Akoustik Piano out of production?

Hi guys, just checked on the Digital Village website and have seen that NI are clearing out Akoustik piano and selling it at a ridiculously low price. Anyone know if Akoustik Piano 2 is coming out any time soon? Or are we seeing the last of Akoustik Piano from NI?

 

Well, I would guess that there will be a new version coming out with a future Komplete package. But that is just a guess- although could they eliminate it all together with a couple of Kore or Kontakt packs- maybe (and most likely if some new technology comes out from NI).

 

Hmmm i was wondering the same thing, any NI team got any info on this?

 

hmmm... so now its Akoustik Piano and b4II.


K6 is comming for sure now

 

No Akoustik Piano, Electrik Piano, Pro53 or B4II listed in Komplete 6. Are they discontinued? Only Pro53 is still in the main product listing.

 

Replaced by Kore and kontak packs

 

It will be a shame if NI don't have a dedicated piano library any more. A few pianos included in K3 collection didn't seem to me as good as Akoustik Piano. I didn't have problems with AP since I am using Cubase, which apart from the necessity to reload AP manually on opening a saved project seems to operate with it really well, and after the release of Kontakt player 3.5 even that stopped being a problem - everything gets saved and loaded well with it. Plus in Reaper I never experienced any problems with AP whatsoever. I am running WinXP 64 bit, maybe that's the reason everything operates so smooth?

 

? ? ! !

Or maybe that's the reason why you're having the problem above: I'm running Mac OS-X and Cubase, and never had to reload anything manually. Oh, and not a silly polemic Mac vs Win, BTW: I'm really surprised AP behave that way, I never heard such a thing before.

 

What I mean is when I load an existing project with AP into Cubase, the AP samples load ok, but the reverb and my custom settings don't. So I reload manually the whole preset in AP.

 

Discontinued... Just ordered one copy today....

 

if you read the "discontinued" sticky, you will realize that K6 actually take out many of the good stuff (AP, B4, EP, Pro53) and while EP sample still in the Kontakt library and probably you can make presets sounds like Pro53, AP and B4 are now in effect, "extra" options that you need to spend money on. For new K6 buyer this probably isn't an issue, but for it's previous Komplete owner, the upgrade just seems unreasonable. Sure, I can still install AP and B4 from my old Komplete and use Kontakt to play them, but I really hesitate to buy the upgrade because I feel I was cheated on. If NI don't have the AP library ready now, perhaps they should offer it at discounted price for previous Komplete owners. I can understand the cost-saving for NI not to keep developing AP interface (it's inefficient anyway), but taking it out of Komplete package and re-sell it as separate product is a rip off.
I would like to boycot K6 upgrade until NI offer a reasonable path for K5 owner.

 

Play the Akustik Piano Samples in Kontakt. Its free and will always support the new operating systems. NI-Support is still available,too.
(K6 user can buy the Pianos as Kontakt-Powered instruments...soon)

Same with ElectricPiano(Samples are in Kontakt4 included).
B4 should work in Kontakt.

NI doesnt want new people to buy these solo-products.(seems to me like this...)
It goes all to players like Kontakt. AP/EP are not like Synths that people edit alot.

Also, wouldnt it might be better to syncronise/link two or even three XP-Computers, instead of heating up a single Vista64-Comp.!
Those XP-systems are cheap to build.



..i bought the insane offer....and i'm still very happy.

It's ok for all users.



For me..
Update from K5 to K6 is alright. (i will not buy it right now..but the money seems worth it)
150Euro to K6..with GR4, K4: Solo-Strings/Choir/Articulations, Absynth5.

Would be 50Euro more payed than K6 buyer....but i have all AP samples, B4 and Pro53.

K6 user pay 50, only to get the additional 57-Drawbar.


So...no problem here.

 

if you buy the AP today, and next time NI offer a newer version of the player but takes out 2 of the grand pianos and sells them as separate pack. Will you be happy with it? Sure you don't mind paying for it because instead of 1 license, now you can have 2 and use clusters of cheap XP-pcs as your sampler module. But for me, that's a rip off. I'd rather pay for the extra money for Mac to save some headaches in dealing with stability issues and Mac is so expensive that I'd rather use 1 or 2 and get the most out of them. But most importantly, I don't like the idea of paying for a version upgrade AND paying for what's been taken out of previous version. Again, I am cool with the idea of using Kontakt to play EP or AP samples, but with K6, I either have to install K5 to get the AP, or buy that separate AP library.
I welcome NI for adding any new instruments on Kontakt, I mean NI probably want to add more value to attract new buyers. But for previous owner (I have K1 thru K5), it's just seems dumb and uncomprehensible. If NI would keep either the Grand or Bosendorfer and I can live with that, but taking all 4 piano away, that's criminal.

 

If you are using K6 as an upgrade from K5 you have to install it anyway. In this case I would install only AP and EP libraries, use Kore for B4 II and Pro53 and Kontakt4 for AP and EP. For upgraders its not really that much of an issue. But it really is a disappointment to see them go... AP/EP2 would be great, looks like I have to buy The Grand 3 from steinberg instead for better samples...

 

This seems to be a theme with NI. It used to be that each release of Komplete added more goodies to the mix. Now they just drop them. Last time it was Spektral Delay, Vokator, and Kompakt- the first 2 of those some of the best plugs out there. Now they drop Pro53 (the 1st MI software I bought, and my go-to analog synth when I want something quick and dirty) and B4 (don't use it much, but loved having it when I needed it).

I don't see it as *that* big of a deal that they're dropping AP and EP, as long as the samples will play fine in Kontakt, and new users can just buy the sample sets. But to completely drop software that was working just fine is ludicrous.

How do they expect us to take them seriously as a "pro" company when they act like this? It's one thing when the company goes out of business (Studio Vision Pro/ Alchemy/ etc) but another altogether when they cheat loyal customers from the updates they deserve.

The *real* pro companies keep old stuff alive. Look to Waves keeping the Q10 and C1, etc up to date for the last 15 years. And Digidesign (don't like PT, but that's another story) keeps making sure that all of their PT plugs are updated. Last thing they dropped was Sound Designer II and Master List Pro, but that was at least 15 years ago now or so, and other software came along to take their places.

So sad that NI is continuing down this path. Currently looking to replace Pro53 with something from Arturia or another company that actually is looking to the future with an eye on the past.

 

"short version after beeing f$%&§-up by IE8..":


Thomas wrote:
"Our developers and QA testers have to spend a good share of their time to make sure that products stay compatible with new versions of host sequencers and operating systems. With a focused product portfolio like the one we have now, we can maintain the remaining products more efficiently and release new fixes and features faster. The resources that we save on legacy instruments like B4 II and Pro-53 will now be utilized for more popular and versatile products like Kontakt, Guitar Rig etc."


Doesn't sound so wrong/bad.



NI made a mistake. I dont think AP is discontinued or even dropped.
The sale of the complete AP hast stopped, thats all.
The samples will still be available.
Support is still there.

AP was samples with a player: Player is not needed cause Kontakt is free and better.


NI should have put a "pro" in their name.
A lot people seem to need that.

What is "pro"? I know it..
But alot people seem to need that term around them(on boxes of products and in product-names).
...maybe to not feel complete rediculous when they tell everywhere they are "pros".
They just grab their pro-boxes and read..

pro-company...pro-software..pro-musician....well. U want it, u need it...u get it.


Thats why Guitar-rig-4 is now called...Pro.



(my opinion)

 

Unbelievable !
Where´s KORE coming from if we Komplete users don´t want to buy it ?

K.B.

 

Havent tried the free Kore-player for B4 or Pro53....but it looks like it won't work in the free player.

That means you are right...and this sux..Komplete(x6).

I thought B4/Pro53 might work in Kontakt. That was wrong!(?):S



When this is the case its definitely a big mistake by NI and especially longtime-customers will be pissed off=Not good for business NI.

People dont wait to be punked a second time=normal...and spend their money somewhere else next buy.

People need a free player to use their older products.



So, B4/Pro53 must get updates or another solution, like a free player...that will be updated.


If not....yes, unbelievable.


When i want to change to 64bit. I will be pissed, too. :|




----but i know im wrong and NI will offer a solution that makes everyone happy.

Or we all spam the support, like theres no tomorrow.

 

Kontak Player as well as Kontak don´t have any synth or modelling engines, these are sample-players only.

Kontakt Player is free because as a teaser to buy KORE soundpacks, that´s all.

And this can only be the KORE2 software, free for Komplete buyers/users.

See above !
I wonder why all the users didn´t recognize the reason why the Komplete 6 upgrade behaves like it does and why the single instruments are been discontinued.
In fact, it makes it easier for NI to get rid of servicing and upgrading these products.
They simply didn´t find the time to do this in the past 2 years, so there were a lot of confirmed bugs left in these products anyway,- too much work for NI maybe.
It´s a better marketing trick to leave the engines of B4II and Pro53 in KORE2 but discontinue the single products.
More time to maintain just only KORE2 and forces the customers to buy KORE2,- that´s what they have in mind.

The Komplete 6 upgrade for Komplete users is pretty cheap at a 1st glance, but if you have to buy KORE2 in addition not to lose instruments you´re familar w/ meanwhile and which are necessary in older projects, especially next future and after upgrading to 64Bit systems and so on,- it´s not a cheap upgrade anymore.

Next is,- many users prefer to work w/ msaller cpu-friendly single instruments on older machines instead of running KORE2 and/or Kontakt 4 just only to render a acoustic or electric piano, to play a organ or synth.
So, even you decide to buy KORE2 in addition, you´ll be confrontated w/ follow up costs in computer hardware.

Given the fact this is a never ending way of upgrading everything, I came to the decision I´ll leave NI and change my way of working in the direction on DSP based systems, which will be a bigger investment at the beginning but a time and money saver over a longer period of time.

exactly !

I wait a bit for what happens here, but if NI does not decide to include KORE2 for free to the longtime KOMPLETE customers, which buyed the entire range of Komplete in the past as well as the Komplete Kare,- I´m definitely gone.

I also lost Kompakt, Intakt, Vocator and Spectral Delay in the past,- that´s enough.

It´s just only music and there are several route to go for good results, depending on musical skills.
I´m not addicted to any brand of musical gear manufacturer.
I not only invested money but also lifetime in their products and I can expect they do as well.
This also rules for some other software companies I buyed products from and I´m tired now.

K.B.

 

So you're gone: Kore is just a host, exactly as a DAW is. It comes with GUI less plug-ins which are exactly the same as the commercial ones, only... well, without the GUI, which is the easy part of the problem. But, it won't do any magic: if a commercial plug isn't aupdated/supported anymore, the same goes for its Kore "blind" counterpart, if any.
B4II and Pro53 are gone, Vokator and Spektral Delay are gone; Kore isn't a solution to resurrect them back.