New to NI software - How to Install Komplete?

Spelunking

Hello, please bear with me as I am in my 60s and have just decided to purchase my first software instrument so I am absolutely clueless - I have some small hardware synths but I have never had or used software

I have a MacBook Pro m1 chip 500gb storage

I have purchased a dongle with Select 13

I have purchased a hard drive with Ultimate 13 upgrade

I have a separate external Samsung hard-drive 1tb

Can someone advise the best way to install NI Select/Ultimate - how do I actually do it and any tips or advice - also am I best keeping ultimate 13 and select 13 on external hard drive or install the select 13 on my laptop internal hard drive (I have space 342gb available) and the larger Ultimate on the external hard drive - does this effect performance

Also I have just read that M1 chip is not compatible with NI software which I didn't realise and I am unsure what impact this will have on my enjoying the product

Finally I have an Arturia key step pro 37 keys can I use this to play the software or do I need to purchase an NI midi keyboard ?

thank you to anyone that can spare the time to reply

wayfinder

There should be a manual that comes with the software that'll guide you through the installation.

You will be able to use any MIDI hardware to control the software, including a Key Step Pro.

The available space is kind of tight if you want to use everything, but very few people actually do. Any modern internal disk should be performant enough to not cause trouble. With externals, there are more factors at play, so it's difficult to say, but generally it'll be alright unless you're doing extremely involved multi-instrument arrangements with several large sample libraries at once.

edited to add: I'm not sure how flexible the installation process is with regard to installing libraries on multiple hard drives.

Do you have a host to run the plugins (like Ableton Live, or Logic) or are you planning to use the standalone instruments?

I don't know anything about the M1 stuff, sorry :)

Tony Jones

When you install, you can choose which specific pieces of Komplete to install, so you don't have to do them all at once! You should install to the external disc where you can, though only sample libraries (in the main) go there and they are enormous. You don't have to install everything at once.

NI software is being tested for the M1, but I have an M1 Macbook pro and have seen no problems. I'm a retirement hobbyist, so might not stress it too much.

I have an Arturia Keystep and it is fine.

Do you intend to use Garageband or upgrade to Logic Pro? In either case, I'd move those libraries to the external drive as well

Tony Jones

Other may have views on which packages to install first, but I'd go for:

Kontakt and its library

Massive / Massive X

Depending on what music you want to make, some other synths

For now skip all the effects plugins until you want to do things in your DAW (Garageband or Logic)

Look at the NI site and get the sense of how things are organised. I for one like the Play Instruments and would install those before some of the other stuff

wayfinder

There should be a manual that comes with the software that'll guide you through the installation.

You will be able to use any MIDI hardware to control the software, including a Key Step Pro.

The available space is kind of tight if you want to use everything, but very few people actually do. Any modern internal disk should be performant enough to not cause trouble. With externals, there are more factors at play, so it's difficult to say, but generally it'll be alright unless you're doing extremely involved multi-instrument arrangements with several large sample libraries at once.

edited to add: I'm not sure how flexible the installation process is with regard to installing libraries on multiple hard drives.

Do you have a host to run the plugins (like Ableton Live, or Logic) or are you planning to use the standalone instruments?

I don't know anything about the M1 stuff, sorry :)

Tony Jones

When you install, you can choose which specific pieces of Komplete to install, so you don't have to do them all at once! You should install to the external disc where you can, though only sample libraries (in the main) go there and they are enormous. You don't have to install everything at once.

NI software is being tested for the M1, but I have an M1 Macbook pro and have seen no problems. I'm a retirement hobbyist, so might not stress it too much.

I have an Arturia Keystep and it is fine.

Do you intend to use Garageband or upgrade to Logic Pro? In either case, I'd move those libraries to the external drive as well

Tony Jones

Other may have views on which packages to install first, but I'd go for:

Kontakt and its library

Massive / Massive X

Depending on what music you want to make, some other synths

For now skip all the effects plugins until you want to do things in your DAW (Garageband or Logic)

Look at the NI site and get the sense of how things are organised. I for one like the Play Instruments and would install those before some of the other stuff

Spelunking

Hello Wayfinder and Tony

thank you for your quick response and great advice - I just don't seem to have a clue with computers and loading things on it so that's why I have avoided software.

I get frustrated and confused easily

I have Logic Pro X and Ableton Lite on my laptop but in all honesty I have never used them so again I will need to learn that at same time as Komplete 13.

I will have a go tonight and loading both up onto the hard drive and I will just select a few items

thanks a lot

IvoryKeys88

@Spelunking

I commend you at taking on the task of getting all this set up. I hope you're having fun with your Arturia and Native Instruments.

Question for you: So what did you end up doing? I have pretty much the exact same situation as you. An M1 MacBook, with 500GB internal storage. I have an external Samsung 1TB (T7) SSD.

I bought Komplete Ultimate.

Currently I can't install most of Komplete because it tries to put way too much data on my internal SSD, even though I've set Native Access to install the "Libraries" to the external SSD.

Did you figure out a solution, other than simply not installing most of Komplete Ultimate?

Cheers ..

Jonathan