Open Labs has introduced their latest keyboard/studio instrument, the NeKo LE. Based on the company’s NeKo OpenSynth platform, the NeKo LE incorporates a full personal computer, powered by the Intel Pentium 4 processor and is targeted at songwriters, music producers, and hobbyists that want to play, record, mix, master, and burn their music in a single, portable unit. The NeKo LE is priced at $2,595.00.

The NeKo LE provides an easy upgrade path to the fully featured NeKo64, and is also sold with a built-in 15-inch LCD monitor for a price of $3,195.00. The NeKo is capable of hosting up to 50-plug-ins simultaneously, and play up to 250-voice polyphony. A complete keyboard-workstation, the NeKo LE offers 24 bit/192 kHz audio quality and hardware accelerated DSP effects.

Designed with standard PC-compatible hardware and software in mind, the NeKo LE can play tens of thousands of sounds offered by industry-standard VSTi software synthesizers, samplers, and audio processing plug-ins. Any time that new sounds and effects are available, users can instantly install them into the NeKo LE.

Fully upgradeable and expandable, users can add more memory and storage, and can accommodate faster processors. A robust keyboard-computer, the NeKo LE has near-zero latency, so that users can concentrate on making music, and not rebooting their keyboard.

Other features of the NeKo LE include:

• Interchangeable: the NeKo LE’s control modules provide a physical interface for easier control of software instruments
• Versatile: the NeKo LE can virtually run any plug-in or application designed for the Windows XP operating system, including products from Steinberg, Native Instruments, Synapse Audio, IK Multimedia and others
• Accommodating: the NeKo LE is equipped with PCI slots that accept up to full-size cards, and can run your favorite Creamware, T.C. Electronic or Universal Audio cards, providing unsurpassed power and elegance
• Sleek: The NeKo LE has a modern design that incorporates an aluminum chassis and rubber bezels
• Networkable: the NeKo LE’s Ethernet port allows you to directly access the Web to quickly and easily download upgrades, sounds, and applications – and collaborate with your band mates!
• Portable: the NeKo LE, like the NeKo64, is a fully self-contained recording, editing, and mastering system that is ideal for either studio or stage

For more information, visit the Open Labs site.