I am interested to use softsynth as a second instrument, only to play voices, so I have no need for accompagnement because I use a korg pa80 for that and I am satisfied with it, but I don't know where to begin.
I want something easy to use as a standalone interface that can load several instruments with raisonably good sound.
Is Kontakt that kind of interface that allow to load a sound and then play it directly from a midi keyboard?
Are the sounds of Kontakt good?

Thank you

STAM, Kontakt is one of the top of the line soft synths. I have it and it is very good indeed. The current version 2 has some bugs but it is still very good. These bugs will be fixed by the 3Q of this year according to Native Instruments.

Kontakt, comes with many sounds/instruments. Some of them are very good. If these are not good enough for your use you can always go and purchase new sounds which are the best in the business, e.g., Garritan Strings, Bardstown Bosendorfer Piano, and so on. Here are some peoples views on the NI K2 Library: http://www.nativeinstruments.de/site/forum_us/showthread.php?t=25137

For this to work you would need a fairly good quality computer/laptop, soundcard and a second HD with 8mb Cache and 7200rpm. This is necesary since the instruments are so large they are streamed from the HD as you hit each note. Only a small portion of each sample is loaded into memory.

Furthermore, the way I setup my lead/melody voices, I load separate instruments in each of 1 to 8 (your could go to 16). I then switch channels on my controller keyboard to play the instruments I need. You can, of course, layer voices as well. You can load up a different set of 8 (or more) instruments as often as you need to....a different set for each genre of music, etc. Loading 8 very large instruments takes about 30 seconds. If you use very small instruments like you would find in your Korg or any other arranger keyboard it would take less than a second.

Other soft synths or sample players of this kind include Halion, GigsStudio, etc. In addition there are other soft synths which model acoustic or synth sounds, e.g., NI B4 models B3, etc.

I hope this helps.


[This message has been edited by Frank L. Rosenthal (edited 05-14-2005).]

Thank you Frank,

Can you confirm that it is a standalone playable instrument? So, just run it, load a sample and play?
Can it be used to play midi backups?
Does it have its own effects to make new sounds?
It seems powerful and maybe a good solution to become familiar with sampling but it would be fine if it is playable even for a beginer.
Thanks

What types of sounds are you looking for ( general pallette or specifics like guitars , etc) , and what will be your uses ( live play, studio work, home entertainment, etc ) ?

We ask the question here often when someone inquires about about arrangers and synths, but nowhere does it apply more than in the softsynth world, because there are just so many choices.


There are many approches available. You could buy a gm+ wave based module like hypersonic or hypercanvas ( good sounds overall, not the best ), and even improve upon these by opening up in a program like chainer that allows you to chain good effects or layer 2 or more synths ( even the same synths and sounds... for fatter sounds ).

You can go with an app like kontakt, and as Frank points out, get better samples, or if you are looking for specific sounds, you could go in the direction of a dedicated module, such as NI's B4, for example, or DaSample's Electro Acoustic ( excellent guitars ), or a dedicated virtual analog synth like Pro 53 or CS80v.

Ther are so many ways you can go with this stuff. I agree with Frank about the extra hard drive too. In my current setup though, my laptop solely functions as a softsynth in Xlutop chainer, while my PC does all the other work ( recording, sequencing , running apps like OMB, etc ). You could run Kontakt in an app like Chainer ( or FL studio for example ), and chain some external effects with it. There are some high quality effects out there.

When I use the laptop live, then I use OMB, but I try to keep the overall CPU load a little lighter ( less CPU intense softsynths, soundfonts instead of individual synyhs for each instrument, etc ). Since you are looking strictly for sounds, this shouldn't be an issue for you. Still, where you want to play and how is, because some apps are easier and faster to work with than others, and this may limit what you'll want to work with a bit in a live setting.

AJ



[This message has been edited by Bluezplayer (edited 05-14-2005).]

AJ,

First I have to said that I am not a professional, so I don't need (at this time) to go out with my matérial. It is now to play at house.
I am interested in the software solution because I think that this is the best solution for future, but I am not ready to go all software now because it seems to be a jungle for me.
What I look for is to enter in the software based sound with little risk. So I want to add a controller keyboard and software synth next to my pa80 and then to learn to use it. Maybe if your are familiar with softsynths then you can go to softarranger but both at the same time is to much for my brain.
I want to be first convinced by the sound.
I look for general sounds (organs, strings, synths, guitars, pianos) as a second instrument. You know that the ergonomy is not on the top on the pa80.
I want good preset sounds. Sure I will tweak them but to begin I want something that is playable on start.
Another question: Kontakt2 costs +/- 500 euros here (630 dollars).
What is the life time of that kind of program? Can you expect to use it 3, 4 or 5 years without a major improvement needed?
Thank you

STAM, yes Kontakt can be used as a standalone synth. You can play midi or style files if you preload all the appropriate instruments in the 16 channels. Kontakt does not do a very good job of accepting program change numbers. This apparently will be fixed over the next few months. In any event, you can just load an instrument, switch your keyboard to the appropriate channel (plus turnoff local) and play.

Kontakt has very good effects. They are so good that todays computers are not powerful enough to handle the convolution reverbs. You need to balance quality with your computer and your needs.

As I pointed out in other discussions, Kontakt has a few bugs. It may be worthwhile to wait towards the end of the year to spend your hard earned money. If money is not an issue than go ahead and acquire it. It is a very good synth/sample player-top of the line. This will give you a chance of getting acquainted with it and when the fixes come (Kontakt v2.1) you will be ready to make beautiful music.

Kontakt is a very complex piece of software and probably is upgraded every 18 to 24 months. In addition, the virtual acoustic samples for pianos, organs, saxs and so on are also continually updated. So while the sounds are the best you can get.....it is very expensive.....if you go top of the line. You can start with Kontakt and the Kontakt Library but even as you noted this to is expensive.

There are are other lower cost solutions to test whether you would like to go this approach, e.g., soundfont synths and instruments. These would not necessarily be better than your Korg Keyboard.

Furthermore, I agree with AJ's comments.


[This message has been edited by Frank L. Rosenthal (edited 05-14-2005).]