Overview
Get an overview of Kontakt's Default view and its main elements.
When you open Kontakt, the Library browser will invite you to load your first preset and start playing. Once you have loaded a preset, the main window lets you tweak instruments, continue browsing, and configure Kontakt.
Note
Learn how to use the Library browser in Browser and presets.
Header: Lets you open the Library browser, show or hide elements in the user interface, and access options in the File menu. Additionally, the displays and meters keep you informed about the software status. For more information, refer to Header.
Rack: Shows the instruments and tools you have loaded, each letting you tweak and edit your sounds in its own dedicated user interface. To learn more about the included Piano Uno, Leap, and Tools, refer to Instruments and Tools. Information about the instruments included in the Kontakt Factory Library 2 is available in the Kontakt Factory Library 2 online manual.
Side pane: Lets you combine tools and instruments, control mixer functions including the volume levels, and show all presets of a loaded instrument in the side pane browser. For more information, refer to Side pane.
On-screen keyboard: Enables you to play instruments with your mouse, and shows the instrument's key mapping. You can hide or show the on-screen keyboard using the View menu in the Header. For more information, refer to On-screen keyboard.
Tip
You can use the View menu in the Header to display the Info pane, which shows brief descriptions of user interface elements when you hover the mouse cursor over them.
Side pane
At the top of the side pane, the Navigator lets you view and manage the contents of the Rack. Below the Navigator, the side pane browser makes it easy to add or replace a Tool or an instrument in the Rack, and explore presets without switching views in Kontakt.
The side pane consists of the following areas:
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Navigator: Shows the Tools and instruments in your Rack, and lets you manage them. For more information, refer to Navigator.
Side pane browser: Lets you add a Tool or an instrument to your Rack and browse its presets. For more information, refer to Side pane browser.
Navigator
The Navigator lets you view, manage, and mix the instruments in the Rack, and connect them to Tools. You can also use it in conjunction with the side pane browser to add or replace a Tool or an instrument in the Rack.
The Navigator contains the following elements and controls:
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Instrument slot: Represents a single instrument in the Rack, and its position. Clicking on the entry lets you browse the instrument's preset in the side pane browser, or replace it by loading another instrument. Right-clicking opens the context menu that you can use to clear the slot, save a user preset, and set the MIDI input.
Tool slot: Represents the Tool loaded in the Rack. Clicking on the entry lets you browse the Tool's presets using the side pane browser, or replace it by loading another Tool. Right-clicking opens the context menu that you can use to clear the slot, save a user preset, and set the MIDI input.
Note
If the slot does not contain a Tool, a + icon is shown. Clicking the + icon lets you add a Tool to the Rack.
Tool on/off: Switches the Tool on or off. When switched off, its functionality is bypassed.
Clear Tool slot: Removes the Tool from the Rack.
Clear instrument slot: Removes the respective instrument from the Rack.
Instrument controls: Let you adjust mixer controls for each instrument.
Solo (S): Solos the respective instrument, muting the audio from all other instruments.
Mute (M): Mutes the respective instrument's audio.
Pan: Adjusts the position of the respective instrument in the stereo field.
Volume: Adjusts the volume level of the respective instrument.
Add instrument: Adds another instrument to the Rack.
Navigator context menu
The context menu in the navigator lets you clear a Tool or instrument slot, save a user preset, and set the MIDI input.
To open the context menu, right-click a Tool or an instrument slot.
The Navigator context menu contains the following entries:
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Clear Slot: Removes the Tool or instrument from the Rack.
Save Preset...: Saves a user preset for the Tool or instrument loaded in the slot. For more information, refer to Saving a User preset.
Set MIDI Input: Selects the MIDI input used for the instrument loaded in the slot. This entry is not available in the Tool slot.
Side pane browser
The side pane browser makes it easy to explore all of the presets for individual products loaded in the Rack without switching views in Kontakt. You can also use it in conjunction with the Navigator to add or replace a Tool or an instrument in the Rack.
The side pane browser contains the following elements and controls:
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Category selector: Selects the category of content displayed in the Browser, from instruments to Tools and Leap instruments. For more information, refer to Browser categories.
Product selector: Opens the Product selector that you can use to add or replace a Tool or an instrument in the Rack. For more information, refer to Product selector.
Search field: Filters presets according to text entered in the field. The search engine considers the preset name, author, Brand / Character / Sound Type tags, product and bank name. The Results list is filtered according to the terms entered in the Search field. Refer to Using the search field.
User Content: Filters by user content. When activated, the Browser only shows user presets. When deactivated, the Browser only shows factory presets. For more information on user presets, refer to User presets .
Favorites (star icon): Displays only your Favorites in the Results list. You can define any presets in the Results list as Favorites, creating quick access to a custom collection of your most beloved presets. Refer to Using favorites.
Results list: Displays the list of presets corresponding to your search criteria. Presets are listed in alphabetical order and the selected preset is highlighted. Click a preset to audition the sound without loading the preset. Double-click a preset to load it into the current slot. You can also use the up/down arrows on your computer keyboard to select the previous/next preset from the list. You can expand or shrink the list area by clicking and dragging the left border of the Results List.
Audition controls: Adjusts the volume at which presets are auditioned as you select them in the Results list. Auditioning presets is active by default and can be muted by clicking the speaker icon.
Preset count: Shows the number of presets in the Results list.
Product selector
The Product selector lets you add a Tool or an instrument to your Rack, or replace existing ones.
To open the Product selector and add a product to the Rack, click the + icon for either TOOL or INSTRUMENTS in the Navigator.
To open the Product selector and replace the currently selected product, click the product logo bar in the side pane browser.
Note
A product will be added or replaced once you load one of its presets from the Results list.
The Product selector consists of the following elements:
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Category selector: Selects the category of content displayed in the Browser, from instruments to Tools and Leap instruments. For more information, refer to Browser categories.
Product tiles: Selecting a tile shows the product's presets in the Results list.
First preset: Loads the first preset of the respective product. This button is only shown when hovering the mouse cursor over the product tile.
Header
Monitor Kontakt's resource usage, access files and preferences, and change how the Kontakt window is displayed in the Header.
The Header at the top of the Kontakt window lets you access the File menu, the Library browser, and the View menu for configuring the user interface. Additionally, it shows performance information including CPU and hard drive load.
The Header consists of the following menus and elements:
File: Opens the File menu that contains options related to to saving, loading, and creating new presets and instruments. Additionally, it lets you access the Options dialog with software preferences. For more information, refer to File Menu and Options dialog.
Library: Opens the Library browser, which lets you explore all of your libraries and user content. For more information, refer to Browser and presets.
View: Opens the View menu that contains options related to configuring Kontakt's user interface. For more information, refer to View Menu.
Shop: Links to the Native Instruments web shop where you can find new instruments to add to your library.
System performance information: Reports key metrics about Kontakt's performance as well as CPU and hard drive load. Additionally, you can use the Engine restart button to initialize the audio engine. Refer to System performance information.
File menu
The File menu lets you create new Leap presets, load custom instruments from your hard drive, manage your files, and access the Options dialog.
The File menu contains the following options:
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New Leap preset: Opens Leap with an empty kit that you can use to combine and play any of the loop and one-shot samples in your library. For more information, refer to Loading and saving Leap kits.
Load…: Opens a file dialog that lets you load compatible files from your hard drive, for example an instrument (.nki), a multi (.nkm), or an instrument bank (.nkb). If samples are missing for the loaded instrument, you can use the Samples Missing dialog to find them.
Load recent: Shows a list of recently used files and lets you open them.
Save as: Opens a list of all instruments in the Rack. Selecting an entry opens a file dialog that lets you save the respective instrument. In the file dialog, you can define how Kontakt will save sample files that are used by the instrument. For more information, refer to Saving instruments
Save multi as…: Saves the contents of your Rack as a Multi file (.nkm). The Multi contains all instrument settings as well as the output routing options. You can define how Kontakt will save sample files for all contained instruments using the file dialog as described in Saving instruments.
Save as default multi: Saves the contents of your Rack as default template that Kontakt will load at startup or when you select Reset multi.
Reset multi: Restores the default template that is loaded at startup, removing all instruments from your Rack.
Options...: Opens the Options dialog with global preferences, including the audio and MIDI settings. For more information, refer to Options dialog.
Batch resave: Enables you to find missing samples for multiple custom instruments at once. For more information, refer to Batch resave.
Collect samples / Batch compress: Enables you to collect all samples for a number of instruments and compress the files to save hard drive space. For more information, refer to Collect samples / Batch compress.
Global purge: Enables you to free the memory of any unused samples. For more information, refer to Global purge.
Controller: Shows the connected Kontrol keyboard. When a Kontrol keyboard is connected, the corresponding entry is indicated by a checkmark.
Note
When using Classic view, the File menu has additional entries that let you create and save custom instruments. For more information, refer to Creating Instruments and Saving instruments.
View Menu
The View menu lets you choose which elements of the Kontakt interface are shown. Depending on whether you are using Default view or Classic view, different options are given.
View menu options in Default view
In Default view the View menu contains the following options:
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Classic View: Switches Kontakt to Classic view.
Instrument Header: Displays the header for each instrument in the Rack, letting you configure instrument options.
Side pane: Displays the side pane on the left side of the Kontakt window. For more information, refer to Side pane.
Info: Displays the Info pane, which shows brief descriptions of user interface elements when you hover the mouse cursor over them. For more information, refer to Info pane.
Keyboard: Displays the virtual on-screen keyboard, which enables you to play instruments with your mouse, and shows the instrument's key mapping. For more information, refer to On-screen keyboard.
Zoom: Sets the zoom scaling of the Kontakt window and allows switching between three performance modes for the user interface: Best quality, Balanced, and Best performance.
View menu options in Classic view
In Classic view the View menu contains the following options:
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Default View: Switches Kontakt to Default view.
Side pane: Displays the side pane on the left side of the Kontakt window. For more information, refer to Side Pane (Classic view).
Master: Displays the Master Editor panel, which contains a number of global parameters and common utility functions. For more information, refer to Master Editor.
Info: Displays the Info pane, which shows brief descriptions of user interface elements when you hover the mouse cursor over them. For more information, refer to Info pane.
Outputs: Displays the Outputs section at the bottom of the Rack. For more information, refer to Outputs Section.
Keyboard: Displays the virtual on-screen keyboard, which enables you to play instruments with your mouse, and shows the instrument's key mapping. For more information, refer to On-screen keyboard.
: Displays the Quick-Load Catalog, which is a user-defined browser for quick access to your favorite Kontakt files. For more information, refer to Quick-Load Catalog.
Zoom: Sets the zoom scaling of the Kontakt window and allows switching between three performance modes for the user interface: Best quality, Balanced, and Best performance.
System performance information
The system performance information on the right side of the Header reports key metrics about Kontakt's performance as well as CPU and hard drive load. The values are updated in real time and give you an idea of how Kontakt affects your system's resources.
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Voice count (notes icon): The total number of voices that are currently being played by all instruments loaded in this instance of Kontakt.
Sample memory (memory chip icon): The total amount of allocated sample memory.
CPU: The CPU load in percent, giving you visual feedback about the available processing resources when adding more instruments.
Disk: The disk load in percent, giving you visual feedback about the available hard drive bandwidth when adding more instruments.
Engine restart (! icon): Initializes the audio engine and all loaded instruments, which is useful when Kontakt instruments get stuck on notes or overload the CPU persistently. Any settings you made in the instruments are preserved.
On-screen keyboard
Kontakt's on-screen keyboard can be used to play instruments with your mouse. It also provides an overview of an instrument's range and key switches.
Kontakt provides a virtual on-screen keyboard that can be used to play instruments with your mouse when a MIDI keyboard is not available.
To show the on-screen keyboard, click the View menu in the Header and select Keyboard. Alternatively, you can press F3 on your computer keyboard.
The on-screen keyboard contains the following features and controls:
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Keys: When a key is clicked, the keyboard generates a corresponding note event that will be received by the currently selected Instrument. The note’s velocity is relative to where on the key you click: clicking towards the top of the key will produce notes with a low velocity, and clicking towards the bottom of the key will produce notes with a high velocity.
Pitch and mod wheel: Click and drag the Pitch and Modwheel to generate pitch bend and MIDI CC #1 data respectively.
Transposition: Shift the displayed key range up and down in octaves.
Key range: The keyboard uses colors to indicate the key ranges of the current Instrument.
Playable keys: Keys that produce sound are colored blue.
Keyswitches: Keys that trigger articulations and other changes in the instrument's behavior are colored red. Keyswitches do not trigger sound by themselves and are played in combination with regular keys.
Special functions: Some libraries use colors differently to indicate specific use cases, for example keyboard splits or different instrument types.
Info pane
The Info pane displays a help text when you hover the mouse cursor over a user interface element, like buttons or other controls.
To show the Info pane at the bottom of the Rack, click the View menu in the Header and select Info Pane. Alternatively, you can press command + I (macOS) or Ctrl + I (Windows) on your computer keyboard.
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Content related to Kontakt's Classic view is translated in English, German, French, Spanish and Japanese. Language preferences are set using the Language drop-down menu in the Interface tab of the Options dialog. When selecting Automatic, Kontakt will follow the language selection of your operating system. Language settings only take effect after restarting Kontakt.