KONTAKT MUST BE RETIRED

aka · 2023-06-19T15:46:32+00:00

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Kontakt7 vs Kontakt 6 has nothing new to offer. Yes version 7 brings some new libraries, but other than that (and Library selection panel, which nobody really cares about) it has almost nothing new to offer.

Now - let's get to the major reason for this post header.

1) KONTAKT resides on super ancient technology and libraries which make implementing new features almost impossible.

2) KONTAKT still uses super unreliable SQLite database (which should be avoided for modern software at any cost)

3) KONTAKT uses raster fonts and raster images. None of them are salable and that creates tons and tons of problems with implementing Kontakt plugin GUI. There is practical no scalability. 90% of Kontakt libraries are unreadable on high resolution screens. They especially become completely useless on 4K monitors, because everything is to small to read and use.

5) Kontakt has no customization of fonts or colors ! It is hard to believe that in XXI-st century somebody would try to sell a software without a y least this basic customization.

On top of that default Kontakt color scheme is dark and hard to read. The MENU system looks like it is designed for Windows-95.

4) Kontakt has been embedded into Komplete Kontrol which is like stacking Russian Dolls (one into another). While Russian Dolls are super cute, this method of implementing software for KK devices (keyboards) is super poor, inconvenient, unreliable. It uses extra drive space, RAM and most of all adds unnecessary complexity and more points of failure.

5) Library implementation for vendors who paid NI Kontakt license and those who do not is also super inconvenient for the user. Why the user has to deal with two locations for the Kontakt libraries (not just one) ?

6) For some users internal Kontakt editor might be useful, but these days most users use DAW's for music production end editing. Internal Kontakt functionality for editing samples, etc is nice to have but not crucial and because of the super old and inconvenient interface most users use it only ins situations when certain minimal adjustments to the library is needed.

7) This topic has been discussed hundreds of times and for the last few years I do not see even one sentence or statement mentioning serious Kontakt improvements from NI.

For me as an average user (I spent only 50% of my time on a music production) KONTAKT becomes less and less usable. I am at the point where I am not going to upgrade my Komplete Kontrol libraries, because I tend to avoid Kontakt when I can. The simple reason is usability. The major turn-off for me is the fact the Kontakt GUI on 4K screens (which I use) simply sucks !

I have purchased several libraries (i.e from Spitfire Audio) which are fantastic for their sounds but are useless for their GUI. I had to ask for a refund and it is not the developer fault. It is NI Kontakt fault! It is impossible to make right GUI for Kontakt which looks great on 4K screen as well as on 13-inch laptop. The interface does not scale and that is VEDRY SERIOUS PROBLEM ! That is the major reason that more and more people try to avoid Kontakt and Komplete Kontrol.

It very much looks like nobody at NI works with 4K screens and has no idea that this resolution becomes a standard. I use 4K monitors for myriad of other tasks and would not purchase any software which does not scale properly on my laptop and my 43" desktop screen.

That is the reason to retire KONTAKT and rebuild entire software from ground up with a new fully scaleble interface. Great examples of well designed interface could be Arturia-Pigments, products from DEVIOUS MACHINES, IZOTOPE and many more. There are very flew plugins which still fall behind modern software technology. There are hundred (if not thousands) of libraries which rely on Kontakt and as one of the leading companies NATIVE INSTRUMENTS really needs to take a quick look at their dying software.

KONTAKT MUST RETIRE

Trying to add new libraries, adding new batch chanell creation feature or upgrading Native Access does not help if the main, the most wanted features are still gone.

Kontakt in its current state must die. Continuing the old scenario is like trying to reanimate 150 years old man (while it is time for him to go,...).

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Comments

Maciej Repetowski

I don’t agree that Kontakt needs to be retired. I think Kontakt needs to evolve at a faster pace than before. I love the new browser in K7, it freed me from using the abomination of software which is Komplete Kontrol 🤣

EvilDragon

And it actually does evolve faster than before, have you checked out the changelogs starting with 7.1? :)

EvilDragon

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/78835#Comment_78835

It's indeed just an update of Elastique library from v2 to v3 in case of Kontakt 7. "Keep Formants" option was there in Kontakt 6 as well, but only if HQ mode was enabled.

All the other things you noted in your post are just how Elastique is apparently, as far as I can tell.

Also you do have an option to use the legacy/K6 mode, it's in Instrument Options->Voice Handling.

PoorFellow

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/78880#Comment_78880

Native Instruments through Izotope now is also the proud owner of Iris 2 , too old I know and not-updated and now retired apparently because Izotope would not pay programmer to re-write from scratch - or something like that from rumor.. But I personally think it a pity that it is no longer published..

Ref.: https://www.izotope.com/en/learn/products/iris.html

I also like the Arturia made Pigments....

Ref. : https://www.arturia.com/products/software-instruments/pigments/overview

Though I realize that none of those are Kontakt and may not be what you want or describe.

Personally I don't care if they rename kontakt or what (as suggested by someone else) , but I'd like it to stick around in some way or shape ! But I do agree with nightjar that Kontakt ought to evolve and if AKA (the OP) were not so negative on the program then maybe that could also be described to cover the changes he/she wants that made him/her post in the first place !

Kymeia

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/78929#Comment_78929

Yes that did occur to me too

iZotope, Brainworx, and Plugin Alliance are now part of NI

Rotomot

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/78919#Comment_78919

Thanks for the reply. I didn't know about the Time Machine Pro Legacy option. It's great to have that option.

Still wondering are there any audio examples where the new Kontakt 7 default time-stretching algorithm (Elastique v3) sounds better than Kontakt 6 (Elastique v2)?

The loud clicking noice at the start of sample, when using the Kontakt 7 algorithm, could be some bug in the way Kontakt is using the Elastique 3 library. Hard to believe such noise could be some inherent "feature" of the Elastique 3.

The Action Strings 2, that was advertised by NI as potentially having improved quality, seems to use the Kontakt 6 Legacy algorithm.

Vocalpoint

So - I just updated Kontakt to 7.40 via Native Access 2. Can anyone tell me how the "zoom" portion of the UI actually works?

EDIT: Found it under the Workspace Mgmt icon (the one that looks like a stack of three blocks).

You can choose different zoom levels here for your instrument UI (75, 100, 125% etc). On the upside - it looks like it will help the 4K/Higher Res crowd. Downside is that it looks like ****** with any instrument that does not conform to the new Native UI concept - which is probably zero instruments right now.

Zoom up some old timer like Action Strings etc and you will see some very choppy nasty graphics and cut off UI elements like the keyboard appears at 100% but disappears at 125% etc.

Definitely a welcome direction here but a work in progress until this "Native UI" language is in use by all Kontakt instrument providers. It will be a mixed bag for almost all onscreen instrument scaling to find a happy medium that is useable. Some folks may not mind at all.

Nice work NI

Kymeia

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/79016#Comment_79016

Oh cool it's been released :)

Zoom is via the menu shown below, and you can choose between 3 quality/performance ratios. At the moment for most instruments you will get a bigger screen size but as they all use bitmaps you can expect to see some pixellation, although many more recent instruments (eg Lunaris 2, Playbox, Hypha) use higher def graphics by default so it's less noticeable. Where it works best though is for Factory Library 2 instruments and Omnia, both of these use the new 'Native UI' framework I mentioned above and EvilDragon has written about at more length elsewhere. These libraries can be zoomed to the full 200% and still look good. Yes, there are still many elements of the Kontakt interface that need hi-res assets like fonts and icons etc (even new ones like the stupid shop icon which is pleasingly ironic) but this will come.

Paul B

A quality image can be sized up a fair amount if it is resampled with a good algorithm when enlarging (which I expect 'best quality' does). Irfanview does this well – I have used it for years to view smaller images full screen with great results. 200% should look good on any image that started at decent quality, so much that it will take close examination to tell they're not the same. If there is what seems like a noticeable difference in quality, I'd take a closer look at the original image. I resized one of my third party instruments (Soniccouture Moonkits) to 200%, and the image looks good but text is pixellated. If I look closely at the original image (much closer than anyone would be to their monitor, because it's impossible to work that close) the text is just as pixellated at 100%. I usually don't notice because at a normal viewing distance the pixellation isn't as easily seen.

Regardless, this is a good step forward.

JesterMgee

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/78826#Comment_78826

Omnisphere.... IMO better than all those options.

Vocalpoint

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/79057#Comment_79057

+100. None of these 5 are even close to Omnisphere's stock library - never mind all the excellent third-party patch package out there.

JesterMgee

Not just the content available, Omnisphere is well thought out, has a good workflow and even without the manual is pretty easy to figure out with all the really complex modulation matrix stuff and sub settings well "hidden" and out the way until you need to do something. I could easily ditch my entike Komplete bundle for Omnisphere if I had to... Could actually almost ditch my entire plugin collection for Omnisphere. Just wish they would make an FX module to use their FX

Sunborn

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/79057#Comment_79057

Omnisphere it is not really a sampler, it is more of a Rompler, like Nexus (of course Omnisphere is far superior),

Vocalpoint

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/79064#Comment_79064

True that. I am amazed at just how deep one can go with Omni if the proper time is invested. There is literally no sound you cannot conjure up and many that you thought were not possible - become possible.

It truly is the ultimate synth canvas.

JesterMgee

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/79065#Comment_79065

Completely wrong.

Omnisphere is 100% a sampler, well it can be loaded up with samples in the same way as Halion can and has full keyzone mapping, velocity layering and the ability to layer samples and synths over multiple layers ias single parts.... So a little (hella lot) more than just a "Rompler" and I wouldn't even place it anywhere near Nexus which is just a sound player and nothing special in the least.

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