EWQL Libraries with More Recent Kontakt?

I got the final NI-based, pre-Play version of the Complete Composers Collection from EWQL in early 2008. It included Kompakt/Intakt versions of the 7 EWQL libraries noted below in my signature. With an Intel-based Mac, I knew from day one that Kompakt/Intakt would not run -- I made the decision to get Kontakt along with the decision to get the CCC. I have run it all on Kontakt 3 every since, all the while staying on Mac OS 10.4.

I am now considering upgrading my OS, preferably to Snow Leopard, which is the most recent version my machine will support. I wrote to EWQL support, asking if there was any concern over the EWQL libraries I had. They said, and I quote, "I would not upgrade if possible. The updates would negatively affect your software. Since parting ways with Native Instruments, we no longer support each other's services."

Now, it's one thing if they don't want to promise anything since the relationships have changed, for them to suggest that it might not work. But I'm concerned about them saying that if I update the OS and/or Kontakt that it "would negative affect" things.

Can anyone here give a definitive answer about whether or not there is a version of Kontakt that will properly use my EWQL libraries on Snow Leopard?

I'm also particularly curious if my version of Symphonic Choirs will continue to function, since it relies on the Word Builder application. I currently have 1.1.6, which is the latest that OS 10.4 will run. I know that I could get 1.1.7, which would work under OS 10.5. I have no idea if that version will work under 10.6, and I have no idea if there is any version beyond 1.1.7. Any info?

 

The Kompakt version of EWQLSO will work perfectly in all versions of Kontakt, including 4 and 5. I use it daily.

The biggest hindrance is probably that the actual product installers from the original EWQLSO discs may not work on SL or Lion.

What I did, long ago, is I went ahead and installed the EWQLSO library on a Samples drive, and now I keep that Samples drive maintained (and backed up) so I never have to go back to the original DVD's.

When you first try and use EWQLSO, it will trigger Service Center to authorize them. They still need to be authorized, of course. But the patches themselves will play perfectly.

Choirs is another issue. The patches will load properly, but that standalone WordBuilder app may or may not continue to work in the latest OS's, since that development stopped years ago, and EastWest created a new version of WordBuilder inside their PLAY engine.

I'm an avid user of EWQLSO and continue to use it every day in the latest version of Kontakt.

 

Thanks for the reply. This all sounds very promising. The first time I installed all my libraries -- EWQL & Kontakt itself -- I put the samples on an external disk, a Samples drive as you say. And I also include it in my backup scheme with the hope of never having to use the DVDs again.

There are those pesky potential issues about authorization and WordBuilder, and it's hard for me to imagine moving ahead with any upgrades, whether OS or Kontakt, without knowing the answers in advance.

I am somewhat concerned about the installers and Service Center authorization. There was a time when my computer crashed and came back from Apple Care with a new drive. Though NI support assured me I didn't need to reinstall the libraries, they did instruct me to reinstall those apps as a necessary part of getting the libraries authorized again by Service Center. The installers are PowerPC apps, not Universal. With Snow Leopard, Rosetta isn't installed by default, but hopefully Rosetta might run them properly on Snow Leopard? But even then, they'll never run on Lion or anything later. What to do then? It would seem reasonable that NI should provide a way to authorize the sample libraries without requiring that the never-to-be-used Kompakt/Intakt players be installed.

WordBuilder is a Universal app, so that is perhaps a bit more promising. But as you say, who knows?

I could live with uncertainty or even a negative answer about WordBuilder if I knew the rest would be okay. Because then my worst case scenario is a $99 upgrade to the Play version of Choirs that now has WordBuilder built in. It just doesn't seem economically viable for me to consider upgrading all the other EWQL libraries to their Play versions, especially since I'm now invested in Kontakt.

 

I wonder if this would work to activate my libraries with a new upgraded Kontakt installation:

http://www.native-instruments.com/k...How+does+the+KONTAKT+ADD+LIBRARY+option+work?

It would certainly be nice to not have to install Rosetta and then reinstall all the useless Kompakt/Intakt apps, and even nicer if this solution would also work in Lion where Rosetta isn't even an option.

 

Yes, that's exactly right. Use the Add Library function and point it at the installed EWQLSO Library folder. This is what will automatically trigger Service Center to realize that EWQLSO needs to be authorized.

As I said, the patches will work absolutely fine. So I highly recommend now keeping a backup of your samples drive, after you've got a full install of the EWQLSO Library folder. It's much easier to restore from that backup, than to have to go back to the original DVD's, whose installers may no longer work.

 

Fantastic. I was confused earlier, since you'd brought up the potential issue with the installers, so I thought that might be a necessary part of the puzzle. I'm really glad to hear that this newer function gets the installers out of the picture.

With my libraries on an external and that external regularly backed up as part of my overall backup scheme, hopefully I'll be good to go.

Thanks again!

 

I probably have 20-30 Kontakt Player libraries (Kontakt, Intakt, Kompakt, etc.) on a 1TB drive. I realized a while ago that if anything ever happened to that drive, to reinstall everything from the original DVD's would take days (not to mention the custom programming and patches that I've created over the years). It's worth the $50 in an external backup drive to make sure my Samples, which I absolutely rely on every day, can be restored.

If anything happens and I have to install on a virgin computer, all I have to do is fire up Kontakt, and use Add Library on each Kontakt Player library -- should take all of 10 minutes to add the libraries and then authorize them all in Service Center. Much better than a few days of inserting dozens of CD's and DVD's.

 

I agree, definitely. Thanks!

 

Just to second what's been said, I don't know about wordbuilder but my other EW libraries run fine with Kontakt, never any problems with any of the versions. Kontakt even supports the old Stormdrum Intakt version with the loops (probably much better now with K5 and Time Machine Pro). Going to a new machine I never had to reinstall from the old disks, just copied the files over (or move over an external drive). Service center is maintained by NI and fine on the latest OS, so that's not a problem, you may just need to enter the serial numbers to activate them again and do Add Library as already mentioned.

And I did upgrade to the PLAY versions but after toughing it out for a while went back to the Kontakt versions. Especially on Mac, I think you'll be happy sticking with what you've been using.

 

Great to hear, thanks for sharing those thoughts.

With any number of things, music and otherwise, sometimes you see info on forums, and it's hard to tell whether something is just a fluke, either positive or negative. So the more corroboration, the better!

 

David or Mike, have you access to the "Instrument Edit Mode" for your EWQLSO Library with Kontakt 5 please ?

 

I do have access to Instrument Edit mode in K5 for EWQLSO. I believe you need a full license for Kontakt to see this; if you are simply using Kontakt Player or Kontakt in demo mode, you wouldn't have access to this.

 

Thanks David and yes I actually use Kontakt 5 Player.

So you have about the same controls (velocity curve throught script editor by instrument, AHDSR etc...) that you have with the dedicated Kompakt players I guess ?

Have you experienced with other EWQL librairies as RA, Symphonic Choirs, Colossus ?

 

No, you do not get this in Kontakt automagically. You have to make it yourself with scripts etc.

 

Well, just to clarify what EvilDragon said:

If you own the full version of Kontakt 5, you have full access to Instrument Edit mode which would let you edit AHDSR, velocity curves, etc. inside Instrument Edit mode.

It does NOT have a prebuilt front panel interface (like Kompakt) that appears automatically. If you wanted this, you'd have to program a custom script and then apply it to all EWQLSO instruments (which would be tedious).

To be perfectly honest, I use the NI version of EWQLSO in Kontakt 5 daily. Most patches pull up perfect the way I want them to play. Occasionally I do go tweak stuff, so I just open Instrument Edit mode, tweak a bit, and then go back to the regular rack view mode. All is well.

 

Thanks, that's what I want to know. I did not hope to have the GUI of Kompakt player, just the ability to tweak banks a bit as you do.

 

Yes, you would have access to all the same controls (envelope, velocity, etc.) and many many more (effects, scripting, etc.) Scripting wasn't possible in the original Kompakt Player.

The same is true of all other EastWest libraries, e.g. Colossus, RA, etc., if you happen to own the Kompakt versions of them. The only exception would be Symphonic Choirs, which required a special WordBuilder program, which in all likelihood probably will not run on modern computers, since it hasn't been updated in years.

 

Ok, thanks for additionnal infos . I have the Complete Composers.

 

WordBuilder still works even on W7 x64. Just need to have a virtual MIDI cable that's working on W7.

There's also that custom multiscript for K4 available at VI Control. LINK

 

Well, I've just ordered Konkakt 5 Full Version (crossgrade from EWQLSO) .