Are nkm files still usable?

judahjsn
judahjsn Member Posts: 9 Member
edited June 14 in Kontakt

Hi,

I recently upgraded to Kontakt 8. One of my favorte VIs is not showing up in Quickload. This library uses nkm files. In quickload I can see the old file structure that I created previously, but it is missing all of the presets. If I try to drag and drop the files into those empty folders, nothing happens.

I am able to manually open these instruments by choosing File>Load, but this only allows me to scroll through the patches in the same parent folder, and I have to do the File>Load approach again to get to different patches in different folders, which is cumbersome.

I'm curious if there is a solution for this.

nkm issue.jpg
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  • Sunborn
    Sunborn NKS User Library Mod Posts: 3,757 mod
    Answer ✓
    https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/45866/are-nkm-files-still-usable

    .nkm files are still usable of course…

    Your problem is that older libraries (or instruments) doesn't automatically appear on Kontakt's browser.

    Please check this article to see how to make them visible:

    https://support.native-instruments.com/hc/en-us/articles/6677339715741-How-to-Add-Non-Player-Libraries-to-Kontakt-7-8-s-Browser

  • judahjsn
    judahjsn Member Posts: 9 Member

    Appreciate the response. I used the steps outlined in the article you linked to and it only sort of worked. It imported some but not all of the patches in the library I was trying to load. Worse, they lost all of their folder structure so it's very disorganized.

    I'm still curious why I can't load these into quickload. Would make things so much faster and simpler (I really dislike the Kontakt 8 interface and would love to avoid it.

  • Sunborn
    Sunborn NKS User Library Mod Posts: 3,757 mod
    https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/230634#Comment_230634

    You should be able to load nkm files in quick load (as far as i know). Try this:

    • Open Kontakt 8 in Classic View.
    • Navigate to your NKM files using the "Files" tab (or your computer's file explorer/Finder).
    • Right-click in an empty space within the Kontakt instrument rack to bring up the Quick Load catalog.
    • Drag your .nkm files directly onto the "Multi" tab within the Quick Load menu. You can also create folders within Quick Load to organize your multis.

    Hopefully, this is what are you looking for… let me know if worked!

  • Kymeia
    Kymeia NKS User Library Mod Posts: 5,857 mod
    Screenshot 2025-06-15 at 11.45.27.png

    This is in Kontakt 8 (with multi made in K7)

  • judahjsn
    judahjsn Member Posts: 9 Member

    Ok, interesting. If I use the "multi" tab, it will work. But not if I use the "instrument" tab. All of my existing quickload organization is in the "instrument" tab. Is it not possible to bring nkm files into this and only nki files?

  • Sunborn
    Sunborn NKS User Library Mod Posts: 3,757 mod
    Answer ✓
    https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/231128#Comment_231128

    I can't see how…

    nkm = Kontakt Multi and nki = Kontakt instrument

    so, they are in their correct place!

    …for better or worst, as software evolves we also have to evolve and change some of our old ways (2 years ago, it took me almost 2 months to update all my projects from vst2 to vst3, but it had to be done nonetheless).

    still, even if what you ask is possible (though i highly doubt it), it's beyond my knowledge… only a Kontakt expert like @EvilDragon might have an answer.

  • Kymeia
    Kymeia NKS User Library Mod Posts: 5,857 mod
    https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/231128#Comment_231128

    Apparently not - I think the point is to create some form of organisation but you can add folders to the multi section just as easily as for instruments

  • judahjsn
    judahjsn Member Posts: 9 Member
    https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/231133#Comment_231133

    Funny. When you put it like that! I had no idea what those letters stood for.

    Yes, I'll be able to adapt to switching between multi and instrument views. Not a problem. Curious, what is the difference? They all seem to just be sampled instruments, I don't understand why they are given a different designation.

    [I have to say, this is the second issue in the past few weeks I have resolved using this forum and it's really great. You guys are so helpful.]

  • Sunborn
    Sunborn NKS User Library Mod Posts: 3,757 mod
    https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/231218#Comment_231218

    There is a difference!

    A Kontakt Instrument (NKI file) is a single, self-contained sound program. It represents a single playable sound or set of sounds, like a piano, a violin, a drum kit, or a synth patch.

    A Kontakt Multi (NKM file) is a collection of one or more Kontakt Instruments loaded into a single instance of the Kontakt plugin. It's essentially a "rack" of Instruments. A Multi can contain up to 64 individual Kontakt Instruments, each occupying its own "slot" in the Kontakt rack. Each Instrument within a Multi can be configured with its own.

  • EvilDragon
    EvilDragon Moderator Posts: 1,041 mod

    The Quick-Load itself contains different sections for Bank, Multi and Instrument. You need to select the Multi section to be able to see NKMs listed.

    image.png
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