Does Purchasing Kontakt 7 Allow You to Download Kontakt 6?

DarylWise · 2022-12-31T22:04:34+00:00

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I have a friend who wants Kontakt 7 but is on Windows 11. Apparently K7 is not working on W11.

I am wondering, if he buys K7, can you still download older versions of Kontakt and will the Kontakt Full license apply?

I was certain I did that years ago when I bought Kontakt 6 I was able to download Kontakt 5 and K5 showed as licensed.

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Accepted answers

Jeremy_NI

Hey @DarylWise Kontakt 7 works on Windows 11, it's in the system requirements.

It means that your friend should get in touch with support to help him make Kontakt 7 on his system, here is a link: http://bit.ly/NIsupport_kontakt

Kontakt full licences are not backward compatible but you can always buy second hand licences. If you only need Kontakt Player, we can provide them.

All comments

Kubrak

No, one may not use Kontakt 6 using Kontakt 7 licence. Maybe NI could revert K7 licence to K6 licence upon request. But to go back to K7 one would have to buy upgrade, I guess. But, maybe I am wrong...

Definitely, without negotiation with NI K7 licence cannot be used for K6.

Jeremy_NI

Hey @DarylWise Kontakt 7 works on Windows 11, it's in the system requirements.

It means that your friend should get in touch with support to help him make Kontakt 7 on his system, here is a link: http://bit.ly/NIsupport_kontakt

Kontakt full licences are not backward compatible but you can always buy second hand licences. If you only need Kontakt Player, we can provide them.

MHalloran

Hello,

NI does not appear to understand the real issue. It has nothing to do with Windows 11:

Many applications still do not support VST3 including Finale and few others that I help support. Those Windows users who bought Kontakt 7 or Komplete 14 after October 2022 cannot use it at all.

Pre-orders for Komplete 14 received Kontakt 6 in September 2022 then were upgraded to Kontakt 7 for free. Mac Users can still use AUs so this is not an issue for them.

So, the real question: Is there a way for Kontakt 7 owners to obtain a Kontakt 6 license (free or paid) while the rest of the world catches up with Steinberg's depreciation of VST2?

I do not work for MakeMusic. Since I pre-ordered Komplete 14, I already have a Kontakt 6 license and I'm a Mac user. My question is on behalf of many other users that Native Instruments and Steinberg left hanging.

Being told to try and find a used license for Kontakt 6 is not an acceptable answer. Kontakt 7 licensees did not cause this problem.

Jeremy_NI

@MHalloran As you said yourself, the VST2 format is not supported by Steinberg anymore so it does not make sense to develop a vst2 version for our plug-ins anymore.

All the more recent libraries will require Kontakt 7 as a minimum anyway. The system requirements of Komplete 14 and Kontakt 7 are clear. For older libraries users can still use Kontakt 6, they should have it if they bought the libraries then. Also note that only the Kontakt Player is needed for our libraries, that is true for Kontakt 6 and 7. In the case someone would require a Kontakt 6 Player serial or installer thay can contact our support here: http://bit.ly/NIsupport_install

I understand that it can be annoying but very few DAWs or software do not support the VST3 format yet, it took also a while for NI to bring all the plugins to the format, I can imagine it being longer for smaller companies.

Vocalpoint

@MHalloran

"Being told to try and find a used license for Kontakt 6 is not an acceptable answer. Kontakt 7 licensees did not cause this problem."

Not even sure what the "problem" is - either you owned K6 prior to the release of Kontakt 7/Komplete 14 last fall - or you didn't.

If you did own K6 in Sept 2022 (like me) - I am able to use K6 as always. Then I upgraded to K7 with my Komplete 14 purchase in Dec 2022 and now have K7 as well.

If you did NOT own K6 prior to October 2022 - but DID decide to purchase K7/Komplete 14 after October 2022 - it is not up to NI to provide anyone with a "backwards compatible copy" (free or paid) to address any tired VST 2 scenarios.

And on the subject of "left hanging" - no user was ever forced to purchase K7 (or Komplete 14 for that matter) and could stay on K6 forever if necessary.

The only people leaving users "hanging" are vendors like MakeMusic (who are most certainly not a small vendor) - who have clearly not gotten the message on VST2 - even while Steinberg has been very clear on its retirement for several years now.

Hard to see how any of this has anything to do with NI. This is squarely on the user - either choosing to not plan accordingly (their VST2->VST3 transition) or somehow think that staying with a program like Finale is a good idea - while MakeMusic does nothing and is now quickly running out of VST2 runway - not just from NI but from every other plugin vendor out there.

stephen24

Disagree.

(Strongly.)

Vocalpoint

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/98445#Comment_98445

If you disagree (strongly) - I would love to hear your logic/reasoning behind this.

I am hoping it's not some entitlement/assumption that NI should somehow provide free licenses for every VST2 they offered back in the day (prior moving to VST3) for all their instruments.

I mean why stop with just Kontakt?

Or better yet - why even stop with just NI?

Why not approach every vendor out there (who has transitioned to VST3) and demand they provide/reinstate/gift all their VST2's back to anyone who purchased a VST3 plugin?

stephen24

It's called Customer Service. (And I'm not sure where you come in.)

"tired" VST 2 scenarios?

And please don't shout. I think the purpose of this forum is to be helpful.

Vocalpoint

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/98579#Comment_98579

If you are really looking for customer service - don't expect that with any software.

Anyway...

VST 2 Discontinued – Steinberg Support

Steinberg has shut down their own format down almost 2 years ago - really not hard to see why NI should support it either.

Then again - nobody is forcing you to upgrade. Every user can still use their VST2 version of Kontakt 6 in a DAW host that supports VST2.

MHalloran

Please read my post carefully — apparently, no one here understood it. I'LL USE BIG LETTERS.

THERE ARE A NUMBER OF KONTAKT 7 USERS WHO DO NOT OWN KONTAKT 6. THEY CANNOT USE KONTAKT IN APPLICATIONS THAT DO NOT SUPPORT VST3 IN WINDOWS!!!!!!!! FINALE IS ONE OF THOSE MANY APPS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

IS THERE A WAY FOR THOSE USERS TO GET KONTAKT 6???????????????????????????????????

Free? Paid? I don't care.

It's not my issue, personally—I own Kontakt 6 and 5. I help support some of those apps and am getting hell from some of those users who do not understand why what used to work, doesn't.

Again: TELLING THOSE USERS TO BUY USED LICENSES IS UNACCEPTABLE. I don't care if you believe it or not. Steinberg and Native Instruments has left them hanging with no path or workaround until those companies enable VST3. I'm not employed by any of them.

THE REASON I AM SHOUTING IS BECAUSE NO ONE IS LISTENING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Vocalpoint

"IS THERE A WAY FOR THOSE USERS TO GET KONTAKT 6???????????????????????????????????"

@MHalloran

I have been listening from the start.

If you are asking - Does NI have full retail K6 licenses for sale = the answer is NO

If that were possible - a thread like this would not be necessary.

But - YES there are ways to get K6 (either Player OR Full):

Jeremy (NI) offered this option: In the case someone would require a Kontakt 6 Player serial or installer they can contact NI support here: http://bit.ly/NIsupport_install

And Kubrak (below) offers three more valid options.

Kubrak

Crowds complained NI is VST2 only. Now, when VST3, folks complain it is VST3 only.

There are few solutions that come to my mind:

1) Buy secondhand Kontakt 6 licence.

2) Buy Kontakt 6 or Komplete 13 (or older) at e-shop.

3) Use Kontakt 6 Player

4) Use VST 2 wrapper for VST3

Vocalpoint

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/98798#Comment_98798

All great options.

MHalloran

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/98816#Comment_98816

No they aren’t. That’s just silly. Jeremy offered the only almost-acceptable answer and I have passed it along. Because it doesn’t include Kontakt, it isn’t really.

Once again, also having K6 and using a Mac, it’s not my problem. There are a lot of angry people out there and a number of clueless ones here. Although you take first prize, the runner up is this:

"Crowds complained NI is VST2 only. Now, when VST3, folks complain it is VST3 only." Which ignores that Kontakt 6 supported both.

For the record, I’ve been using Kontakt since 2002. I finally recycled all those CDs a few years ago—the shelf space is more valuable to me nowadays. I do have Komplete 14 Collectors and many expansions.

Vocalpoint

@MHalloran

"There are a lot of angry people out there and a number of clueless ones here. "

Seeing your ranting style - and your complete ignorance of anyone who tried to help you - I am actually kinda glad you cannot get K6 now.

Whatever your idiotic beef is (even though you continue to insist it's not "your" beef - you wouldn't want to actually take any responsibility for it) suggest its time to maybe head on back to supporting those 42 people out that still use Finale and move on.

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