The Open Labs Miko Workstation

The Miko workstation is the latest droolworthy invention from the eggheads over at Open Labs. As you can see in the video, the Miko further blurs the line between DAW and PC by integrating control surfaces like a 37-key semi-weighted keyboard, a control module featuring 5 faders, 5 Modes buttons, 3 Transpose buttons, 5 directions buttons and 5 Transport buttons, a qwerty keyboard, and a Penny & Giles crossfader (among other things) with a windows-based computing architecture and an impressive built in 24 bit/96khz audio interface with multiple ins and outs. The idea is to completely replace the need to bring any other hardware to the stage, as it offers itself up as a seamless host for literally all PC-compatible audio software.

The Miko also offers a full complement of PC goodness, including multiple expansion slots (like PCI/PCIE spaces and empty 3.5" drive bays), an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, a dual layer DVD-RW drive, and a hard drive that is expandable up to 1.5 terabytes, and even a 10/100 ethernet card and wifi. While the Summer NAMM video is a bit dry and noisy, it gets the point across and shows off all the major features; visit the the Open Labs homepage for a full rundown of features, specs, ad copy, audio demos and videos of famous people talking about how cool it is.

There are several different versions, including the scaled-down Neko and the attrociously titled Timbaland Edition; the standard model retails around $4,099 USD.