What is happening to Native Instruments?

[rezoneight]

Halle f**king lujah.

The only problem is NI hasn't done any decent updates of their tools for years. Let alone they be the masters of creaton.

"years". how long does that mean? Reaktor 6 with Blocks was a huge update. Massive X was huge. Not so much an update but a new instrument. NKS is a nice thing. Most of their catalog doesn't require updates. Just trying to understand what people are really expecting (aside from at least UI updates for Hi DPI displays. I still think there is a huge value out of their stuff.

[Smapti]

In the last year or two NI has released Mod Pack, Crush Pack, Raum, and Massive X, all of which are excellent. If you don't like any of those then you probably don't like Native Instruments at all -- which is fine, but then why post a thread about NI going downhill if you don't like them to begin with?

[Examigan]

They would probably get sold rather than closed down, so I wouldn't worry too much.

Unless it was Apple that bought them eventually.

[Kongru]

They would probably get sold rather than closed down, so I wouldn't worry too much.

Unless it was Apple that bought them eventually.

At least it wouldn't be Gibson!

[nachenko]

To be honest, I prefer NI this way. They are not doing more synths, so what? I‘d say “thankfully”. because instead of that, they are doing stuff other companies can’t even think of. They upgraded Electric Sunburst and it was instabuy for me, I use it a lot and it’s amazing, Strummed Guitars helped me save a project (and win a contest) I had to deliver in a weekend while also taking care of my son, and i once needed to write a track for a trailer in three hours and Rise and Hit helped me deliver fast. Oh, and I love my M32 keyboard.

Those are not just NI products, they are products for which there are very few alternatives in the market.

So, for me, everything is ok the way it is now.

[rezoneight]

Totally agree. I think NI is doing just fine.

[vurt]

yup. all good here

cold dead hands...

[Jace-BeOS]

Halle f**king lujah.

The only problem is NI hasn't done any decent updates of their tools for years. Let alone they be the masters of creaton.

"years". how long does that mean? Reaktor 6 with Blocks was a huge update. Massive X was huge. Not so much an update but a new instrument. NKS is a nice thing. Most of their catalog doesn't require updates. Just trying to understand what people are really expecting (aside from at least UI updates for Hi DPI displays. I still think there is a huge value out of their stuff.

Seeing them promoting the sale of content packs is annoying when their GUIs clearly need updating (and not to “flat/minimalist” designs, either).

[Vectorman]

Komplete has been a tremendous value...finally upgraded to the whole package last year (after having bought various instruments individually in the past) and still have plenty of things to explore that I haven't even gotten around to installing yet.

I really only have one criticism right now, which is the somewhat perplexing fact that almost a year after its release, their new flagship synth still needs some fairly basic functionality attended to. Like a real patch browser with nested folders so you can organize things, and MIDI learn. Get that otherwise pretty impressive synth fully fleshed out and I'm good.

[yellowmix]

Just trying to understand what people are really expecting (aside from at least UI updates for Hi DPI displays. I still think there is a huge value out of their stuff.

VST3 support. NKS/Kontrol is increasingly useless to me especially now that there are plugins that are offered only in VST3 due to Steinberg restrictions.

Though I agree with your other points, NI has been innovating all this time. Getting NKS embraced by partners is a huge ongoing effort and it's standardizing third party presets like no other effort ever has. Users benefit having all their presets in one place.

They gave us an interesting new architecture and approach with Massive X, I feel people are unfairly expecting the same outsize effect the original Massive had in a different era. It does need some work, it's doesn't feel finished, but it's not gonna change the industry like NI has in the past and never was meant to. The past few years gave us Blocks, Form, Polyplex, Razor, all innovative in their own ways.

Having legacy products means deciding between stability and backwards compatibility vs risky features that could break it. I'm not saying it's unfair to compare it to something newer, but the reality is NI wants to make sure Kontakt instruments from past versions work on the latest one, and not screw the developers they cultivated by replacing the scripting engine. So they can only extend it. Replacing the scripting engine or killing the product for a new one would be suicide. What dev would trust NI and follow them to a new sampler platform?

Waves is in a similar situation, slapping the occasional new skin on their oldest products. There are a lot of people who like things the way they are, take for example people who complain about Battery 4 changing things around. Looks like NI learned a lesson from that.

[dandezebra]

I would massage a sunburned walrus for like three hours for an updated resizable Absynth.

[Kalamata Kid]

^^^
I'll do it for four hours!

[rezoneight]

Just trying to understand what people are really expecting (aside from at least UI updates for Hi DPI displays. I still think there is a huge value out of their stuff.

VST3 support. NKS/Kontrol is increasingly useless to me especially now that there are plugins that are offered only in VST3 due to Steinberg restrictions.

Though I agree with your other points, NI has been innovating all this time. Getting NKS embraced by partners is a huge ongoing effort and it's standardizing third party presets like no other effort ever has. Users benefit having all their presets in one place.

They gave us an interesting new architecture and approach with Massive X, I feel people are unfairly expecting the same outsize effect the original Massive had in a different era. It does need some work, it's doesn't feel finished, but it's not gonna change the industry like NI has in the past and never was meant to. The past few years gave us Blocks, Form, Polyplex, Razor, all innovative in their own ways.

Having legacy products means deciding between stability and backwards compatibility vs risky features that could break it. I'm not saying it's unfair to compare it to something newer, but the reality is NI wants to make sure Kontakt instruments from past versions work on the latest one, and not screw the developers they cultivated by getting by replacing the scripting engine. So they can only extend it. Replacing the scripting engine or killing the product for a new one would be suicide. What dev would trust NI and follow them to a new sampler platform?

Waves is in a similar situation, slapping the occasional new skin on their oldest products. There are a lot of people who like things the way they are, take for example people who complain about Battery 4 changing things around. Looks like NI learned a lesson from that.

Very good points, thanks for responding. I don't care so much about VST3 as I'm on a Mac and use the AU versions but yeah I can see your point.

[telecode]

huh? didn't NI release a whole bunch of stuff in 2019/2020? new interface, noire, synths and some other stuff?

I think they released quit a lot of stuff. Just not stuff I am interested in. The Straylight & Mysteria releases are just not my thing. But I guess they did market research and make products where there is a larger market for.

re: revamping old instruments, I totally agree. but lets be honest, if they were to release a new version of FM 8 and Battery and Absythn -- would you buy a upgrade to Komplete all over again because of it? or would you rather buy an upgrade if there released brand new products and threw them in?

btw.. i think they *might* be working on a new Guitar Rig. Not sure, just a hunch based on some stuff i saw.

[Dencheg]

I’d say the recent Super-8, Noire and Straylight are great instruments.
It’s just a shame they did rushed Massive X release instead of giving Massive 1 some love here and there while secretly and slowly polishing Massive X. And if it was some considerable love here and there and there, they might not need the X for another year or smth.
If i was the Dark(th) Lord of NI