KVR Audio

tommyzai · Post by **tommyzai** » Thu Jan 19, 2012 2:07 am

Hi!
My friend is starting out and has some $ to spend. He asked me which would be better . . .

1. Spectrasonics Omnisphere, Trilian, and Stylus RMX . . . each with add-ons

2. Kontakt with lots of libraries (Bass, Piano, Synth, etc) and Battery3 with lots of 3rd party kits added on

Which would you chose and why (assume having both is NOT an option)?

mgpqa1 · Post by **mgpqa1** » Thu Jan 19, 2012 2:26 am

Spectrasonics is top-notch for sure, but given that your friend is starting out I'm going to say Kontakt/Battery for two reasons:

1. There's a ton of libraries for Kontakt already.
2. If your friend changes his mind and ends up not wanting to make music anymore, it seems to be easier* to unregister NI products so they can be resold (I know NI has taken a lot of crap on this subject of late, but in all the years I've used their products support has always removed serial numbers from my account within a day or two).

* http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=303990

tommyzai · Post by **tommyzai** » Thu Jan 19, 2012 2:46 am

Good point! Resale seems easier with N.I.

What other reasons can we think of in favor of one or the other?

Much appreciated.

hardwired · Post by **hardwired** » Thu Jan 19, 2012 3:08 am

Kontakt & Battery can use your own material (Aiff/Wav/Rex/sf2 etc). So both 3rd party sound content but also your own generated sound content is usable in the full versions of both. Which basically makes Kontakt/Battery infinitely expandable really.

Sure Stylus RMX can use your own rex files (if you own Recycle or bought rex/rx2 libraries) but other than that, the other Spectrasonics instruments cannot use your own sound files.

Spectrasonics stuff sounds sooooooo good though. I'd go for Kontakt / Battery though if I didn't have enough for both.

Uncle E · Post by **Uncle E** » Thu Jan 19, 2012 3:52 am

First off, just go with Komplete 8 since that gives you all the NI stuff you're asking for plus much more. Also, Komplete 8 + Omnisphere would get you the best of both worlds and cost around the same price as Omnisphere + Trillian + Stylus RMX.

tommyzai · Post by **tommyzai** » Thu Jan 19, 2012 4:14 am

It seems to come down to Trilian and how inclusive and exclusive it is. I mean, Stylus RMX is good, but so limited because of REX and LOOP Based. Omnisphere is unique and better than N.I. synths.

JavaJ · Post by **JavaJ** » Thu Jan 19, 2012 5:39 am

I regret starting with Komplete.

el-bo (formerly ebow) · Thu Jan 19, 2012 6:14 am

for me it would be omnisphere, trilian, reaktor, battery, kontakt and guitar rig....now you're stuffed

Uncle E · Post by **Uncle E** » Thu Jan 19, 2012 7:58 am

JavaJ wrote:I regret starting with Komplete.

Why is that?

Lotuzia · Post by **Lotuzia** » Thu Jan 19, 2012 10:45 am

Two different beasts :

Komplete 8 is open, both regarding 3rd party stuff, but also if you create your own kits/sampled instruments etc

Komplete 8 has some classical stuff ( orchestral and acoustic instruments, pianos, EPs etc) that you can extend, Omnisphere has few

Otoh Omnisphere has a great and big library that you wont find anywhere else, with specific sound design orientations and directions.

Thouhg it cant import external stuff you can also make your own (and good )sound design with it, including the use of some very innovative features.

Then I would not worry -too much- about reselling an instrument. Its possible in both cases, thouh Spectrasonics makes it under a case per case scheme, that can be rather long, and NI handles it in a standard way with specific clear rules.

All in all imho both are very good value for the money, and your choice should be based on your personal sonic identity tastes.

EvilDragon · Post by **EvilDragon** » Thu Jan 19, 2012 10:49 am

Komplete is a way better start.

Oceanviewstudio · Post by **Oceanviewstudio** » Thu Jan 19, 2012 1:18 pm

Spectrasonics complete... all the way, would be totally a no brainer for me! However.... my choice for starters would be Kontakt, Omnipshere, RMX, and a few select sample libraries, spice to taste...

inaheartbeat · Post by **inaheartbeat** » Thu Jan 19, 2012 1:26 pm

I don't know how you could even answer this question without knowing what type of music he is trying to make. I have Kontakt Komplete and all of Spectrasonics products. I LOVE Spectrasonics stuff but if I were starting off from scratch and had nothing I would get the Kontakt bundle. I say this almost with a wince cause I really do NOT like working in the Kontakt environment. However, you get a more complete set of instruments to use so you will have a wider range of musical choices.

If he wants to use things like real piano sounds then Kontakt is the way to go. Kontakt also does have some nice synths included so it is not like you won't have any ability to use synths if you don't have Spectrasonics. There are some good ones in the Kontakt Komplete bundle.

How about he gets Kontakt but then just Omnisphere? Still cheaper than buying all of the Spectrasonics products together. One thing I would NOT do is buy the Kontakt Ultimate package. That money would be better spent on other software. He could easily get by without Trilian and Stylus RMX.

Ken

ObsoleteAcc99 · Post by **ObsoleteAcc99** » Thu Jan 19, 2012 1:32 pm

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tommyzai · Post by **tommyzai** » Thu Jan 19, 2012 5:36 pm

Yeahr, it's a hard choice, but money limits. I guess it's a bang for the buck scenario.
I'm not thrilled with RMX. It seems more like a oddball vsti that is not very visual . . . it's nice to see samples. I appreciate the words of advice and thoughts. I'm not sure what to advise.

He's into electronic dance with vocals.

Spectrasonics collection vs N.I. Kontakt+Battery+Libraries