NKS

NKS (Native Kontrol Standard) is our technical standard for music production software, like virtual instruments and effects. It’s used across the industry and makes sure that all the features of these plugins are precisely mapped to the physical controls on your Native Instruments hardware.

NKS powers a deep connection between your software and hardware that brings virtual instruments and effects to life. The automatically mapped controls mean expressive and immersive playability, so you can always stay in the flow with no interruptions.

We set the standard and work with the best developers across the industry to integrate instruments and effects with NI’s keyboards and Maschine gear. NKS is the widest choice of pre-mapped, quality sounds available anywhere.

There’s no need to waste time creating, saving, and loading custom mappings. From macros to menus, sound design options to switches, NKS means it’s all there for you at the touch of a button.

Browse instruments, effects, and sounds from NI and our partners, hear instant audio previews for patches as you scroll, narrow things down with tags and categories, and load the one that fits best – all from your hardware.

With our new S-Series MK3 keyboards, we've launched the next generation of NKS.

This redesigned technology powers a direct connection to Kontakt instruments, intuitive on-screen navigation, expressive polyphonic aftertouch, and a whole new level of intelligent parameter auto-mapping.

Get a deeper insight into the new NKS technology on the NI blog and check out the growing list of compatible plugins.

Designed in collaboration with visually-impaired artists, NKS enables Komplete Kontrol speech output for all partner products, providing key info on the instruments, preset, and parameters being adjusted.

Kontrol S-Series MK3 accessibility support is coming in 2025.

Alongside our own instruments and effects, the NI shop is home to hundreds of NKS partner plugins. Komplete 14 owners can also access special discounts on a curated selection of partner tools with NKS Collections.

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