Is Kontakt everything it claims to be?

[moonmusic]

Hello Guys!
I've been using Giga for a few years on a dedicated PC and I'm so ready to drop the extra pc set up for a soft sampler within protools which I've pretty much given up on Giga of ever being able to do...Kontakt looks appealing to me for the fact I can convert my large Giga library into their format however my past experience with Native Instruments hasn't been a pleasant one...I tried out the included pro52 software that was included with the 002 and the latency was terrible! I was wondering if anyone has actually used Kontakt with the 002 and what was the outcome...Does it actually work? I don't want to pay $400 for something I can't use...In the end I'd be better off just sticking with the dedicated giga set up...Thanks!

[moonmusic]

Yeah....That's kind of what I thought ...Thanks guys

[Cliffy_Boy]

I think Kontakt is excellent. The sound quiality and ease is very good. The import options are very flexible. try the demo and see for yourself.

[nikki-k]

Yeah....That's kind of what I thought ...Thanks guys

Waiting to reply til I could provide a thoughtful post rather than one filled with humor and sarcasm...then I realized I would probably never be capable of picking the right time. But I'll try...

I use Kontakt everyday with Pro Tools. I have also used Pro-53 (via VST wrapper). Currently, I see a problem with RTAS instruments as far as latency is concerned. Average latency is about 300-500 samples. WHile this isnt a be-all-end-all "OMG! I cant use this crap!" deterent, I have welcomed the two things the VST-RTAS wrapper have afforded me: Multiple MIDI channels for NI instruments (of which I own a few), and lower latency for the VSTi version of those that are both RTAS and VST.

That aside...

GigaStudio is a great app/instrument. However, one must really take a second (or more) to stand back (or sit back, as in my case ) and look at WHAT Giga was created for. And, it does do that well. As a stand-alone "super-sampler" it exceeds, IMO. But it is this very thing that can make it very difficult to incorporate into a "DAW-SoftInstrument-Sampler" do-it-all solution. For this, I love Kontakt. Even more, I love how some developers have decided to include Kompakt or Kontakt Player as part fot he library package. Some will scoff, but isnt that always the case?

Kontakt is VERY low cpu when inserted on a track empty. WHAT one loads in it determines the overhead. I can run DFH in one instance, the included 256M piano, as well as a few more instances for other needs, and still have plenty of power to work with. As an insert, I am very happy, and have chosen it over all the other offerings out there. No, it isnt perfect (what is?). But I feel it will get those few things that are really annoying to some ironed out pretty quickly. Users complained about the authorization thing, and NI changed it rather quickly. Giga import is 50-50 with most samplers and translator software, and the Kontakt instrument has a few things that are being ironed out as we speak.

I have recently been thrown a curve ball; I have gone over the info on GigaStudio 3, and spent alot fo time scouring threads on it, with comments from people involved with Giga. When I was on the phone ordering some stuff today, I actually ordered Giga160. Then I changed my mind, and said- pull it. Nevermind. Why? Similar to your reasons. I dont feel like dedicating a system to it, and for MY needs, I find most libraries are available on more than Giga, and I trust that Giga import will be fixed very soon. Kontakt has become popular enough that most libraries being produced now are available in Kontakt format natively. Yes, it is a little limiting, but choosing a single (or even two) sampler for use will carry limitations. Personally, I find Kontakt is powerful, stable, and has a large enough library, and good translator tools (either built in, or from 3rd party) to provide a large enough selection for my needs.

If I were scoring to film or TV, or doing intense work requiring huge sample libraries to be used on a regular basis (ie, classical), I would not only have Kontakt still, but would have an additional computer (or 2, or 3, or more) for Giga.

While Giga already provides more sculting tools than Kontakt (and most other samplers), and the upcoming GS3 will be even more so, I find that I already have tools I use along with Kontakt, and actually prefer working in this manner.

Kontakt has proven stable, easy to use, and very powerful. Hopefully NI will add to it's features a little as time goes by, but within sacrificing what they have now. Or maybe the ability to load say, a filter module or something similar.

This is a very personal take on these, and one born of my own experiences. Coming from years of hardware sampler use (Akai, Emu, Kurzweil), I am actually at the point where I am almost free of hardware samplers period. My Kruzweil K2500XS (88-note wieghted- sa-weet!) will stay as long as it lives. Replacing it will be rough for me, but it will be replaced with an 88-note weighted when it does die, since I dont even use it for the sounds anymore (yeah, I know, a waste, given it's incredible shaping tools).

Figure out what you need a sampler for, what format the libraries typically appear as, and if there are good tools to translate TO that format, and of course- stability, functionality and support (both user and company!).

Hope that was what you were looking for. Any other questions, ask away! I dont work for NI, nor do I even do beta work for them. Simply a user happy to have the software they put out

[Cliffy_Boy]

Nikki - did you take a breath?

I'm glad you like Kontakt ( I think I told you it was good and then worried if you didnt like it that I'd be responsible, I can sleep well now)

Did you get the white grand and do you like it. I'm still trying to get the acoustic grand piano and the closest I've come is STeinberg's The Grand.

Did you get your Remote Desktop worked out. If not, I can hook you up with the IT guy that set up mine.

[nikki-k]

Hi!

Not yet- it shipped Monday (theoretically) from Sweden ( i think), so I expect to see it either late this week or next sometime. It will be one of a few I will be using for the i9 project. For darker peices, I can se using something like the Bos (PMI 290), or maybe a good Steinway. All colors, and all what fits is what it comes down to

Bad day today, bed ridden entire day, so tomorrow will be "IT" day. I am investigatng WOL, and wil be retrying the whole setup from scratch once more to be sure I did things right. As always, with some time to really think about things, I am probably not doing Giga now on a third machine. It far excedes my current needs to have 2 machines running soft instruments. Heck, I could probably get away with upping the ram in the two machines and maybe doing most of my work with just one! lol!

<hijack over...taking off forum for further discussion...>

[da BaSsTaRd!]

Is Kontakt everything it claims to be?
kontakt will NOT make coffee. let me repeat that - kontakt will NOT make coffee.

[nikki-k]

Is Kontakt everything it claims to be?
kontakt will NOT make coffee. let me repeat that - kontakt will NOT make coffee.

LOL!!!! The box it comes in makes an EXCELLENT stirrer tho.
Now- say it with me:
STIRRER STIRRER STIRRER...

[moonmusic]

Hello Nikki,
Thanks for the in depth reply! There is a good bit of info there...My main board is a Roland Fantom S-88 so like you, even though it has a built in sampler I was looking for a software sampler after being spoiled by Giga with quick load times and no CD-Roms or floppies (remember those?) to deal with...The S-88 is only 64 note polyphony and when using "pad" type sounds eats into that fairly rapidly...I have a pretty good selection of Triton,Kurzweil,etc. samples that I've created into Giga format and use many of those samples still to this day so obviously, I'd like to convert them into whatever softsampler that will work within protools...The main tracks would be midi'd through the S-88 but I'd still like to use some of the drum kit and pad sounds from the triton/kurzweil samples as a second source....Thanks again for the in depth reply and I'll go download the demo version to see if I can at least get it to work on the Protools computer...Will I need wave driver installed?...I don't think it is...I really need to get an upgrade CD from Digi...I'm still in 5.3 and the digi 002 always brings up a message about something needed updated in it (firmware maybe?) during launching but I just click "later" and proceed with my work....They sent me a 6.? upgrade for a Mac a good while back but that hardly helps me when I'm running a PC...SO,I should probably update everything before trying to run that program.... Thanks again!

[nikki-k]

Hi!
Cool- thx

The current demo on the NI site is for the last version of Kontakt, not the current 1.5 version
However, it will run in stand alone using the ASIO drivers for the 002, only since you are using the ASIO drivers from the pre-PT 6.1 release, 002 MIDI will not be available

Personally, the PT 6.1 (and now 6.1.1) update (upgrade) has been great. I uninstalled 6.1, and then reinstalled 5.3.3 to test some things a few months ago, and I was like Eeek! I used to work with this everyday! lol! Yeah, I love 6.1, the gui is nicer, extra features, etc Everything really. It eats a little more cpu than 5.3 (I lose about 4-5 plugins due to this difference, but am completely fine with it; who will use that many plugins in a 32 track session anyway? crazy...).

If you have any questions about it once you download, let me know and I will try to help if I can