Year of manufacture: 2023
Version: 7.7.0
Developer: Native Instruments
Developer website: https://www.native-instruments.com/en/products/komplete/samplers/kontakt-7/
Platform: Intel/Apple Silicon Universal
Interface language: English
Tablet: HCiSO
System requirements: intel Macs (i5 or higher): macOS 11, 12 or 13 (latest update)
Apple Silicon Macs (via Rosetta 2 & natively on ARM in Standalone or in hosts that support it): macOS 11, 12 or 13 (latest update)
4 GB RAM (6 GB recommended for large KONTAKT Instruments)
macOS (64-bit only): Stand-alone, VST3, AU, AAX
Description: KONTAKT’S UNIVERSAL INSTRUMENTATION PLATFORM is everything from instant inspiration for music creators to an industry-leading tool for creating instruments. This transformative platform is more than just a sampler. For two decades, she has created blockbuster soundtracks and topped the charts, as well as thousands of incredible instruments.
Add. info: Browser improvements
We’ve significantly enhanced the text search behavior of the fullscreen Browser that was introduced in Kontakt 7. This now accommodates partial and full string matching within the names of libraries, presets, vendors, tags or other metadata. Text-based search queries will now find results far more frequently, resulting in fewer cases of no results being found. Examples:
Searching for “electric guitar” will find presets with Type = Guitar and Subtype = Electric
Searching for “acid bass” will find presets containing both “acid” and “bass” in their name – even if separated by a space (e.g. “Acid Tube Bass” from Kontakt Factory Library 2)
Searching for “sym tru” will find the preset “Trumpet” from Symphony Essentials Brass
The “New Instruments for you” panel at the bottom of the fullscreen Browser also offers alternative Instruments that match your search query, in addition to those found in your library for further creative possibilities. Clicking on these opens the corresponding webpage, where you can learn more and listen to audio demos.
Navigation improvements
We’ve reworked Kontakt’s application header for better readability, and access to key functions.
Kontakt now has three main entry points:
FILE: the main menu, which includes options, purging, and hardware connectivity
LIBRARY: the fullscreen Browser
VIEW: switch between Single View and Rack View, configure layout and Zoom, and setting a default view (e.g. mode, layout, zoom) for new instances when Kontakt is running as a plug-in
This article explains how to use the “Set current view as default” function: https://support.native-instruments.com/hc/en-us/articles/14639260981533
Full list of changes:
ADDED Simplified application header for efficient access to key functions
File, Library and View have dedicated text labels
Single View / Rack View toggle is now found in View menu
Options is now found File menu
ADDED Text search enhancements to full-screen Browser, allowing searches across full or partial names of libraries, instruments, presets, tags and more
ADDED Search results display additionally available libraries in “New Instruments for you” panel
ADDED Option to display fullscreen Browser for new Instances in Rack view under Options > Interface (note: Browser is always shown in Single View)
ADDED 50% zoom setting
IMPROVED Double-clicking a preset in Files tab, Libraries tab or Quick-Load will now replace the preset loaded in the currently selected slot, instead of adding it to the Rack
IMPROVED Access fullscreen Browser by clicking Kontakt logo in application header (About Box accessed via NI logo)
FIXED Browser text entry no longer intercepted by DAW when Kontakt is hosted as a plug-in inside of Logic Pro
FIXED Intermittent CPU spikes on macOS (introduced in Kontakt 7.6.1)
FIXED Regression in KSP message logging performance when Developer Options are enabled (introduced in Kontakt 7.5.0) causing CPU spikes in certain 8dio libraries
FIXED RAM footprint no longer increases after prolonged use
FIXED Instrument focus strip in instrument header now updates when using previous / next buttons within edit mode
FIXED Correct visual state for Library button when instantiating Kontakt
REMOVED “Batch resave” and “Batch collect/Compress samples” options in File menu no longer appear when Kontakt is hosted as a plug-in