Can't (Kan't) see Kontakt Expansions In Komplete Kontrol

Hi everyone,

Now, I've been making music with computers for decades, but I'm fairly new to Native instruments. Purchased Complete15 a little while ago and I'm really struggling to get to grips with finding content.

At the moment I'm loading everything through Komplete Kontrol. I want to use this so I can utilise my S-88 MK2 keyboard. I'm trying to understand how to do it if I'm looking for specific expansions within Komplete Kontrol.

Let's use the expansion Afrobeats as an example.

When I open Kontakt I can choose Leap along the top, select Afrobeats and load a kit which I can then play with. All good.

However, when I load up Kontakt in Komplete Kontrol I can't see any of these kits?

In Komplete Kontrol, the Kontakt banks don't refer to expansions. I can load loops individually in Komplete Kontrol as I see Afrobeats if I select loops, but Leap is not an option, nor is it a category within the Kontakt Banks presented in Complete Kontrol and I can't find the kits at all.

I mean, it's just all so damn confusing! Why can't I see these things in Komplete Kontrol? I've re-scanned the library loads of times in Komplete Kontrol. I would expect every instrument and expansion and everything to be shown in one list. I'm also confused as to what constitutes an instrument? Kontakt presents me with an instrument for these aftobeats kits, but Complete Kontrol presents me with just a bunch of individual loops? I get that the instrument is made using the loops but why can't I see this as an Instrument on its own (despite the fact it uses Kontakt to build that instrument… ). None of this really makes any sense to me, help it make sense!

Can someone please help me understand this absolute mess!

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Komplete 15

Kontakt 8

Comments

Vocalpoint

The Leap Expansions cannot be used/controlled directly via Komplete Kontrol. Especially with a MK2.

Theziz gives a fantastic overview here:

Native Instruments Takes A "Leap" | Kontakt 8 | Full Walkthrough and Demo

Now - if you had a MKIII series keyboard - you can control some aspects of a Leap Expansion on the keyboard like the macros etc - which Theziz briefly touches on in his video (@3:55) but that is only because Kontakt 8 has direct integration with the S-Series MKIII while your MKII board does not.

With a MKII - your only choice for any Leap Expansion action is to simply load Kontakt 8 in standalone (or in your DAW) then load a Leap Expansion manually with the mouse - just like I do here (MKII user as well).

Finally - do remember that if/when/ever the ability to control a Leap Expansion (in full) does ever come to Komplete Kontrol - you will most likely need a S-Series MKIII (or higher) to do so.

The MKII boards - while still excellent - do not possess the processing hardware to allow for the kind of integration control one can get right now with a MKIII - starting with it's ability to interface directly with Kontakt 8. (with no need for Komplete Kontrol)

ralphonz

Thanks Vocalpoint.

So it's not just leap, but let's say I load up Kontakt, using my mouse or my keyboard, how can I browse patches by expansion pack?

This seems to work fine in other instruments, like Massive for example, but with Kontakt the bank is not arranged by expansion?

I think a further point of confucsion is what each expansion actually is - you actually have to load up the product page on the NI website to find out what they contain - for example, it just took me ages to find out the Backyard Jams was just battery kits and loops and was it machine kits? I can't even remember now! THere's so much, it's way too much to remember… I can't help but feel I'm missing a trick here….

Vocalpoint

"So it's not just leap, but let's say I load up Kontakt, using my mouse or my keyboard, how can I browse patches by expansion pack?"

You mean like this:

(4) is it.

All Leap "Expansions" - are nothing more that "kits" - cobbled together from curated samples. They are not "patches". Each Leap Expansion has 10 kit offerings. Double click one and it loads and off you go.

Massive on the other hand - IS synth patches. Tons of them. Complete different "preset" type - if you will.

If you load a Massive "Expansion" - Like "Fade" you will see something like this:

But a Leap Expansion can only load in Leap. A Massive X specific Expansion like "Fade" can only be used in Massive X and so on.

And pretty miuch all of the "old school" Expansions - were orginally designed for Maschine - which is where they really shine.

Finally - over in Kontakt (when NOT using Leap etc) - there are no actual Expansions at all - but you can access loops and one shots from many old school "expansions" like this:

However - as a rule here - I never use any Expansion loops or one shot samples via Kontakt itself - that is way too restrictive and overhead adverse.

I use Expansion loops and samples via Komplete Kontrol v2.9.6 - AND control them from my keyboard - where they can either load into the "internal" Sampler or Audio modules OR better yet - drop and drop to my host DAW (Studio One).

Unfortunately - Komplete Kontrol v3.5.x - even after 2 years of existence - is still lacking many of these tools - which the primary reason why I do not use it to this day with my S61 MKII.

And yes "Expansions" (as a collective header) can be confusing - as they all encompasses sounds, samples, presets and kits for a variety of NI specific instruments all under a single banner.

You do almost need a field guide to keep them straight :)

JesterMgee

When one has to explain in such detail how to work a browser it kind of highlights just how poor the browsing experience is really…

Vocalpoint

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/241057#Comment_241057

Agreed.

ralphonz

Sorry, I meant, within Komplete Kontrol, not Kontakt or Massive stand alone apps… I was expecting to be able to browse all my content from Komplete Kontrol.

It's also worth mentioning I will always be using these things in a DAW, not really as stand alone apps.

Honestly, there should be an "Expansions" category next to "Instruments". Selecting an expansion could show instruments included in that expansion. Otherwise there is zero link between what you're downloading in Native Access and what you see when you open Komplete Kontrol (which definitely seems inkomplete 🤣)

ralphonz

If anyone has a link to a field guide for Komplete 15 that'd be great 🤣.

Or, joking aside, a quick comprehensive list of whats in each expansion (instruments, one-shots, machine kits etc….), seeing as native access doesn't have that info…

It's getting tiresome trying to find things - I basically have native access, the Native instruments website and Komplete Kontrol open at the same time and I'm going to be spending days, if not weeks, trying to figure out what everything is and where to find it….

Monochrome

What you see as "Kontakt" there is actually the "Kontakt Factory Library/Selection 2" stuff. I guess that's where the initial confusion stems from.

You can't access Leap content in KK directly - unless you simply open Kontakt via ⋯ > Instruments > VST3 > Native Instruments > Kontakt 8 and then choose 'Leap' in Kontakt. (Be sure to close the browser via ||\ icon).

As for Expansions: We all know that most of them have only real use for Battery, Maschine or Massive (the non-X one). If I choose e.g. Battery and click on "Battery - All Banks", I can see all my installed Expansions. Is that not sufficient enough?

ralphonz

So are you saying that in Komplete Kontrol → Kontakt, I can only see the Kontakt Factory Library? Is there a way to see any other Kontakt content?

To add more confusion, in native access I see Kontakt Factory Selection, Kontakt Factory Selection 2 (neither of which I have installed), and another two entries for Kontakt Factory Library, and Kontakt Factory Library 2 (both of which I have installed).

I just installed Bazzazian Tapes - which Native access says requires "Kontakt" but otherwise gives no indication as to the technical nature of the extensions content. How would I view the Kontakt content of this pack in Komplete Kontrol? It just doesn't seem to be there…

This is making less and less sense the more I dig, not more!

ralphonz

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/241080#Comment_241080

When you say "We all know" that is the issue. I don't know. I'm new to Komplete. I have no idea what expansion has a use for what and this information is not readily available any where.

I would expect to see the expansions in Komplete Kontrol, (as they are in Native Access) and then it tell me what instruments etc are contained in that expansion so, no it's not sufficient - the current system requires pre-existing knowledge of what each expansion contains, which you can only discover through lengthly and time consuming digging around, trial and error and viewing the website product pages. At the moment I have no idea whether all the options for a given sound I might be looking for are being presented to me, what is useful to keep on my hard drive and what is not, what comes from where or even if I'm utilising what I have. This feels like it will take months if not years to learn and remember….

Now, I can see this all being okay if you're familiar with all the existing content, then you only have to keep on top of new ones that are added when you update, but as a new user you're confronted by a huge amount of content with little or no explanation of what it is and no way to crawl through it all effectively using one app….

Vocalpoint

"I just installed Bazzazian Tapes - which Native access says requires "Kontakt" but otherwise gives no indication as to the technical nature of the extensions content."

Bazzazian Tapes is a Play Series instrument - powered by Kontakt. It is NOT an Expansion - and yes - this one WILL appear and can be accessed and controlled via Komplete Kontrol.

"I would expect to see the expansions in Komplete Kontrol, (as they are in Native Access).

Native Access has nothing to do with Komplete Kontrol whatsoever. NA is a authorization and install tool. What you see in there - is simply one giant listing of your purchased products.

Expansions are "content". Presets, kits, loops and samples etc. These are (generally) only accessible in Komplete Kontrol - by loading the instruments that can use them.

Example - load Battery in KK, twirl the Banks knob on your S61 - see a list of "Expansions" that can be used with Battery…rinse and repeat for Massive X. Or a Reaktor instrument like say Monark etc. Or Kontakt - select banks and see ONLY the Factory library banks - like Band, Synths etc.

"When you say "We all know" that is the issue. I don't know. I'm new to Komplete. I have no idea what expansion has a use for what and this information is not readily available any where."

Understood. That why this forum is (hopefully) of some value to you.

"This feels like it will take months if not years to learn and remember…."

It might. But to help speed that up for you - if you have questions - fire away. There is always someone here who knows the answer.

ralphonz

Thanks VP, I appreciate that answer.

Apologies, I think I'm using the term Expansion for all the things in Komplete that aren't just synths. Whats the correct term then? Pack? Whatever they are, there is no telling whats an expansion and what isn't at the point of installing it - and this is a big problem when you purchase Komplete and are suddenly presented with hundreds of the things all with abstract names. I mean, even labelling them something like "Backyard Jams - Battery Kits and Loops" in Native access would help a great deal.

I understand the Native access is just an auth tool. But it's also where you look through all the packs that you get when you purchase Komplete and decide which ones to install. I would have thought it would say "Pack X has Y battery Kits and however many loops and a Kontakt instrument" (for example) in the info panel, or at the very least have a link to the product page on the website for that kind of info! - then at least one would know what it is you're installing and can look for it in Komplete Kontrol. I want to know what I'm installing when I install it so I can then go and try it out…

Just seems very poorly thought through.

So, and sorry for all of this, just to clarify:

- Everything that is not an "Expansion" will show up in Komplete Kontrol? And instruments that use Kontakt will show up as their own instrument, not part of Kontakt? But there is no way to know what is an expansion and what is not either when you install it or when you browse in Komplete Kontrol?

- Expansions will show up in "Loops" and "one-shots" in KK, but I will only be able to load them as individual loops?

- And if a pack (is that the right term?) is just Battery kits and samples it'll only show up if I load battery first, or if I'm looking for one-shots? But there is no way to know this when I install it other than searching google or manually finding the product page on the NI website?

Don't even get me started on Maschine Kits…

My experience so far is that I have hundreds of gigabytes of content but no convenient way to know what ALL of that content is quickly.

And let me tag on the end of all this - How do you guys look for what you need? Any tips on getting to grips with all of this content? Any good video tutorials you'd recommend about browsing, finding the right sound or workflows? Knowing what I have and how to find it seems to be the biggest challenge becasue things don't show up where I'd expect them to and there's no comprehensive overview of everything provided with all information about what these things are...

ralphonz

Bazzazian Tapes is a Play Series instrument - powered by Kontakt. It is

NOT an Expansion

- and yes - this one WILL appear and can be accessed and controlled via Komplete Kontrol.

It's also frustrating that in order to know this I had to come to a forum and ask. It really should have been obvious way before that point! I appreciate the answer obviously, and thanks for letting me know, but this is surely poor design for the user experience of Komplete is it not?

ralphonz

So I just had to look up one of the packs - drum State.

This is the info in Native Access when I install it:

That tells me a little bit about the character of the content but I have no clue where to look for it once it's installed. In fact, i this "info" would lead me to believe that I should look in "Kontakt" because it says that's what it requires - thats the only clue or reference to what this thing might be (and it's not even a Kontak instrument!). I have use google to find:

And armed with that info I can load the right instruments in KK, but what a mission!

Honestly, it would be so little effort to include this in the info in native access and would make the whole thing ten times smoother and easier….

But ultimately I'd want to browse the same things I see in Native Access in Komplete Kontrol - maybe the fact that they have "nothing to do with each other" is the issue!

The thing is, I'm going to forget this and I'll have to do a google search every time I ask myself "What's Drum state for/do again?" so there is no quick reference for all this stuff I now have…

ralphonz

Gone on a bit of a rant there, sorry! I appreciate the community help here - just a feeling a bit frustrated with my purchases!

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