Native Instruments – Kontakt 8 v8.1.0 VST3, AAX, SAL

The virtual instrument platform reimagined. Imagine any sound – Kontakt lets you find it, create it, and transform it. The latest version of our revolutionary sampling platform combines an entirely new set of intelligent tools with countless sound design options, redefining the way you generate ideas and create music.

Kontakt 8

The full version of Kontakt offers all the powerful tools for music production and access to a wealth of unique virtual instruments.
There’s the Kontakt Factory library and thousands of options from independent instrument developers. A huge selection of sound instruments Kontakt has the world’s largest selection of virtual instruments. Thousands of libraries provide quality sound from Native Instruments, our official partners, and many independent developers. Plus, everything is fully customizable, so you can create your own sound. What’s new in Kontakt 8? Our most feature-rich release to date introduces a new way to generate, modulate, and play sound. It also includes performance updates that let you work faster than ever.

v8.1.0 (October 21, 2024)
AAX plugin migration, new effects, a number of fixes

KONTAKT ENGINE

IMPROVEMENTS ADDED AAX plugin migration is now available from Kontakt 6 and 7 to Kontakt 8
ADDED New amp and pedal effects: Super Fast 100, Chainsaw, Kolor, Skreamer Deluxe
FIXED Spacebar not being picked up by DAW after loading an instrument
FIXED Crash when displaying the batch save dialog in Default View
FIXED Crash when restoring a ProTools project with a large number (>10) of Kontakt instances
FIXED Previews continued to play
after loading instrument or Leap presets from the Default View sidebar
FIXED Dragging and dropping to create a Kontakt instance in ProTools resulted
in a “Missing
FIXED Retrigger and Dyn Mode macro controls not showing values
​​in Maschine/Komplete Kontrol or when automating
IMPROVED Bass Invader amp can now handle stereo signals

LEAP IMPROVEMENTS

ADDED More Send FX Delay and Reverb types
FIXED Playback stops if pointer is moved during playback FIXED Macro controls on
Play page had no hover states
FIXED Issues after duplicating samples
FIXED Snap functionality respected points after sample end
and start when snapping in Auto or REX mode using Beat Machine.
FIXED Stuck latched notes in zoomed mode
FIXED Parameter labels not showing on Kontrol MK3
FIXED Changing the audio device in Bitwig would result in a “Missing Content” dialog
FIXED Changing the engine of any sample would destroy all current voices
FIXED Replacing a playing latched loop would result in a stuck note on the virtual keyboard
IMPROVED Perform FX and Macro FX switches are now pinned to the Sound and Engine tabs.
CHANGED Snap mode now defaults to grid

TOOL AND SCRIPTS CREATING IMPROVEMENTS

ADDED KSP: $NI_EPP_EQ_MODE_E_GRAND built-in constant
FIXED KSP: Regression with $EVENT_NOTE built-in $EVENT_VELOCITY variables
having random values ​​in multiscript code
FIXED KSP: (N)RPN messages sent from multiscript not reaching tool scripts
IMPROVED KSP: NKS2 parameter groups can now have up to 48 parameters
ADDED API: set_zone_group() command

KNOWN ISSUES

KNOWN ISSUE Arrow keys do not work in the
default view sidebar in some VST3 DAWs on Windows (Live, Cubase, Studio One)
KNOWN ISSUE New Kontakt related file types (NKL, NKT)
do not open when launching Kontakt by double-clicking these files in Finder/Explorer OS
KNOWN ISSUE On macOS, pressing the space bar
to start/stop playback only reaches the DAW on the second press
if the Kontakt plugin is moved via D&D