Idiophones

You install Idiophones through Native Access. After your purchase, the expansion appears in the app for automatic installation. Simply enter your serial activation code if prompted and the sounds will be ready in your NI browser.

Yes, Idiophones works in all major DAWs, including Ableton Live, Logic Pro, FL Studio, Pro Tools, Reaper and Cubase.

All presets and sounds in Idiophones are royalty-free and copyright cleared for use in your commercial projects. Your purchase includes a commercial license, allowing you to use these sounds in any professional recording without further legal obligations.

Kontakt is the industry-standard sampling platform used by the world’s top producers and composers. It acts as a "host" for thousands of different virtual instruments – from hyper-realistic orchestral libraries and rare vintage synths to modern pop keys. You can use Kontakt as a standalone application or as a plugin within your DAW to play, edit, and layer these sounds into your tracks.
If you’re just looking to play Kontakt instruments, Kontakt Player is the free version that runs all NI Kontakt instruments, plus loads from third-party developers.

Technically, no, it’s a Kontakt instrument.
However, it functions just like a VST instrument in your DAW.
While musicians and producers often use "VST" as a catch-all term for any virtual instrument, Idiophones is formatted specifically as a Kontakt library (.nki). To use it, you simply load Idiophones inside Kontakt or the free Kontakt Player. Since Kontakt itself runs as a VST3, AU, or AAX plugin inside your DAW, the end result is identical: you open it, play it, and automate it just like any traditional VST.

• Free Kontakt Player or Kontakt
• Windows 10 or 11 (latest Service Pack)
• macOS 13, 14 and 15 (latest update)
• Intel Core i5 or equivalent CPU, or Apple Silicon, 4 GB RAM (6 GB recommended)
• Graphics hardware support for Direct 3D 11.1 (Feature Level 11_0) or higher
• Supports ASIO, Core Audio, and WASAPI

*As of Kontakt 8.8, macOS 13 is no longer supported. Future updates may prevent installation below macOS 14.

An internet connection is required to download, install, and activate Kontakt Player or Kontakt, and this product (please see the Native Access system requirements). Once installed, all products can be used offline. Certain products may require additional free downloads.

Supported interfaces

• macOS (64-bit only): Stand-alone, VST3, AU, AAX
• Windows (64-bit only): Stand-alone, VST3, AAX