Komplete is the family of Native Instruments bundles that gathers instruments, effects, expansions and sounds under a single serial registered in Native Access, and Kontakt is the sampler platform on which many of those instruments and thousands of third-party libraries run. Both are licensed under the Native Instruments EULA described in the companion article, and the bundle structure and the Kontakt library model produce several distinctions that a licence manager needs: which edition an account holds, what an update costs, and whether a third-party library runs in the free player or needs the paid version.[10]
Editions
Komplete 26 comes in three main versions: Standard, Ultimate and Collector’s Edition (Komplete 26 has three editions).[1] The comparison table on the product page lists 180+ instruments and effects in Standard, 280+ in Ultimate and 340+ in Collector’s Edition, and full-version prices on the US storefront of USD 549, 1,249 and 1,949 respectively at retrieval (Komplete 26 full-version prices on the US storefront).[1] The page explains that Komplete 26 is the next version after Komplete 15, that the name now reflects the release year rather than a sequential number, and that this involves no change to upgrades or compatibility (Komplete 26 follows Komplete 15).[1] A buyer of Standard can later move up to Ultimate or Collector’s Edition and pays only the difference between versions (A bundle move-up pays the difference).[1]
Komplete Select is the entry-level bundle, available in Beats, Band and Electronic editions that each contain a chosen set of instruments, effects and sounds (Komplete Select).[2] Komplete Start is a free bundle that includes the Kontakt 8 Player and free instruments and effects; its titles such as Massive X Player are free and included products that are not transferable, because they can be redeemed in Native Access for all users (Komplete Start, Komplete Start titles are free and not transferable).[5][12]
Update and upgrade pricing
Komplete uses a tiered price structure. The support article explains that the cost of an update is determined by the version of Komplete currently registered to the account: owners of the immediate predecessor (Komplete 15) pay the lowest price, owners of the second-to-last version (Komplete 14) pay the standard price, and owners of Komplete 13 or older pay more, in return for receiving the content added in the versions skipped (Komplete update price depends on the registered generation, Komplete update and upgrade pricing).[3] The article distinguishes updates, which move to the latest version of the same bundle, from upgrades, which move to a higher-tier bundle, and says the shop calculates the licence path and price automatically for a logged-in account (Updates and upgrades are priced differently).[3] The product page lists, for example, Standard update prices of USD 149 for Komplete Standard 15 owners, USD 199 for Standard 14 owners and USD 299 for Standard 13 and older.[1] Because prices are personalised and regional, the catalog records only the published full-version prices and the existence of the tiered structure.
An asset manager should note that an upgrade depends on the base product remaining registered. The second-hand support article states that if a product is removed from an account, all upgrades based on it become invalid; for example, an owner who upgraded Komplete 13 to Komplete 13 Ultimate cannot remove Komplete 13 without invalidating the Ultimate upgrade.[11]
Kontakt 8 and Kontakt 8 Player
Kontakt 8 is the full version of the sampler; the product page listed a price of USD 299 on the US storefront and says owners of Native Instruments products may qualify for a better price (Kontakt 8 full-version price on the US storefront).[4] A user of an earlier Kontakt version chooses the Update version at checkout, which is offered at a special price and includes all the features of the full version, and Kontakt 8 installs as a separate application that can be used side by side with older versions (Kontakt 8 update path from earlier versions).[4]
Kontakt 8 Player is a free application that can run all Native Instruments sample-based instruments and third-party products made especially for the Kontakt 8 Player platform, and instruments made for the Player also run in the full Kontakt (Kontakt Player is free and runs libraries licensed for it).[5] The comparison chart shows that the Player lacks the Conflux hybrid synthesizer, runs one rather than twelve Leap expansions, cannot play non-Player libraries, provides editing functions for only 15 minutes in demo mode, and omits Kontakt script processor editing and Creator Tools.[5] If Kontakt 8 is already installed, the Player installer will not run because it would add no features.[5]
Third-party Kontakt libraries
The platform distinguishes licensed and unlicensed third-party libraries. A licensed library comes with a serial number from the manufacturer, is installed through Native Access, appears in Kontakt’s Library browser, and, according to the manufacturer’s system requirements, can be used in the free Kontakt Player. An unlicensed library has no serial number, cannot be installed or activated with Native Access, is supplied as a download by the manufacturer, and requires the full version of Kontakt (Unlicensed Kontakt libraries require the full Kontakt, Kontakt Player library licensing).[6] The Kontakt 8 Player FAQ states that only third-party instruments made specifically for the Player can be loaded, and that other instruments require the full version but can be used for 15 minutes at a time in demo mode without saving.[5] The error message “Full Kontakt required” appears when an unlicensed library is loaded in the Player.[8]
For libraries that come with a serial number, the owner clicks Add Serial in Native Access and installs or locates the library; libraries purchased from the Native Instruments webshop install directly from Native Access.[7] Native Access 2 supports third-party instruments only for some NKS partner products, so other third-party libraries follow the manufacturer’s own installation instructions, and each manufacturer’s EULA applies to its library.[5][9] Native Instruments’ pages do not publish the terms on which developers obtain a Kontakt Player licence for their libraries, so the commercial relationship between a library developer and Native Instruments is outside this article.
For inventory purposes the consequence is that a studio’s Kontakt estate has three layers: the Native Instruments licences (Kontakt, Komplete and Player instruments), the third-party libraries each under its own EULA, and the hosting choice of Kontakt Player or full Kontakt. Counting full Kontakt serials separately from Player usage is the practical way to see which libraries need a paid host.
Out of scope
This article does not cover regional prices, promotions or vouchers, the 360 subscription (see the subscription article), Traktor and Maschine hardware bundles, or the licence terms of third-party libraries and NKS partner products, which are published by those partners.