The MiKo is a Windows PC built into a big, blue keyboard that doubles as a:

So, got all that? It’s a computer – control surface – keyboard – DJ / VJ workstation – home entertainment studio, after all.

And it’s all in a case that’s sparkling bumper car blue. The price is great: intro US$1999. (Keeping in mind this features a touchscreen, control surface, keyboard, software bundle, audio interface, and desktop-class machine.) The bad news is the weight and bulk: 35 pounds means us subway musicians will probably stick to a laptop and keyboard. But Open Labs does promise it’ll fit in the back of a Honda (part of the reason for making the instrument), and I can say the package is very cool in person. You wouldn’t turn one away if it showed up in your living room.

I’m not saying rationally I should want one. Only that I irrationally do want one. Wave of the future or not, Open Labs has paid attention to a lot of the details, and built an instrument everyone at the show was drooling over. (I surveyed both vendors and showgoers, just to make sure I wasn’t insane, and the whole thing wasn’t a mirage.)

Sadly, Open Labs isn’t holding a keyboard-burning party this year I can rescue a unit from. Just wait until summer NAMM hits Austin, Texas, their hometown. I’m sure I’ll wind up in jail with these guys at that party. Stay tuned.

Here’s what else we know:

CDM has gathered some additional, exclusive info on the MiKo, and I think you’ll like what you see later this month: additional specs include FireWire, USB, Ethernet, and (via USB) 802.11g wireless, transport buttons for recording, and 500-note polyphony. Full details on CDM live from the Anaheim booth.

In other words, what you’re really getting here is a mini PC / keyboard that does everything: DJ, VJ, record, play — the multi-functionality computers provide, but in a different, more music-friendly form factor. The big advancement over previous Open Labs kit sounds like ultra-portability with all the extras for DJs and laptop musicians.

Now, will it all be enough to make you give up your laptop? We’ll know soon enough:
I’ll be hands-on with the MiKo in Anaheim, CA and will bring you an extended report; it’s always better to try gear in person than just read about it. Hopefully Open Labs will host one of their infamous parties, too, since previous shindigs have involved Richard Devine setting keyboards on fire and synth S&M. I’ll try to smuggle out pictures, if I get out alive.

Coverage elsewhere:

Music thing picked this up first and has a sharp take on it

Related:

NeKo Windows/Keyboard Hybrids: The Next Generation

Release a synth with the heart of a PC, and it’s only a matter of time before someone tries to use it like a PC. Sure enough, Korg’s flagship OASYS, with an Intel CPU and a Linux-based OS, has been hacked to run off-the-shelf distributions of Linux and Windows from its CD drive:

Karma Lab Forums – OASYS Runs Knoppix! (via Luca Capozzi’s Synthosium)

The person who did it, Mark Fenkner, apparently performed the task mainly out of curiosity — and to see if he could use his $8,000 keyboard for an occasional email check. The display didn’t quite work on his first try, but the Ethernet port (onboard but unsupported by Korg’s software), and USB keyboard and mouse did, thanks to Linux. (The OASYS normally runs Linux, but the Korg installation is intentionally stripped-down.) WinPE, a bootable Windows install, worked, too. The idea wouldn’t be to play the keyboard under Linux or Windows, but to use it in dual-boot mode.

Useless? Absolutely, since the whole point of the Korg OASYS is so you can use its finally-tuned, music-only features. Still, it’s hard not to admire the hack on its own merits.

For total OASYS geeks, you’ll also be interested to note that Mark thinks Korg hasn’t given up on the unused Ethernet port. Could that mean advanced features in the future? (I’m hoping for OSC support, but I won’t hold my breath.)

Related:

Previous OASYS links, including the in-depth story I did for O’Reilly Digital Media,
Inside the OASYS

Open Labs’ NeKos are powerful keyboards that pack a full-blown Windows PC, tuned software, and control surfaces into a single musical instrument. They’ve got some heavy-hitting celebrity endorsements, and they’re rugged: one NeKo managed to continue functioning after being being beaten with a baseball bat and set on fire by DJ Richard Devine.

This month, Open Labs unveiled the next-generation NeKo keyboard: sexier looking, more features, and cheaper. Porsche car paint, faster processors (up to a dual core 64-bit AMD CPU), Pro Tools software, and even Borg-like ability to clone your hardware synths and automatically create multisamples. Priced for mortals, too: US$2,295 gets you all the basics, up to US$5,995 for the absolute top-of-the-line. More after the jump.

What’s new:

Faster/cheaper: The top-of-the-line NeKo 64 has been upgraded to a dual-core 2.0 AMD Athlon 64-bit brain, but it’s $4,000 cheaper than before (now US$5,995).

Quieter: RunSilent features let you throttle back temperature and fan speeds for ultra quiet operation (like during recording).

More responsive: PowerRush adapts CPU clock speeds on the fly to respond to load.

Faster data: Serial ATA 3GB/s support for new high-speed hard drives.

Prettier: New color scheme using the same paint used on Porsche automobiles. (Just hope Richard Devine doesn’t key your keyboard.)

More M-Powered: Pro Tools M-Powered is now included standard. (Though you know I’ll be using SONAR and Ableton Live, of course.)

More Expandable: 5 PCI Express / 4 available. (Note that like the new Power Macs from Apple, plain-vanilla PCI is gone.) Hard drive options are up, too: up to 1 Terabyte on the LE, or 2 Terabytes on the high-end 64.

Sounder: Uh . . . soundier? 5,000 presets plus an upgrade to Open Labs’ Karsyn software (1.5), shown below.

More Controllable: Dedicated buttons launch the most used apps, controllers all map automatically for different software, and more applications now include preset maps.

More Borg-y: The clone hardware option lets you assimilate hardware synth technology into the NeKo.

That last feature is especially intriguing. The Neko’s clone hardware feature lets it automatically multisample any other instrument, pumping out MIDI for different velocities, etc., and then automatically recording, looping, and converting the resulting sounds. You can then export the results as HALion, Vsampler, or SoundFont2. (Hey, no Kontakt? Oh, well.) You can use the features for traditional sample creation, too, by starting with an uncut sample file.

Here’s my question: any reason Open Labs can’t release this feature as software, too? It’s not the first time this sort of thing has been tried, but it sounds like they’ve done a really nice job with it.

But I’ve saved the best feature for last. I hear the new NeKo has automatic defense systems. Now if Richard Devine comes after it with a blowtorch and a baseball bat, it can fight back.

Run, Richard, run!

As a concept, though, you can’t argue with it: with 200 MB of samples per key and built-in software for notation and sequencing, the digital piano has a lot to offer. And this design was attractive enough to be featured in a concert of the music of Dutch minimalist Simeon ten Holt. (Minimalist, indeed — it’s a 1-foot concert grand.) Prototype photo after the jump.

And lastly, Post sends us a shot of “what we’re after.” That’s right, hide your Bosendorfer if you’re anywhere near Amsterdam: Post is coming to saw it in half. (Cue Nightmare on Elm Street music.)