So as you no doubt know by now, the rumor I posted a couple of days ago about Native Instruments' "big announcement" would be Komplete 6 turned out to be true. The package will include new products such as Kontakt 4, Absynth 5, and Guitar Rig Pro (which are, of course available individually as well) alongside older products such as Battery 3, Massive, Reaktor 5, and FM8. Conspicuously absent are Pro-53, B4 II, and Elektrik Piano (although this one is now integrated into Kontakt).
What do you think? I'm a little underwhelmed, but honestly, Native Instruments hasn't really knocked my socks off since back in 2006 when Massive came out. Their products used to be so cutting-edge, but now they seem more aimed at people who want lots of presets. Probably a better business model, but I think it's kind of unfortunate. A lot of this update seems to emphasize content (such as the 60GB sample library) with a few new features, but nothing that gives me that "MUST HAVE NOW" feeling in the pants. I was really really hoping for Reaktor 6, but I guess it wasn't in the cards.
Oh, and am I the only one who finds Native Instruments' Flash-heavy site annoying as hell? I just want to click on something and see it. It doesn't have to slide in and out do cartwheels while I watch a little spinning 'processing' wheel. I think years from now that kind of gimmick is going to be sneered at in the same way that the old "blinking text" HTML tag is these days.
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13 comments:
I've complained about the NI site several times, and I've seen only similar comments on both KVR and the Ableton forums.
It does seem like kind of a weak update. Only half of it is new versions and some software is discontinued? More like "InKomplete 6"...
And yes, the Flash on the site has annoyed me too... I even got lost in it once...
- J
I think the new NI site sucks in a big way. Flash is a thing of the past in web design if you ask me, at least in a sense of making it the centerpiece of your site. It takes a while to load, it's sometimes difficult to navigate, and in NI's case, it's annoying as hell.
I started with Komplete 3, which at the student discount I got it at, it was a bargain. I got a free upgrade to Komplete 4 and got Massive and Kore for free through some weird deal they had going. But this update is very disappointing. The updates look nice, and for $169 I can upgrade, which is reasonable, but nothing screaming "BUY ME NOW". Reaktor 6 would seem to be a pipe dream, it seems like everything thing else they make has seen upgrades except this and the products they seem to be phasing out, such as Pro-53.
I'm kind of underwhelmed too. The new Kontakt features do seem kind of nice. I guess I'll wait to see what people think of it.
Absynth 5 looks like it has some cool enhancements, with the new filters and a cleaner (less noisy) overall engine. Problem is, Absynth is probably one of their synths that I'm least familiar with. I still need to dive in with the previous versions I have before I can decide whether that upgrade is worth it.
I don't use Guitar Rig at all (not a guitar player, but I guess I could use it on anything) but I understand why it gets an update, need to keep that target demographic updating every couple years.
The thing I think is interesting is the new pricing. Komplete is now incredi-cheap compared to what it was when I got Komplete 2. It seems the pricing for this bundle has gone the way of DAWs. You pay about $500 to get in the program but then they are going to hit you up with $200 upgrade fee (ok, in this case $169). This kind of wreaks havoc for your investment if you ever decide to sell. Clearly the move is to get more people to buy into the Komplete package and then participate in the upgrade cycle.
Reaktor 6 still seems like it is coming. I was also surprised it didn't show up this time.
So, I'm not sure I'll upgrade this time (I've had every other upgrade since Komplete 2) as I'm happy with Kontakt 3.5. Kind of thinking putting that same money towards something like Waldorf's Largo or Camel's Alchemy might be a better move. Might see if they have some promotion later where you buy Maschine and get Komplete 6 upgrade for free or something.
As if there is a need for 6,7,8 etc. They blew everyone away with 5, what's the point of getting another version on the market. Ah, yes, money. Feel like I need to support NI, since they are not evil-spreading Microsoft or any of its likes! Long live NI!
I have owned every version of Komplete but version 4. I really miss their vocoder, but I have enough hardware versions to make up for it. It is a shame that NI didn't see fit to bring everything to Intel Macs, but I'll live.
To be honest, I think NI are trying to make Kore something that Kompetes with hardware synths in a real sense. The attempts to be a preset-based Kompany with the controller to navigate them is likely an attempt to dig further in than they could with software alone. They understand that people like the tactile response of hardware. I suspect we'll see them dig deeper into that market in an attempt to be the new "hardware" synth manufacturer.
When I went to a Sam Ashe to pick up Massive and FM8 they tried to sell me Komplete because 'you get so much more!'
FM8 and Massive - 400
Komplete - 900
Sweet! 500 bucks for crap I'd never use. I'll take the two I came to buy, thanks!
That's exactly how I feel when I see a new Komplete product pop up every time.
Rob - I use Guitar Rig on synths all the time and it sounds amazing. You should really try it! Absynth is one of those synths that I am always impressed when I play around with sounds, but I don't enjoy programming it at all, and honestly, I've used it maybe 2 or 3 times in actual music. Anyway, I HIGHLY recommend Alchemy. It's a really deep synth and can be intimidating, but what you can do with it is limitless.
Tom, that's interesting to me since I have only read reviews about Alchemy and not yet tried the demo. Based on the reviews I got the impression that it was kind of like Absynth in many ways. However, from what you say that doesn't seem to be the case at least from the programming aspect. Apparently I will have to try that demo soon and see what I think of it.
Anyone have opinions of Largo? I've heard mixed reviews of that one. I don't have any Waldorf hardware to compare it to.
The interface for Alchemy is light years better than Absynth and what you can do with samples is far more complex. It's not exactly a Kyma, but it is more in that direction than Absynth is. It also happens to be a really decent virtual analog if you want it to be too.
Not impressed at all. Minor enhancements to a Kontakt and Absynth are hardly enough to justify new version numbers, much less a whole new version of Kontakt. What kind of upgrade price will they be asking?
Rob, as an owner of a number of Waldorf synths, I'll say that Largo sounds solid. I won't say it sounds quite as rich as their hardware units (I won't say anything to the contrary either) but there is a decent variety of timbres you can create. It comes from great lineage!
Alchemy is a wonderful tool for samples. I've been singing its praises for a little while now. The ability to switch between sample playback and grain synth gives you an extra dimension to your sonic palette. I've really been looking for a decent software alternative for my E-mu samplers. Alchemy has done very well as a substitute for creative synthesis. I've been using Battery 3 for the drum maps. Between those two, I've found a good approach to software sampling and Alchemy has inspired my sound development. It is very cool if you only dedicate a little effort to learning it, and it is worth every penny.
I'm VERY disappointed with this update. I thought for sure they would add Kore software edition, the sound packs, or something. I've been a Komplete user since version 2 and this has to be the most uninspired release to date.
The purging of Akoustik Piano, B4, Pro53, and Elektrik Piano just further confirms what I've always feared about software instuments... Their life span is likely very short lived. Once developement ends, the product is likely useless by the next OS release on your platform of choice. In contrast, development on my Roland D-550 ended somewhere around 1990 and it still performs like a champ and is fully compatible with my modern studio.
I'd like something like the Receptor to keep my outdated and discontinued soft synths running for years to come, but I'm not sure it's up to task.
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I am a web designer by profession, and I can't stand the new NI site. It's slow, clunky, and downright irritating. As mentioned in an earlier comment, flash based sites are out dated and annoying. While they do still have their place (movie promotional sites, kids games, etc.) this isn't one of them. When I want info and details, I don't want to wade through gimmicky superfluous animations and transitions to get to it.
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