Kontakt 5 top tips

[Metalliac]

With your setup (logic) it's best to use one instance per instrument. Logic cannot utilize multiple cores to process one track so it's almost impossible to use the one instance for all -type of approach. Even with using separate instances you might need to send the signal to additional buses for processing since K5 can get very heavy for one core.

You also might want to avoid using multiple outputs with one instance of K5 and process the instruments with kontakt's internal effects. When I tried using NI's studio drummer with multi outs and processing the tracks with logics comps and EQs, logic became sluggish and unresponsive.

[Techeverlasting]

If you're not already familiar with Kontakt's Aux send and Output functionality it's well worth checking these out. Pressing the "Aux" button in the upper right corner reveals four auxiliary sends available to your multi. Pressing the "Output" button at the top of the display reveals the aux channels. You can assign and aux bus to regular or convolution reverb and other effects (don't forget to assign its output to your main audio out.) This allows you to have the same reverb for several instruments in your multi. You can defeat any individual reverbs on your instruments and save on some CPU.

Another amazing feature Kontakt has is the instrument bank, which lets you create a bank of up to 128 instruments pre-loaded that you can access via MIDI program change. This is what makes Kontakt a viable sampler for live performance applications, and why I won't even bother looking at Mach 5. Just select "New instrument bank" from the "files" tab.

I've gotten a lot out of Groove 3's Kontakt tutorials.

[scruffydog]

Originally Posted by Metalliac

With your setup (logic) it's best to use one instance per instrument. Logic cannot utilize multiple cores to process one track so it's almost impossible to use the one instance for all -type of approach. Even with using separate instances you might need to send the signal to additional buses for processing since K5 can get very heavy for one core.

You also might want to avoid using multiple outputs with one instance of K5 and process the instruments with kontakt's internal effects. When I tried using NI's studio drummer with multi outs and processing the tracks with logics comps and EQs, logic became sluggish and unresponsive.

Cool...
so for example treat a string sections as 2 instances for hi and low.
gonna try that now and see how the cores behave as right now..as you say...one core seems to carry all the work when i just pile up sections.

multi outs for at least drum spreads would be my ideal and if this is sluggish... as you say it is.... i might have to complain!!!

how many instances of kontakt might you use in a typical track Metalliac?
i am used to many EX24's but kontakt scares me a bit!
thanks...
scruffydog

[scruffydog]

Originally Posted by Techeverlasting

If you're not already familiar with Kontakt's Aux send and Output functionality it's well worth checking these out. Pressing the "Aux" button in the upper right corner reveals four auxiliary sends available to your multi. Pressing the "Output" button at the top of the display reveals the aux channels. You can assign and aux bus to regular or convolution reverb and other effects (don't forget to assign its output to your main audio out.) This allows you to have the same reverb for several instruments in your multi. You can defeat any individual reverbs on your instruments and save on some CPU.

Another amazing feature Kontakt has is the instrument bank, which lets you create a bank of up to 128 instruments pre-loaded that you can access via MIDI program change. This is what makes Kontakt a viable sampler for live performance applications, and why I won't even bother looking at Mach 5. Just select "New instrument bank" from the "files" tab.

I've gotten a lot out of Groove 3's Kontakt tutorials.

Brilliant!
great tip...
do you use Logic?...how have you found assigning outputs in order to use AU plugins in your DAW...this is where i might like to get to in time...especially for drums.
I would like to use the on board filters and the FX and eq/comp's and still assign to indevidual faders in Logic for more options...is that really viable for drums/perc within a single instance of kontakt?

scruffydog

[Metalliac]

Originally Posted by scruffydog

how many instances of kontakt might you use in a typical track Metalliac?
i am used to many EX24's but kontakt scares me a bit!

I don't really use that many instances. The most I've had in one session was 5 instances of K5 running alongside of some ES2's and addictive drums and some audio tracks with heavy processing like amp/cab modelling for guitars. I even got some overloads and notices of my ram getting full, but then again, my rig ain't that pro. My iMac still has 4gb of ram and even though the processor is quite nice (core i7 2.93Ghz) logic was a bit sluggish. I can safely say that for my uses EXS24 was way less taxing, but then again my experiences are limited to Logic's built-in libraries for EXS24 instruments and NI's own Komplete 8 for Kontakt's instruments.

[scruffydog]

good to know...4 or 5 should be enough for most things here too.

i notice that selecting an empty audio track helps playback massively
.....really notice it with kontakt especially.

[tritace]

Just out of curiosity....Is it possible to utilize different cores on a PC/Cubase setup.
5 find that running Studio drummer as part of my production really stresses out the CPU. Iv got a 2600k 8 gig ram win7 64bit and cubase 6 32bit.
Id have thought that setup would handle studio drummer and about 10 other vsti and 60 plug ins easy. But Studio Drummer is hungry.

[scruffydog]

On a mac in logic the cores are uneven also...seems to me like the systems have this in common...i have plenty of RAM at 24 gig and the cores seem to be what hold things back at times.
Kontakt is very intensive and the programming of the products in my library appear to be very complex indeed.
perhaps we are just getting ahead of ourselves!

[scruffydog]

Just to say...after a long history of ex24 use....i'm really starting to love Kontakt 5.....