Controlling multis in Kontakt

I have a KK S88. I am using Kontakt 6 in standalone mode with a multi containing 5 instruments. Each instrument is set to the A port on individual numbers.
How do I get the S88 to control the individual instruments? It only controls the first instrument.
Thanks

 

Yeah, for multis you kind of need to not use KK as it only maps to layer 1. Just not designed to handle that side of things.

 

if you are using K6 standalone, you need to set up midi templates on the S88 that are set to transmit on the Midi Channel assigned to each Instrument, then switch templates on the KB to the Midi channel of the instrument you want to play. I think you can use the same method for K6 Multis in KK, but the Knob NKS functionality gets a bit screwy...I would have to test to say for sure, but think I did it quite some time ago.

 

Hmmm that seems like a big oversight to me. For instance in Logic the keyboard works on the track that has focus. I expected it to work similarly in Kontakt if the instrument has focus.

 

Not an "oversight" it's more a limitation of how the NKS system works by design and there was just no provision for this kind of solution, whether it was just a known limitation or the developers never really considered people would work that way. Strange to think but not all programmers are musicians in the sense they work the way many of us do.

The thing to keep in mind is when you switch tracks in your DAW you have a full separate version of KK running and the KK instance holds a "snapshot" of a NKS instrument preset.

When you load Kontakt within KK for instance using a NKS preset it holds the info only for that layer. It would need some way of managing a multiple layer approach as well as a multi track approach and it's rather complex to achieve that I am guessing.... It's hard enough to keep what we have functioning especially when Apple demand developers update their software every 6 months to keep pace with their OS releases that break everything.

Not to say it would not be useful if it was possible but I highly doubt we will ever see it.

 

Well Kontakt is Not a DAW so you can't expect it to work like one. and in order to give an Instrument in the Rack focus, you specifically need to select it with the Mouse, Pushing a button to change the MIDI channel on the KB seems slightly more "Elegant" to me... but we all work and think differently so who is to say that one way is better than another.

I did do a Test and if you load a multi in Kontakt inside KK, (not a DAW either), changing the Midi Channel allows you trigger the instruments individually, but any NKS Knob/Page mapping gets hosed because the Automation parameters get "Merged" so to speak and breaks the NKS Mappings.. For example, if you load the Factory Classic Bass as an NKS preset, you will see the pages and Knobs display properly, but if you were to add another instrument to the Rack manually (through the Kontakt Browser) you will notice the pages and Knobs get reset to the "Unmapped" NKS State and KK does not allow saving Kontakt Multi's as NKS presets.

 

I suppose that's also why standalone Komplete Kontrol can only load 1 instrument? There is definitely a difference between the way a developer thinks and a user thinks. I've worked in IT for over 20 years.

 

The way I am trying to use Kontakt is just as a sound source for a notation program that just supports MIDI. It doesn't support AU/VST hosting. So
it works when I enter notes for instruments in their individual staves and play it back. But I can't tinker around on the various instruments in Kontakt to try out melodies and chords.

 

Komplete Kontrol is just a container for Kontakt and Kontakt works exactly the same when you open it within KK except that when you do that, you gain the audition features of KK which are dope! So instead, try this...
1. Open your first instrument from the audition window in KK standalone.
2. Then you can switch to edit view. This gets you into Kontakt mode but you still have audition features.
3. Now audition sounds and then drag your second instrument from the audition window into the Kontakt instance like you would in Kontakt standalone and then you are in Kontakt "multi" mode. Do as many times as you want as you normally would in Kontakt.
4. Now you need to go into midi mode on your Komplete keyboard. After that, open midi editor in KK and create some new templates. You could name something like, Kontakt 1, Kontakt 2, etc. On each template you create, change the midi channel on each page from 1 to 2 for Kontakt 2. 1 to 3 for Kontakt 3, etc. Templates save automatically. There is no "save" function for you to perform.
5. Now whenever you open multiple instances per above, you simply put keyboard into midi mode, and scroll through the Kontakt multi-instances you just created with the preset buttons on your Komplete keyboard. Now these templates/presets are there at your disposal whenever you want to do multi-instances in Kontakt mode. The templates are mapped to channels and so it doesn't matter what you load for instruments. Each Instrument loads into the next available channel, and each template activates that corresponding channel/instrument.

Hope that makes sense.

 

Maybe make a video?

I have just had a look as I don't use Kontakt that much these days and I cannot see how you can even display the full kontakt window in KK. Pressing the [+] button to open up the Kontakt controls just opens the layer controls and not the full thing and dragging any NKS file into the plugin area just loads whatever I drag in, doesn't add it to the Kontakt instance. If you do it this way then I am missing something here.

 

Ok. I can whip up a quick video for my YouTube channel and will post a link here when i do.

 

View --> Edit View in KK displays the Full Kontakt GUI and you have to drag the preset to a blank area of the rack or the loaded instrument will be replaced.. This works and was basically what I stated Earlier, but 2 Caveats...#1 you cannot save the Mutli as an NKS Preset and #2 the NKS Page mappings/namings get reset to the default (Page1, Page 2 etc..) which makes it unclear as to which Instrument you are controlling with the knobs. When loading Multiple Instruments in Kontakt, the Automation Parameters get stacked, so say the first instrument has 10 knobs mapped and the second has 5 Knobs mapped you would have 15 knobs that control parameters, but is difficult to tell how many are for the first instrument and how many for the second, without looking at the Automation assignments within Kontakt.

 

Yes, in essence you are underscoring the fact that using multiple instruments in one instance of Kontakt (even from within KK) greatly impedes the proper functionality of Komplete keyboard integration. And for nothing gained save for possibly slightly lower resource load (RAM and CPU). Even cycling through the multi-loaded instruments in a single instance of Kontakt requires the midi mode workaround described in this thread. Which is why I just stick to single instances per track in order to have the FULL functionality that I bought the keyboard for. The ONLY reason I keep my KK sessions in edit view (Kontakt GUI) at all is so that I can have the virtual keyboard turned on/visible. Other than that, I work solely within the KK environment for reason explained.

 

Ha... 6 years and I never knew that one. Why on earth doesn't that open when you press the [+] button?

But yeah, this is why I never noticed as I don't use multis at all in KK and never expected a specific edit option to appear in a menu I never use. I do occasionally, or use to, use multis but just use Kontakt outside KK as there is zero benefit to using it within KK and you can't save a setup anyway so it's just cumbersome and kind of pointless to do.

No need for a video there mate, it's really not that good a work around anyway for the functionality you get, i'll just stick to grouping tracks in Live.

 

Yes, I am inclined to agree and won't bother. Catch you on the next one.

 

Trying to figure out how to switch MIDI channels within the Kontakt GUI has been a frustrating task. I've tried creating templates, but I've not been successful yet.

But instead of scrolling through multi templates in MIDI mode, I've found a quicker workaround: I've started to use the Instrument Navigator in the Kontakt GUI. I've set all MIDI channels for each instruments to "omni", then select "s" (for solo) in the Instrument Navigator for which instrument I want to play. The annoying part with this feature is that the instrument focus and solo button cannot be linked (or perhaps I haven't found that yet), so if you want to use the coloured key switches that KK gives you, you have to select the instrument first, then the solo button.

If someone knows how to link these two selections together, please do let me know.