Kontakt 6

Kontakt 6 from Native Instrument (NI) is the undisputed VST sampler leader in terms of the number and variety of sample libraries and the centerpiece of the Komplete 13 package. It has so much to offer, from simple sound layering and routing with multiple outputs to self-created instruments and synthesizer-like modulation, you can do just about anything with it.

What’s new in Kontakt 6?

For professional users working in edit mode, there are additional sound design features: three new reverbs, a delay module, and a new wave engine. Since this wave engine is by far the most exciting new feature of KONTAKT 6, I’ll briefly explain what it is and how to work with it in Kontakt. Fans of the old synths, and by that I literally mean old people, still know the PPG from Wolfgang Palm. The PPG was the first synthesizer to use this technique to create sound. A wave table can be thought of as a long sample that is periodically divided into smaller sections. These sections can be selected and used as the basis for the sound, and the length of the section can also be adjusted here (e.g., with an LFO).

Native Instrument also uses this technology for three new sound modules (Analog Dreams, Etheral Earth and Hybrid Keys). So if you want to experiment with PPG waveforms, simply create a new instrument by double-clicking in the multitrack. Switch to edit mode in the new tool, and then switch in Source from DFD to Wavetable. Then click on “Mapping Editor” and in the window that appears, drag the wavetable file to the top edge (this will assign it the full width of the area).

Kontakt 6 Overview

The main window in Kontakt prompts you to load more than one tool at a time. We’ll create a layer of three instruments from the Kontakt Factory library: the cello ensemble, the Born to C3 organ, and the In a Lonely Place virtual choral synthesizer preset. Of course, you can also create layers with presets from ALL the libraries suitable for Kontakt 6. It is also possible to layer a library with different presets, up to 64 times in one instance of Kontakt 6!

If we’re already playing multiple instruments at the same time and varying their volume, the path to custom effects is not far off. With our layered instrument, the chorus can, for example, B. Use a little reverb, a little organ delay and a little more ensemble cello through the distortion plugin. But if we just load these effects into the DAW as a built-in effect behind Kontakt 6, it will change all the instruments at once.

That’s what multi-output mode is for. It is most often used with drum plugins like Addictive Drums 2, Superior Drummer 3 or Battery 4 to apply different effects to individual drum sounds. Here, the setup differs depending on the DAW. Essentially, in addition to the track that Kontact 6 is on, you also need to create the desired number of channels. Their inputs are then connected to Kontact.

Looping the piano sample, which allows Kontakt 6 to play the sound while you hold the MIDI note, doesn’t make much sense because the piano sound starts with a transient and then fades out quickly. So we build a second instrument, with Saw-Wave. These sounds are easier to loop if the loop points are set correctly. Kontakt brings practical help to this.

Wouldn’t it be great to load an entire vocal snippet or full loop into Kontakt 6 and then play it back at a different pitch, but at the same speed? If you just load a longer sample into Kontakt and then play different tones on the keyboard, it can quickly sound chaotic because each pitch is played at a different speed. Kontakt Time Machine’s algorithms always keep the playback tempo the same, similar to the warping in Ableton Live 11 or Flex in Logic Pro-X.

Conclusions

If you’re looking for realistic sample libraries, you can’t do without Native Instruments Kontakt 6. The company offers some, if not the best, digitized samples of acoustic instruments, and the Kontakt 6 standard instruments alone deserve attention. The bottom line is that with Native Instrument Kontakt 6 you get a full-fledged sampler with lots of effects and an extensive sound library. Actually, NI Kontakt 6 should have gotten the best score, but unfortunately there is a big drawback. The DATABASE database, supported for many versions, with which you could manage your sounds, has been removed without replacement.