Kontakt - am I missing much by not having it?

[BERFAB]

Yes, you are missing out.

Kontakt and Sampletank are two very different beasts.

Sampletank 3 has a great set of tools and instruments right out of the box, and is very easy and intuitive to use. But there is very little in 3rd party development.

Kontakt, on the other hand, has one of the most comprehensive feature sets around for sound manipulation and instrument creation. Which is why there are so many 3rd party developers releasing products on its platform. There is a wealth of unique and amazing instruments out there, and Kontakt is the platform that most of them have in common.

If you are looking to buy the full version of Kontakt, do yourself a favor and check out what's available in the KOMPLETE collection. It's been awhile, but if memory serves, there is a version of Komplete (which includes the full KONTAKT AND REAKTOR as well as a ton of ready to play Kontakt instruments, Reaktor instruments, synths and effects) that costs almost what you'd pay for just Kontakt. Or perhaps an older version of Komplete can be found cheaper in the marketplace forum.

Good luck.
Cheers
-B