Small tip for Kontakt 8, if you go into the Settings, in the Interface-tab there is an option named 'Enable "New Instruments for you" panel', if you untick this, they won't show the new products at the bottom anymore And yes, iZotope is part of Native Instruments now (same goes for Plugin Alliance)
Excellent the new instruments panel is really annoying but now no longer… Thanks. I mean I’m trying to work not be distracted by even more stuff I’ve had to employ a choice strategy as it is..😂
The new Soundpaint engine is completely free and has features that are supposed to be superior to Kontakt. Small developers could use that as their platform for launching their products.
Wait, so they want people buy Kontakt... again? And the people have no choice, because library creators have no choice, but to update to the latest version? By god, the music software industry is the most predatory place I've ever seen.
@@splitprune It was a hyperbole, but you're right. Though what differentiates music software here is how bad the quality of the software is for the price you're paying and how little anyone seems to care.
Could you please elaborate a tiny bit more? It's very interesting what you said and resonated with my inner feeling but I can't quite put my finger on it, especially with presonus's latest grand update, something doesn't feel right
My main issue with Kontakt is that now they are releasing new versions as new instruments, instead of just upgrades. This means that if I open old projects. Where I used a previous version, it will not automatically migrate to the new version, and if the libraries are updated and don’t work anymore on the previous version, the project does not open at all. It’s just a big reason to stay on the current version, and avoid all hassle…
Hi Guy, First of all, I appreciate your diplomacy when it comes to criticism. Yes, I agree with you on how the creative process should be, and it seems the NI guys probably didn’t understand that. I’m very critical of NI’s pricing models and their "strategic" decisions. I even wrote a post on the VI-Control forum titled, "What do you think about Native Instruments Kontakt 8?" In my modest opinion, we (both library builders and simple users) really need a free or, better yet, an open-source sample engine that could break free from the costly monopoly. Also, I’m with you about supporting small developers-totally! Have you listened to Ben Osterhouse’s Ripple Cello? That is the art of sampling, man! Thanks Giorgio
I got myself a full version of Kontakt 6 just so I can use 3rd party instruments and libraries as those for me a core reason to have Kontakt. I'm not really into Komplete bundles but I always keep my Kontakt up to date for the above reason.
My favorite about Kontakt 8 was how uninstalling 7 and then installing 8 resulted in Cubase 13 saying "Kontakt 7 not found, using compatible Kontakt 8 instead" (paraphrasing) when loading a project, so I didn't even have to change anything. Just resaved the project and it was converted to K8 forever.
@@magicmulder My only reason is I don't want to loose time when I open a patch made with a previous version of Kontakt. A patch made with Kontakt 6 opens with Kontakt 6 accordingly, no question from my DAW. I get the instrument I want and that's all. I'm just a lazzy guy 😊 and having K6, K7 and K8 available doesnt' change many things on my machines regarding disk space, hence I keep them all.
Have found that keeping k6 on machine along w k7 results in komplete kontrol not finding libraries that are not compatible w k6. Uninstalling k6 solves that problem. BUT, as w anything NI, uninstalling K6 is a moderate pita.
@@b4time718 Interesting. On my side I almost never use KK. Actualy I keep KK in my plugin list in the case I would need to open a "VST only" plugin, which usualy never happens (my DAW is, Logic, AU only). I've never noticed a problem with KK AU plugin an my 2 and now 3 versions of Kontakt
Good review. I've already upgraded to Komplete 15/Kontakt 8 - love it. Re: Tools. Yes, they're useful and fun (fun is important). In my experience, a more inspirational tool for Kontakt is Arpology X - stunning arpeggios across many genres. Daunting and inspirational in its depth and possibilities. Outside of Kontakt, something like the Quadra plugins for Falcon 3 (very similar to Arpology X) - another huge, huge treasure box of delights. I'm a big fan of generative MIDI tools/instruments. But learning chords is also highly recommended - and helpful.
As it stands when you first buy it, it's OK. personally I think the whole Steinberg absolute 6 is much better and fresher. NI's strength is in the number of 3rd party libraries it has in it's well, library. It's when it comes to upgrading, the price of said upgrade and what you're getting for your money. Kontakt 7 was roundly dismissed as a regressive step and a meaningless upgrade, as is Kontakt 8, which is annoying people a lot, quite rightly. the upgrade from Complete, isn't remotely worth it, to many, not just me. In my opinion, NI, Izotope and the other companies absorbed by the Corporate vulture capitalist group have made a bit of a predictable mess of said companies. The update and upgrade offerings are not worthy of dot releases and the customer service, Kuality and pricing has just shut them out of my consideration now.
Have 14 CE I paid £67 in Nov 23 for session percussionist I paid £70.70 in Dec 23 for Guitar rig 7 I’m currently being told I can upgrade to Kontakt 8 for £89 Or I can pay £449 to upgrade 14 CE to 15 CE Still haven’t touched at least 50% of 14 CE There’s nothing I really want except Kontakt 8 I just bought Halion pro in Steinbergs recent sale (bought Absolute 6)hence have even less time to explore all of my 14 CE lol For me I think I might as well just update Kontakt and upgrade to 15 CE when it’s really cheap in their 2025 sales
I upgraded but I only upgrade once every 4 years so it's costing me about £40 per year for standard version and for what the package contains that is ridiculously affordable. I love independent sample developers and do need Full Kontakt for when I buy those so happy to carry on like I am.
Hey Guy, CPO of NI here. Thanks for doing such an in depth review. And yes, glad you like the new browsing interface. Appreciate your work and your custom.
Very fair and balanced video, Guy. I upgraded to K15 Ultimate from K14 Ultimate. As I work across multiple genres, it just about justifies the price with the new instruments and features, but it’s definitely more of a stretch this year so I expect to be more cautious in future.
@Guy but is Kontakt 8 any quicker and less bloat and a performance hog, than previous versions? It stopped being just a sampler decades ago. Now it's a granular synth with an effects engine and a kitchen sink widget. But the core of loading samples fast still seems to be a PITA. Are we still in the age of having to reindex everything we buy, or have they learnt how to load files efficiently yet? (YES of course I'm using SSD)
NI Guitar Rig opens in mono (only the L channel engaged) by default, a quirk I was hoping would be ironed out by now, but alas. Make sure you click on the link icon between the L and R buttons when you first engage Guitar Rig on a stereo sound source.
@@joshtackett There's no 'trick' per se. You can absolutely use Guitar Rig on a stereo sound source, this is just a weird bug that has been there forever. Insert GR as a stereo effect and just click the "link" icon that sits between the L and R buttons, that's it. You'll hear the sound suddenly open up.
Kontakt 8 has adopted some of the many features available in Scaler 2, but S2 does SO much more than just chords and phrases. I find it rather annoying that NI continues to release updates to Kontakt that I have to pay for. So many boutique plugin makers have created their own players so as to avoid the licensing fees that help keep their costs down.
Yeah that's actually why I started working on plugins, and my goodness, the work I'm doing now looks to have a shot at really displacing KONTAKT and I'm really hopeful that I can put music making back into the hands of musicians again and tempt people off of the crutches of the expensive sample back workflow 😂
So all I need is a computer that would scare NASA, a hard drive the size of a supertanker, several years to learn how it all works, then a lifetime of option paralysis with a side order of procrastination. Or, I could plug my guitar in and try to write a decent song. I've had an older version of Komplete for years - still don't know all the different options and probably use 1% of the whole. I can see the appeal for some, but for me personally this is way way way too much (plus I can't come close to affording it!).
Bodhran is pronounced Bore - on if you're from northern Ireland, bow (as in take a bow) -ron if you're from the South 😅 I'm an Irish film composer and I love the Ireland library!
So if we upgrade they uninstall the Scarbee instruments? Or just if you install fresh? They made a huge deal about the last kontakt update and I found it rather unreliable.
Maybe NI could also split their different Komplete offers by genre: "All orchestral", "All drums", "All synths", "All world music", "All cinematic", etc... About Kontakt itsef. I've the full version but only to get access to other 3rd party/small developpers (and sometimes free) instruments. Honnestly I almost never use it for programing my own instruments. I create my own sample instruments, yes, but not with Kontakt which is a major pain in all you intimate parts* when you use it for that. (* I'm realy polite, my personnal feeling about Kontakt programing GUI would make me banned by youtube)
"That's quite a lot of money." Damn right, it is. Especially since I use it primarily for 3rd party libraries, unless I want 30 Gigs worth of 80's synth sounds. But thanks for your overview, Guy.
As always informative and enjoyable. I DO find the "dumbing down" of music production to be quite dismaying. I have no issue with newbies using tools to help them learn music and to work past their initial lack of basic keyboarding skills as part of learning the composition process. Unfortunately, these tools have found their way into the production of mainstream commercial pop music to the degree that what is marketed most successfully today is so musically simplistic that it is just simply SAD! My best analogy is comparing this issue to acquiring linguistic skills, both verbal and written. If one never has to learn how to form complete and cogent sentences but rather one can just say a couple of words into a smart phone and an AI program then creates the rest of a total sentence, how will that person ever learn to communicate effectively or understand others fully and accurately? Likewise, randomly poking pads on an "NI Maschine" or such until the rest of the room says "WOW" and then seeing that this result gets marketed and sells... Well, that is already where we are and have been for a while now. Democratization of language skills means teaching everyone the basic skills and understanding of speaking, reading, and writing. So, it should be with music as well.
Its true. I'm actually personally very interested in the idea of the computer assisting composition, and affecting the writing process. But many of these tools are missing the point. They dumb down the technical parts in order to make the UI sleeker... My favorite thing about making something simpler, is that you now have room to cram in even more! When a computer makes a task easier, that means the composer has more headspace and can work on the art at a higher level / they can work faster. But removing the complexity entirely is not the solution.
@@mjrisinsd6836 Unfortunately, tech has been used for years now by uneducated music "producers" to make commercially successful "dumbed down" music with mostly unsuccessful pushback from true musical artists. This has been a losing battle for many years and AI based tech is just another nail in the coffin.
Thank you Guy for the honest review. Native Instruments have been a huge let-down for a few years now. The only thing I like is Reaktor. Kontakt is frustrating but only using it because of Spitfire libraries.
15:45 the Bodhrán is pronounced 'Bore-on' :) (also Uilleann Pipes are pronounced 'ill-un') This is great info Guy, thank you for the in depth walkthrough!
I bought Kontakt 7 last year and ended up having to upgrade my PC as the video card in my Pentium 4 machine couldn't run the required Direct X. Round flat Irish thing you hit is actually with a bone not a stick. Traditionally covered with goat hide.
I suppose if I had a regular gig composing and way more coin I'd go for the full version Kontakt and I could knock out better mockups much quicker. Just me but the joy of music is learning, experimenting, composing something from the ground up. The 'paint by numbers' approach works for some people, I have tried and it is not enjoyable The palette of colours are too broad.
There are a lot of instruments in Komplete, but most are outdated, redundant, or merely sample libraries. Also, NI software is horribly buggy. I am transitioning completely away from them in favor of Roland Cloud and Akai.
Have had Komplete since 2 and last upgraded at 8. I've bought other libraries since then, but more than anything else still use Kontakt 5 and 6 and the add on libraries. Not really gonna use it enough to justify the full max version and the bog standard upgrade doesnt really add anything that I need. Been getting more out of Spitfire and Arturia over the last 5 years to be honest...... but am thinking about it, if nothing else for Kontakt 8.
I would have enjoyed watching you eat breakfast, especially the Jupiter 8 with semi-skim milk. "It's not a path to self-expression and originality." Brilliant observation. I think those who rely on pre-made chords, loops, etc will either not stick over a lifetime (like we have). I wanted to get your take on Komplete, but I still can't bring myself to purchase it since I have a smorgasbord of other libraries, some of which are those "smaller guys" I love to support (great of you to bring that up, btw). I prefer buying just what interests me. I think it's worth mentioning that you don't HAVE to download every single thing in Komplete if you don't want to, which may make sense for some people who are watching disc space.
NI Komplete everyone love to hate it but we all have it 😂 I wouldn’t update this time, my last update was 6 and I’m still ok with this. If you’re Pro you’ll defo want 8 but for the rest of us, will wait til next time.
They often have 50% discounts (at least once a year), just wait for that, upgrades are also half the price, I have ultimate 14 and payed about 600, which is still a lot, but less than 1200 xD
Suspect I will be sticking with Ultimate 14 as the "Ultimate" 15 upgrade is very threadbare for almost £400 (considering I have many of the Ultimate 15 apps via single purchases when I've needed them). Most important aspect was the Apple Silicon updates last time around. I've realised that I use Kontakt so rarely these days too. Sad to say but NI have become rather bloated.
Can you create the full MIDI notes when using the idiot one-finger chord/phrase tools? Otherwise this will be an issue if you hand it off to someone else to put it onto another (non-Kontakt) instrument or scoring software, or if you want to tweak what it plays slightly
Once you've found what you like in the tools section and are happy with the results you can just drag and drop everything into your DAW as a full chord MIDI file and proceed from there.
As an orchestral composer, version 8 offers me nothing I want or need. Also I bought the Mk 3 Native instruments keyboard, shown earlier, and could not get it to work properly, in spite of weeks of help from NI. I am far from alone in this. For me Native Instruments is rushing into things too fast and releasing products before they are ready. They are also moving more and more away from orchestral musicians into the pop area. Fair enough, but not for me. PS The chord progressions in Kontakt 8 are ghastly!
Yeah, it's an instrument in it's own right (a member of the yoke lutes family) closer to a lyre or harp, rather than "a kind of guitar" - the kithara isn't fretted.
Idk man. The big plugin companies are out of touch. If they acted like this in the past we wouldnt have any of these tools. Endless sequels and reskins that functionally do the same thing. I started making my own plugins out of frustration. I'll send them your way when I'm further along, I'd like your input on the future of music tech. It's long overdue that someobody actually started making something new for the next generation of composers
It appears that Native Instruments are now pandering to users who have high end Mk3 NI keyboards and Maschine. My A49 and M32 keyboards controls do little in Kontakt 7 and obviously won't be much use with Kontakt 8. To be honest my other instruments and effects fron Arturia, Cubase 13 pro and others are looking more attractive to me now. As a non professional user who works on a limited budget, I think my love affair with Native Instruments may be coming to an end.
Sorry Guy, theres no originality left with our twelve notes. However, the kids using these ready made "inspirational" tools are learning theory as they do, so no worries.
@Guy I'm so disappointed with the opening of your video. You whet my appetite with your talking about a 'full English Breakfast', and then you cut away to the shed and I have no chance of living vicariously of seeing a Full English Breakfast... Aggghhhhhhh
IT'S TRUE ABOUT NATIVE ACCESS DELETING MANY LIBRARIES THAT CAN BE OPEN WITH KONTAKT 6 BUT WERE UPDATED TO ALSO WORK WITH KONTAKT 7. ABSOLUTE JOKE FROM THE GERMAN COMPANY NI..SHAME ON YOU. I HAD TO REDOWNLOAD LOADS!! THE UPDATE SHOULD NOT FORCE YOU TO UPGATE KONTAKT IF YOU WISH TO UPDATE KOMPLETE NOT EVERY YEAR!!.
The Irish drum is pronounced BOW-ron, with “BOW” pronouced as in “bow to the audience.” The pipes are pronounced ill-in. (Uilleann is the Gaelic word for elbow.) And both words have an accented first syllable. I listened halfway through this video to painfully conclude that you like the sound of your own voice. After wasting fifteen minutes it became clear you hadn't bothered to make an incisive, informative, or edited presentation. A shame because I recall watching another video of yours that contained useful and reasonably concise commentary. Regarding Kontakt: I may have to sit out this upgrade. Mainly we get lots more noises-and creepy sound effects-saturated with echo and reverb. I'm a composer and arranger so I don't need loops, leaps and stuff that's supposed to help non-musicians make music. Thus for my needs Native Instrument/Komplete went in the wrong direction. I'd prefer that Kontakt further refine its clunky interface and put more attention to the fidelity and functionality of the Native Instruments libraries. A few months back I purchased Acoustic Sunburst guitar and Session Uke which I basically like (that are now included in Complete 15 Collector's Edition). In terms of acoustic stringed instruments I've heard nothing else compelling in Komplete 15 collector's, save perhaps Valves and the new standup bass. Would be nice if someone would demonstrate Kithara's instruments, particularly Nylon Guitar, out from behind the smokescreen of echo and reverb. Very few demos do that. The core instrument is usually buried in a mix with percussion and other instruments ... or we get a demo that merely tittilates with egregiously irresitable reflections. Regarding improved fidelity, I find that I often need to work around the glitches in Picked Nylon, despite overall I finding it quite useful. Here's a couple of examples that use Picked Nylon: audio.com/audius/audio/courante-robert-de-visee-mm-123-no-clicks audio.com/audius/audio/st-james-infirmary-blues
every time, youre expected to toss your NI midi keyboard into the trash bin and buy their new one or it doesnt work because "technology" How much has midi changed in the last 20 years?
By the way anyone that get Guitarix in his fingers a Linux only competitor for Guitar Rig push Guitar Rig to the trashcan. We did port Guitarix for use in Windows and Apple computers and pack it in a Unify Libary. Why to spend money for the NI proprietary solutions? In my mind the quality goes realy down from Sonic view of point once Komplete 12 Ultimate Collector Edition and holy shit their guitars are awefull. If you compare. Just cheap made.
I learned a while ago that the fewer instruments you have, the more creative you become. Mind you, there's nothing quite like a new toy!
word
@@tutengenezemuziki Just had a look at your Channel. Wow, some great music you’re making! 👍👍
I’ll agree with that 100%. But right after I buy that new toy. 😂
@@Tyrell_Corp2019 🤣Yup!
You speak truth my friend. I have everything under the sun at this point and find myself freezing up with too many choices.
Small tip for Kontakt 8, if you go into the Settings, in the Interface-tab there is an option named 'Enable "New Instruments for you" panel', if you untick this, they won't show the new products at the bottom anymore
And yes, iZotope is part of Native Instruments now (same goes for Plugin Alliance)
Are you still getting the Windows 98 experience?
Excellent the new instruments panel is really annoying but now no longer… Thanks. I mean I’m trying to work not be distracted by even more stuff I’ve had to employ a choice strategy as it is..😂
My god, that tip for how to make a six figure sum making music is absolutely golden, thank you so much!!
YES! Who knew?
Ya I'm already at 5.5 figures and i haven't even finished watching the video..
The new Soundpaint engine is completely free and has features that are supposed to be superior to Kontakt. Small developers could use that as their platform for launching their products.
Yes, and they are less expensive and way more original. NI stuff all sounds the Same, Nobody needs Kontakt in 2024
@@alontrigger I'd never heard of Soundpaint, but just watched their 3.0 walk-through and Wow. Blows Kontakt out of the water. Thanks for the tip!
Wait, so they want people buy Kontakt... again? And the people have no choice, because library creators have no choice, but to update to the latest version?
By god, the music software industry is the most predatory place I've ever seen.
what about the pharmaceutical industry, the gaming industry, or the gambling industry?
@@splitprune
It was a hyperbole, but you're right.
Though what differentiates music software here is how bad the quality of the software is for the price you're paying and how little anyone seems to care.
$>humanity
I like the music industry. Buy THIS guitar and amp because the one we told you to buy last year is shit.
You vill own nothing and you vill be happy
Is the UI Scalable yet?
Or is it still tiny? I hope they’ve jumped into the 21st century on UI SIZE
a genuine laugh out loud with the chapter marker gag - another informative video, thanks as always!!
I agree that NI and a few other folks, like Presonus, are moving towards people who are not musicians. Sad.
Could you please elaborate a tiny bit more? It's very interesting what you said and resonated with my inner feeling but I can't quite put my finger on it, especially with presonus's latest grand update, something doesn't feel right
Worth upgrading for me? On sale, yes from K14 CE. Probably during the summer sale.
My main issue with Kontakt is that now they are releasing new versions as new instruments, instead of just upgrades. This means that if I open old projects. Where I used a previous version, it will not automatically migrate to the new version, and if the libraries are updated and don’t work anymore on the previous version, the project does not open at all. It’s just a big reason to stay on the current version, and avoid all hassle…
Hi Guy,
First of all, I appreciate your diplomacy when it comes to criticism. Yes, I agree with you on how the creative process should be, and it seems the NI guys probably didn’t understand that.
I’m very critical of NI’s pricing models and their "strategic" decisions. I even wrote a post on the VI-Control forum titled, "What do you think about Native Instruments Kontakt 8?"
In my modest opinion, we (both library builders and simple users) really need a free or, better yet, an open-source sample engine that could break free from the costly monopoly.
Also, I’m with you about supporting small developers-totally! Have you listened to Ben Osterhouse’s Ripple Cello? That is the art of sampling, man!
Thanks
Giorgio
I got myself a full version of Kontakt 6 just so I can use 3rd party instruments and libraries as those for me a core reason to have Kontakt.
I'm not really into Komplete bundles but I always keep my Kontakt up to date for the above reason.
Here to see recommendations for other software... As many have said, i dont think ill he upgrading anymore.
My favorite about Kontakt 8 was how uninstalling 7 and then installing 8 resulted in Cubase 13 saying "Kontakt 7 not found, using compatible Kontakt 8 instead" (paraphrasing) when loading a project, so I didn't even have to change anything. Just resaved the project and it was converted to K8 forever.
Personnaly I keep K6, K7 and K8 installed.
@@FLH3official Any particular reason? I've not yet had any incompatibilities.
@@magicmulder My only reason is I don't want to loose time when I open a patch made with a previous version of Kontakt. A patch made with Kontakt 6 opens with Kontakt 6 accordingly, no question from my DAW. I get the instrument I want and that's all. I'm just a lazzy guy 😊 and having K6, K7 and K8 available doesnt' change many things on my machines regarding disk space, hence I keep them all.
Have found that keeping k6 on machine along w k7 results in komplete kontrol not finding libraries that are not compatible w k6. Uninstalling k6 solves that problem. BUT, as w anything NI, uninstalling K6 is a moderate pita.
@@b4time718 Interesting. On my side I almost never use KK. Actualy I keep KK in my plugin list in the case I would need to open a "VST only" plugin, which usualy never happens (my DAW is, Logic, AU only). I've never noticed a problem with KK AU plugin an my 2 and now 3 versions of Kontakt
Kontakt 7 has the non-classic browser already? I distinctly remembering having to disable it.
Good review. I've already upgraded to Komplete 15/Kontakt 8 - love it. Re: Tools. Yes, they're useful and fun (fun is important). In my experience, a more inspirational tool for Kontakt is Arpology X - stunning arpeggios across many genres. Daunting and inspirational in its depth and possibilities. Outside of Kontakt, something like the Quadra plugins for Falcon 3 (very similar to Arpology X) - another huge, huge treasure box of delights. I'm a big fan of generative MIDI tools/instruments. But learning chords is also highly recommended - and helpful.
As it stands when you first buy it, it's OK. personally I think the whole Steinberg absolute 6 is much better and fresher. NI's strength is in the number of 3rd party libraries it has in it's well, library. It's when it comes to upgrading, the price of said upgrade and what you're getting for your money. Kontakt 7 was roundly dismissed as a regressive step and a meaningless upgrade, as is Kontakt 8, which is annoying people a lot, quite rightly. the upgrade from Complete, isn't remotely worth it, to many, not just me. In my opinion, NI, Izotope and the other companies absorbed by the Corporate vulture capitalist group have made a bit of a predictable mess of said companies. The update and upgrade offerings are not worthy of dot releases and the customer service, Kuality and pricing has just shut them out of my consideration now.
You're right, and their prices are eye-watering considering the quality is average at best
Have 14 CE
I paid £67 in Nov 23 for session percussionist
I paid £70.70 in Dec 23 for Guitar rig 7
I’m currently being told I can upgrade to Kontakt 8 for £89
Or I can pay £449 to upgrade 14 CE to 15 CE
Still haven’t touched at least 50% of 14 CE
There’s nothing I really want except Kontakt 8
I just bought Halion pro in Steinbergs recent sale (bought Absolute 6)hence have even less time to explore all of my 14 CE lol
For me I think I might as well just update Kontakt and upgrade to 15 CE when it’s really cheap in their 2025 sales
This is my position exactly! Bought session per & GR7 and have just updated to Kontakt 8. I also bought Absolute 6 in the sale.
Or just wait for 16CE
I upgraded but I only upgrade once every 4 years so it's costing me about £40 per year for standard version and for what the package contains that is ridiculously affordable. I love independent sample developers and do need Full Kontakt for when I buy those so happy to carry on like I am.
Hey Guy, CPO of NI here. Thanks for doing such an in depth review. And yes, glad you like the new browsing interface. Appreciate your work and your custom.
I bought the collectors edition last year and now Native want me to fork out another 500 bucks this year, they've got to be having a laugh.
Very fair and balanced video, Guy. I upgraded to K15 Ultimate from K14 Ultimate. As I work across multiple genres, it just about justifies the price with the new instruments and features, but it’s definitely more of a stretch this year so I expect to be more cautious in future.
@Guy but is Kontakt 8 any quicker and less bloat and a performance hog, than previous versions?
It stopped being just a sampler decades ago. Now it's a granular synth with an effects engine and a kitchen sink widget.
But the core of loading samples fast still seems to be a PITA.
Are we still in the age of having to reindex everything we buy, or have they learnt how to load files efficiently yet?
(YES of course I'm using SSD)
I bought Komplete standard version a couple of years back. However, I do not update it every year. There must be something in, I am really interested.
I've got the Standard breakfast and not the Ultimate. I can't justify the upgrade price to the Ultimate breakfast. Too much cholesterol as well!
NI Guitar Rig opens in mono (only the L channel engaged) by default, a quirk I was hoping would be ironed out by now, but alas.
Make sure you click on the link icon between the L and R buttons when you first engage Guitar Rig on a stereo sound source.
I think the trick is to use a mono audio track, then add Guitar Rig as a mono to stereo plugin.
@@joshtackett
There's no 'trick' per se.
You can absolutely use Guitar Rig on a stereo sound source, this is just a weird bug that has been there forever.
Insert GR as a stereo effect and just click the "link" icon that sits between the L and R buttons, that's it.
You'll hear the sound suddenly open up.
Kontakt 8 has adopted some of the many features available in Scaler 2, but S2 does SO much more than just chords and phrases. I find it rather annoying that NI continues to release updates to Kontakt that I have to pay for. So many boutique plugin makers have created their own players so as to avoid the licensing fees that help keep their costs down.
Yeah that's actually why I started working on plugins, and my goodness, the work I'm doing now looks to have a shot at really displacing KONTAKT and I'm really hopeful that I can put music making back into the hands of musicians again and tempt people off of the crutches of the expensive sample back workflow 😂
Hi Guy, a great review of this. Thank you. Are you intending to do one for Spitfire Audio's new Tutti?
So all I need is a computer that would scare NASA, a hard drive the size of a supertanker, several years to learn how it all works, then a lifetime of option paralysis with a side order of procrastination. Or, I could plug my guitar in and try to write a decent song.
I've had an older version of Komplete for years - still don't know all the different options and probably use 1% of the whole. I can see the appeal for some, but for me personally this is way way way too much (plus I can't come close to affording it!).
Bodhran is pronounced Bore - on if you're from northern Ireland, bow (as in take a bow) -ron if you're from the South 😅 I'm an Irish film composer and I love the Ireland library!
Happy Friday sir and thank you for another sterling video 👍😁
Bodhran is pronounced "BOW-rawn" and Uilleann is "ill-an" (all close enough ;-)). Great video Gye ;-)
You-aye-leen was creative, I would've guessed Yoo-lee-an or Willy-Ann. :D
Im sure you told me that before and I lost the comment!
As in take a bow.. 👏👏
So if we upgrade they uninstall the Scarbee instruments? Or just if you install fresh?
They made a huge deal about the last kontakt update and I found it rather unreliable.
Maybe NI could also split their different Komplete offers by genre: "All orchestral", "All drums", "All synths", "All world music", "All cinematic", etc...
About Kontakt itsef. I've the full version but only to get access to other 3rd party/small developpers (and sometimes free) instruments. Honnestly I almost never use it for programing my own instruments. I create my own sample instruments, yes, but not with Kontakt which is a major pain in all you intimate parts* when you use it for that.
(* I'm realy polite, my personnal feeling about Kontakt programing GUI would make me banned by youtube)
"That's quite a lot of money." Damn right, it is. Especially since I use it primarily for 3rd party libraries, unless I want 30 Gigs worth of 80's synth sounds. But thanks for your overview, Guy.
As always informative and enjoyable. I DO find the "dumbing down" of music production to be quite dismaying. I have no issue with newbies using tools to help them learn music and to work past their initial lack of basic keyboarding skills as part of learning the composition process. Unfortunately, these tools have found their way into the production of mainstream commercial pop music to the degree that what is marketed most successfully today is so musically simplistic that it is just simply SAD!
My best analogy is comparing this issue to acquiring linguistic skills, both verbal and written. If one never has to learn how to form complete and cogent sentences but rather one can just say a couple of words into a smart phone and an AI program then creates the rest of a total sentence, how will that person ever learn to communicate effectively or understand others fully and accurately? Likewise, randomly poking pads on an "NI Maschine" or such until the rest of the room says "WOW" and then seeing that this result gets marketed and sells... Well, that is already where we are and have been for a while now.
Democratization of language skills means teaching everyone the basic skills and understanding of speaking, reading, and writing. So, it should be with music as well.
Its true.
I'm actually personally very interested in the idea of the computer assisting composition, and affecting the writing process.
But many of these tools are missing the point. They dumb down the technical parts in order to make the UI sleeker...
My favorite thing about making something simpler, is that you now have room to cram in even more!
When a computer makes a task easier, that means the composer has more headspace and can work on the art at a higher level / they can work faster.
But removing the complexity entirely is not the solution.
There will be blowback. There always is in music. Artists rule this domain no matter what the tech bros want to think about AI.
@@mjrisinsd6836 Unfortunately, tech has been used for years now by uneducated music "producers" to make commercially successful "dumbed down" music with mostly unsuccessful pushback from true musical artists. This has been a losing battle for many years and AI based tech is just another nail in the coffin.
Thank you Guy for the honest review. Native Instruments have been a huge let-down for a few years now. The only thing I like is Reaktor. Kontakt is frustrating but only using it because of Spitfire libraries.
Great words atound self expression and originality. Its no wonder so much music sounds similar now really
15:45 the Bodhrán is pronounced 'Bore-on' :)
(also Uilleann Pipes are pronounced 'ill-un')
This is great info Guy, thank you for the in depth walkthrough!
as a brit i love the little skit at the start, also that guy at the start needs a raise lol
I bought Kontakt 7 last year and ended up having to upgrade my PC as the video card in my Pentium 4 machine couldn't run the required Direct X.
Round flat Irish thing you hit is actually with a bone not a stick. Traditionally covered with goat hide.
Great overview and I loved the joke Guy (no spoilers). Brilliant video as always.
I suppose if I had a regular gig composing and way more coin I'd go for the full version Kontakt and I could knock out better mockups much quicker.
Just me but the joy of music is learning, experimenting, composing something from the ground up.
The 'paint by numbers' approach works for some people, I have tried and it is not enjoyable
The palette of colours are too broad.
There are a lot of instruments in Komplete, but most are outdated, redundant, or merely sample libraries. Also, NI software is horribly buggy. I am transitioning completely away from them in favor of Roland Cloud and Akai.
Have had Komplete since 2 and last upgraded at 8. I've bought other libraries since then, but more than anything else still use Kontakt 5 and 6 and the add on libraries. Not really gonna use it enough to justify the full max version and the bog standard upgrade doesnt really add anything that I need.
Been getting more out of Spitfire and Arturia over the last 5 years to be honest...... but am thinking about it, if nothing else for Kontakt 8.
I would have enjoyed watching you eat breakfast, especially the Jupiter 8 with semi-skim milk. "It's not a path to self-expression and originality." Brilliant observation. I think those who rely on pre-made chords, loops, etc will either not stick over a lifetime (like we have). I wanted to get your take on Komplete, but I still can't bring myself to purchase it since I have a smorgasbord of other libraries, some of which are those "smaller guys" I love to support (great of you to bring that up, btw). I prefer buying just what interests me. I think it's worth mentioning that you don't HAVE to download every single thing in Komplete if you don't want to, which may make sense for some people who are watching disc space.
NI Komplete everyone love to hate it but we all have it 😂 I wouldn’t update this time, my last update was 6 and I’m still ok with this. If you’re Pro you’ll defo want 8 but for the rest of us, will wait til next time.
Absolute from Steinberg is also very interesting.
So helpful ❤thanks a bunch .ive seen those breakfasts !
I have not upgraded from 14, and Kontakt 7 looks a lot like what he is showing at 12:00.
They're updating too often, I've only just upgraded to Kontakt 7.
Pov: We are in the future, Kontakt 374 just came out and the GUI looks very small on my 38K screen.
Is that a U67 in front of your piano? 🤤
Money makes the world go round.
I have Komplete 14 and 15 collectors all installed.. it's most my HD space lol
I dont got kontrol but i got kontact 7 is it worth the update
They often have 50% discounts (at least once a year), just wait for that, upgrades are also half the price, I have ultimate 14 and payed about 600, which is still a lot, but less than 1200 xD
Actually I believe kontakt new GUI is copied from Arturia Analog Labs Pro...and placed differently!
But it seems good...
Suspect I will be sticking with Ultimate 14 as the "Ultimate" 15 upgrade is very threadbare for almost £400 (considering I have many of the Ultimate 15 apps via single purchases when I've needed them). Most important aspect was the Apple Silicon updates last time around. I've realised that I use Kontakt so rarely these days too. Sad to say but NI have become rather bloated.
Bodhran is pronounced as "Bow", as in the front of a boat, and "Ran", as in the past tense of run.
Guy should try Studio One 7.
You Studio One agents never miss a film! If it WERE really so great, you wouldn't have to push it so hard.
@@SteamvilleQuintet It's great boy. Don't be angry.
@@LucasBurnMusic You're a liar, little shill girl.
@@LucasBurnMusic Why would I be angry at an unfortunate looking girl like you?
@@SteamvilleQuintet You're the left means you're not a person. End of discussion.
Now working on isolating these "one-finger" instruments and deleting them--don't need that level of hand-holding.
Can you create the full MIDI notes when using the idiot one-finger chord/phrase tools? Otherwise this will be an issue if you hand it off to someone else to put it onto another (non-Kontakt) instrument or scoring software, or if you want to tweak what it plays slightly
Once you've found what you like in the tools section and are happy with the results you can just drag and drop everything into your DAW as a full chord MIDI file and proceed from there.
Yep, you drag and drop the midi from the Tools into the DAW timeline if you want to use it with non-Kontakt instruments.
BORE-ann or BOUGH-ron are the usual pronunciations (depending on where you are in Ireland/rest of the world)
As an orchestral composer, version 8 offers me nothing I want or need. Also I bought the Mk 3 Native instruments keyboard, shown earlier, and could not get it to work properly, in spite of weeks of help from NI. I am far from alone in this. For me Native Instruments is rushing into things too fast and releasing products before they are ready. They are also moving more and more away from orchestral musicians into the pop area. Fair enough, but not for me. PS The chord progressions in Kontakt 8 are ghastly!
Sad Ukulele = Dowland Uke?
Your video I liked really much ;)
10:45 - oooer - hehehe
12:59 - Kith as in kith and kin - please! It's ancient Greek - ask me how I know.
Yeah, it's an instrument in it's own right (a member of the yoke lutes family) closer to a lyre or harp, rather than "a kind of guitar" - the kithara isn't fretted.
But then saying that, genres alwaus did sound samey. Early rock and rolll/elvis for example almost always used same key changes for years
Idk man.
The big plugin companies are out of touch.
If they acted like this in the past we wouldnt have any of these tools.
Endless sequels and reskins that functionally do the same thing.
I started making my own plugins out of frustration. I'll send them your way when I'm further along, I'd like your input on the future of music tech.
It's long overdue that someobody actually started making something new for the next generation of composers
I’m sorry, adding chapter markers can make anyone a six figure salary from music? 😮
Whoosh...
It appears that Native Instruments are now pandering to users who have high end Mk3 NI keyboards and Maschine. My A49 and M32 keyboards controls do little in Kontakt 7 and obviously won't be much use with Kontakt 8. To be honest my other instruments and effects fron Arturia, Cubase 13 pro and others are looking more attractive to me now. As a non professional user who works on a limited budget, I think my love affair with Native Instruments may be coming to an end.
👌👌👌🙏🙏🙏
Sorry Guy, theres no originality left with our twelve notes. However, the kids using these ready made "inspirational" tools are learning theory as they do, so no worries.
Uileann is pronounced illen. The flat drum is pronounced bowrawn
💙💛
It’s pronounced BOW RAWN and ULL-IN pipes
@Guy I'm so disappointed with the opening of your video. You whet my appetite with your talking about a 'full English Breakfast', and then you cut away to the shed and I have no chance of living vicariously of seeing a Full English Breakfast... Aggghhhhhhh
Native Instruments has become "spam, spam, spam, and spam" lately, seems to me.
You're so funny :)
IT'S TRUE ABOUT NATIVE ACCESS DELETING MANY LIBRARIES THAT CAN BE OPEN WITH KONTAKT 6 BUT WERE UPDATED TO ALSO WORK WITH KONTAKT 7. ABSOLUTE JOKE FROM THE GERMAN COMPANY NI..SHAME ON YOU. I HAD TO REDOWNLOAD LOADS!!
THE UPDATE SHOULD NOT FORCE YOU TO UPGATE KONTAKT IF YOU WISH TO UPDATE KOMPLETE NOT EVERY YEAR!!.
Boo-zoo-key (from what I've heard)
The Irish drum is pronounced BOW-ron, with “BOW” pronouced as in “bow to the audience.” The pipes are pronounced ill-in. (Uilleann is the Gaelic word for elbow.) And both words have an accented first syllable.
I listened halfway through this video to painfully conclude that you like the sound of your own voice. After wasting fifteen minutes it became clear you hadn't bothered to make an incisive, informative, or edited presentation. A shame because I recall watching another video of yours that contained useful and reasonably concise commentary.
Regarding Kontakt: I may have to sit out this upgrade. Mainly we get lots more noises-and creepy sound effects-saturated with echo and reverb. I'm a composer and arranger so I don't need loops, leaps and stuff that's supposed to help non-musicians make music. Thus for my needs Native Instrument/Komplete went in the wrong direction. I'd prefer that Kontakt further refine its clunky interface and put more attention to the fidelity and functionality of the Native Instruments libraries.
A few months back I purchased Acoustic Sunburst guitar and Session Uke which I basically like (that are now included in Complete 15 Collector's Edition). In terms of acoustic stringed instruments I've heard nothing else compelling in Komplete 15 collector's, save perhaps Valves and the new standup bass.
Would be nice if someone would demonstrate Kithara's instruments, particularly Nylon Guitar, out from behind the smokescreen of echo and reverb. Very few demos do that. The core instrument is usually buried in a mix with percussion and other instruments ... or we get a demo that merely tittilates with egregiously irresitable reflections.
Regarding improved fidelity, I find that I often need to work around the glitches in Picked Nylon, despite overall I finding it quite useful. Here's a couple of examples that use Picked Nylon:
audio.com/audius/audio/courante-robert-de-visee-mm-123-no-clicks
audio.com/audius/audio/st-james-infirmary-blues
every time, youre expected to toss your NI midi keyboard into the trash bin and buy their new one or it doesnt work because "technology" How much has midi changed in the last 20 years?
Great video. And yeah, meh…
Borraaan ;-)
You do not get Absynth anymore a reason to take distance for any update. Thanks for warning us guy.
By the way anyone that get Guitarix in his fingers a Linux only competitor for Guitar Rig push Guitar Rig to the trashcan. We did port Guitarix for use in Windows and Apple computers and pack it in a Unify Libary. Why to spend money for the NI proprietary solutions? In my mind the quality goes realy down from Sonic view of point once Komplete 12 Ultimate Collector Edition and holy shit their guitars are awefull. If you compare. Just cheap made.