OT: Kontakt Demo - Set-Up Help?

[blizzard]

Hey Everyone!

I'm interested in starting to use softsynths and samplers in my music but I'm new when it comes to knowing what to do and how to set it all up. So far I've downloaded the Kontakt Demo and already I can't get it to work.

Here's my setup:

- 001 running PT LE 5.3.1
- Wavedriver 4.0
- cpu AXP 2000+
- KT3-Ultra ( VIA KT333 chipset )
- 512 RAM
- 2nd Soundcard Sound Blaster Live 5.1(PCI)
- I'm using a cheap little midi keyboard that sucks but can send something.

Audio In Port to MME Digidesign 001 Ch 1&2
Audio Out Port to Directsound Digidesign 001 Ch 1&2

There are no midi in or outs listed in the midi settings.
Everytime I open Kontakt and enter the Audio Settings, my computer freezes and I have to reboot.
I really have no idea what I'm doing!

If anyone could help me with getting this up and running so I can evaluate it to see if I want to buy. I couldn't find anything usefull on the NI website. As far as I know this is coming as a RTAS soon. I have the ST demo and I love having it run inside ProTools.

Thanks so much!
Cheers!

Andrew

[blizzard]

More specifically, how do I get the 001 midi ports to show under midi settings in Kontakt?

Andrew

[Cliffy_Boy]

To set up Kontakt, this was taken from the B4 thread below:

You simply instantiate Kontakt on each audio or aux . With each instance comes a corresponding midi channel - e.g. Kontakt 1, Kontakt 2 etc. So Kontakt 1 will automatically route to the first Aux that it was instantiated on, the second to the second etc. I think this makes manageing instruments very easy. Since the Kontakt engine uses very little CPU, you can have many instances without glitching. It is the instruments themselves that make the CPU beg for mercy. And whether they are all located on one instance or multiple instances, There is virtually no additional drain on the system. In fact its better this way cos you can just disable any track that has Kontakt to preserve CPU and bounce finished files easily.

To get the midi ports working, no clue. On the rack, they are there.

[nikki-k]

Hi!
5.3.X versions of PT did not include drivers allowing 3rd party use the PT hardware MIDI. Part of the 6.1 upgrade included new ASIO and Wavedriver drivers that can coexist, and added MIDI functionality. With the ASIO drivers supplied with 5.3.X, be sure that EITHER ASIO or Wavedriver is loaded/installed, NOT both. I would be sure the Wavedrivers are not installed, and use ASIO in this case. While this will not provide MIDI functionality, it would enable you to at least play with Kontakt to see if it is something you like.

That said- a workaround is available But it requires a second soundcard or onboard sound, and latency will be dependant upon the drivers for said card/source. Also needed is MIDI Yoke NT.

With a second soundcard or onboard sound, run the output of the card into the DIgi001 if you want the sound to "enter" PT. Or hook it to speakers/mixer to simply hear it "alongside" PT. Next, open Kontakt stand alone first, assign audio as the soundcard or onboard sound. The fire up PT. Add MIDI track, assign Input as Digi001, output as MIDI Yoke NT Port 1 (or 2, 3, 4, etc). In Kontakt, select the input as the same as chosen for Output for MIDI track in PT. If wiring the soundcard to the Digi001 to be able to record/monitor it, then a new Audio track needs to be created. Set Input to the inputs the soundcard is wired into on the 001, etc.

Unfortunately in your case, either a MIDI interface, second soundcard, or onboard sound would be needed to try Kontakt with a MIDI keyboard. To simply try it out with the DIgi ASIO, a SoundBlaster or other similar would allow you to use the MIDI I/O on the SB to use the MIDI keyboard with it. New SUB Keyboard controllers are cool due to the USB providing MIDI connectivity- like the Oxygen8. Very cool. Either that or an upgrade to 6.1.

Then again, I may have missed something...

[blizzard]

Cliffy!

If and when I decide to get the new Kontakt, one BIG deciding factor is that it can run within PT as a RTAS. I love the idea of having everything running in PT. But for now the Kontakt demo is version 1.1.0.010 and it does not support RTAS only VST and stand-alone.

Thanks
Andrew

[Cliffy_Boy]

Knotakt 1.5 is RTAS - solid but it eats RAM like most samplers with big samples do. Not hard on the CPU tho'

[blizzard]

nikki-k!

I would be sure the Wavedrivers are not installed, and use ASIO in this case. While this will not provide MIDI functionality, it would enable you to at least play with Kontakt to see if it is something you like.

The upgrade to 6.1 might be on my X-mas list this year!
Where can I check to see if ASIO is installed? I have the wavedriver installed and it shows in Device Manager.
How would I be able to evaluate Kontakt without a MIDI controller? I figured you needed an external keyboard or sequencer to trigger the samples. Am I missing something?

With a second soundcard or onboard sound, run the output of the card into the DIgi001 if you want the sound to "enter" PT. Or hook it to speakers/mixer to simply hear it "alongside" PT. Next, open Kontakt stand alone first, assign audio as the soundcard or onboard sound. The fire up PT.

Routing the midi from my Soundblaster to the 001 and back might be a good way for me to try the product with PT but it raises another problem that I have been working around.

Everytime I run PT I have to disable my Soundblaster card in Device Manager. If I don't Pt is constantly telling me that the "PCI bus is to busy to .....blah blah..) Of course it doesn't let me even use PT because it's always stopping. No work gets done. I can assure you having to disable the SoundBlaster is a huge pain but I can't figure out how to have the two coexist without swamping my PCI bus. Thats why I don't want to uninstall the wavedriver. Using it I don't have to enable/disable the soundcard everytime I want to hear sound outside of PT. When I enable/disable repeatedly, I always will end up having to reboot for settings to work.

I'm sure there is something I can do to fix this but I have no idea.

I think I will get something like the Oxygen8 soon. It's the one I've had my eye on.

Andrew

[Cliffy_Boy]

How would I be able to evaluate Kontakt without a MIDI controller

pencil in a bunch of notes in PT. If using Kontakt as an ASIO standalone, you can audition samples using the little waveform icon in the sample list on the botton left OR select edit, mapping and a pretty little keyboard pops up that you can sorta play with your mouse.

[nikki-k]

Hi!

Pre-6.1 wavedriver and Digi ASIO drivers do not get along at all. Remove wavedriver, install ASIO driver.

You mention an SB, so use the midi features on this to use a keyboard controller if you want. Using the 001 as an ASIO device for Kontakt in stand-alone and using the SB MIDI port to use your keyboard controller should work fine. I have done this before. To use Kontakt as standalone and run PT in your situation might be rough, since you mention having problems with PT, 001 and SB all going/enabled. Question on this: What drivers are installed for the SB? What model SB is it? I ask because if you are running WIn XP, the drivers Win XP will install are what I use instead of the Creative drivers (crap IMO), and I have no probs at all. I have even used Win Media player using the SB Live I have to test MP3's and bounces from PT while PT is running, no problems at all.

Checking if ASIO is installed...hmmm...I never installed my wavedriver before, and just installed the ASIO driver. I *think* the Digiasio.dll lives in the c:\program files\digidesign\pro tools folder. May also/or live in one of the Windows folders, like System32.

As far as Xmas, I would visit Santa at the mall to be sure you get 6.1 I went back to 5.3 a few weeks ago to test some BTD stuff on 5.3 vs 6.1, and I was actually amazed at how much Ihave taken 6.1 for granted in some aspects. Actually took me a few to get used to 5.3 again. And yes- it felt good to get back home

As Cliffy said- run Kontakt, load an instrument, click the big Edit button, then mapping and the little keybard that pops up underneath can be played with your mouse. Even cooler is that as you click on the little keys, clicking closer to the top of a key lowers the velocity sent, and playing further to the bottom of a key triggers with a higher velocity! Very, very cool for checking velocity switching, layers, etc.

As far as RTAS is concerned, once again, as Cliffy said- it works great! An empty Kontakt instance uses so little cpu. Then, you can choose to use Direct from Disk or not DFD has worked extremely well here. Also, saving a song and reopening that has Kontakt in it, guess what happens?
It actually loads the way you saved it!!! Moved the samples for a patch/instrument? Need to find 'em? Hehehe- auto-find is actually pretty damn fast. Or search manually. I really cannot praise this thing enough- I like it that much. And this from someone who actualy growls when someone mentions NI...if only they would get ver 1.5 up as a demo so more people could see the light...(grrrr....)...(see? grrrr...)
("..it's over 600' tall, and there's an elevator that takes you to the top" "Oh! Can we go in it Dad?" "No.")

[Cliffy_Boy]

("..it's over 600' tall, and there's an elevator that takes you to the top" "Oh! Can we go in it Dad?" "No.")

Drinking again?