Kontakt 5 Getting Started English - CrossTalk Index Main Page

SetupUsing KONTAKT as a Stand-alone Application Sample rate: This drop-down menu allows you to set the global playback sample rate atwhich KONTAKT will operate. Common values are 44100 Hz for music and 48000Hz for film production. Note that this doesn't have anything to do with the samplingrate at which your samples have been recorded – if the playback rate doesn't match asample's recording rate, KONTAKT will handle all necessary conversion steps trans parently for you. Latency: Displays the size of the audio playback buffer in samples. If, on Windows, theselected audio interface does not come with its own driver control panel, a slider thatlets you adjust the audio playback buffer is present next to the latency display. Forthese devices, as well as on Mac OS X, use the slider to adjust the audio playbackbuffer, and, thus, the audio latency. Small values will shorten the delay betweenpressing a key and hearing the resulting sound (this is called latency), but may causedrop-outs and stuttering when playing a lot of voices at the same time. Conversely,setting this to a higher value will make playback more reliable at the cost of more la tency.2.1.2Latency OptimizationThe load that typical digital audio calculations generate on your processor is often not con stant and predictable; parameter changes, additional voices or other processes can allcause momentary peaks in the load, which can result in drop-outs or other audio artifactsif not properly compensated for. That's why audio programs don't send the audio signalsthey generate directly to the hardware, but write them to a short buffer in memory instead,whose contents are in turn being sent to the actual hardware. This concept allows the pro gram to bridge short irregularities in the stream calculation and thus be more resistant toprocessing peaks.Of course, this “safety net” comes at a price – the buffering causes a delay, known as la tency, between the triggering of a note and the actual sound. This delay gets longer withincreasing buffer sizes. Hence, it's vital to tune the buffer size in order to find a good com promise between latency and playback reliability. The optimal value depends on such di verse factors as your CPU, memory and hard disk access times, your audio hardware anddrivers, and your operating system environment.In order to find the optimal buffer size for your system, we recommend that you do thefollowing:1. Begin by setting the latency to a value between 384 and 512 samples.KONTAKT 5 - Getting Started - 11

SetupUsing KONTAKT as a Stand-alone Application2.3.Gradually decrease the value during your normal work.When you begin to notice drop-outs, increase the buffer again by a small amount.This setting should suit your current setup.Generally, it's a good idea to have as few other applications as possible running in the back ground when working with audio software. Also, if you can't get below a certain buffer sizewithout getting drop-outs, consult the documentation of your audio hardware to find outwhether you can access it via an alternative driver architecture, as some architectures allowmore efficient low-level access to the hardware than others.2.1.3MIDI ConfigurationThe MIDI tab of the Options dialog provides a list of all MIDI inputs and outputs that havebeen found on your system. These are ports of physical MIDI interfaces connected to yourcomputer, but also any virtual MIDI ports that may be provided by drivers or other applica tions to facilitate inter-application MIDI communication.Selecting a MIDI port in the MIDI tab of the Options dialog.In order to make KONTAKT respond to MIDI data from the outside, you'll have to enableone or more ports that appear in the inputs list of the MIDI tab.KONTAKT 5 - Getting Started - 12

SetupUsing KONTAKT as a Plug-in1.2.2.2Make sure the Inputs button is highlighted and identify the port(s) that you intend touse for MIDI input in the list.If the Status field on the right side of an entry reads Off, click on that value and assignone of the MIDI port identifiers (A-D). This enables the respective port, which will lat er be identified by the selected letter throughout the user interface.Using KONTAKT as a Plug-inThe plug-in version allows you to use KONTAKT inside any audio and MIDI recording pro gram that is capable of hosting VST, AU, or RTAS plug-in instruments. That way, you canrun multiple instances of KONTAKT side-by-side along with your other sound generatorsand effect plug-ins, trigger them with the data of MIDI tracks from within your sequencer,and directly feed their audio output into the signal flow of your recording program's virtualmixer.Depending on your operating system and choices upon installation, KONTAKT is availablein VST, Audio Units, and RTAS plug-in formats. Refer to the documentation of your se quencer to find out which of these formats you can use. If you have enabled the appropri ate format at installation time, KONTAKT 5 should appear in the plug-in selection list inside your sequencer. If it doesn't, run the installer again from the installation DVD andmake sure the appropriate plug-in is marked for installation.The way in which virtual instrument plug-ins are integrated into the workflow very much de pends on your sequencer; consult its documentation to find out how to instantiate and workwith the KONTAKT plug-in.KONTAKT 5 - Getting Started - 13

User Interface3User InterfaceOnce KONTAKT has been properly configured, you'll be greeted by its main window. Thisis the central workspace in which you can find and manage files, create and open Instru ments, combine them into Multi setups, and delve into the inner workings of their soundstructures.The main KONTAKT interface, still empty.KONTAKT 5 - Getting Started - 14

User InterfaceMain Control PanelThe main window is subdivided into a number of sections, each of which incorporatesfunctions for carrying out a specific group of tasks. In the following sections, we'll brieflyexplain the interface parts that are used for loading and playing instruments with KON TAKT; for a much more thorough description of all aspects of the user interface, pleaserefer to the Application Reference.3.1Main Control PanelAt the top of the KONTAKT window, you'll find a row of 9 squared buttons. This is calledthe Main Control Panel. As the name implies, it provides access to a range of essentialcontrol functions; some of the buttons toggle the visibility of certain parts of the user in terface, others open drop-down menus or dialogs that give access to further commandsand options. What follows is a short description of what each button does, from left toright; please refer to the Application Reference for detailed information about the func tions of the Main Control Panel.The Main Control Panel at the top of the window provides access to various essential features and dialogs. Browse: Toggles the visibility of the Browser section, which is the vertical bar on the leftside of the main window. If you know that you won't need the functions of the Browserfor a longer period of time, you can save desktop space by hiding it. The Browser is ex plained in section 3.3, Browser of this guide and in the Application Reference. Master: Toggles the visibility of the Master Editor, where you can adjust various global pa rameters such as overall volume, tempo, an internal metronome or master tuning. Info: Toggles the visibility of the Info Pane, which will appear at the bottom of the win dow. The Info Pane is explained in section 3.4, Info Pane of this guide. Output: Toggles the visibility of the Outputs section, which will appear at the bottom ofthe window. Here you can configure KONTAKT's internal audio channels, adjust out put levels, and add global insert and send effects. Keyb: Toggles the visibility of the On-Screen Keyboard, which is explained in section 3.5,On-Screen Keyboard of this manual. Quick: Toggles the visibility of the Quick-Load browser, more information for which canbe found in the Application Reference.KONTAKT 5 - Getting Started - 15

User InterfaceThe Rack Files: Opens a drop-down menu that consists of various commands for loading, savingand managing KONTAKT files, such as Instruments, Banks and Multis. Options: Opens the Options dialog, where you can adjust a wide range of preferencesthat pertain to the user interface and the sample playback engine of KONTAKT. Purge: Opens a drop-down menu of options related to the purge facility, which allowsyou to temporarily unload samples from memory that are currently not in use.3.2The RackThe Rack is the part of KONTAKT's user interface that takes up the most screen space; it'sthe large area below the Main Control Panel. Whenever you add an Instrument, either bycreating a new one or by loading an existing one, it will appear in the form of a horizontalheader here. As the name suggests, the Rack is designed to resemble a stack of 19" studioequipment; that is, any additional Instruments will appear alongside the headers that arealready there. This way, you can easily load up to 64 Instruments (distributed across pagesof 16 each) at the same time into a KONTAKT instance. Such a combination of Instru ments is called a Multi, and you can save and recall it just like an Instrument.When you first start KONTAKT, the Rack will be just an empty space, indicating that noInstruments are currently loaded. In order to properly utilize KONTAKT, you'll need to ei ther load an Instrument, create a new one, or open a Multi. Chapter 4.1, Finding andLoading Instruments of this guide explains how you find and load existing Instruments onyour hard disk.The Rack header controls.On top of the Rack, you'll find a row of user controls; most of these don't actually changeanything in your Multi, but affect which kinds of information will be visible in the Rack.Next to a text line that shows the name of your currently loaded Multi, there are four pagebuttons that allow you to navigate to one of the Rack pages of 16 Instruments each.It should be noted that this section only covers what we call the Multi Instrument mode ofthe Rack, which is the default when you're starting up KONTAKT. There's another mode,called Edit, in which the Rack will display the internal structure of an Instrument as a stackof various editors. As long as you're using KONTAKT as an instrument player only, you don'tneed to concern yourself with the Edit mode; as usual, it's explained in its entirety in theApplication Reference.KONTAKT 5 - Getting Started - 16

User InterfaceBrowser3.3BrowserThe Browser is the vertical pane on the left side of the window; if you don't see it, click onthe Browse button in the Main Control Panel to make it visible. The main purpose of theBrowser is to gather functions that let you organize and browse any number of KONTAKTrelevant files in a variety of different ways. Among other things, you can use it to navigatethrough your file system in order to locate and load objects, access the KONTAKT librariesinstalled on your hard disk in a quick and intuitive manner, import sampler programs fromthird-party formats, and access KONTAKT's powerful Database.The functions provided by the Browser are spread across a number of sections and subsec tions that you can access via the tabs on its top. In this guide, we'll limit ourselves to briefexplanations of the Files and Libraries tabs, which offer access to your file system and yourcollection of KONTAKT libraries, respectively. All other functions of the Browser are de scribed in detail within the respective chapter of the Application Reference.KONTAKT 5 - Getting Started - 17

User InterfaceBrowser3.3.1Files TabWhen you click on the Files tab, the Browser will switch to a two- or possibly three-paneview (the third pane at the bottom can be switched on and off). This tab allows you to nav igate through your file system in a tree-based view; this kind of navigation is similar to thefile browsing of your operating system.Files tab of the Browser. From top to bottom, you can see the Container Pane, the Objects Pane, and the Instrument Naviga tor.KONTAKT 5 - Getting Started - 18

User InterfaceBrowserThe topmost pane, called the Container Pane, and the one just below it always operate inunison. As its name suggests, the Container Pane displays the items in your file systemthat contain other objects – such as volumes and directories – within a hierarchical treeview. When KONTAKT finds other containers (such as subdirectories) in one of these en tries, a small icon will appear next to its name. A plus sign (“ ”) indicates that the subcontents are currently hidden from view; click on it to “fold out” the container and accessits contents. That way, you can quickly navigate to any directory on your hard disk.By clicking the plus signs next to the folder icons, you can quickly browse your computer's file system.Once you've located a directory with files that are relevant to KONTAKT (such as Instru ments), highlight it by clicking on its name in the Container Pane. The pane below it,called the Object Pane, will now display the files in that particular directory as a flat list.If this list is longer than the pane, just click and drag the scrollbar on its right side toscroll down. Once you've found what you've been looking for, either double-click the file orclick and drag it over into the Rack in order to load it into KONTAKT.As mentioned, you may notice a third section below the Container Pane and Object Pane;if not, you can show it by clicking the Instr Nav button in the upper right corner of the tab.This pane is called the Instrument Navigator and offers a handy overview list of all Instrumentsin your current Multi. Clicking on an entry jumps directly to that Instrument's header with in the Rack. Using the S and M buttons, you can quickly toggle the solo and mute status ofInstruments; these are explained in section 4.4.3, Using Mute and Solo of this guide.KONTAKT 5 - Getting Started - 19

User InterfaceBrowser3.3.2Libraries TabThe Libraries tab of the Browser provides an immediate and intuitive way of accessing yourcollection of commercial KONTAKT-based libraries that are installed on your hard disk.This includes the sound library distributed with KONTAKT 5, as well as any third-party libraries in KONTAKT or KONTAKT PLAYER format.You can access the KONTAKT sound library via the Libraries tab of the Browser.In contrast to the Files tab, where you have to know where to look for the files that you wantto load, the Libraries tab shows all installed libraries in a flat, easily accessible list – regard less of where they are located on your hard disk.1. To access the contents of the KONTAKT library, just click on the Instruments button onits header; its directory structure will then show up below the header.You can navigate through the contents in the same way you do in the panes of theFiles tab, the only difference being that in this case, both subdirectories and loadableobjects appear in the same list.2. Once you have found the Instrument or Multi you wish to load, double-click on it ordrag it into an empty space in the Rack.KONTAKT 5 - Getting Started - 20

User InterfaceInfo Pane3.4Info PaneThe Info Pane is a text bar at the bottom of the main window; if you don't see it, click onthe Info button in the Main Control Panel. The purpose of the Info Pane is to provide youwith a short description of whatever your mouse cursor is currently pointing at; wheneveryou're not sure what a specific button, knob or other element of the user interface does,just point your mouse at it and read the description that shows up in the Info Pane belowthe Rack.The Info Pane provides helpful descriptions of KONTAKT's user interface elements.Provided that the Browser is visible as well, the Info Pane will be separated into two sec tions. In addition to the user interface descriptions, it will also display various detailsabout the item that's currently selected in the Object Pane of the Browser, if any.Switching the Info Pane Display LanguageInfo Pane texts are available in English, German, Japanese, French, and Spanish. If youroperating system is using one of these languages, KONTAKT will detect this and set theInfo Pane language

1.2.1 About this Getting Started Guide The purpose of this Getting Started document is to guide you through the basic steps of setting up KONTAKT and to get you acquainted with the fundamental aspects of its user interface. After reading it, you should be able to start KONTAKT both in stand-alone mode