Komplete 11 Ultimate Questions and Opinions

[festeringheap]

I'm trying to make sense of the maze that is Komplete 11 Ultimate - which seems to me Komplete Overkill. Looking through the included instruments and effects, I can't see myself using well over half (maybe even 75%) in my lifetime. However, there are some things that i can see myself using - mostly the sampled instruments.

Do you have to download the entire library to get Komplete to install? Or like Logic, the individual things you want.
I read that some people get a hard drive from NI. Do you have to pay for the shipping from Native Instruments?
Any import or duty charges if you go this route to another country?

It looks like there are way too many synths!
I like the synths in Logic and really like Alchemy and that covers a lot of ground. I was thinking of buying Synapse The Legend, but maybe just Monark from Komplete would fit the bill there. Honestly, the rest of the synths would just gather dust. (I think). What are the gems here?

REAKTOR
Not sure if I want to go down this rabbit hole. It looks WAY TOO DEEP. However, is there anything here that's already made that worthy of consideration to use?

KONTAKT 5 vs Logic Pro X EXS24
I see a lot of similarities between the two offerings. Or is the included Kontakt content way deeper? I read that the Orchestra samples come from the same bank (Vienna?). Is that correct?

INCLUDED FX
Anything better here than what is in Logic? I do own IK's Black and White and T-racks Deluxe, but i'm not really interested in emulations, but things that just work - Logic's included FX are very good. Is Reflektor any better than Space Designer?

So that leaves me with a bunch of pianos. I like pianos, but that's a lot of piano samples.

Same with bass. I'd rather see one interface, with the ability to choose between the different basses, rather than the several that they have. Is that necessary?

Ditto for the drum samples. Lots of drums - different interfaces. Studio, Abbey Rd Vintage, And Abbey Rd Modern. And 60s. And 70s. And 80s..and...

Are these any better than Logic's drums? How do they compare with Superior or any other third party offering?

How do they map MIDI-wise? Could you swap out Logic's Drummer and pop in an Abbey Rd drumset? Or Studio drummer with no issues?

Are the electric pianos/organs any better than Logic?

The Essentials Orchestra stuff - how does it compare with the third party soundsets out there?
Are the Action Strings/Strikes one hit wonders? Or do they have infinite posibilities?
There are lots of Evolve offerings and the Rise and Hit? Can Alchemy do the same stuff?

I'd be grateful for KVRers thoughts on Komplete, focusing on the above, but of course, I probably missed quite a bit as well! Any regrets? Surpassed expectations? Any true unexpected gems?

Is the current deal a good deal - price wise? The way I read it, I could buy Select at 199. And then upgrade to Ultimate for 499? Is that correct? So that's 700 for Ultimate. Has it ever been cheaper to get?

[rod_zero]

Maybe Komplete is not for you if you have so many doubts.

For me: I really need orchestral stuff and I like their synths. Apart from alchemy I also feel Now stuff is better that what comes bundled with logic (which is also older content).

As for shipping, they have a free options but you will have to pay customs outside of the USA and EU.

[fmr]

To answer your main doubts:

1. Yes, you may select to install only what you want. Some items are needed for others to run though, like Kontakt and Reaktor (and also Guitar Rig). So, these would be mandatory, IMO. Nevertheless:

2. Reaktor - Are you serious? You still don't know what is Reaktor? You don't have to "go down this rabbit hole". You may simply use ready made Ensembles. Actually, many great instruments present in Komplete run in Reaktor, like Razor, Form, Prism, Monark, etc. And the Library also includes a lot of very useful instruments. Not to mention the User Library, a veritable "Teasure Chest".

3. Kontakt - Really? Your standard is EXS24? Let me just tell you that there are three main contenders for the title of Big Sampler: Kontakt, HALion and Falcon. That said, Kontat is also needed to run the many sample libraries included. So, if you need at least one of them, you need Kontakt. If you don't want it, you may not install the Factory Library. You may as well just install the Sample Liraries that you think you need, and install the others later, if and when you want. Besides, Kontakt is the "de facto" standard for third party sample libraries, so, having it, you have an entire universe of sample libraries at your disposal.

4. Regarding the content. I'd say that perhaps none of the included libraries are the respective number one in their fields, but many of them are perhaps in the top ten. And, as I use to say, the tools only shine in the hands of a real artist, so, in the end, a tool worths whatever you one is able to achieve with it. It's up to you to develop the skills to take advantage of these tools. Probably, ten years ago, no producer would even dream to have anything with the quality these libraries now offer to you. And again, you don't have to install everything. Just install one or two, try them, then install other two or three, etc.

IMO, Komplete is one of the best deals available, and that even at full price. At 50%, it's a bargain.

[festeringheap]

Maybe Komplete is not for you if you have so many doubts.

For me: I really need orchestral stuff and I like their synths. Apart from alchemy I also feel Now stuff is better that what comes bundled with logic (which is also older content).

As for shipping, they have a free options but you will have to pay customs outside of the USA and EU.

Re: doubts - well, I always evaluate purchases - regardless of their final cost. I would be spending almost 1000 dollars on software I'm sure there are some others are in the same situation - all insights will help us all of us out. Maybe Ultimate is more suited to pros? If you own a studio. Also if you were a serious money making composer. You could write off the expense, as well.

Which synths in particular stand out for you?

Do you find Essentials Orchestra gets you the results you want fast? Are you doing film or game work?

[el-bo (formerly ebow)]

I'm trying to make sense of the maze that is Komplete 11 Ultimate - which seems to me Komplete Overkill. Looking through the included instruments and effects, I can't see myself using well over half (maybe even 75%) in my lifetime. However, there are some things that i can see myself using - mostly the sampled instruments.

Do you have to download the entire library to get Komplete to install? Or like Logic, the individual things you want.
I read that some people get a hard drive from NI. Do you have to pay for the shipping from Native Instruments?
Any import or duty charges if you go this route to another country?

It looks like there are way too many synths!
I like the synths in Logic and really like Alchemy and that covers a lot of ground. I was thinking of buying Synapse The Legend, but maybe just Monark from Komplete would fit the bill there. Honestly, the rest of the synths would just gather dust. (I think). What are the gems here?

REAKTOR
Not sure if I want to go down this rabbit hole. It looks WAY TOO DEEP. However, is there anything here that's already made that worthy of consideration to use?

KONTAKT 5 vs Logic Pro X EXS24
I see a lot of similarities between the two offerings. Or is the included Kontakt content way deeper? I read that the Orchestra samples come from the same bank (Vienna?). Is that correct?

INCLUDED FX
Anything better here than what is in Logic? I do own IK's Black and White and T-racks Deluxe, but i'm not really interested in emulations, but things that just work - Logic's included FX are very good. Is Reflektor any better than Space Designer?

So that leaves me with a bunch of pianos. I like pianos, but that's a lot of piano samples.

Same with bass. I'd rather see one interface, with the ability to choose between the different basses, rather than the several that they have. Is that necessary?

Ditto for the drum samples. Lots of drums - different interfaces. Studio, Abbey Rd Vintage, And Abbey Rd Modern. And 60s. And 70s. And 80s..and...

Are these any better than Logic's drums? How do they compare with Superior or any other third party offering?

How do they map MIDI-wise? Could you swap out Logic's Drummer and pop in an Abbey Rd drumset? Or Studio drummer with no issues?

Are the electric pianos/organs any better than Logic?

The Essentials Orchestra stuff - how does it compare with the third party soundsets out there?
Are the Action Strings/Strikes one hit wonders? Or do they have infinite posibilities?
There are lots of Evolve offerings and the Rise and Hit? Can Alchemy do the same stuff?

I'd be grateful for KVRers thoughts on Komplete, focusing on the above, but of course, I probably missed quite a bit as well! Any regrets? Surpassed expectations? Any true unexpected gems?

Is the current deal a good deal - price wise? The way I read it, I could buy Select at 199. And then upgrade to Ultimate for 499? Is that correct? So that's 700 for Ultimate. Has it ever been cheaper to get?

I don't own komplete, but I do own quite a few bits from the collection.

The drums are much better those included in Logic, with many times more sampled velocities, and alternate hits. All this affords much more detailed, and dynamic possibilities.

Reaktor, imo, is a no-brainer. You needn't have any intention of getting under the hood as a builder, as there are hundreds of available ensembles, both from NI and users, that can be downloaded for free. A lot of these effects and synths are of a more experimental nature, but there is a ton of more bread'n'butter stuff, also.

As for kontakt? Even if Logic's exs gets a much needed update, Kontakt has the advantage of being the industry standard for library designers. Although many of these libraries come with Kontakt player, you miss out on all the smaller developers that produce unique, often free, libraries (they don't come with player versions as the devloper is often unable to justify the necessary fee). I would love Kontakt for these small libraries, alone.

The fx are reputedly great, accross the board, with the creative fx (Molekular, Replika etc, which I also own), regarded as top-shelf plugins.

The heavyocity stuff is excellent. Even the stuff that's a little dated can be used for start points, resampling etc (in Alchemy, for example). And yes! Alchemy is capable of a lot of similar sound design if you can get hold of great quality source material. Often the attention to detail that goes into sampling for these libraries is something that most of us are not going to be able to achieve, so having these libraries at hand can be very useful.

Logic's plugins are really top notch. However, leaning some good 3rd party product is a good idea as they can travel with you if you ever change DAW.

Komplete ultimate is an amazing deal, even at full price. However, there is definitely a sense that it is so overwhelming that it puts people off. Whether you can make enough use of the various parts to justify the outlay is something only you will find out, and even then, probably not till you've owned it for a while.

[festeringheap]

To answer your main doubts:

1. Yes, you may select to install only what you want. Some items are needed for others to run though, like Kontakt and Reaktor (and also Guitar Rig). So, these would be mandatory, IMO. Nevertheless:

2. Reaktor - Are you serious? You still don't know what is Reaktor? You don't have to "go down this rabbit hole". You may simply use ready made Ensembles. Actually, many great instruments present in Komplete run in Reaktor, like Razor, Form, Prism, Monark, etc. And the Library also includes a lot of very useful instruments. Not to mention the User Library, a veritable "Teasure Chest".

3. Kontakt - Really? Your standard is EXS24? Let me just tell you that there are three main contenders for the title of Big Sampler: Kontakt, HALion and Falcon. That said, Kontat is also needed to run the many sample libraries included. So, if you need at least one of them, you need Kontakt. If you don't want it, you may not install the Factory Library. You may as well just install the Sample Liraries that you think you need, and install the others later, if and when you want. Besides, Kontakt is the "de facto" standard for third party sample librtaries, so, having it, you have an entire universe of sample libraries at your disposal.

4. Regarding the content. I'd say that perhaps none of the included libraries are the respective number one in their fields, but many of them are perhaps in the top ten. And, as I use to say, the tools only shine in the hands of a real artist, so,in the end, a tools woths whatevr you can achieve with it. Probably, ten years ago, no producer would even dream to have anything with the quality these libraries now offer to you. And again, you don't have to install everything. Just install one or two, try them, then install other two or three, etc.

IMO, Komplete is one of the best deals available, and that even at full price. At 50%, it's a bargain.

Thank you. I appreciate your insights.

Re: "Reaktor - Are you serious?" heheh yes I am serious. I don't know exactly what Reaktor is (I'm coming from strictly Logic Pro X and a handful of plugins). I did try out the Player a few years back, which gave me access to some user content, iirc. So Reaktor is the backbone for the serious synths in Komplete? So it's mostly synth then? And some effects. And the sampled stuff is through Kontakt?

re:"And, as I use to say, the tools only shine in the hands of a real artist, so,in the end, a tools woths whatevr you can achieve with it." Can't argue with that.

[superscan]

I like the synths in Logic and really like Alchemy and that covers a lot of ground. I was thinking of buying Synapse The Legend, but maybe just Monark from Komplete would fit the bill there. Honestly, the rest of the synths would just gather dust. (I think). What are the gems here?

As a Logic Pro X user, I find my most indispensable tools (outside of Logic) from NI is Kontakt and mostly 3rd Party Kontakt Libraries. I started with Machine and cross-graded to 9 Standard. I'm up to KU 11. Probably the most used NI libraries are The Giant, Session Strings Pro, Retro Machines MK2 and the Gentleman.

Had I to do it all over again, I'd now get a Komplete Control S-88 (w/Komplete Select) and outright cross-grade to Kontakt 5. There are just too many great 3rd party libraries to not have Kontakt

REAKTOR
Not sure if I want to go down this rabbit hole. It looks WAY TOO DEEP.

Agreed. You'd know if Modular was your cup of tea.

INCLUDED FX
Anything better here than what is in Logic?

Personally not found anything. I use other 3rd party tools. If you are using something like Maschine, having some or all of these are great and fast workflow as they are built in.

How do they map MIDI-wise? Could you swap out Logic's Drummer and pop in an Abbey Rd drumset? Or Studio drummer with no issues?

Yes, option click your Drummer region (copy) down to another instrument like Abbey Rd, Superior Drummer, SSD 4 etc. I do this quite a bit to add depth or change out a kit piece. Use the Producer Kits in Logic to get the multi-track outputs. Quite a depth in opportunity there alone.

[festeringheap]

I don't own komplete, but I do own quite a few bits from the collection.

What kind of sales happen with the bits and pieces of Komplete?

Reaktor, imo, is a no-brainer. You needn't have any intention of getting under the hood as a builder, as there are hundreds of available ensembles, both from NI and users, that can be downloaded for free. A lot of these effects and synths are of a more experimental nature, but there is a ton of more bread'n'butter stuff, also.

What exactly is an ensemble? Just synths and FXs?

(Molekular, Replika etc, which I also own)

What do you like about these that made you buy them?

Logic's plugins are really top notch. However, leaning some good 3rd party product is a good idea as they can travel with you if you ever change DAW.

I'm not a DAW whore I'll likely be with Logic for awhile. It's possible Apple will f*ck things up somehow in the future.

[festeringheap]

I like the synths in Logic and really like Alchemy and that covers a lot of ground. I was thinking of buying Synapse The Legend, but maybe just Monark from Komplete would fit the bill there. Honestly, the rest of the synths would just gather dust. (I think). What are the gems here?

As a Logic Pro X user, I find my most indispensable tools (outside of Logic) from NI is Kontakt and mostly 3rd Party Kontakt Libraries. I started with Machine and cross-graded to 9 Standard. I'm up to KU 11. Probably the most used NI libraries are The Giant, Session Strings Pro, Retro Machines MK2 and the Gentleman.

Had I to do it all over again, I'd now get a Komplete Control S-88 (w/Komplete Select) and outright cross-grade to Kontakt 5. There are just too many great 3rd party libraries to not have Kontakt

REAKTOR
Not sure if I want to go down this rabbit hole. It looks WAY TOO DEEP.

Agreed. You'd know if Modular was your cup of tea.

INCLUDED FX
Anything better here than what is in Logic?

Personally not found anything. I use other 3rd party tools. If you are using something like Maschine, having some or all of these are great and fast workflow as they are built in.

How do they map MIDI-wise? Could you swap out Logic's Drummer and pop in an Abbey Rd drumset? Or Studio drummer with no issues?

Yes, option click your Drummer region (copy) down to another instrument like Abbey Rd, Superior Drummer, SSD 4 etc. I do this quite a bit to add depth or change out a kit piece. Use the Producer Kits in Logic to get the multi-track outputs. Quite a depth in opportunity there alone.

Thanks. I appreciate your insights. Nice to know the drums swap out easily.

Your main libraries are The Giant, Session Strings Pro, Retro Machines MK2 and the Gentleman. So it seems you don't really use much of Komplete - but Kontakt is needed for the good third party stuff.

Kontakt seems to be the thing to own. Any deals that happen with Kontakt regularly - like 50% off?

I seem to recall some noise a few years back about Reaktor going for 99 dollars. Can you crossgrade either of these for Komplete? Or just Kontakt?

[Boone777]

Hello! I compose, record bands a bit and give mixing lessons so I'll give you my 2 cents on it. I currently own Kontakt upgrade for me is 200$ for Komplete and 400$ for Komplete Ultimate. I already own a good deal of plugins so I went through the same questionning wheter it was worth it or not.

Personnaly I will go for Komplete. I cant justify the extra 200$. There is nothing I really 'need' in both bundles however my main reason for buying is presets from all the synths. It will give me more sounds to work with. I own AlchemyCM and Mpowersynth but after a couple of songs I get back over the same patches I use mostly pads ethereal sounds. Also pianos I own 2 or 3 but they dont always mix well with the material that I'm working on even if they sound good enough on their own. So more options makes my mixes easier and the song stronger. Too many options can be an hidrance you got to know where your going.

Kontakt is a must IMO. All the free libraries alone is well worth the price of any bundle you will buy IF you use sampled instruments.
For drums I own superior drummer and it covers all my need but if you are into Beatles covers or old school rock it's a nice plus but aside from that some specifi cases of a band that might need it maybe.

Some horns and percussions in my case are needed for various projects.
So I suggest check carefully what are your 'needs' cause I think you already have a lot of ground covered take out all the stuff you dont need from the bundle.and calculate how much is worth for whats left. Ultimate for me is overkill but for somebody it might be worth the extra $.

[festeringheap]

Kontakt is a must IMO. All the free libraries alone is well worth the price of any bundle you will buy IF you use sampled instruments.

Thanks. I'll look into just the Kontakt option as well.
What are some of these free libraries - horns, perc, strings? Are you talking third party stuff or do you mean the content that comes with Kontakt itself?

[pljones]

There's a few listed here: http://bigcatinstruments.blogspot.co.uk/

[fmr]

And what about this for €10? http://vstbuzz.com/deals/shortnoise-2/

[ruczaj]

I
REAKTOR
Not sure if I want to go down this rabbit hole. It looks WAY TOO DEEP. However, is there anything here that's already made that worthy of consideration to use?

[...]
INCLUDED FX
Anything better here than what is in Logic? I do own IK's Black and White and T-racks Deluxe, but i'm not really interested in emulations, but things that just work - Logic's included FX are very good. Is Reflektor any better than Space Designer?

I have Komplete 9 and really think about jumping to Ulimate 11.
So: think about Reaktor as it's own full environment, giant engine frame for anything. So there are synths running in Reaktor (ie. Monark, Prism, Razor and many others); effects (all the classic: compressors, delays, reverbs, pitchshifters, filters etc); utilities (like sequencers, samplers or loopers)... Sky is the limit. You have vast library included, there are also thousands of third party and (mostly) free Reaktor ensembles.

Included fx: do not underestimate this. K11 Ultimate has full suite, ie. excellent dynamic processors made for NI by Softube. Many of them are covered with your IK Multimedia though. I don't know SpaceDesigner, but Reflector is absolute top notch. Don't forget about whole Guitar Rig PRO, which is -again- huge frame with effects or effects chain. Replika is also very good delay effect.

Synths gem - you'll get iconic vst like Massive, Absynth and FM8. Massive is one of the most popular soft synths of the world, with thousands of external libraries Absynth is a bit like Alchemy, I mean it lets you to import own samples to joy with synthesis. FM8 is very faithfull Yamaha DX7 recreation, it can ever import Yamaha soundbanks.

Really, hard to find such ultimate and top quality sound production bundle.

[Boone777]

Kontakt is a must IMO. All the free libraries alone is well worth the price of any bundle you will buy IF you use sampled instruments.

Thanks. I'll look into just the Kontakt option as well.
What are some of these free libraries - horns, perc, strings? Are you talking third party stuff or do you mean the content that comes with Kontakt itself?

Yeah third party stuff. Like Drummica from Senheiser or Soundiron also has a couple freebies. About every sample company has a freebie I don't recall them all but there is a lot. So much that I forget them in my folder I dont buy much what comes with Kontakt plus all the freebies goes a long way. Also like mentionned in previous post a lot of banks between 5-20$ come up regularly very usefull stuff like synth emus or twisted sample banks. A bunch of them came up announced here on KVR for a limited time just grab them when they pass. NI also has some freebie.