The NI Kontakt Libraries Thread

The Studio
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Ok…so some of us talked about having this thread, back in the days before shit happened and many were left homeless and wandered off into the wilderness…myself included.

The idea is for members to post about the Native Instruments Kontakt Libraries they’ve used in the past or liked for one reason or the other, telling us how much it costs (…or doesn’t!), as well as an image of it and a link to it…if possible.

Don’t forget to mention is the item in question is for the Full or Free version of Kontakt (…there’s a huge difference between the two, in case you didn’t know.) :wink:

(I just edited the title of this thread, as well as this first post in order to open things up a little by removing the word “Best”. Bbasically, post about ANY Kontakt library you’ve used, like or would love to use/own at some point. :wink:)

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ESPER SYNTH from UnEarthed Sampling
https://www.unearthedsampling.com/esper-synth
£12.00 + VAT (…at the time of posting.)

FULL VERSION of Kontakt 5.5.1.451 + required

“Esper Synth” is one of the many fine, usable offerings from UnEarthed Sampling, which was founded by composer/sound designer Rich Douglas in 2014. It’s basically one thing and it does it exceptionally well…that is, to capture the famous sound Vangelis created for Ridley Scott’s 1982 classic “Bladerunner”.

As it says on the site…

"Esper Synth sets out to accurately recreate some of the most iconic sounds heard from Vangelis iconic score such as the awesome brassy lead and pad found in Main Titles and Blade Runner Blues.

This isn’t a synth recreation, or samples taken from the soundtrack. Esper Synth is sampled directly from patches painstakingly re-created on an actual CS 80 synth which is, in essence, the sound of Bladerunner. The brass leads are the highlight of the library and are extremely playable out of the box. No knob turning, no digging for the perfect reverb, just load and play."

I guess it really depends on the sound you’re going for and the music you’re trying to make, but if this is a sound you want to create, then the Esper Synth is one of the best way to do that…and a real steal at £12! I find it great to work with and still love jamming around with it…one of my better buys. :wink:

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BOCS Bundle from AUDIOWARP
https://www.kontakthub.com/product/bocs-bundle/
£20.00 + VAT (At the time of posting)

FULL version of Kontakt 5.3.1 is required (NOT Kontakt player)

The BOCS Bundle is a set of 3 libraries / instruments that give you the sounds of Boards Of Canada right out of the box. The set gives you a total of 55 patches, that can be mixed and morphed to suit your needs. Add into the mix your own FX and tempo and you can end up with some really cools sounds from these if you’re into producing Ambient or Chill styles…

Full version of Kontakt needed for these, but if you’re into this sound, then they are something you should really check out.

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Lost Horizon from Atom Hub
https://www.kontakthub.com/product/lost-horizon/
£9.00 + VAT (At the time of posting)
FULL version of Kontakt 5.1 or above required (NOT Kontakt player)

660×556 57.6 KB

Stream Atom Hub | Listen to Lost Horizon playlist online for free on SoundCloud

(Can’t seem to post SC tracks at the mo…maybe not enough posts or something…or maybe it’s done differently now. If so, is there a thread/post outlining how to post SC player in posts?)

Following on from the BOCS Bundle above, if you liked the sounds from those, then you might also find a place for Lost Horizon from Atom Hub. It’s a very playable Kontakt instrument with a very distinctive sound, that can find its own place in most genre productions. The price doesn’t hit hard either.

I’ve used it myself a lot and find it fits really well in an ambient mix…either right up in front…or layered down under other parts, where it adds that little extra something to the mix as a whole.

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The new media embedding is super easy, just works 99% percent of the time. Probably a post count issue, let Relic know and he’ll sort you out with the permissions, we all trust you not to spam’n’run.

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Yeah, I noticed it’s a lot more streamlined, compared to how it used to be. No worries, though…if it’s a post-count thing, then I’ll get the rights to do it in the end, just like everyone else. :wink:

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Caleidoscope from Soundethers
https://www.kontakthub.com/product/caleidoscope-kontakt/
FREE (Currently offered as a FREE Gift During Lockdown)
FULL version of Kontakt 5.8.1 or above required (NOT Kontakt player)

This FREE gift from Soundethers is on par with all their other releases to date and something you should grab while you have the chance. It gives you a collection of 24 Keys, 41 Pads, 7 live Vocals and 14 Field Recordings in 85 .ncw samples. It’s 1.2 GB is total. Granted…these are solidly placed in the Ambient sphere of things, but still very useful for other styles and genres…like so many other tools out there, it all really depends on your own creativity and imagination as to how you put them to use in a mix. Basically, don’t write anything off, just because it might not have been produced with your preferred genre in mind!

If you haven’t heard of Soundethers before, or tried any of their libraries, then this is a good chance to check them out, as Caleidoscope gives you a good sense of what they usually produce. They also have a couple of other free libraries on offer that are well worth collecting…each just as usual and of the same high standard.

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Midi Looper for Kontakt from HomeGrown Sounds
https://hgsounds.com/product/midi-looper-for-kontakt/
$19.99 (Currently on SALE…usual price is $29.99)
Latest FULL version of Kontakt required (NOT Kontakt player)

This is an “Advanced Midi Loop Recorder/Manipulator”…if you’re into tweaking things, then this…as well as all other HGSound stuff…will keep you happy for hours!

Main Features:

7 Sequence recorders each with up to 128 steps and 8 Note polyphony per step.

12 Record Modes which use different methods of Recording Midi.

Record Erase removes underlying notes.

Note Trigger System for Sequence playback, variation select, common Record options and Transpose.

Midi Recorder with Multi-Channel and Drag Export.

7 Variations for overriding Parameters in real-time

7 custom Scales assigned to Variations.

Sequence Edit page to provide an overview of each Sequence.

Fixed Swing Mode.

Customizable Randomization System

Internal Preset System

Note Record undo up to 30,000 notes.

You’ll find a number of videos on the HGS, that go into more detail on how to set it up and use it. Although some might not find the GUI to be the most sexy they’ve seen, the program itself is a real gem…so don’t let looks deceive you! Also, just like every other program HGS offers, there’s a nice Randomization feature, that will give you some very interesting results at the click of a button.

Be warned…like I said already, if you’re into tweaking things, then this will keep you happy for hours!

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Kontakt User Library from “Various” via Native Instruments
https://www.native-instruments.com/en/community/user-libraries/kontakt/
FREE
You’ll need to check if you need the FULL version or the FREE Player for these yourself!

This thread wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the large collection of rather old Kontakt libraries hosted by NI itself. These were developed and offered for free other Kontakt users and NI Community Forum members…and while there’s some real classics to be found on the list, don’t expect the graphical interfaces to be up to today’s standards! Most are one-trick ponies, but it’s well worth taking a look though the libraries on offer, as some are really good and well worth having.

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Hypernode from Rigid Audio
https://www.kontakthub.com/product/hypernode/
£160.00 + VAT
FULL version of Kontakt 5.7.1 required (NOT Free player)

Hypernode is a fully modular Electronic Music Arranger and a collection of over 300 Kontakt Mulit-Instruments, serving most contemporary music styles and genres.

Hypernode is the most feature-complete full production package for Kontakt ever made and entire songs can be made from scratch using the system. Create the perfect sounds, sequence them all together and then create an intro, verse, chorus, bridge, middle 8, fills and outros all inside the system

Each Multi-Instrument is called a ‘style’ and can contain a whole song with intro, chorus, verse and so on. You can edit any part, section or sound of each multi to your liking. The ‘Accompaniment Module’ is where you can play up to three-note chords, drum sections as well as additional parts like bass, pads and harmonies.

Hypernode ships with over 600 factory sounds, ranging from keys and guitars to synthesizers and hybrid elements. You can edit every aspect of the sounds down to the smallest detail using filters, envelopes, lfos and effects

All Instruments offer flexible sequencers, automation, five freely assignable insert effect slots, convolution reverbs and more. You can even modulate effect parameters via the included sequencers.

The accompaniment module features 64 simultaneously running sequencers. Each sequencer can run at its own rate and act as a one-shot phrase if required. There are eight switchable patterns - which results in a total of 512 sequencing tables for the accompaniment module alone.

Total content is about 12GB in size.

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Lunaris from Luftrum
https://www.luftrum.com/lunaris/

$159 FULL Onetime price

Rent-To-Own 3 Month Plan: $39 paid up front gives you immediate access to Lunaris…then 3 x monthly payments of $40 by PayPal.

Rent-To-Own 6 Month Plan: $39 paid up front gives you immediate access to Lunaris…then 6 x monthly payments of $20 by PayPal.

Works with both Kontakt v5.6.8 or later and/or the FREE Kontakt Player.

Lunaris, from the well-known sound designer “Luftrum”, is one of the best pad instruments for Kontakt…period. It gives you everything from classic analog pads to lush ambient pads, cinematic pads and any pads in between…including 30 original Luftrum pads from the Prophet-6.

Lunaris also contains sequenced pads, underscoring elements and a selection of dark, avantgarde and obscure pads. Lunaris is 4.5GB in size and comes with over 500 presets, created by a number of “known names”, such as Arksun, Bigtone, Himalaya, Sonic Underworld, Martin Walker, Adam Pietruszko, Twolegs Toneworks, Brandon Clark…and, of course, Luftrum himself.

This beast of a program/library is a good “go-to” option when it comes to pads. No matter what your genre or style of music, if you’re in need of a pad, then you’ll definitely find Lunaris more than useful.

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Cathedral Of Junk from Soundiron
https://soundiron.com/products/cathedral-of-junk

Price: $19

FULL version of Kontakt v5.5 or later required (NOT FREE Kontakt Player)

The Cathedral Of Junk from Soundiron is the result of recording hitting/bashing/banging various items of scrap found on the 30 foot tall pile of junk, located in the South Congress area of Austin, Texas and belonging to one Vince Hannemann.

This is a really handy library to have…one I’ve found really useful, as it not only offers you sounds that are playable out of the box, but also makes for a really good box of source sounds for sound design projects and ambient FX. It’s one of those libraries you don’t really need until you need it…but at $19 it’s well worth buying to have for when you do.

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Loopscape Vinyl from Rhythmic Robot
https://www.rhythmicrobot.com/product/loopscape-vinyl

Price: €30.00 plus VAT

FULL version of Kontakt v4.2.3 or later required (NOT FREE Kontakt Player)

“Genuine recordings of custom-pressed vinyl LPs • Classic synthesiser waveforms with added vinyl crackle, hiss, pitch drift and instability • Entirely new waves recorded from scratch to complement and extend the original Loopscape concept”

Taken from their site…

“Loopscape Vinyl starts with a host of entirely new recordings of classic synth waves: two ballsy sawtooths (one with a sub-oscillator) from our modular system, a smooth triangle from the Roland SH7, a gritty pulse wave from a Yamaha CS30, and a nice mellow sine. All of these were recorded in pristine quality, and then sent off to be pressed to a series of custom vinyl dub plates. Once we had our lovely new vinyl LPs back in the lab, we set about sampling the waves straight off the vinyl. And that’s where “pristine quality” and “high fidelity” went right out the window.”

This, just like everything else the guys at Rhythmic Robot create and sell, is totally unique, fun to mess around with and going to give you sounds you’d find hard to get from other sources. Not for everyone perhaps, but a real “dusty” gem all the same.

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Clearly you know so much about Kontakt, I’m gonna derail the thread and ask which you would rather have: Kontakt or Omnisphere?

If I had more hard drive space, I’d have Keyscape by now, and Omnisphere would make a great companion to that I imagine. What sort of setup would be Kontakt’s competitor? I’d be in the hole $900 with the Spectrasonics option, which isn’t that far from just getting Komplete 12 Ultimate.

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I own and love both of them and my short answer is I’d personally go with Komplete 12 Ultimate…mainly because of the variety and selection of different libraries that are out there. Granted, the ones you get built-in with K 12 U are more than enough for producing, including their FX, which have some really nice options to choose from…but it’s the third party offerings out there that often are totally unique in what they do and bring to a mix.

Kontakt fits my workflow better, I feel and I use to editing samples and making my own in that system / musical Eco-system, so it’s only natural that I’d think like I do.

But Omnisphere, on the other hand, is a “top of the line” program in it’s own right and one which is more than capable of matching everything K 12 U / Kontakt will give or let you do, now more and more sound designers are producing and selling third-party Omnisphere libraries.

You can take your time building your own patches or tweaking the presets and patches of others, too, with both. But each has its own slightly different feel and, in the end, that’s what it really all comes down to…which feels right to you when you work with it. If you can get access to both and give them a try, then you’ll soon know which is the right one for you and price will have little to do with which you choose in the end. :wink:

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Following on my replay above…I thought it worth mention here something about the KOMPLETE START FREE PRODUCTION SUITE that Native Instruments released a while back.

It’s basically an introduction to all things NI and gives you over 2000 top-quality sounds, 16 synths /instruments and loops, samples and FX. All free and not crippled in any way…just a taste of what can be expected with K 12 U…which is a little bit more than what you might be used to if you’re using just their Free player.

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I hadn’t dug into that yet because I have a decent number of really capable synths and effects already, but maybe it’s time for me to investigate the NI ecosystem.

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One other thing I should have mentioned is even though both Omnisphere and K 12 U can do more or less the same things…in the end I think it’s fair to say Omnisphere would be a better tool if you have sound design in mind, whereas K 2 U is slightly better for out-of-the-box gigging/performing, where you just want a piano or something and you pick one and you’re good to go.

While you can also do that with Omnisphere, you also can do things at a deeper level to a sound, with the built-in tools that come with it. Take its Granular engine for example…you can end up with a totally different sound…one that has a clean and clear quality to it, which other Granular programs just don’t give you; and that’s a really handy tool to have in your musical toolbox if you are into sound design.

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rekkerd.org has a page that list links to sites offering free Kontakt stuff. It’s a real mixed bag of offerings, but you’re sure to find something in there that you’ll like.

The list shows the names of the sites / companies on the left, which are active links you click on…and to the right of each is a brief description of what they offer for free.

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My favourite Kontakt libraries … with the full version of Kontakt, you can dive inside every libraries & really make them your own …

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