This way, Kontakt can be used as a multi-channel audio instrument in your DAW. You can set up additional outputs to choose from by clicking on the Workspace icon and selecting Outputs. If your audio device has multiple outputs, you can set a different audio output for each Instrument. Output determines the audio channel Kontakt will output the playback of the Instrument to. Setting a MIDI channel to OMNI will make the Instrument listen to all incoming MIDI channels. If you’re running Kontakt as a standalone app, MIDI Ch needs to correspond with the channel your MIDI keyboard/controller is sending out. If you’re using Kontakt as a plug-in inside a DAW, this setting needs to correspond with the MIDI output you’ve set for the channel strip that Kontakt is loaded onto. MIDI Ch sets the MIDI channel Kontakt should listen to for note input. This applies to standalone and plug-in mode. Multis are preselected combinations of multiple Instruments.Ĭlick the Instruments button to open a drop-down tree structure of the library, then load an Instrument by double-clicking it or dragging it onto the large empty area next to the browser.Įach loaded Instrument in Kontakt has its own audio and MIDI routing settings. A lot of them have a Multis button as well. When starting Kontakt, by default, a list of all installed sample libraries is shown in the browser on the left side of the window.Īll libraries in this list have an Instruments button.
If you have a need to tweak more, say, move an individual zone from one key to another, tune a sample, or add your own scripting, then the full version of Kontakt is needed.
It is up to the developer of the library which controls these are. If you load an instrument in Kontakt Player, you can adjust and tweak the instrument only using the controls presented in the custom interface of the instrument. It is worth noting that the full version of Kontakt is included in Native Instruments Komplete bundle.
The Editor is used to build instruments: mapping samples to keys, adjusting amplifiers and envelopes, adding scripting for special behaviour and much more.
The main limitation of the free Kontakt Player versus the paid, full version of Kontakt, is that you cannot access the Editor. All of ProjectSAM’s libraries can be used in Kontakt Player. The free version of Kontakt is called Kontakt Player. Kontakt is loaded onto an instrument track inside the DAW, then an Instrument from a Kontakt library is loaded into Kontakt:
Kontakt supports the VST, AU and AAX protocols, making it compatible with virtually any DAW, including Cubase, Logic and Pro Tools. Kontakt can run as a standalone application but is used most often as an audio instrument (or plug-in) inside a digital audio workstation (DAW, sequencer).
Even though the family of Kontakt-related software has grown immensely, including Komplete and Maschine (offering native support for NI’s Komplete Kontrol and Maschine hardware controllers), this article will focus on Kontakt, since it is our experience that this is how the majority of our users use our sounds. Kontakt is a software sampler by Native Instruments that has grown to become the industry-standard for orchestral or otherwise demanding sample libraries. Third-party sample manufacturers normally bundle their libraries with a customized version of a sample player optimized for that library.Jump to: About Kontakt | Standalone vs plug-in | Kontakt vs Kontakt Player | The browser | Global settings | Routing About Kontakt By utilizing KSP, sample library developers can create instruments that can be played and controlled via Kontakt. Many third-party manufacturers program software sample libraries, and Kontakt features the Kontakt Script Processor (KSP) and Creator Tools to help users of the software and sample library developers create their own instruments that utilize the Kontakt sampling and synthesis engine. Native Instruments manufactures numerous virtual instruments that utilize the Kontakt Player. Kontakt Player is a free, feature-limited version of Kontakt that functions a virtual instrument for sample libraries, often with a specialized GUI with graphics and controls specific to that library, without the expense and extensive editing capabilities of the full version of Kontakt. The software sampler is one of the leading applications of its type in the market.
Kontakt works as either a stand-alone application or as a plug-in on both Mac and Windows platforms. First introduced in 2002, Kontakt combines sampler functionality with elements of synthesis and effects.