I hope NI treats Reaktor like they treat Guitar Rigs

dreason85
dreason85 Member Posts: 49 Member
edited October 22 in Reaktor

Every time I see Komplete updating, I don't see any changes in Reaktor. To be honest, I feel heartbroken, but I can see Guitar Rig. A software that has been up and down for so many years has been reupdated. So why can't Reaktor.

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Comments

  • Sunborn
    Sunborn NKS User Library Mod Posts: 3,091 mod
    edited January 18

    Reaktor is an one-of-a-kind unique software. For me is by far the best and most superior of Native Instruments and one of the top-10 music software ever. However, it is already a complete solution that does not need minor and often changes but rather big updates only, such as Reaktor 7 which hopefully will come at the end of this year (this is my guess, not some rumor).

    It is like the old analog synth monsters, an autonomous timeless machine of its own right and it does not need to follow the rules of the other software. Maybe because it is not for the masses but for the selected few, those who dare to dive deep. Reaktor is the Emperor and an emperor doesn't need to change often. 🙏

  • dreason85
    dreason85 Member Posts: 49 Member

    Your answer is too good, it gives me a lot of confidence in Reaktor. I hope Reaktor7 will arrive this year.

  • Kubrak
    Kubrak Member Posts: 3,067 Expert

    As NI has ported Reaktor to Apple Silicon, which had to be very hard nut.... And cost fortune.... I see future for Reaktor in NI plans.

  • Kymeia
    Kymeia NKS User Library Mod Posts: 5,021 mod

    I wish I had more confidence in NI’s commitment to Reaktor. I think they do need to be more explicit about maintaining that commitment and while I appreciate it may not need lots of updates some evidence of recent forward momentum, even if less frequent, would inspire more confidence

  • Big Gnome
    Big Gnome Member Posts: 37 Helper

    People have been forecasting Reaktor's imminent demise for the last 15 years at least--since well before v5.5 and maybe earlier; I can only vouch for as long as I've I've been around these parts personally. It's an ancient, mature, and stable product that doesn't doesn't require a flood of bugfixes or see a lot of point updates, and it's been so for a long, long time; and furthermore, NI has a long history of frequently using it in-house as a quick dev platform. It's a safe assumption that Reaktor isn't going anywhere. Is there room for improvement? Sure (core iteration, latency reporting, and bitmap graphics rescaling, I'm looking in your direction...), but unless we specifically hear otherwise, I think that lamenting Reaktor's future is misplaced. (Also, as has been pointed out before, Reaktor is fundamentally an interpreter/compiler, and updating that sort of program to a new architecture--i.e., Apple's ARM chips--is no mean feat and is definitely the sort of thing to suck all the air out of the room development-wise).

  • KoaN
    KoaN Member Posts: 137 Advisor

    We can only speculate of course but it does feel things are a bit different since the change in the company and the direction it seems to take now.They want the most money possible and the way to it is mainly Kontakt and selling massive sample packs based on popular generic music and trends.

    I don't think Reaktor will dissapear tomorrow but i am not so optimistic about the future.They seem to allocate even less ressources to it now,except the apple update of course but maybe it is to extend it's life a little bit more since they know it has a certain interest and community.

    The display resolution will only become more and more of a problem for people though,it already is.Putting off a lot of people.If they change that well i guess the future will last a bit longer.

  • tetsuneko
    tetsuneko Member Posts: 797 Expert
    edited January 22

    I feel like Reaktor is in a good place since the 6.5 update (new bugs notwithstanding). What however needs serious love is everything else related to Reaktor besides the actual application.

    Documentation has not been updated since 6.2.2 I think? That was already several years ago.. Also, most learning resources for Reaktor stuff is wildly inconsistent, out of date / deprecated, or both. And don't even get me started on the RUL.. what an asbsolute mess!

    If the RUL was updated to modern standards, we'de be able to find stuff easier than now.. the search function of the RUL feels very archaic

    A bunch of core stuff was added to Reaktor 6 since it's launch.. we got Envelope, Filter, delay etc toolkits but no simple examples how to use them in our ensembles.. all in all the whole Core side of Reaktor is dying for more educational resources.. While the Primary side is overexposed to death. If I try to search for tutorials about Reaktor Core on the Youtubes, I am flooded with "metoo" videos of tubers explaining the simplest Reaktor Primary stuff over and over again.. It's maddening!!

  • Sunborn
    Sunborn NKS User Library Mod Posts: 3,091 mod
    edited January 22
  • tetsuneko
    tetsuneko Member Posts: 797 Expert

    I have been going through R6 "Building In Core" and while it's OK, its not comprehensive by any means.

    Thanks for the R5 core pdf link, I'll give that one a read through, maybe it explains things the R6 docs "take for granted"

  • Vfold
    Vfold Member Posts: 19 Helper

    A year ago a developer said this:


    ”Sorry, but besides the addition of native Apple Silicon support and the new VST3 plugin there will be no new features implemented.

    At this point, perhaps it is time to comment on the situation. For a variety of reasons, NI is not in a position to invest major resources in this product, which has not been news for some time.”


    So I wouldn’t expect any development unfortunately. Even products like Massive X where regular updates are still promised seem dead.

  • KoaN
    KoaN Member Posts: 137 Advisor

    "There will be no new features implemented" Maybe it was meant to be about the current update at that time and not about future updates but yah that is my feeling too.They will try to maintain it so people can still use it but i'd be very surprised to see any developpement.

    Before that i also remember the same developer talking that they had cool ideas about the future of Reaktor and they were excited and then...the change of owners at NI happened and this went completely dead.

    A shame really and a lack of vision on how a program like Reaktor can be important for innovation but hey,money rules.

    I have accepted it's fate at this point and started using other programs as well.

  • Moonbot7000
    Moonbot7000 Member Posts: 64 Member
    edited January 24

    Max msp can do some amazing things with html, video, and literally any digital artistic medium. They have protocols and libraries for hardware implementation... theres literally a million things NI could do with Reaktor but they choose not a single thing. I'm switching over to it before my next project. I hope it's as good as it seems.

  • colB
    colB Member Posts: 991 Guru

    There are literally millions of things _you_ could do with Reaktor without needing any updates.

    Good luck with Max.

  • Paul B
    Paul B Member Posts: 164 Advisor
    edited January 24

    While it could be nice to get new features in Reaktor – and I am curious what they might have had planned before it was put on hold – even if there are none coming any time soon, I don't see it as dead. Like Kontakt, it is the basis of multiple instruments, and a platform for building. That they took the time to update it for new hardware standards and VST3 indicates an intention to keep it around. Far from looking to replace it in my workflow, I am incorporating it even more, having acquired Monark, Prism, Razor, and Rounds in the past year and the Toybox Audio Tangle Synth not long before. At some point I hope to make instruments and effects of my own with Toybox Audio blocks.

    One thing I would not want to see is trying to make it like Max and adding video or other visual features. Max is its own thing, and it is very cool, but Reaktor is music software and should remain music software. I am sure any available developer time is better suited to making it better at what it already does.

    And for the stuff only Max does, you have Max. I use both Reaktor and Max for Live (which is mainly different from standalone in that it is intended for building and running devices to use inside Live). One is not a replacement for the other.

  • Kubrak
    Kubrak Member Posts: 3,067 Expert

    @KoaN

    Porting REAKTOR to AS was not update. It was hell of the work, it had to cost fortune and require heap of human resources. Significant parts had to be rewritten, I estimate.

    If NI did it, they want get it used. See at Absynth or Super8... They are gone. In case Super8 it was Reaktor ensemble->plugin->Reaktor ensemble again.

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