There are some excellent instruments that run in Kontakt : Spitfire Edna is one that I am looking at.
Also, Spitfire LABS(Free) and Kontakt player(free) have some interesting textures definitely not a waste of time
These have inspired me to produce music that I normally would not think about.
Kontakt gets really good 3rd party libraries. HALion is making progress in this regard but still well behind. Kontakt is great for sampled instruments but HALion is awesome for synthesized sounds. Kontakt is a great addition but whether it’s worth the cost depends on what you need. Again, for sampled instruments, Kontakt is (probably in most users opinions) king.
Never mind svennilenni here. He can be a sourpuss sometimes? This is the lounge. Where in my opinion people can discuss anything remotely related to Steinberg?
Like jaslan said, if you want EDM synths or similar sounds there’s lots of other stuff out there that will fully satisfy your needs. While many Kontakt libraries can do these type of sounds also it’s real strength lies in the reproduction of acoustic instruments and the human voice. If you do not necessarily need orchestral instruments like strings and brass, choir, grand piano’s, drum/percussion or big band sounds I’d suggest you stick to the more general synths. If you do there’s no instrument more suited for these sounds than Kontakt. But it should also be said that going down this route is all but cheap! Some libraries can be very expensive! Below are some of the main creators of Kontakt libraries. Take a listen and decide if it’s for you:
Thank you ‘Nickeldome’ . That was VERY useful information
and yes, you are right; it will cost me a small fortune to buy a few of the libraries that you pointed out.
ok, for now I will make do with what I have, and slowly in the future purchase ‘extras’ IF i need them.
I agree, Halion has some cool sounds and features, but the 3rd party support for Kontact is second to none - but (there’s always a but) if you’re just starting out and are just finding your feet - Halion will not be the thing that holds you back - however Kontact isn’t THE sampler standard for nothing.
You have to understand that Steinberg works closely with Yamaha. That is why Halion is like having Yamaha Motif synth at your disposal. Motif was used by Steve Wonder in his life gigs. Motif has sounds from DX7. There are many advantages of having Halion as a free plugin. Yes Halion comes free with your stock Cubase installation. Free. There are good and bad libraries in both Halion and Kontakt. Iconica Strings for Halion are amazing. Way better than Session Strings from NI. Session Guitars for Kontakt are amazing and there is nothing like that for Halion. There are way more third party libraries for Kontakt than Halion. Both platforms have their pros and cons. I have both
Not a waste, just different. The benefit you get from HALion is proportional to the amount of time you’re prepared to spend learning how to use it. Personally, I use Kontakt because of the libraries and the fact that it’s a de facto industry standard, and HALion to make my own sounds.
Although from a consumers point of view it’s hard to determine what libraries can use the player and what libraries need the full version?
Also with Kontakt it’s not about ‘full’ or ‘light’ in the normal sense of the word that one would expect? Some major libraries can do with player while some minor need the full version? It strictly depends on the library itself and to what level editing is required? It also has to do with licensing between the developer and Native Instruments? Things we consumers want to keep clear off…
I found a list on NI but also here it’s not clear to me what exactly uses what?