Kontakt... Is it worth it?

[ChocolateChicken]

So I've recently been in the market for some new plugins, so naturally the first place I look is good ol' Native Instruments. I'm looking at Kontakt because apparently it's widely regarded as the "industry standard" sampler, and Logic Pro's EXS sampler doesn't give you enough versatility with its orchestral sounds, imo.

I'm wondering if I should settle for the Kontakt Player, which is free, but has less functionality overall, or if I should buy Kontakt, which has the full, industry-standard functionality that I would like to have. At that ridiculous price for Kontakt, is that thing really worth it? Opinions, please.

[Kopachris]

How does Kontakt compare with Garritan Personal Orchestra 4 (with its included Aria Player)?

[Lavender_Harmony]

Kontakt is more of a gateway to other sample libraries. It does come with an awful lot, and most of it is decent, but there a lot of libraries out there that are inexpensive which require the full version of Kontakt to work. I've bought a few of these when they have been on sale, so that I can use them some day hen I can afford Kontakt. Don't just judge Kontakt by the sounds it includes, it holds the potential to be so much more, and is a far greater investment than Garritan.

[XXDarkShadow79XX]

Is it worth it if you make bass music?

[bartekko]

Is it worth it if you make bass music?

As much as all Bass music relies heavily on sound design, You can't forget that sometimes you may need for example, a string solo, Piano chords, harpsichords for layering, all kinds of sampled stuff besides your synths. Though everyone has their own idea on bass music, so that's why you "may" need a good sampler, or may not. And sometimes, you'll be good with using soundfonts.
So you'll need to answer this question yourself.

[Fimbulin]

Is it worth it if you make bass music?

SEND ME A MIDI AND I'LL GET YOU YOUR SOLO. sheesh.

All childness aside, it should be super easy to get someone that has Kontakt to help you out with specific sounds and stuff for your song. I already bought Kontakt, and depending on college stuff, if you want a funk cello backing up your wubs, send me a PM!

[ChocolateChicken]

Kontakt is more of a gateway to other sample libraries... Don't just judge Kontakt by the sounds it includes, it holds the potential to be so much more.

Thanks for the info, Lav! Oh I'm not judging Kontakt by its included sounds by any means. I'm fully aware of the fact that it gives you access to other sample libraries as well, which is a big reason why I'm looking to purchase Kontakt. The other reasons is that most sample libraries out there aren't supported by Logic's EXS as far as I know, and the fact that EXS doesn't let you change and morph its sounds very much, while Kontakt has that functionality.

If you guys are saying it's worth the price then I hope you aren't lying, cause I'm so close to clicking that "BUY NOW" button.

[Lavender_Harmony]

Kontakt is more of a gateway to other sample libraries... Don't just judge Kontakt by the sounds it includes, it holds the potential to be so much more.

Thanks for the info, Lav! Oh I'm not judging Kontakt by its included sounds by any means. I'm fully aware of the fact that it gives you access to other sample libraries as well, which is a big reason why I'm looking to purchase Kontakt. The other reasons is that most sample libraries out there aren't supported by Logic's EXS as far as I know, and the fact that EXS doesn't let you change and morph its sounds very much, while Kontakt has that functionality.

If you guys are saying it's worth the price then I hope you aren't lying, cause I'm so close to clicking that "BUY NOW" button.

You're right, EXS isn't compatible with much anymore. There is promise of a new sampler in Logic X, Apple acquired new sampling technology not that long ago, but we shall see.

[senntenial]

I do bass music and kontakt is probably my 2nd most used vst. I love it, but would suggest trying to just get komplete 8 on sale

[Fimbulin]

I do bass music and kontakt is probably my 2nd most used vst. I love it, but would suggest trying to just get komplete 8 on sale

Definitely buy Komplete if you are into electronic stuff and are considering Kontakt anyways.

[ChocolateChicken]

I do bass music and kontakt is probably my 2nd most used vst. I love it, but would suggest trying to just get komplete 8 on sale

Definitely buy Komplete if you are into electronic stuff and are considering Kontakt anyways.

Now, here's an option! I am also considering getting some other products from NI, so it would only make sense to get Komplete 8, as it is quite a good deal. Now I'm just curious about if all of those 27 products are awesome or if they're just a waste of hard drive space, especially since I have Logic Pro, which is pretty well-equiped as it is.

I believe Whitetail posted a short review of all 27 NI products here on MLR somewhere. I'll post the link when I find it.

Found it: viewtopic.php?p=37688#p37688

[Captain Ironhelm]

Kontakt: $400
FM8: $200
27 products that come with Komplete 8: $560

Already you'd save money if you ever plan on getting more than just Kontakt from NI. Personally I don't see myself getting anything more from NI unless I get Komplete, but I don't have a need for it at this point. Even if there's some plug-ins that aren't of interest, you'll still get some good ones for less than the price of getting Kontakt and one of their synths.

I believe Whitetail posted a short review of all 27 NI products here on MLR somewhere. I'll post the link when I find it.

Found it: viewtopic.php?p=37688#p37688

I honestly don't like the reviews people were giving products. It just looks like they don't know what they're doing with the synths, just giving first impressions before really learning how they work.