Sad state of Native Instruments

[donkey tugger]

Mac users, on the other hand...

can afford it ...

(and I'm a PC user..)

[osiris]

What I know is the Pro 53 went for @$200. I bought it fire sale for $99 shortly before it was discontinued. I feel most bad for people who shelled out the $499.00 for Spektral Delay. At least that's what I'm seeing on old web pages. You'd think there'd be contingencies for a $500 plugin.

[jedilaw]

You're the one saying the instruments in Kontakt are plugins right? because that, is all I'm commenting on here. They aren't plugins, they're instruments as per NI's nomenclature.

They're both. No idea why you think it's an either/or (or why you think NI is the final word on those terms)-? As an analogy: if I went to a web site about apples and they went on and on about their fruit, and how they have the best fruit, and apples are such great fruit...but never once call it "food"....does that mean apples aren't food?

"Plugin" similarly is a broad term which applies to VIs, libraries, sample players, basically any such thing that you access from your DAW ("plugged into" the DAW, hence the name). The same terminology goes for apps which have nothing necessarily to do with audio production, like plugins for browsers.

Anyway, enough on this. Thanks for at least discussing it reasonably, though we disagree.

You cannot use any Kontakt library without either launching the standalone Kontakt app or the Kontakt VST (or AAU) in a DAW. That's why Kontakt is the plugin, and the libraries are not. Same goes with Maschine expansions. They cannot load without Maschine, in either its standalone or plugin form.

This only matters in certain instances, such as when a sample company sells a library that requires the full version of Kontakt (Zero-G comes to mind). The distinction between library and plugin isn't relevant when you buy a Kontakt library that's compatible with the free Kontakt Player, since they typically give you the option to install the player when you're setting them up (Heavyocity comes to mind).

[mixyguy2]

I guess I have been lucky; most of my Kontakt-required stuff doesn't require the activation/installation crap. I simply go to the appropriate folder to run whatever it is.

[BBFG#]

I guess I have been lucky; most of my Kontakt-required stuff doesn't require the activation/installation crap. I simply go to the appropriate folder to run whatever it is.

So you're using a cracked version of Kontakt?

[DrGonzo]

I guess I have been lucky; most of my Kontakt-required stuff doesn't require the activation/installation crap. I simply go to the appropriate folder to run whatever it is.

So you're using a cracked version of Kontakt?

Not all libraries requires activation.

[Echoes in the Attic]

I guess I have been lucky; most of my Kontakt-required stuff doesn't require the activation/installation crap. I simply go to the appropriate folder to run whatever it is.

So you're using a cracked version of Kontakt?

There are lots of kontakt instruments that don't require kontakt player and therefor no installation.

[BBFG#]

I guess I have been lucky; most of my Kontakt-required stuff doesn't require the activation/installation crap. I simply go to the appropriate folder to run whatever it is.

So you're using a cracked version of Kontakt?

There are lots of kontakt instruments that don't require kontakt player and therefor no installation.

Now I'm confused. How are they "Kontakt instruments" then?

[BBFG#]

I guess I have been lucky; most of my Kontakt-required stuff doesn't require the activation/installation crap. I simply go to the appropriate folder to run whatever it is.

So you're using a cracked version of Kontakt?

Not all libraries requires activation.

Okay, that I know, but Kontakt still has to be activated. Which adds to most beliefs that the plugin and its libraries are two different things.

[ghettosynth]

I guess I have been lucky; most of my Kontakt-required stuff doesn't require the activation/installation crap. I simply go to the appropriate folder to run whatever it is.

So you're using a cracked version of Kontakt?

There are lots of kontakt instruments that don't require kontakt player and therefor no installation.

Now I'm confused. How are they "Kontakt instruments" then?

They have samples, scripts, custom U/I, the whole shebang. That's how you create an instrument. If you then want to sell it as a "player" compatible instrument then you engage in a process with NI that has, AFAIK, you paying a chunk of change up front to buy licenses. At least that's how it is if you want to sell Reaktor instruments.

[BBFG#]

I guess I have been lucky; most of my Kontakt-required stuff doesn't require the activation/installation crap. I simply go to the appropriate folder to run whatever it is.

So you're using a cracked version of Kontakt?

There are lots of kontakt instruments that don't require kontakt player and therefor no installation.

Now I'm confused. How are they "Kontakt instruments" then?

They have samples, scripts, custom U/I, the whole shebang. That's how you create an instrument. If you then want to sell it as a "player" compatible instrument then you engage in a process with NI that has, AFAIK, you paying a chunk of change up front to buy licenses. At least that's how it is if you want to sell Reaktor instruments.

So then they're not actually Kontakt?

Maybe give me a list of examples since I'm completely unaware of them?

[ghettosynth]

I guess I have been lucky; most of my Kontakt-required stuff doesn't require the activation/installation crap. I simply go to the appropriate folder to run whatever it is.

So you're using a cracked version of Kontakt?

There are lots of kontakt instruments that don't require kontakt player and therefor no installation.

Now I'm confused. How are they "Kontakt instruments" then?

They have samples, scripts, custom U/I, the whole shebang. That's how you create an instrument. If you then want to sell it as a "player" compatible instrument then you engage in a process with NI that has, AFAIK, you paying a chunk of change up front to buy licenses. At least that's how it is if you want to sell Reaktor instruments.

So then they're not actually Kontakt?

Maybe give me a list of examples since I'm completely unaware of them?

Most instruments are like this. Everything produced by Rhythmic Robot for example. Home Grown sounds has put out multiple series of this kind of instrument. I think that they're doing a group buy now. Other than those from NI, my non-player libraries far outnumber my player libraries.

[DrGonzo]

Okay, that I know, but Kontakt still has to be activated. Which adds to most beliefs that the plugin and its libraries are two different things.

Right. Exactly. There are some Kontakt libraries that needs activation and some that doesn't. The ones that doesn't are usually from smaller developers. I did a couple of those myself before I gave up on Kontakt. But Kontakt itself always have to be activated.

[ghettosynth]

Okay, that I know, but Kontakt still has to be activated. Which adds to most beliefs that the plugin and its libraries are two different things.

Right. Exactly. There are some Kontakt libraries that needs activation and some that doesn't. The ones that doesn't are usually from smaller developers. I did a couple of those myself before I gave up on Kontakt. But Kontakt itself always have to be activated.

Yes, sorry if I contributed to the confusion. If you have Kontakt Player only, then you can only use libraries that require activation outside of demo mode. If you have Kontakt, which must itself be activated, then you can use libraries that don't require any additional activation, or, you can use libraries that would be compatible with player but that ALSO require activation, even if you are using them with Kontakt and not player.

[BBFG#]

So you're using a cracked version of Kontakt?

There are lots of kontakt instruments that don't require kontakt player and therefor no installation.

Now I'm confused. How are they "Kontakt instruments" then?

They have samples, scripts, custom U/I, the whole shebang. That's how you create an instrument. If you then want to sell it as a "player" compatible instrument then you engage in a process with NI that has, AFAIK, you paying a chunk of change up front to buy licenses. At least that's how it is if you want to sell Reaktor instruments.

So then they're not actually Kontakt?

Maybe give me a list of examples since I'm completely unaware of them?

Most instruments are like this. Everything produced by Rhythmic Robot for example. Home Grown sounds has put out multiple series of this kind of instrument. I think that they're doing a group buy now. Other than those from NI, my non-player libraries far outnumber my player libraries.

Yes, I own a great many of those as well.