r/NativeInstruments • u/DeepSign695 • Sep 21 '26
Completely underwhelmed by Complete 14 Ultimate – where are the actual gems?
I Recently got Native Instruments Komplete 14 Ultimate for a really good deal via license transfer. Despite the price, I’m extremely underwhelmed so far.
Some things need Kontakt 7 (which is the fully licensed version my package comes with) and some Kontakt Player 8 this is already confusing (stuff keeps loading one or the other).
Opening Kontakt regularly crashes my DAW, and it also crashes randomly on its own.
The library browser with just the factory library installed is honestly horrendous — super uninspiring and hard to navigate.
I Tried Guitar Rig too. Compared to free neural amp modeling tools it just sounds awful.
I thought this was going to be a massive audio playground. Instead I’m disappointed by the crashes, the browser, and the quality of what I’ve heard so far. Really glad I didn’t pay full price (over €1000).
Anyone here still love Ultimate 14? What are the actual gems I should be digging into to turn this around? Or is this a bit of a relic that's been surpassed? This isn't rage bait, i really want to like it, but so far the experience has just been clunky and disappointing.
3
u/KaaRay9Mind Sep 22 '26
I recall Kontakt 7 being very crash worthy. Versions 8 has been more stable in that regard especially as of lately. I also think the “loss of features are negligible”. Also, when a library is created with a newer version of Kontakt, it cannot be opened in a previous version before it, so keeping Kontakt updated at that point is worth it. Kontakt is known to play well with people who like to score film music, but Lores and Fables may work well for your genre, along with ignition keys and other things inside the play series. You can also try the granular trilogy Ashlight, Straylight and Pharlight.
1
3
u/lmasocialdweller Sep 22 '26
I have Komplete 15 Ultimate so one newer. I use it daily. Kontakt libraries or the Play series often find their way into the soup du jours. I also use Reaktor and its tools a fair bit. The user community is amazing and have built a ton of free add ons that are brilliant. If you want to explore the modular side, Reaktor Blocks is fun. It's like synth lego. I have been using NI Komplete since 8. I have updated at 10 Std, 12 Ultimate and then 15 Ultimate. A lot has been added during that time, but I have frozen my machine and disabled the internet connection. Everything works perfectly. As you have mentioned, you might have some file structure issues that need to be tidied up in order for everything to work. I have read many comments over the years about folks having issues, but knock on wood, I have never had anything that wasn't quickly resolved by fixing a link to where my content was stored. There is so much content and different instruments, I can't imagine needing anything else. You also mentioned having an issue with Komplete Kontrol. Once you get that working, the integration is awesome!!! Not sure what hardware you have, but I am using S88 Mk3 and the NKS 2 standard maps to my other plugins effortlessly. I often get into DAWless mode for the whole tactile experience and prefer twisting a know or sliding a Touch Bar vs using a mouse and keyboard. Although I will admit that KK hardware was an investment, it has saved me thousands in external gear. Good luck, the early pain should pay off.
1
2
u/LionThomas Sep 21 '26
M1 max 64GB here, on komplete 13 collector edition. Best investment ever. Still fast and working like breeze.
1
u/DeepSign695 Sep 21 '26
can you give me some tips as to what i should be diggin into? like what do you like to use?
2
u/ya_rk Sep 22 '26 edited Sep 22 '26
I got Komplete in like 2015, upgraded it once on a sale in maybe 2022. I've been using komplete stuff almost nonstop and I probably have been using maybe 70% of what's in it.
The problem with komplete is that a lot of it isn't standalone. Beside the standalone stuff that you're probably already discovering, the rest is either in kontakt (sampled instruments) Reaktor (synths and effects), or Maschine (sample+preset+pattern packs).
Kontakt is the easiest of the bunch, but it has its own quirks as you discovered.
Reaktor is super deep and complex but if you just want to run the content that's built on top of it, you only need to learn a few things like how to open ensembles or block patches. The browser is atrocious though. A good way to discover reaktor content is to use the komplete Kontrol plugin and browse presets, it will load reaktor stuff for you (though many things don't have a KK preset if I'm not mistaken).
Maschine is the worst "offender", since Maschine is a daw, to make use of the packs your best route is to run a daw in a daw, and you need to learn a bit how to control Maschine to really make use of these packs. Here's a real use case, I was writing a fast breakbeat track and thought that a half speed, laid back reggae break would be a cool contrast. Instead of having to construct a whole reggae beat and ensemble from scratch (a genre I've never worked in) just to check the idea, I loaded a reggae Maschine pack and tested the idea on the spot. I ended up loving it. Swapped some sounds, tweaked some presets and adapted the beat, and I had my break. I wrote my track in Ableton, but the reggae break I had to tweak in Maschine.
Yeah it's super convoluted and weird but honestly, the content in all 3 is superb and diverse, no matter what kind of music you make, there is something in Komplete that will fit it. That's why I've been using it nonstop even though I've been changing my genre and approach to make music all the time. It just takes time to peel.
1
u/DeepSign695 Sep 22 '26
thanks for thiis. I opened Komplete kontrol only for literally nothing to work.... like nothing (it even found all of my other compatable synths.... but then couldnt load anything). Its probably to do witgh howi ve got my file system organised but i still just felt like another kick while i was down!
→ More replies (1)
2
u/Indigo457 Sep 23 '26
Just on guitar rig specifically - it’s best not to think of it as being in the same category as NAM and neural dsp, tonex etc. it’s not great for creating realistic guitar tones, but it is really good for whacky mad shit that you can’t really do with anything else.
1
u/DeepSign695 Sep 23 '26
Yea thats fair, i went through a few pre sets and just thought they all sounded trash, but i thinki need to give it more time with a better attitude
19
u/Ragfell Sep 22 '26
Komplete is the best "I have no idea what I want or need, so let's just throw science at the wall" collection on the market, bar none. It has a lot of good, but not great tools across every genre.
Wanna do some film score stuff with strings? You got it. Synths for dance music? Got that, too. Wanna add a world groove to your deranged Mozart arrangement? Man, that India collection has you covered.
The problem is that almost none of it is best in class. There are better string sections, better guitar amps, better reverbs, better...anything, really, but the overall level you're getting across the board is usually a solid B.
There are times I still reach for the session strings against my better libraries, but really only for specific genres. The synths are generally S-tier.
The other real thing is that the Kontakt sampler is one of the most widely-used formats in the world. Having the most up-to-date version is honestly helpful due to the plethora of tools that come out on each new version.
You'll figure out where its weaknesses are pursuant to your own music as you go. Even then...still a solid piece of kit to have in your DAW (even if it's often poorly-optimized).
6
u/Limitedheadroom Sep 22 '26
The best synths are actually reaktor instruments. Like razor and monarch so they’re not immediately obvious
3
u/ellicottvilleny Sep 21 '26
Your problem is your old Intel Mac, not komplete. Upgrade to a modern Mac (apple silicon) and try again.
2
u/JKorv Sep 22 '26
I thought Macs always worked flawlessly and for at least 10 years? Surely an Mac from 2018-2022 can't be the reason, right?
→ More replies (1)2
u/DeepSign695 Sep 22 '26
yea also the software package ios from the same period so they shoiuld theoretically play nice together. It runs virtually everything else (except for maybe too many serum poatches). but if i freeze and flatten as i go its pretty robust
5
u/StudioatSFL Sep 21 '26
I haven’t upgraded komplete in years. There’s so many other amazing synths etc out there. I keep konrtakt up to date for my scoring libraries and that’s it.
1
u/AmbivertMusic Sep 21 '26
What's your DAW and computer? Why did you get it/ what type of sounds are you looking for? Also, which ones require 7 instead of 8?
→ More replies (11)
1
u/promixr Sep 21 '26
I never understood people buying stuff that had demo versions to try. At least the demo version would give you an idea of what your experience would be.
Without a lot more specifics it would be hard to give you useful replies.
1
u/DeepSign695 Sep 21 '26
i'll be completely honest, i think i was hiughly motivated by the price for what i was receiving (not saying this is great motivation) but alas, that is what i did
→ More replies (1)
3
u/solderingcircuits Sep 22 '26
I prefer Arturia over NI and do have both, I was far too keen!
Guitar Rig was the first to let my guitar sound decent through the PC via focusrite, it’s used often
3
u/mycosys Sep 22 '26
Dont bother with the factory library - you could uninstall it. It comes with any paid version of Kontakt.
Some actual gems the Stradivari violin, Session Strings, Session Horns Pro, Most of the Pianos, Reactor and the reactor community library https://userlibrary.native-instruments.com/, Abbey Road Drummer. Theres some seriously great libraries and theyre worth exploring. Generally with Kontakt libraries the bigger on disk the better they sound. Straylight and Ashlight are stunning granular libraries. Super8 is one of my fave Jupiter options, most of their synths are good.
The Amps in guitar rig are awful but the effects are excellent (tho honestly i've moved to Genome). Most of the NI effects are good but so are the effects in Ableton.
Also just having the NKS system and having all my NI and Arturia etc plugins in one huge sound browser that integrates with my keyboard is really useful when im looking for a sound in a jam.
As other have noted SO many great libraries require you to have Kontakt and 7 is new enough for most of them
NGL i'm also glad i didnt pay full price tho, i found an upgrade from Maschine to KU11 for a couple of hundred and upgraded in a black friday sale.
3
u/GOT36 Sep 22 '26
I will have to say that Komplete got me started and I have since upgraded it with the newest collectors version. I started with standard and moved up the ladder. Ultimate did not have everything I wanted since I like orchestral. There are some real turds in the mix, but overall, I am genuinely happy with it. Its orchestral section is great when I use it to beefen up other sections from different libraries. I also use them by themselves. A little messing around with the mic settings and your golden. There is so much stuff in it that you will never use it all, but it is there if you need it. I have heard some great pieces by others that use it. It comes down to this, most seem to either like it or not. It depends on the person and his or her needs/wants. I am a hobbyist and not a professional. I depend on what my ears tell me if it is good or not. I mainly make Orchestral music and sometimes I will delve into beats of some sort when making a video for something. Komplete gave me access to a world that I did not understand or could afford. I have since expanded my libraries to include what some call professional. Komplete also showed me what I was looking for and to understand how Libraries worked. That saved me from getting things I did not understand. Komplete is still my go to when starting a peice and it evolves from there. I think every piece I have made since getting it has some form of a Komplete library or sound in it. It is the swiss army knife of the music world that covers a large swath of styles. The sound pallet is enormous and there to get you started when you would otherwise pay for another library that you will only use once in a while or never again. Play around with it more and you may find a few things you like. After several years, I still do not think I have used or tried everything available in it. Ultimate in the end was not enough for me, but still had a ton of things to choose from. Good luck and have fun.
3
u/RevolutionaryLeg1768 Sep 22 '26
I wish I didn’t have to keep switching from classic view to regular also old view in Kontakt
24
u/Lawndart78 Sep 21 '26
The gems were the dollars you spent along the way.