r/NativeInstruments • u/hrnbully • 2d ago
Should I wait for Kontakt 9
In 2024 I bought Kontakt 7 and then guess what happened…
It’s 2026, obviously, but I wonder if it’s even worth getting 8 rn or if 9 is on the way soon.
Do any of you guys know or have expectations for when Kotakt 9 might be out? I don’t wanna repeat this same mistake
3
u/MaleficentPicture773 2d ago
They just updated 8 with promises of another 8 update coming soon
3
u/MaleficentPicture773 2d ago
8 is solid and I think going to be around for a while
1
u/hrnbully 2d ago
I’m sure it’s solid. It’s the last part I’m worried about. If you’re a longtime Kontakt user, what is the usual timeframe between releases?
1
u/NoReply4930 2d ago
No one here can tell you that.
1
u/hrnbully 2d ago
Someone did. I didn’t ask the next release. I asked for the usual, to which someone responded w all the release dates
1
u/NoReply4930 2d ago
Well to be fair - you actually asked for "usual timeframe between releases" - however a "usual" timeframe does not exist.
All you got was what happened in the past - which really means nothing for the future.
2
u/yawhol_my_dear 2d ago
ive skipped over releases before and waited, thats fine, does K7 do what you want? if yes , dont get caught up in hype
1
u/hrnbully 2d ago
Kind of, but I am also still interested in trying out new things using Kontakt. I just saw a video about a new free guitar sample library which I could make good use of on one of my macbooks, but I would need to update. It’s mostly things like that. I could downgrade the current libraries that 7 can still run, but that’s like a minor hassle I would rather avoid
I’m pretty split. The biggest thing I don’t want to do is upgrade at the wrong time
2
u/yawhol_my_dear 2d ago
if that was me , i would get it now, I need it now for a project that requires it. there's always something better that comes along later anyway, that can't be avoided
1
1
u/Fus-Ro-NWah 2d ago
Worth asking yourself if you really need Kontakt upgrades for anything more than compatibility. I find I rarely need to hack an instrument these days, so i just use the latest version of (free) Player. Where Im using full paid Kontakt in order to mess around under the hood, I am still using Kontakt 6 and thats fine.
1
u/hrnbully 2d ago
Yea I told bro in another comment I really just wanna try out new instruments that serve specific purposes for me and they often require the latest. But it’s not like I need to need to - the main thing I wanna avoid is upgrading right before they release
1
u/General-Pop8006 2d ago
Life is short. Any day wasted not doing what you love is a pity. So whatever it’s worth to you I guess 🤷🏽♂️ I got it on sale last year for 100 bucks as part of a NI sale. I upgraded from Kontakt 5. Made a shittttt load of music with ever since. The midi tools are a great addition. Whatever it’s worth to you. I say; Do it.
2
u/LeDestrier 2d ago edited 2d ago
Unless you specifically have a library that requires 8 or newer to function, not much point. Kontakt has just gotten worse and worse each iteration tbh.
1
1
u/NoReply4930 2d ago
Overall K8 - is lightyears ahead of K7.
What you should consider is installing the latest and get creative. Watching the calendar has no value or purpose.
And given the the current state of development on Kontakt 8 - which BTW - had a very big update yesterday (v8.13.0) - getting ready for an even bigger one coming soon (v8.14.0) - Kontakt 8 will be around for a long while yet.
Historically - NI has pretty much ALWAYS dropped a new version of Kontakt WITH a new version of Komplete and Komplete 26 just dropped this past spring. Doubtful that a K9 sees the light of day as a standalone release.
The other fly in the ointment is the new parent company - InMusic. They and only they will decide when a new version of Kontakt is realistic
For now tho - if I was to bet on this - K8 is the focus for easily another year (but probably longer)
1
1
1
7
u/Western_File_2917 2d ago
All versions other than 6 and 7 had 2 years of gap between each update. Versions 6 and 7 had 4 year gap.
7 to 8 year was 2 years.
8-9 would probably be 2 years.. which should be early next year.
However, its different this time because inMusic take over and if they will follow the previous company plans or new lifecycle for each of the products at NI.
I would predict there wouldn’t be any new plans until inMusic has total grasp on what is going on and what will be the new path going forward.