KVR Audio

AlesisVi61 · Post by **AlesisVi61** » Tue Sep 30, 2014 4:40 am

Did my absolute best,to avoid NI(due to the tremendous letdowns of their "customer service")...but after my experiences with my old Kontakt 4 and my recent experience with AIR's Structure and my subsequent reluctance to waste money on the Goliath library for it(not to mention every alternative to Kontakt,that I sought out),I realized that there are far too many reasons for me to ever consider anything else,but Kontakt.
No iLok,impeccably authentic sample quality,enormous add-on options and best of all,it will fulfill my every bread and butter need and all for $400.

I did a lot of research on EastWest software and just a single category of sounds,is $400...what a friggin' rip off!
I won't deny that just the NI K10 is a great value,but I never cared for the intricate and eye blurring GUI's of NI's synthesizers and in fact,when I had my K6 bundle,Kontakt 4 is all I ever used...for the most part,as although the synths had some interesting sounds and effects,they were mostly comprised of sour power chords,bleeps,blips,pops and other noise...rather than being more musical.

Ultimately,I would just rather save a $100 and just go for the sampler.I don't regret one bit,buying my beloved AIR Instrument pack,but it still does not solve all of my bread and butter needs.

To me,Native Instrument's synths just can't compare to that of AIR's synths,because the Hybrid 3,Loom and Vacuum Pro are so incredibly inspiring and so amazingly easy to use and virtually all of the presets are ready to go,without any tweaking necessary....but when you do want to do some sound design,you get the desired result effectively and efficiently.
Certainly my Structure and Transfuser samplers won't go to waste,but they will still be the least used programs and they are by no means,an all-in-one solution to bread & butter sounds...not even close,in fact and as such,there's no point in investing in any additional sample libraries.

I was worried about encountering possible installation issues with Kontakt 5 in my Studio One DAW....but recently(thanks to AIR's tech assitance,via remote PC access),they helped me better understand file paths and associations,in relation to my Presonus S1 DAW...so I feel confident in eventually adding Kontakt 5 to my DAW...without having to worry about being dependent on NI's tech support and being utterly lost and left in the cold.

I only wish though,that Sweetwater carried Kontakt 5(apart from the K10 bundle)...but it appears that the purchase of Kontakt 5 is exclusive only to NI's website.

michael2 · Post by **michael2** » Tue Sep 30, 2014 4:43 am

it really is a nice sampler. I didn't want all of the stuff in Komplete, so I bought Battery, Reaktor and Kontakt and I'm set. Got them all on sale at cross grade prices and I feel like NI got the short end of the stick.

stikygum · Post by **stikygum** » Tue Sep 30, 2014 5:16 am

I have Kontakt 5, but just can't get into. Granted I haven't read the manual or watched videos to make my own setups within Kontakt, but I'm only a fan of all the libraries available, not the Kontakt software. I just don't like the structure of Kontakt. Too complex and deep for a sampler. If it were more intuitive, then I'd probably have a different view, but I still think there are better samplers out there.

I think Vengeance Phalanx is much nicer. Has big graphs for Env and LFOs, nice effects, and bunch of very useful straightforward features.

EvilDragon · Post by **EvilDragon** » Tue Sep 30, 2014 6:39 am

If you think Kontakt is deep, you shouldn't check out MachFive 3...

Phalanx can't really be compared with Kontakt, it has a totally different purpose (i.e. not huge multisampled instruments) and is much less featured.

Burillo · Post by **Burillo** » Tue Sep 30, 2014 8:08 am

i wish NI had an option of buying all kontakt libraries without all this massive/maschine/reaktor/fx stuff. i'm long since tempted by komplete ultimate, but i'm put off by the added stuff i definitely not going to use.

DarkStar · Post by **DarkStar** » Tue Sep 30, 2014 8:19 am

^^^^
My guess is that "Kontakt Ultimate" (Kontakt and the 15 (?) sounds libraries) would not be that much cheaper. Get Komplete Ultimate and don't install the products you don't want.

Buying the libraries individually would cost over £1250 !

digitalboytn · Post by **digitalboytn** » Tue Sep 30, 2014 9:19 am

michael2 wrote:it really is a nice sampler.

Calling it a "sampler" is a bit of a stretch....

It's a "sampler" that doesn't actually sample

Ben H · Post by **Ben H** » Tue Sep 30, 2014 9:20 am

digitalboytn wrote:
michael2 wrote:it really is a nice sampler.
Calling it a "sampler" is a bit of a stretch....

It's a "sampler" that doesn't actually sample

digitalboytn · Post by **digitalboytn** » Tue Sep 30, 2014 9:49 am

Not sure what the zzz's are there for Benny Boy ?

If you're feeling a little sleepy,you might want to go and have a double shot...

I use Kontakt all of the time and my version does not sample...

So it is NOT a sampler...

But it's an excellent sample player

Doug1978 · Post by **Doug1978** » Tue Sep 30, 2014 10:05 am

Isn't Kontakt 5 brilliant?

It sings and plays music back at me, which is like totally brilliant.

And you even press notes down on your keyboard and it'll show you which keys you're pressing on its happy piano face. Brilliant!

Maybe Konakt's not good for people with bad eye sight though 'cos its face is like tiny and you have to squint and get really close up to the screen, and sometimes you sneeze.

But owls and animals with big eyes, like pandas, will love it.
And that's brilliant!

Ben H · Post by **Ben H** » Tue Sep 30, 2014 10:10 am

digitalboytn wrote:Not sure what the zzz's are there for Benny Boy ?

[snip]

I use Kontakt all of the time and my version does not sample...

So it is NOT a sampler...

But it's an excellent sample player

You must be such fun at parties digitalboytn!

The yawn is because of the same old tired argument over and over again ... "Kontakt does not sample, therefore it is not a sampler."

As has been discussed MANY times on here already, language evolves over time... as has the accepted definition/use of the word "sampler."

Now where did I put that dead-horse-flogging smiley?

Chapelle · Post by **Chapelle** » Tue Sep 30, 2014 10:18 am

Ben H · Post by **Ben H** » Tue Sep 30, 2014 10:24 am

Chapelle wrote:
Ben H wrote:Now where did I put that dead-horse-flogging smiley?
Here it is:

Thanks.

dwozzle · Post by **dwozzle** » Tue Sep 30, 2014 10:53 am

Of course I don't know what future prices will actually be, but if you own an earlier version of Komplete (or at least some of NI's other major synths), typically Komplete and upgrades to it go on Black Friday sale later in the year. You most likely could pick up the entire Komplete collection for around the same price you're talking about for Kontakt alone. I did that last year, and all I owned were ancient versions of Reaktor, FM7, and a few others; only one was required. Great deal.

If you actively don't want all that Komplete comes with (it's freaking huge if you install the whole thing), or can't wait, then do what you want to do. But if any of it appeals to you, it's kind of a no-brainer next to paying $400 for Kontakt alone.

And you're right about Kontakt, it's hugely powerful, and somewhat of an industry standard. There are tons of high quality libs out there for it.

digitalboytn · Post by **digitalboytn** » Tue Sep 30, 2014 11:10 am

Ben H wrote: You must be such fun at parties digitalboytn!

I don't go to parties Benny Boy...I'm a boring old fart who works most of the time...

Anway,I don't drink and I prefer to be far from the maddening crowd...

I didn't know that the "sampler" subject had been flogged to death here...

But by virtue of the fact that it doesn't actually sample,then in all actuality,it is NOT a sampler...

But if the "wise folks" around here have accepted it as being a sampler,well good for them...

Animal Farm and all that jazz...

I guess that's why I don't spend much time on KVR anymore...

Kontakt 5,There's No Substitute