Freelance Soundlabs NKS News November 2023

Hello  

Komplete Kontrol v3.0 Is Now Released! 

So you may have heard that along with the new MK3 keyboard a new version of Komplete Kontrol has also been released, to a rather mixed review. I have been fielding a lot of questions about it and have also voiced my own opinions on the "update" so I won't dive into what I personally find with this release but here is some info if you are not aware or if you are thinking of updating (or have updated)

Komplete Kontrol 3 is a whole redesign of the KK workflow and it does change the interface considerably and while some are liking the changes, many are finding it to be an uncomfortable and frustrating transition. One of the biggest points of contention is the new browser layout compared to the previous version. In addition to the massive changes in browsing, there are a number of reports of performance hits and in my own tests I noted an instance of KK does need more memory and CPU to run so this will impact much more with many instances.

I've been asked by quite a few users if they should update to 3.0, is there any benefit, do Freelance Soundlabs libraries all still work and to answer these questions: 

Should I update? 
I would caution an update (especially if you have important work to do) and strongly recommend unless you are pretty confident in your backups, refrain from the current release and watch the chatter on the forums first. Certainly appears there are MANY frustrated and irate users and seems unless you have updated to an MK3 keyboard (which appears to be a nice keyboard at least) just stick on the current version for a bit, MK2 owners will not miss any real functionality. It is possible to roll back to the previous release, just has to be done manually finding the file on the NI website so be sure you are prepared if you find the updates not to your liking.

What are the benefits of KK 3.0? 
Well that depends on your use case and with the new MK3 and NKS2 functionality aside some benefits at the moment are better graphics and readability of text on larger displays. Some may find the new style of browsing a refresh but regular users may not like this change or find the update any easier to use or improved in what was available before. For the most part, there are not currently many extra benefits unless you really dig the new layout or own an MK3 keyboard and there are in fact many other limitations such as loss of Maschine integration, inability to easily use the browser for samples now, no editing ot tags for the moment to name a few. 

Do Freelance Soundlabs Libraries still work? 
Yes they do just as before so that is at least some comfort and libraries work with the new MK3 just the same. The only thing for MK3 owners is the new big screen now requires an additional artwork file which we are updating at the moment and a GDrive link will be available for users to simply get the updated files. New releases will now include this extra artwork and previous releases will all be updated in time. For MK2/MK1/S and M series users, nothing more needed, everything works as before.

For those that have an opinion on the matter I would strongly suggest hitting the forum and posting your views. 

RELEASE: Cherry Audio PS-3300 NKS Library

https://freelancesoundlabs.com/nks/ps-3300

Latest synth from Cherry Audio PS-3300 NKS library now available. Includes all factory presets fully tagged, detailed controller map, artwork files (including MK3 compatible artwork files) and sound previews. 

Library supports VST3 only, no plans (unless it is desperately needed) to support VST2.

RELEASE: GForce Oberheim OB-X NKS Library

https://freelancesoundlabs.com/nks/synthanthology4

The latest release from GForse Software OB-X now has a full NKS library covering all factory presets that has tagging converted from the OB-X database, full controller mapping and sound previews. This release also includes compatible artwork for the MK3 keyboards. 

RELEASED: UVI EGp Electric Grand NKS Library

https://freelancesoundlabs.com/nks/egp

UVI EGP Electric Grand Piano NKS library now available for both VST2/3 and Falcon/Workstation compatible.

Fully tagged with previews and includes a full controller map so the whole instrument can be controlled from your keyboard. This one is a great sounding piano with a lot of sound adjustment between the acoustic and electric parts. NKS makes the hassle of controlling these a breeze!

INFO: UVI Falcon 3 (and other) Updates...

Falcon 3 has just been released and brings a new preset browser and some additional features. Good news is all current NKS libraries are all compatible and no updates needed on that front but there are also some new presets available and these will be included with an update hopefully soon, tho I still need to actually update all my scripts to work (hopefully) with the new version. 

I rely on Falcon to make all UVI libraries so this will be something I have to tackle first to proceed with many other UVI updates but I will hopefully update my end to get working on this in the next month, tho I am taking a bit of a break at the moment so don't expect too much in the next few months. 

INFO: Nexus 4 & Vanguard NKS Libraries

As you may know I developed NKS support for Nexus 2 many years ago before reFX included NKS support with Nexus3 but after a few years reFX have decided to discontinue their NKS support citing this is mostly due to low numbers of users vs the increased work to add the support files. 

With their approval I will set about adding support back for Nexus 3/4 as the files I have created should work with both versions (other than latest libraries which need Nexus 4. 

This is a somewhat huge task as the old NKS files I generated for Nexus 2 aren't compatible with the VST3 version of Nexus but I have most of the work already done and am just filling in tagging and generating previews for all factory and expansion content. Hopefully we will see this complete by the end of the year. 

I will also be tackling the new version of Vanguard but am yet to look into if this is possible and works but hopefully if it is possible it will also be available by the end of the year. 

VST2 / VST3 Library Compatibility Status List

Check this list for the latest VST3 library compatibility updates, what libraries support VST3 and what has been updated from VST2 to VST3:

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/1256/#Comment_1256

Donations

While you are under no obligation to donate, purchasing our libraries and supporting the work is thanks enough we do very much appreciate donations as there are a lot of costs and time needed to maintain such a large number of libraries and it is only due to the support of users that this is even possible.

Update News / Facebook / Forum

The forum thread for all discussions related to any Freelance Soundlabs NKS library can be found Here: 

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/305/release-freelance-soundlabs-3rd-party-nks-libraries-for-komplete-kontrol-maschine#latest

You can also follow my Facebook page for the latest news and releases:

https://www.facebook.com/freelancesoundlabs

I post about all the latest releases and updates on these channels as things are done so if you are keen to know immediately when updates and releases are available then please follow these channels. I typically send this update email at the start of each month. 

Feedback / Requests / Questions? 

If you have any issues with any libraries, feedback about how useful/not useful these libraries are or any instruments/plugins to request NKS for simply reply to this email with your suggestions as the more we receive on certain products, the more likely they will be considered tho we cant invest in them all. I typically reply to every email but can occasionally miss one so don't hesitate to get in contact again.