In a few months Yamaha is going to release the full version of it's Montage plugin. As an owner of a Montage M it's enhanced AWM2 engine and filter blow away what's in Kontact. I think Yamaha/Steinberg will release the Montage plugin with specific Montage editor librarian features, but I also think they will release AWM2 as a standalone Rompler plugin with a deep factory library and integrate AWM2 into HALion like they did FM-XHallo Spaceboy wrote: ↑Sun Apr 14, 2024 4:11 am Both HALion and Falcon are clearly superior synthesis and arguably better sampling platforms. Of course, if musicians limit their use to sample libraries developed by Native Instruments and various third parties and don't have any interest in creating their own inventive hybrid synthesis/sampling instruments, then Kontakt is probably still the best choice.
But from my perspective, that's really the only thing that Kontakt still has going for it, i.e., strong sample library support. Its relatively limited filters and FX mostly sound dated and weak to me.
Yamaha is spending way to much money and resources into the Montage plugin to only make it available as an add on to the hardware
As part of HALion however it becomes a ridiculously powerful sampling workstation with all kinds of fantastic filter, modulation options, and effects
And becomes a very compelling environment to make libraries for as they would work on both hardware and software instruments and in multiple different plugin formats.
I have to wonder at this point what the market is for giant expensive 3rd party libraries for Kontact. While a lot of people have a lot invested in them, how many people are investing in new Kontact libraries? I think the market is ripe for a new/different kid on the block. A single platform for both hardware and software
And you could of course build everything in either hardware or software and/or use your Montage as a controller or Yamaha could just make a controller based on Montage hardware with it's fantastic keyboard and hands on controls