Also note about the hardware, there are little scratches about 1/2″ long to the left of each knob. These look like they were probably caused by the factory assembly process. All of the silver buttons on the hardware feel good when clicked, but the black butttons under the LCD and around the jog wheel feel pretty spongy.

On a 2nd laptop I get a USB over power message when plugging into the 2nd USB port (1st port has a Microsoft Intellimouse Optical). I didn’t get the overpower message on the desktop PC with Komplete 3 installed. On that laptop the Kore HW control panel does not display correctly because the window won’t resize. I think this may be related to the display resolution or dpi because the desktop PC doesn’t have the same problem.

Whoops, while writing this post the driver blue screened again while I was trying to reboot Windows after reinstalling Kore and the Kore update. On reboot it looks like the reinstall worked, but Kore software crashed when trying to add a Reaktor sound layer to a Absynth layer.

This is pretty shameful stuff. I hope they get a handle on it because I’ve spent a bundle with Native Instruments over the last several years and I *really* want to like this product!

But while I’m all for working on tracks in bed, in the park, and whatnot, the specific applications of KORE pretty much mean you’d never need to do that. And all the rest of NI’s stuff is still software-authorized (not requiring plugged in hardware). Your track is likely to be stored in Ableton Live or SONAR or another program, and even if you wanted to tweak a synth in Reaktor or Absynth, you would still do that in the program itself. You’re unlikely to open KORE at all unless you have a keyboard handy and are planning a more intensive session.

Although, even as I say this, I see your point, because if you get into KORE and start using it exclusively every time you look for a sound, then your sequences will all become dependent on KORE.

anyway, cheese aside the context based search queries are pretty cool and love the idea of a single, and tactile, interface between me and tons of software.

i’m also excited by what seems to be interoperability between different sequencers.

but if i can’t sit up in bed or at the park and work on a track without dragging the controller around i’d had have some serious reservations.