Sad state of Native Instruments

[glokraw]

Buy products that have regular 3rd-party expansions released, and buy a few of those when craving something new, instead of mud wrestling with kontrol freak product managers. Be happy, create, and play

[Harry_HH]

Buy products that have regular 3rd-party expansions released, and buy a few of those when craving something new, instead of mud wrestling with kontrol freak product managers. Be happy, create, and play

This is theory. I advice everybody to do the above exercise based on their REAL present situation.

[glokraw]

I have Komplete13, will get 14 if a massive update sale occurs, and I have a dozen great plugins with ever growing lists of expansions to consider. And a dozen more bought in no-brainer sales, for the future, should it arrive on time. Over the years, I've learned to maximize limited hours. This is prioritized reality, based on experience. Komplete is a great value when on sale, but the delivery concept is poorly implemented, so other inexpensive purchases will be useful in whatever the interim turns out to be. (In light defense of NI, they may have a larger userbase and must deal with more diverse config failures brought on in part by the moving target OS world. But they can still supply installers and serials, should the sales curve head south.)

[collider]

Subscription. Yummy. LOL.

https://www.native-instruments.com/en/s ... 1715227372

https://support.native-instruments.com/ ... NI-360-FAQ

[trusampler]

Native Instruments is actually still a thing ?

[C-note]

NI
Arturia
U-He
Tone 2
Gforce
Steinberg
Logic
Vengeance

[glokraw]

Buy products that have regular 3rd-party expansions released, and buy a few of those when craving something new, instead of mud wrestling with kontrol freak product managers. Be happy, create, and play

Here is a new example of my 'theory':

[funky lime]

Native Instruments is actually still a thing ?

in the film/tv/game/library music business, Kontakt is still king of the hill (for now anyway) when it comes to high-end 3rd-party sample libraries, whether for mockups or for actual cues. flip on the television or load up a video game, and you'll likely hear Kontakt being used at some point.

[Harry_HH]

Buy products that have regular 3rd-party expansions released, and buy a few of those when craving something new, instead of mud wrestling with kontrol freak product managers. Be happy, create, and play

Here is a new example of my 'theory':

No it isn’t. Your advice how to solve the challenge that the software administration takes lions share of the user’s time is theoretical. Showing one example doesn’t prove anything that it was realistic thaf everybody would use only those products.
I.e. the problem stays.

[audiojunkie]

Native Instruments is actually still a thing ?

Hehehe!! Unfortunately, for some things, Native Instruments has not yet been beat--although I do hope for that to change. As an example, there are no virtual guitar instruments better than what currently exists in Kontakt (My particular example would be the Shreddage 3.5 series). Some would argue that Ample Sound comes close, but the point is that most of these highly specialized instruments are only found as Kontakt libraries.

[oobesan]

I am new to NI ecosystem since October last year (purchased Komplete Kontrol MK3 S-61 keyboard and Komplete 14 Standard). I dreamed and salivated for 10 years about getting into the NI system, before I could afford to do so, just based on how cool everything they made was. But, apparently I joined up just in time for the downfall. Honestly, everything NI is a dumpster fire at this point. They are in a development tailspin and are an empty vessel of creativity and vision at this point. I am just going to enjoy my "legacy" products, namely Reaktor instruments and Guitar Rig. I don't use or care about anything in Komplete or Kontakt. I may purchase Molekular, another legacy product, if it goes on sale.

[enroe]

Native Instruments is actually still a thing ?

Hehehe!! Unfortunately, for some things, Native Instruments has not yet been beat--although I do hope for that to change. As an example, there are no virtual guitar instruments better than what currently exists in Kontakt (My particular example would be the Shreddage 3.5 series). Some would argue that Ample Sound comes close, but the point is that most of these highly specialized instruments are only found as Kontakt libraries.

Yes - and there are other indispensable libraries - unfortunately
only in a Kontakt-version.

Sometimes it helps to take a broader view and look at the big
historical line. Let's do this briefly:

----------------------------------------------------------------

In the 70s there were no samplers at all. You could only record
directly (vocals, guitar, organ) or use a synthesizer. Midi was
only introduced in 1982 by Dave Smith and Roland.

The basic idea of a sample was embodied in the 70s by the
Mellotron: it could reproduce natural tones at the touch of a
button. Mostly it was used for strings and choirs (everyone
knows "Nights in white Satin" by the Moody Blues).

In 1979, the first sampler, the Fairlight CMI, was introduced
(costing ~$1 million). It wasn't until 1985 that the Ensoniq
Mirage came onto the market for around $10,000. “Everything”
at that time was the Mirage.

At the end of the 80s and in the 90s, AKAI dominated the
market with good, inexpensive samplers: the first was the
AKAI S612. The newer AKAI S900, S1000, S3000 etc.
marked "the standard" - and there were many libraries on
ZIP and CDs.

In the noughties, software samplers emerged: Suddenly the
hardware boxes were no longer necessary - and everything
was integrated into the PC or Mac. The best known are EXS24
(Apple Logic), Halion and of course the GIGA sampler. The
GIGA sampler became the “market standard” and there were
countless GIGA instruments.

The Sampler Kontakt was introduced by Native Instruments
in 2002. But thanks to very open policies and broad
compatibility, it became more and more "the standard" from
2008 onwards. Almost all commercial sound designers
publish their libraries on a Kontakt-basis.

That is still the case today. However, it seems that NI is well
aware of its monopoly position and is using it today. And that
then promotes other, smaller standards, such as “SFZ”.

[Tiles]

Isn't SFZ a soundfont? That's One shot samples then. A sample player gives you humanizing and algorithms, which a soundfont player cannot.

Honestly, i am no friend of this NI bashing thread here. NI has its flaws. Also i hate the new Kontakt 7 UI that permanently forgets my settings. But Kontakt is simply the standard. And i have a job to do. And when my favourite guitar solution ( shreddage was already mentioned) does not exist for other players then i have to use Kontakt.

The quasi-monopoly comes from the weak competitors. Nobody stops other manufracturers to make it better.

[digitalboytn]

The Sampler Kontakt was introduced by Native Instruments
in 2002.

Except it doesn't sample....

It is a sample playback system ...

So in essence,Kontakt is a rompler

[chk071]

Who needs a sampler which samples in a DAW? Seriously, I never understood that argument.