Music Computing’s Latest Workstation, Kami, ‘The De-Facto Category Killer For Music Productions Systems’

kami-music-production-workstation

Music Computing has introduced Kami – a high-end Windows-based computer music workstation.

How high end? Music Computing CEO Victor Wong says that “The main design goal for Kami was to produce the de-facto category killer for music production systems.”

“The mandate for this goal,” adds Wong, “was for Kami to be the last keyboard production station or computer you will ever need to purchase for music production for the rest of your life…and possibly your children’s.”

Kami can be equipped with dual Xeon 12-core processors, for up to 24-cores running a Windows 10 (64-bit) operating system. Kami is also able to fully use up to 512GB of RAM. And 4 hard drive storage bays are available that can be outfitted with SSD or SSHD hard drives, for up to 14TB of storage.

Here’s the official video intro:

Kami is available in 61 or 88 semi-weighted key versions. The X/Y pad can be used in 3 different modes including: as a KAOS pad, as a note trigger and as a drum trigger.

A unique feature is the interactive LED button pad that lets you program each of the 15 buttons with a unique image that can then be used as a hotkey, app launcher, to send out a string command, as a macro, to control your multi-media or even as a reminder.
Unlimited preset banks can be created and saved.

16 velocity-sensitive drum pads and 6 mappable knobs round out the Kami’s controls.

Video-wise, the Kami is available with either a 22″ 10-touch touchscreen (1080p) or a 28″ 4K video monitor (without touch), which will allow you to see 4 times more content than a standard 1080p monitor.

A removable wireless computer keyboard with trackpad is also included.

Pricing and Availability:

The entry level i7-based Kami is available now, priced starting at $5999. The Xeon dual-processor version starts at $8999.

69 thoughts on “Music Computing’s Latest Workstation, Kami, ‘The De-Facto Category Killer For Music Productions Systems’”

    2. it’s a feature … they realized your ipad is already outdated by the time this workstation gets delivered to your home …

  2. It’s weird, I’m not really sure how to react to this. I mean, it’s powerful and expandable but it also feels like it comes from 1984. Of course, whatever works for you to make music I guess.

    All I’m certain of is that I managed to take my mind off of Prince and then he mentioned him and now I’m sad again.

    1. Yeah, I actually own a miko, and it was awesome but the reason it was awesome because i didnt have to pay for it. I got it through their sponsorship program. As awesome as the miko was, I always thought, this is cool, but i coulld never justify buying something one because the price just did not reflect the hardware. What someone needs to do is start making PC cases specifically for this application. If they offered just the case for the miko empty, id gladly pay a few hundred bucks for it.

    5. The dude in the video is from open labs. He separated from the company years ago, probably around the time they slowed down on producing gear. I think he was the mind behind a lot of their old gear. FYI open labs is still around; the reality is the majority of people want to add to their rig over time, not just by something really expensive from the beginning. I think as more music manufacturers implement thunderbolt drivers for gear that already exist and new gear you are going to see more people move back to Windows. Also take in to consideration the are major composers using windows only computer rigs.

  4. What a baffling product. Ergonomic and aesthetic considerations aside, who are they marketing this to? It’s weird shaped box with a bunch of consumer electronics bolted in. I guess the custom PC hardware is probably the selling point… but for $6000, you can buy all the same parts and have change left over to get a nice studio desk with extra rack spaces.

  5. “The mandate for this goal,” adds Wong, “was for Kami to be the last keyboard production station or computer you will ever need to purchase for music production for the rest of your life…and possibly your children’s.” Do they really not know how stupid this sounds? Could they just be trolling? I promise you: 512 GB of ram will seem modest and limiting in 10 years.

    On the other hand experiencing a music workstation running Windows 10 could well cause me to never want to have another music workstation for the rest of my life.

    2. selling anything that is claimed to be the “last one you’ll ever need” is both ridiculous and a sure-fire way to kill your own future sales… why would any smart businessperson make such a claim?
      Yep, buy this and you’ll never be our customer again. not so smart. plus, do they really think that the rapid advances in technology will stop, and this will be the top of the heap for ever?

    2. At least it makes more sense to buy this than it did for the poor fools who bought a Korg Oasys several years ago. I got kicked off of an OASYS forum because I said it was a waste of money at $10,000+. This can probably be expanded and can run LOTS of softsynths at the same time. It also costs a lot less than a Synclavier II or a Fairlight did (and does now) and can do a lot more than either one.

    3. How was it a personal attack? remarking that this is something which uneducated nouveau riche would buy is quite valid and quite constructive. Some people are spendy, but don’t think about what they’re buying. – Nobody I know who is seriously into music would consider something like this – A Windows based box with cheap random parts cobbled together in an MDF box.

      No matter how fast it is now, it’ll be woefully out of date a little bit down the line. Once the different manufacturers stop producing drivers for all the other cobbled together parts, it’ll become a doorstop. The machine is constantly one windows update away from being a non-operational.

      Here’s some constructive critique:

      He’s tried this business before and it ended in a bit of a mess. He should do something else instead. I just hope he’s playing businessman with his own money and not somebody else’s.

      1. I know plenty of professional music makers operating on Windows environments, Windows 10 included. Everytime a piece of gear like this pops up on such an operating system it seems to inexorably bring out the Mac only trolling. Sigh…
        Two things must be accepted: this hardware will absolutely face the exponential obsoleting fact of computing (your grandchildren will be running 100% virtual synths on quantum computing work stations through virtual reality input devices) and speed, particularly latency, and storage has, because of this same paradigm, has now reached a point in computing where it is 100% irrelevant what o.s. or box the musician user.
        Interesting retro look to this synth workstation, take it or leave it.

      2. Not made from mdf, and high end parts including dual xeon capable motherboard mean its got high capability and more power than a crap notebook or basic mac. Your extreme bias and ignorance is on display, so your opionions are highly suspect.

        And hes been selling a ton of units the past 3 years which has led to growth and success. Soooo….yeah.

  10. It doesn’t look bad, but that “last keyboard production station or computer you will ever need” thing… Computer stuff progress exponentially, and i think in 10 years used Volca Keys will be cost you more than used Kami.

  11. … and how exactly am I supposed to access buttons and plug XLR and phone jacks in to whatever I have in those two rack spaces directly in front of and 1/8″ above the keybed?

    These are the same people that showed a cheap one off prototype of another workstation thing like 2 years ago. I saw it at NAMM ’15 it was atrocious

  14. these specs read pretty much like the workstations (development, not music related) i’m using now so i’m not so sure about future proof… i’m not sure about future proof anything that needs upgrade

  15. If this solid sturdy and the software sturdy enough to last ten years it’s a great investment, me I will wait ten years and see if I can pick up this retro monster relic and recreate the sounds of now, much like I’ve been enjoying the qy300 which I picked up at a barge sale foe 40 dollars… Hours of fun

  16. Aside from me never wanting to touch Windoze again, this looks like an ergonomic nightmare, designed to cause crippling neck and back pain. RSI Computer keyboard, flat pads and controllers set high and probably illedgible text, front facing LCD and sliders/knobs. I can imagine you would be forever jumping up and down out of your chair to use it. Also, if its the ultimate, why only a 5 octave keyboard? Lastly – its Windows!

  18. if you want to position and sell a machine like this, better come up with a proper video. having a guy reading press texts fast into the camera and zooming some slides is not enough. do not talk about it, show us!

  20. I see a lot of criticism here, some valid, some not, but nobody seems to talk about the absolute worst thing about the video: That song in the background. Why? WHY?! FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY, WHY?!

  22. What some companies don’t get about us is that we simply don’t want a ‘be-all-end-all’ solution to music making..

    Then there would be nothing to look forward to at Xmas..

  23. Yep ,this does distill the solutions to the common gripes encountered over the last 10 or so plus years , i.e. Processing power memory for multiple VIs ,Audio Interface and keyboard integration,access to controllers ,big Visual feedback, and packing like this makes it ergonomic…Problem is for most people I guess they have ended up spending the equivalent amount of money in total already ,bit by bit in addressing these gripes in their music systems/studios as separates-[Yes I admit I have] .This leaves the core target for this product which is Touring professional musicians and organisations, who are willing to pay for the premium of integration and its tidiness…yeah tidiness like thats one of the main concerns for the average Synthtopia reader.

  25. The big issue I have with this is that once you configure one to match the power of what you could have bought separately…. you end up spending upwards of 10,000 dollars minimum.

    While it’s cool to have an all-in-one DAW workstation, the Kami is still not really portable. The “it can replace any hardware” claim is a complete lie.

    Let’s see:

    Mac pro $3000

    Apogee Ensemble $2500

    Roland Integra 7 $1500

    A REAL Kaoss Pad kp3+ $400

    Maschine $600

    Nektar Panorama $600

    Logic $200

    Total – $8800 for a much more powerful system for 200 dollars less than the BASE model Kami XL.

    BTW, a similarly equipped Kami would cost much much more.

    There is no good reason to buy one of these.

  28. It looks crazy. Though I love to see apollo inside. There’s something in the idea of combining couple of rack units with keyboard. But put the computer inside is a bit too much I think

  29. Im happy with my 10 years old, 1gb of ram, single core atom netbook. Perfect for running the Korg legacy Collection and Tracktion.

  32. Yeah, it’s a workstation and that’s it.
    I also believe that when making new music gear it’s more about innovation.
    But look at the good side! They produced a product out of other products and they probably haven’t got much to loose when people won’t buy it. It’s basically just a bit odd looking computer case.

  33. i’d be hesitant to drop so much cash into a computer unless $10K isn’t a lot of money for you. This is one area of technology that literally grows exponentially. I just read an article last week about how in 2012 Harvard scientists stored 700 terabytes of data in a gram of DNA. Not to mention the inevitable development of quantum computers in the foreseeable future.

  36. Thanks for the great sales pitch, Dr. Nick Riviera! I’ll bet it’s “whisper quiet”, too!

    Seriously – I bet you could sell a few of these on QVC to some gullible old folks who would buy them for their grandkids. “Look what I got you, sonny. It’s like a piano with one of them computers stuck to it! I know how you kids are into the music and the robot dancing and the whatnot. You can pass it on to your grandkids!”

  43. This is just odd. While it appears to have a lot of power, the ergonomics of it look terrible. While it seems like a great idea to cram everything into a small space, it rarely works out well in the end. If somehow all the stuff was on sliding or pivoting shelves it would be a lot better.

  44. Just curious how you play the keyboard when the headphones are plugged in? Check out the photo closely, both the I/O and sound module headphone jacks are placed directly above the keybed. Very sloppy, ill-considered design going on.

  47. BTW, they do offer a Mac version of the same build. It’s weird it’s limited to two RAM slots and they only offer 8GB chips per slot. Definitely up there with the most ridiculous things I’ve ever seen.

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