The higher the level of the Native Instruments Komplete package you purchase, the closer you can get to a full suite of tools.
NORTH CANTON, Ohio. The New Year started out with a bang for this writer. A brand new package from Native Instruments containing the Komplete 12 Ultimate Collector’s Edition arrived for a fair and unbiased product review. A number of other columns and blogs will undoubtedly cover this product’s astounding and robust array of pop-oriented virtual instruments. In this review, we focus more on the classical, new music, and scoring tools users can find under the hood of this immense and extensive virtual instrument collection.
For those new to the game, a brief explanation may prove helpful. For years, Native Instruments sold a bundled package. It included highlights from both the company’s own virtual instrument products. In addition, it included those of third party developers who create instruments for their proprietary Kontakt player. This series – KOMPLETE – became the foundation of many a production studio around the world.
Those who purchase any of the four versions of Komplete will get, at a bare minimum, the Kontakt 6 player (both a virtual instrument host and development library); the Komplete Kontrol software (for interfacing most effectively with Native Instruments keyboards and controllers); Reaktor 6 (a Max or PD like synthesizer creation environment); and a collection of studio effects and creative effect plugins. Most notable for most users is the included library of virtual instruments for numerous musical genres. It is the focus of this collection.
Is Komplete really complete? For a professional composer, not by a long shot. But the higher the level of the Native Instruments Komplete package you purchase, the closer you can get to a full suite of tools. The approach here looks like an effort to give composers an “everything but the kitchen sink” suite at the outset. Later these composers can augment the package by adding third party tools for specific stylistic and situational needs.
From the “Select” package to the “Collector’s Edition,” you can compare the contents and pricing of the four available versions of this package at the Native Instruments product comparison website. For those looking to gain a strong foundational scoring and orchestral menu of options, we suggest the “Ultimate” edition. It adds six of the “essentials” version of the Symphony Series (including Percussion, Woodwind, Brass, and Strings) in both solo and section configurations. The “Collector’s Edition” includes the full version of each package. That makes it a clear bargain in the orchestral realm alone.
We tested Komplete 12 on a Mac laptop with 16GB of RAM running Pro-Tools and Logic. We began by combing a number of diverse memory-intensive instruments to test Kontakt 6. It ran flawlessly. We then created a cinematic type track, documented in the video available further down.
