Native Instruments has announced the release of the new Kontakt Player, a free software instrument based on the industry-leading Kontakt sampler.
With its unparalleled arsenal of third-party libraries that take advantage of its advanced soundshaping and scripting functionality, KONTAKT has become the essential instrument platform on the market.
The new KONTAKT PLAYER is the central instrument to utilize all KONTAKT-based sound material in an efficient and convenient way, both in studio and live performance environments.
It accommodates all regular KONTAKT-format libraries as well as all generations of third-party KONTAKT PLAYER instruments, including KOMPAKT and INTAKT formats as well as Native Instruments’ AKOUSTIK PIANO, ELEKTRIK PIANO and BANDSTAND instruments.
Kontakt Player features
- Professional sample player based on the industry-standard sampler KONTAKT 3.5.
- 64-bit memory addressing for Windows Vista 64 and newly-created Memory Server feature for Mac OS X.
- Advanced multiprocessor support for up to 16 cores.
- Improved performance through new direct from disc (DFD) engine.
- Sound Library can easily be expanded with any Kontakt-powered instrument or 3rd party library powered by KONTAKT.
- Redesigned library browser for Kontakt Player and third-party libraries.
- Detailed graphic “Performance View” for most instruments.
- Direct MIDI Learn for all sliders and knobs, including Performance Views.
- Over 18 high-end effects.
- VST, AU, and RTAS support including Pro Tools/Leopard.
The launch of Kontakt Player is also complemented with the free Kontakt Factory Selection, a studio-grade sound arsenal with 50 instruments taken from the Kontakt 3 library.
Kontakt Factory Selection features
- BAND — 13 instruments are taken from this collection, which contains all standard band instruments found in genres like rock, jazz, funk, pop, r’n’b and hip-hop, covering e-guitars, basses, acoustic drum-kits, a drawbar organ and various e-pianos and more.
- WORLD — Six world instruments are culled from the World Collection, which contains many exotic instruments from all over the globe, including flutes and reed instruments, bagpipes, plucked instruments and percussions.
- SYNTH — 12 instruments are included from this category, putting a wide range of contemporary synth pads, basses, leads and drum kits at your disposal.
- VINTAGE — 13 instruments are courtesy of the Vintage Collection, which handles the legendary sounds of analog synthesizers and keyboards.
- URBAN BEATS — Five instruments from the Urban Beats collection complete the free KONTAKT FACTORY SELECTION. Urban Beats contains ready-for-action drum loop production kits, consisting of drum loops, single loop tracks (snare, hi-hat loop etc. separated) and the individual slices.
Kontakt Player and Kontakt Factory Selection are available as free downloads for Windows and Mac.
More information: Native Instruments
