Both AIR Music Tech and NI Komplete look to be excellent choices given the content included.
 
I'll try the demos of both and see which one looks better for me personally.
 
I wasn't particularly looking for another controller but I'm intrigued by NI Machine unit and what it can offer.
 
Thanks to all for the info and recommendations.

Belthus
Both AIR Music Tech and NI Komplete look to be excellent choices given the content included.
 
I'll try the demos of both and see which one looks better for me personally.
 
I wasn't particularly looking for another controller but I'm intrigued by NI Machine unit and what it can offer.
 
Thanks to all for the info and recommendations.

If you are looking into the NI hardware, be sure to check out their Komplete Kontrol S-Series keyboards.  They have the NKS control format which is integrated with NI software, as well as some 3rd party developers, for example u-he and Arturia.  They also include Komplete 11 Select.  The S25 starts at $399.
 
https://www.native-instruments.com/en/products/komplete/keyboards/komplete-kontrol-s-series/
 

rsinger
As abacab said Reaktor is part of Komplete and that was in my list above. Normally it (Komplete and many NI products) goes on sale in the spring and fall. I recommend waiting for a sale - watch the deals section of the forum if you want to purchase it.

abacab
If you are looking into the NI hardware, be sure to check out their Komplete Kontrol S-Series keyboards.  They have the NKS control format which is integrated with NI software, as well as some 3rd party developers, for example u-he and Arturia.  They also include Komplete 11 Select.  The S25 starts at $399.
 
https://www.native-instru...lete-kontrol-s-series/
 

 
I wasn’t particularly looking at another controller at the moment as my Roland A49 does the job, however it does lack the numerous physical dials, velosity pads and faders found on some other keyboards.
 
Saying that, I would like to explore the integration of a hardware controller in both using SONAR and/or mapping soft synth functions to something tangeble.  Ill have a look at the other options mentioned, but its more a case of building a wish list for when I can justify the outlay.
 
I downloaded the NI MASSIVE demo and had a quick play (will carry on over the next couple of days) and just like Iris 2 I can see a lot of milage in it for me personally.  The selection of pads supprised me as I was expecting the focus to be on bass and leads for some reason.  All in all though, it looks to be an impressive soft synth.
 
I think the obvious choice would be to purchase one of the Komplete packages, or as you say purchase one of the controllers as they come with Komplete 11 Select.  It will be interesting to see what you get for your money given the other included products.
 
Hopefully there will be some deals in the future.

Don't overlook the demo of u-he Diva. No time limits.  Just some occasional static.  NI NKS compatible.
https://www.u-he.com/cms/diva
 
DIVA - Dinosaur Impersonating Virtual Analogue Synthesizer
 
"The oscillators, filters and envelopes closely model components found in some of the great monophonic and polyphonic synthesizers of yesteryear. Modules can be mixed and matched so you can build hybrids, but what sets Diva apart is the sheer authenticity of the analogue sound. This comes at the cost of quite a high CPU-hit, but we think it was worth it: Diva is the first native software synth that applies methods from industrial circuit simulators (e.g. PSpice) in realtime. The behaviour of zero-delay-feedback filters when pushed to the limit clearly demonstrates the advantages of this groundbreaking approach.
 
Check out more than 1200 presets. If your computer can handle it, try them in "Divine" mode."

Didn't U-He synths had a issue with Sonar when naming/renaming presets?
 
It's still a issue?
 
I'm looking after Diva too, but only for 2018. Can't spend any money until the end of this year.
 
I could demo it, but don't want to salivate for the rest of this year LOL.

Back on topic:

• Addictive Drums 2
• Korg Legacy Collection
• Fxpansion Tremor
• Arturia Minimoog V Original
• Rapture Pro & Z3ta+ 2
• OBXD (free)
• TAL synths (free)
• Dexed (free)
• AAS Swatches (free, but own paid presets pack)
• Native Instruments free stuff

ChazEd
Didn't U-He synths had a issue with Sonar when naming/renaming presets?
 
It's still a issue?

Dunno about that one.  One thing about the u-he stuff, like many modern synths, is that it does not follow the legacy fxb/fxp patch bank system.  You must use the UI in the plugin to access the patches.
 
And another thing is that the VST3 support in u-he products is still "experimental", and best avoided for now.  One thing I experienced with VST3 is that the plugin would not recall the saved patch name when re-opening a saved project. The VST2 versions are tried and tested, and don't have this issue.

abacab

ChazEd
Didn't U-He synths had a issue with Sonar when naming/renaming presets?
 
It's still a issue?

Dunno about that one.  One thing about the u-he stuff, like many modern synths, is that it does not follow the legacy fxb/fxp patch bank system.  You must use the UI in the plugin to access the patches.
 
And another thing is that the VST3 support in u-he products is still "experimental", and best avoided for now.  One thing I experienced with VST3 is that the plugin would not recall the saved patch name when re-opening a saved project. The VST2 versions are tried and tested, and don't have this issue.

It is fixed:
 
http://forum.cakewalk.com/tm.aspx?m=2747018&p=1
 
Time to save for Diva next year LOL!
 
Good info about VST3, hope they fix ASAP.

ChazEd
 
Good info about VST3, hope they fix ASAP.

Don't hold your breath. Steinberg told them they needed to recode from scratch as "simplified" VST3 using SDK. They are assessing when they can afford to take the necessary steps.
 
The good news is that VST3 is not a mandatory upgrade.  There are some new features it offers, but VST2 should continue to function as it always has for years to come. 

Glyn Barnes
Cakewalk's Z3ta is a very capable synth, many get put off by the EDM orintated presets but the wave shaping functions, the dual filters and extensive modulation options make it a very capable synth.

Yes, I have already committed to getting Z3ta+2 at some point.
 
While I did mention Tangerine Dream in my original post, my taste in music stretches across a very broad spectrum of styles, EDM being one of them.
 
Listened to some of your sound cloud tracks, Approach to Carce stood out as one of my favourites, cracking stuff Glynn.