Native Instruments Komplete Audio 2 Reviews

NI Komplete Audio 2 VS Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 4th gen

I tested them both (i own the audio 2 and a buddy of mine has the scarlett) and i found out: 1.The Komplete Audio 2 is made of plastic while the scarlett is made of mostly aluminum. if you care about build quality, this is one aspect to look at. 2.The software: with NI Komplete Audio 2, you may get lucky and have a promotion (free iZotope Elements Suite in my case, and they are cool mixing tools if you dont own any, and also i got the komplete select: plenty of synths, instruments, effects, sounds and so on), while the scarlett comes with the hitmaker expansion (check it out on scarlett's page, they've got as many things like the komplete select plus a few vocals oriented vst's like the auto-tune) So pick a team, and stick to it : plastic or aluminium ? NI ecosystem or the scarlett ecosystem?... though the comparison is not entirely fair since the scarlett as of writing is 2x the price of Audio 2. specifically of the audio 2. is incredible for the money. gets everything done without issues, for the past 6 months of ownership.

Doet wat het moet doen.

Eenvoudige werking, probleemloze connectie met macbook pro, doet precies wat het moet doen. Heel tevreden van!

Full on GNU/Linux compatible!

Well, I needed a way to connect my bass to the computer, I went for the 2 because that would allow me to use a Preamp DI instead of depending software. It works as intended, sound quality has been perfect! Full on compatibility with GNU/Linux, everything is recognised and easy to configure on KDE Plasma! My only complain is that it could do with a bit more powerful headphone amp, while enough to power my HD560s, I have to keep it at the end of the volume range, giving me not so much headroom.

Great Interface

It has very good quality and low noise preamps and converters. I really like the feel of the knobs and switches, the connectors and included cable seem very rigid as well. The build might be entirely plastic but it still feels quite well built.

Great interface

For this price the best interface you can get!

Oldie but goldie

OK.. I bought this in November 2023

After comparing a lot I decided to buy this instead of Scarlett 2i2 gen3.

Why? Scarlett has some known issues.. I forgot which were important but the main problems for me where: front facing lights are always on and you can't turn them off, the main volume knob is small. I concluded after reading a lot of reviews that Scarlett is overhyped and nothing special really. It may have better preamps.

I don't do professional recordings (Who does anyway? You think you do?). I just needed a USB interface to record my stuff and to have balanced outputs for my studio monitors.

So i bought Komplete Audio 2.

I am happy. I love the design. There are no lights in your face and the large volume knob on top makes it a good controller for my speakers - it's just so practical. Oh and the gain lights - really nice and polished look. It looks nice on my desk.

As an older interface this doesn't have the loopback feature needed for people who record and stream on youtube.

But support from Native Instruments seems great. Take a look at websites of products before you buy them. One look at the drivers list for this made me comfortable to buy. They continue to support the device.

In december 2023 it also came with a lot of complementary software Guitar Rig, NI Komplete select, iZotope Elements suite.

This for me is much better than Scarlett 2i2 gen3.

There are RCA to 3.5mm cable and 3.5-3.5 cables included in the package I think. There is no 6.5 - 6.5 TRS cable included.

There is a comparison video of recordings from various USB interfaces on youtube including Komplete 2

Very good little interface

Wanted small, cheap, easy to use interface with good sound quality . This is it.

On windows10 NI drivers as usual work really well. Low noise output and preamps. Plastic but good build quality.

Headphone output on 68Ω headphones not the loudest.

Yes, there are no loopback, but there is workarounds.

Good that interface works under windows simultaneously in DAW (asio) and plays media from pc.

Nice that NI komplete Select and Izotope Elements plugins was included

NI Komplete Audio 2

Good enough for small audio setup

nice compact card

It was a great deal. Excellent bang for the buck. The bundle of software is just great for every level of producers, no matter if it is a beginner or a pro tinkering in their bedroom during breaks.

I highly recommend it.

NI Komplete Audio 2 VS Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 3rd Gen : who wins ?

I tested them both and and I could only see TWO major differences...

1 - The Komplete Audio 2 is made of plastic whereas Focusrite's audio interfaces are made of aluminium. If you're cautious with your gear, you don't have to care... but if you're not, go for the aluminium.

2 - The software they are delivered with. With NI Komplete Audio 2, you may get lucky and have a promotion (free Guitar Rig 5 or iZotope Elements Suite). Personally, I don't mind the rest (Ableton Live 10 Lite, Machine Essentials, Monark, Replica, Phasis, Solid Bus Comp...maybe you'll do !). On the other hand, Focusrite Scarlett comes with XLN Audio Addictive Keys which are AMAZING (and XLN Audio Addictive Drums 2: Studio Rock is pretty nice as well).

So pick a team, and stick to it : plastic or aluminium ? Guitar-oriented and mix plugins or keyboard & drums VST ?

Considering your answers, you might want either one or the other. Otherwise, I have no complains : NI Komplete Audio 2 never failed me in 3 years.

Perfect Product

For Editing Units so you can Connect Pro Monitors and Headset with audio level monitoring

Great bang for the buck

Great quality for the price. Intuitive, easy setup and a sleek, attractive design (in my humble opinion).

I've seen video reviews where people state "it's extremely light...", "it's not made of metal..." in regards to it not feeling overly "robust", but hey, if you're constantly on the go with an audio interface, you'll probably be looking for a product with other traits anyway.

My Komplete Audio 2 lies stationary on my desk, it looks good, gets the job - which I need it to do - done without any issues, it does it in quality and the price is extremely fair.

Highly recommended.

Awesome interface

im very happy good quality sound

Great

The greatest thing is that you don't need to purchase a phantom feed separately, it is already included and activated with the click of a button.

High quality, easy setup

Looks better than I had expected. It is quite small which is a bonus.

One of The best AUDIO INTERFACE

This Sound card is after watching every videos i made my dicission to buy this because i even use electric guitar because the main Knobs is top and i was mindset was Komplete Audio 2 and evrything about This Sound card i want to say is I love this Audio interface And i Happy with it.

Perfect for my need

My first audio interface, I use it to record guitar and voice on mac mini M1. Nothing to complain about.

Wonderful quality for the price.

Nothing to complain about

Best quality for the price. I recommend it for new home producers since it has everything you need.

Fairly basic but nice overall

I like this.

The build is all plastic, but of nice quality and feels sturdy. Additionally it is also quite light, which is good for travel, also considering it is USB powered.

The NI drivers work well and allow to select the sampling rate, but do not offer any kind of additional features, such as routing options or effects. All of that has to happen in your DAW.

I do not have much experience with mic preamps, but these have given me no issues: low noise, no clipping issues and have phantom power. The instrument input mode also worked quite well.

Overall, no complaints. Especially for the price and portability

Good card

Everything works fine, the audio card is exactly as I imagined it. There is a problem with using a small buffer size, cracks appear, but their appearance depends on the complexity of your project. And I can't set the buffer size below 32 samples, but it's not critical for me. Otherwise, the card is perfect, I recommend it!