of certain electronic genres of music, but in reality, I found it had enough capabilities to make it a worthy purchase for guitarists, bands, and all kinds of disparate home studio pursuits.
The two headphone outputs would make it ideal for small-scale podcast setups, for example, while the four analogue inputs would also lend themselves well to home studios with synths, drum machines and other external hardware toys. Best of all, however, is the price. Given what’s on offer here, and the inherent simplicity of the KA6, the fact you can pick one up for around $180 (less if you shop around) is mind-boggling.
Native is more commonly known for its machines that make sound. With the Komplete Audio 6, they’ve also given us one of the best value methods of discreetly and efficiently capturing that sound too. Hats off, chaps.
Specification
Connectivity: USB-AConverter resolution: 24-bitSupported sample rates: Up to 192kHzInputs: 4 analogue, 2 digitalOutputs: 4 x ¼” Jack outputs, 2 x ¼” headphone out, 2 x digital outputsSize: 200x120x40mmContact: Native Instruments
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Chris Corfield is a journalist with over 12 years of experience writing for some of the music world’s biggest brands including Orange Amplification, MusicRadar, Guitar World, Total Guitar and Dawsons Music. Chris loves getting nerdy about everything from guitar gear and synths, to microphones and music production hardware.
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