East West OPUS KOMPLETE NKS

Edenorchestra · 2022-12-17T16:14:50+00:00

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I recently purchased EastWest Hollywood strings which uses the OPUS interface. According to EastWest they have submitted the NKS for OPUS to Native Instruments about 3-4 weeks ago for approval. Currently however only the EastWest "Play" NKS is available, which significantly limits its capabilities . When can we expect NI to approve the EastWest OPUS NKS support?

I have a very nice investment in the NI ecosystem to include Komplete 14 collectors edition, S88 MK2, A25, and Machine MK3. Would really love to see my EW Opus be a integral part. Thanks NI, happy holidays

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Accepted answers

Jeremy_NI

@Edenorchestra There's still work to be done on this one, as there are 96 products in OPUS, I reached out to our NKS department, they said it will not happen before 4 weeks, at least. Please understand that it's not a definitive date, it's merely an estimation. For more information please contact EastWest.

Edenorchestra

Thanks Jeremy, I appreciate your response. At least I know you are in concert with what EastWest has told me. Glad NI is working on it. My experience with NI has been nothing but positive.

Edenorchestra

I'm going to possibly eat crow, but I checked EW and it looks like NI approved their OPUS NKS support, loading it now. https://www.soundsonline.com/support/updates. scroll down to "NKS Support for Opus" and load the installer per your OS.

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JesterMgee

That is something between NI and East West, not sure anyone from NI will be able to tell you that since "Approval" could mean there is an issue to address which needs even more time. The whole process can take months, something I have heard is a real hinderance for other developers and a big reason NKS isn't more wide spread. Patience (and a decent serving of it) is all you can exercise.

Edenorchestra

Yea I understand that. Just throwing a reminder, that could stimulate action, or not. Worth a try. Thanks for replying. I'll leave your response as "unanswered" for the team.

Jeremy_NI

Edenorchestra

Thanks Jeremy, I appreciate your response. At least I know you are in concert with what EastWest has told me. Glad NI is working on it. My experience with NI has been nothing but positive.

devadip

I too am waiting.....

Edenorchestra

Lets all remember to post if we find a new NKS at EW as I don't think there's any type of notification to occur on our systems, I have been simply checking the EW download area now and then.

ProfessorChaos

I was dumb enough to buy the Hollywood Orchestra Opus Edition like 5 months ago, which I regret to this day, but it's not like I can return it, so I have to live with it and get the best out of it, at least when it's not crashing down Logic with it.

But I would certainly like to use the enhanced experience that the S88 MK2 provides, since the thing wasn't exactly cheap ;)

Now, I see there's an installer, that I would have to bypass the OS' security to run because I already tried, but on the page it's located, https://www.soundsonline.com/support/updates it doesn't say this directly, but there's a link to a PDF that is the installation guide, and it says "EastWest’s Play Libraries Are Now Fully NKS Compatible"

I bought that suite when the Play engine was being phased out, and I never installed it or used it. Opus is to crash happy already to add another element to the mix.

On the other hand, that could be an old PDF that they never bothered to update, like many of their manuals, and I don't even bother with creating a support ticket to ask them because it will probably never be answered.

So does anyone have any clarity on this?

ebber

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/55059#Comment_55059

I've been using EWQL SO with Play for years (I think since 2008 or something like that) without problems. NKS für Play works here, but since I switched to Mac Book with M2 chip last week, bought the Opus upgrade to get rid of rosetta.

...just to find out NKS ist not ready for opus yet.. However I can wait.

(Currently only Reaktor and Play are the only non native plugins left that I use and can't get rid of)

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/55059#Comment_55059

Thought about buying that too.. Do you "only" regret it because of the crashes?

ProfessorChaos

No, I also regret it because their support sucks. One thing is to have a bug that crashes your engine and Logic with it; but when you ignore customers trying to find out what's going on, and by ignore I mean, not replying to support tickets in weeks, then you have a total lack of understanding of what product support is.

I have spent around $1,200 in Eastwest products, including the Hollywood Orchestra Opus Edition, Hollywood Choirs, Forbidden Planet, the two Ministry of Rock and Stormdrum 3. For the most part very good products, although the sound quality of the strings is a bit lacking for some of them. Some cellos sound like brass. And it seems impossible to find an electric guitar in the MoR that can be used for a smooth solo without pickup hitting the strings noise. But overall, they are pretty great, and you can't deny that 1 TB of samples for $400 is a good deal.

However, by now I have become so weary of using them that I hardly do, because I can work on a project in Logic for hours or days. But if I add one instance of Opus, maybe it doesn't crash right away, but give it an hour or two and it will start crashing. And when it does, you won't be able to open the project because it will crash Logic on opening, so the only choice is to open Logic in Rosetta mode, save it, and then you can go back to M1 mode. If you have to do that a few times, it becomes really annoying, so I just say screw it, and don't use EW libraries for now. Hopefully one day they'll fix it.

But after spending that much and being ignored, with excuses like, it's only me and another guy to reply to support tickets, and we've been slammed with the "sale", that's just pathetic customer service. Every single company these days has the same excuse: "We're understaffed". Well, you guys didn't tell me you were understaffed when you sold me this! And the "sale" thing, which if you know Eastwest, you know their "sales" are permanent. They have the "summer sale". The day it ends, the "Fall sale" or something like that. The "Halloween sale", "Xmas sale", you name. They always have a sale.

So I told them, I'm never buying anything else from you guys. Every other company I file a support ticket with comes back to me in a day or two, maybe three, but not weeks later.

Edenorchestra

That's not right. The understaffed comment by EW is pathetic at best, likely a most dis-gruntled staff.

Edenorchestra

Pretty bad NI, it's now May 2023, what gives, manpower, difficulty, no interest . . . sure would be nice to get that update back EastWest. They want your support as much as you need theirs

Custom Blue

According to EastWest they are still waiting so the estimated 4 weeks has now stretched to 16. As to negative comments on EW support I put in a ticket and got a reply back within 24 hours which seems pretty good to me. Could it be that NI regard EW as a competitor? I use both so it would be nice if they shook hands.

nightjar

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/67881#Comment_67881

EW offers their entire catalogue for $20 per month. NI does not yet have the technical foundation to compete with such an excellent option. Of course NI now sees EW as a competitor.

For them to shake hands, NI will need to have finished its own competitive subscription method. And at that point, a user may be able to stack NKS ready subscriptions in some fashion.

And this is only if NI can develop enhanced NKS to keep it a selling point for larger 3rd parties to consider.

KK software in its current state is not encouraging.

Kymeia

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/45899#Comment_45899

That's a lot to convert to NKS - and I wonder if VST3 and Apple Silicon support coming along halfway through this is part of what set things back? It has for a lot of developers who are 'NKS ready" but were caught out by the transition to VST3 (eg Rob Papen)

nightjar

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/67909#Comment_67909

NI let too much technical debt build up that made any sort of transition more clumsy and slow.

But no use complaining about the past. Hopefully NI will not get shy about making course corrections that are expensive in the short term, but can bring rewards long term with a good strategy.

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