KONTAKT Explained®
Getting Started
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Tutorial 1
Kontakt Overview
9:23Learn how to set the Audio and MIDI preferences when launching Kontakt 4 in standalone mode. Explore the main areas of the interface including the control panel buttons, the browser, rack and keyboard sections.
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Tutorial 2
Instrument Header Basics
6:46Discover the instrument header and see how to control basic visual and playback parameters.
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Tutorial 3
Architecture Basics
8:53Explore how the architecture of Kontakt 4 instruments are set up, and how to save and create instruments, samples, multis, and banks.
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Tutorial 4
Instrument & Edit Mode Headers
9:15See some of the advanced Instrument Header functions and explore the different windows and areas available in Edit Mode.
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Tutorial 5
Instrument Options
9:14Watch how the 'Instrument Options' window can be used to affect instrument playback parameters, as well as how they look in the rack.
Tips and Tricks
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Tutorial 6
Top Ten Browser Bits
8:48Learn about ten cool features and workflow techniques available from the browser’s 'Files' tab.
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Tutorial 7
Importing Other Formats
7:24Discover how to import and do batch conversions of sampler instruments from EXS 24, Giga and AKAI formats.
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Tutorial 8
The Database
9:53Explore how to search, sort and set file metadata in the 'Attribute and Results' list found in Kontakt 4’s database.
Advanced Control
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Tutorial 9
The Monitor & Modules Tab
8:52See how to view and control multiple groups and zones and their various parameters with the 'Monitor' tab in the browser. Also learn how to use the 'Modules' section to add and control group and instrument effects.
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Tutorial 10
Automation
8:04Discover Kontakt 4’s MIDI and host based automation from within Logic Pro 9. You can then apply the info to your DAW.
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Tutorial 11
Quick-Load
7:40Watch how Kontakt’s Quick Load features can be used to organize frequently used multis, instruments and banks in a directory tree set up in a horizontal arrangement of columns.
Routing Revealed
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Tutorial 12
The Outputs Section
8:53Learn how to set up signal routing destinations in the Outputs section of Kontakt.
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Tutorial 13
Multiple Outputs
4:18Discover to how to set up multiple output routing in the Outputs section of the plug-in version of Kontakt while it's hosted inside Logic Pro 9. You can then apply the info to your DAW.
Advanced Editing
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Tutorial 14
The Group Editor
12:11Peer into the belly of the beast and see how Kontakt’s Group Editor can be used to control various aspects of an instrument’s playback.
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Tutorial 15
The Mapping Editor Pt. 1
8:25Explore how to build an instrument from scratch by importing samples and turning them in to Zones in the Mapping Editor.
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Tutorial 16
The Mapping Editor Pt. 2
10:05See how to edit zones graphically with both the mouse and key commands, as well as with the Mapping Window’s 'Control Strip'.
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Tutorial 17
Wave Editor Controls
9:32Learn about the 'Wave Editor' tool bar, and see how the controls can be used for setting loop points and other various utility and transport functions.
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Tutorial 18
The Grid Panel
7:43Discover how to use both Fix and Auto modes in the Mapping Editor’s grid panel to create slice markers in rhythmic loops.
Working with Loops
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Tutorial 19
Sample Loops
7:49Explore how to set up loop regions within a sample in order to loop specific portions in either forward or reverse direction.
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Tutorial 20
Syncing & Slicing
8:57See how the 'Sync / Slice' tab in the wave editor is used to sync loops to tempo, as well as map the individual slices to separate MIDI notes.
Working with Groups
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Tutorial 21
Zone Envelopes & Sample Editor
11:02Discover how to use zone envelopes to modulate parameters on a zone-by-zone basis within a group, as well as how the sample editor is used to constructively process portions of a sample permanently.
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Tutorial 22
The Source Module
10:56Explore the six group playback modes available in the Source Module: Sampler, DFD, Tone Machine, Time Machine, Time Machine ll and Beat Machine.
Using Effects
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Tutorial 23
Signal Processing
10:26Learn how to add signal processing modules at either the group or instrument insert level, as well as setting up send effects for individual instruments and entire multi's.
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Tutorial 24
Modulation Mechanics
7:46Discover how modulation routing is set up in Kontakt, and what types of signals can be used to animate parameters over time, as well as where and how to set them up.
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Tutorial 25
Mod-You-Elation
11:45See and hear some real world modulation routing examples including cutoff and pan routed to LFOs synced to tempo, cutoff on a pad sound modulated with a 'flexible envelope', and a 32 step modulator modulation source applied to a percussive sound’s panning.
Watch DAW guru Eli Krantzberg break down one of the most vast and powerful soft samplers ever made, Native Instruments KONTAKT. From beginning to end, it's all here, waiting for you to use to get the most out of Kontakt.
This in-depth series is for beginner to intermediate users of Native Instruments KONTAKT and dives deep into its powerful features and functions. Discover how to easily navigate its windows and menus, load and create patches and parts, use effects, import and convert 3rd party libraries, advanced usage techniques, tips and tricks and much more.
If you want to get the most out of Native Instruments KONTAKT, stop right here."KONTAKT Explained" will allow you to use Kontakt like a pro, making your music and productions bigger and better. Checkout "Kontakt Explained" today.
Shot in version 4 but applicable to version 5. You can see videos for the version 5 updates here.
Reviews
Submitted 3 weeks ago
Excellent.
Great in-depthview of the instruments edit features.
I am a: Semi-Pro, Professional, Musician, Producer, Audio Engineer, Sound Designer, Sound for Film/TV, Cakewalk Sonar, Pro Tools, Samplitude
Submitted 1 month ago
Eli Krantzberg is the best!
Eli is always so clear, creative in his examples and engaging.
Submitted 9 months ago
Thorough Explanations
In depth explanation of Kontakt and its many functions and capabilities.
I am a: Semi-Pro
Submitted 10 months ago
Excellent- needs a few additions or a different course with differnt emphasis
Excellent tutorials- particularly for soundscaping. We need some help in the area of songwriting with Contact. Some of us do not do soundscaping or programing on the level he describes here- even though it is completely legitimate to educate to this level. But some of us are working songwriters and composers not programing geeks, and we need some different kinds of practical tutorials for the creative types.
I am a: Professional, Musician, Logic Pro
Submitted 10 months ago
From the surface to deep functions!
Great tutorial, told me what I needed to know: how to grab a bunch of samples and have them automatically mapped into a patch and save it!
I am a: Semi-Pro
Submitted 10 months ago
Because There's Always Eli !!
I was like..."Yes" when I discovered this course was delivered by Eli Krantzberg. Somehow, life is so much easier under his instruction. Highly recommended.
I am a: Semi-Pro, Musician, Producer, Beat Maker, FL Studio, Cakewalk Sonar, Reason
Submitted 11 months ago
Great stuff
Most of the bases are covered, with the exception of the script editor.
I am a: Hobbyist, Producer, Beat Maker, Sound for Film/TV, Cubase
Submitted 1 year ago
Very Helpful
Really gets to the detail needed to use the plugin
I am a: Semi-Pro, Musician, Producer, Audio Engineer, Cakewalk Sonar
Submitted 1 year ago
kontakt
get there faster
I am a: Hobbyist, Musician, Ableton Live, Cakewalk Sonar, Reason
Submitted 1 year ago
Excellent.
This filled in a few key UI functionality gaps, very nicely.
1. When did you start dabbling in music?
I started playing drums in high school at age fourteen. Like most kids my age around then, I was into progressive rock. Genesis, Emerson Lake and Palmer, and Yes. They rocked my world. A few short years later though, my musical life changed. While studying music in college I discovered Charlie Parker, Milt Jackson, Sonny Stitt, and John Coltrane. Milt Jackson spoke to me in such a profound way that it left me no choice but to take up vibraphone.
These great players, along with drummers like Philly Joe Jones, Max Roach, Art Blakey, and Elvin Jones changed not only the way I thought about drumming, but also music - and by extension, life - as a whole. I realized life was meant to be a creative endeavor. The idea of improvising based on a loose set of guidelines and rules permeated into my psyche even when I wasn't holding a pair of drumsticks or mallets. But if I am going to be perfectly truthful, I have to hold Henry Miller and Woody Allen equally responsible for shaping the way I view and experience the world around me.
2. What training have you had?
I am currently an Apple certified Logic Pro. Young and cocky, and armed with only a partial University degree, I dropped out of school and began playing steady commercial hotel engagements and jazz gigs when I could. This went on for many years until I decided it was time to complete my degree - which I ultimately did with a major in Political Science and a minor in music.
It was at this point that I formed my current band Nightshift. We are going in to our twenty third year now - playing commercial one nighters like weddings, corporate events, etc. Don't turn your nose up at it though - it has allowed me a wonderful quality of life. It gave me the freedom to go back to school and complete a post graduate degree in Communications Studies - all the while supporting myself by playing weddings.
3. When did you get into recording?
It was in this graduate program - in the early nineties - that I found myself drawn to the fledgling emerging universe of hard disc recording and midi sequencing. Based on nothing more than the recommendation of one of my band mates who had an old Atari, I jumped in head first and bought a Mac LC ll, along with a version 1.1 of what was then Notator Logic. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. But, in hindsight, it was a decision of epic importance in my life - shaping my future as much as the music of Milt Jackson and Charlie Parker did fifteen years prior.
I opened up my own commercial home studio in 1998 and began doing a variety of projects, working on radio jingles, artist CD projects, and whatever came my way. A couple of years later a colleague called me up - desperate. He was working at a post production house and one of the editors had just quit. They were doing audio post for a weekly TV series and needed a Pro Tools editor - and fast! And so, once again, I jumped in head first into what would ultimately open up my world even more - the world of Pro Tools.
4. People you have worked with/for?
Focusing on Logic, I built up a small but loyal client base and my phone kept ringing for Logic tech support and instruction. Film composers and studio owners all over the city were calling me. Even the music stores were giving out my phone number at this point! This kind of stuff becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. The more of it you do, the more calls you get to keep doing it. At least that's the way it should be!
As my Logic chops kept growing, I was hired by an old buddy of mine, Len Sasso, who was then an associate editor at Electronic Musician magazine, and began writing some columns for them. I had a blast doing them - and really learned to focus and express my thoughts in a concise and clear manner. This lead to a collaboration with LA based composer Terry Michael Huud on the 2006 film called Civic Duty - which was certainly one of the highlights of my professional life as a composer.
5. Why are you so good at training people?
I wake up every day excited to boot up, and create. Whether it's instructional videos, creating music, working with a studio client, performing with my band, or teaching at the schools - my days are filled with what I love doing. Enriched by the stimulation and creative freedom this modern music making software brings to my life. I bring that excitement and passion to each and every training product I create. My years of experience both using and teaching these programs has taught me the best way to make the user comfortable with these complex programs.
Products by Eli
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In this FREE series commissioned by Applied Acoustic Systems, Eli Krantzberg covers the expansive performance library of electric and acoustic guitar strumming inside and out, and shows you how to make Strum GS-2 your new favorite session guitarist!
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Eli Krantzberg returns with an in-depth series on the amazing AirEQ by Eiosis, which was designed with a vision of achieving musical, technical and sonic excellence in equalization. This just might become your to go-to EQ!
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Logic Pro X 10.2 integrated Alchemy 2, one of the most powerful virtual instruments ever made. In this three-hour video training tutorial series, Eli Krantzberg teaches you how to become a Alchemy wizard and unleash all of its power on your music!
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tutorial videoApogee Maestro 2 Explained
Maestro 2 is Apogee's flexible and powerful OS X Mixer software solution that's included with all Apogee interfaces. Studio master Eli Krantzberg shows you everything you need to know about Maestro 2, as well as how to get the best performance out of your Apogee interface and improve your workflow.
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