Native Instruments announces Kontakt 8

Native Instruments has announced the latest version of its popular soft sampler, Kontakt 8.

Version eight brings with it new features within the plugin, as well as new instruments and samples, and boasts a library of over 900 instruments. New to version eight are the Chords and Phrases features, which let users generate melodies and sequences using both MIDI content and randomisation tools. Both are compatible with Kontakt itself and any instrument built on the Kontakt engine.

Another significant addition is Leap, which lets you quickly manipulate loops and samples and will be familiar to anyone who’s used Output’s Arcade. The launch of Leap comes with 12 genre-specific expansions including Afrobeats, Latin Trap and Soul Gold. Conflux is a new instrument that combines a sample engine and wavetable and FM synthesis, allowing for real-time manipulation and modulation.

Aesthetically, there’s a whole new browser that lets you browse all the instruments installed on your computer that are compatible with Kontakt. You can browse by sound type and character, or by the third-party brand that created the instrument.  

Kontakt 8 costs £269 for new users and £89 if you’re updating from a previous version. Find out more on the Native Instruments website. Watch the video below to see what’s new in version eight. 

Kontakt 8 is also part of Komplete 15, which was announced recently.