Are Soundtoys plugins NKS compatible?
I still haven´t figured out if this is something the individual developer has to implement or if every instrument and effect I want to use within the Komplete Kontrol software will automatically lay out NKS maps and pages with all parameters and knobs of the plugin.
And what about preset libraries? If I want to make some soundsets and effect presets which are NKS compatible, can I do that if the plugin itself is not?
Are Soundtoys effects NKS compatible?
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- KVRAF
- Topic Starter
- 1534 posts since 13 Dec, 2016
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- KVRian
- 937 posts since 31 May, 2017
No, Soundtoys are not NKS ready. This is something the developer has to implement.
You can however create your own custom mappings for any plugin (that is why I don't say that Soundtoys are not NKS "compatible").
That said, the process for creating your own mappings is tedious (though apparently you can buy software that helps with the matter and there are people that actually sell mappings for non supported plugins) and there are some limitations when creating your own mappings (specifically that all your presets can only reside in the user area and you cannot create your own sound previews, among many other little things).
I actually like to create my own mappings even for supported plugins because I like to have things setup a certain way, but I imagine many wouldn't like to bother with such a process at all. So if NKS support is important to you then search for developers that have it implemented.
But for effects it is important to note, NKS compatibility is of limited usefulness because you can only use NKS effects in Komplete Kontrol in conjunction with an NKS instrument. You cannot use NKS effects on their own on say a DAW stock instrument or an audio track. The Komplete Kontrol plugin is only available as an instrument plugin.
So for instance if you want to use Guitar Rig in NKS mode on say an electric guitar, you're out of luck.
In general, I'd say NKS is better than nothing, and in theory it's fantastic, but it's ultimately a pretty limited tool in practice.
You can however create your own custom mappings for any plugin (that is why I don't say that Soundtoys are not NKS "compatible").
That said, the process for creating your own mappings is tedious (though apparently you can buy software that helps with the matter and there are people that actually sell mappings for non supported plugins) and there are some limitations when creating your own mappings (specifically that all your presets can only reside in the user area and you cannot create your own sound previews, among many other little things).
I actually like to create my own mappings even for supported plugins because I like to have things setup a certain way, but I imagine many wouldn't like to bother with such a process at all. So if NKS support is important to you then search for developers that have it implemented.
But for effects it is important to note, NKS compatibility is of limited usefulness because you can only use NKS effects in Komplete Kontrol in conjunction with an NKS instrument. You cannot use NKS effects on their own on say a DAW stock instrument or an audio track. The Komplete Kontrol plugin is only available as an instrument plugin.
So for instance if you want to use Guitar Rig in NKS mode on say an electric guitar, you're out of luck.
In general, I'd say NKS is better than nothing, and in theory it's fantastic, but it's ultimately a pretty limited tool in practice.
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- KVRAF
- Topic Starter
- 1534 posts since 13 Dec, 2016
Thank you very much for this detailed explanation, Local Man 
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- KVRer
- 23 posts since 25 Aug, 2012
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- KVRian
- 937 posts since 31 May, 2017
No problemenCiphered wrote: ↑Wed Dec 11, 2019 6:25 pm Thank you very much for this detailed explanation, Local Man
Good luck navigating the NKS landscape. And if you're interested, check out the Native Instruments forum where there is some very detailed discussion of NKS implementation and custom mappings and such.
