Live 7 + Kontakt vs Live 7 + Sampler + EIC2 vs Suite 8

Macrostructure · Post by **Macrostructure** » Sun Feb 22, 2009 10:23 am

Most of my music is sample-based and some of my favourite sample library suppliers provide content that is designed around Kontakt but has reduced or little functionality with Live. As in Intakt owner I can get Kontakt 3 with 33Gb of sample content for £180.

However, I have Sampler, and can get EIC2 for £105 say. I could get Orchestral Instruments for £475, or rather I can't becuase I can't afford that. However, I have the Cinematic and Modern libraries from Sony which are pretty good so that's not really an issue.

I'm not really a synthesis person, I don't have the time or much enthusiasm for it so the extras that come with Suite 8 are not that much of a pull. I already have Drum Machines. I supposed the synths would be nice but well, yeah. I can get Suite 8 for, what, £250?

I guess my reservations come from not having had a great time with Intakt ; pondering the advantages of having everything integrated in Live; concerns about two different workflows using Kontakt as plugin within Live or as a standalone; plus the quality and spread of content in EIC2 vs Kontakt's library - neither of which I know anything about.

So does anyone have any helpful thoughts on this? Nice problem to have obviously...

logic_user99 · Post by **logic_user99** » Sun Feb 22, 2009 10:26 am

This is a question that is plaguing me, too, Macro...

NI's Komplete 5, or wait it out for L8. Hmm...

BlackMath · Post by **BlackMath** » Sun Feb 22, 2009 10:32 am

some of my favourite sample library suppliers provide content that is designed around Kontakt but has reduced or little functionality with Live.

I don't think that's true... Kontakt works very well with Live, especially when your are doing alot of midi automation. It has its own effects and works just like an outboard rack. Very powerful... I'm just beginning to learn it through Live but I'm nothing but pleased.

I got Komplete with my Receptor. Massive has some of the best sounds I've heard. B4 is awesome if you re-amp it, and I can only begin to touch the service of Reaktor.... not to mention Kore is dope.

but Live 8 looks great and I can't wait to get it and build a new fresh system.

Macrostructure · Post by **Macrostructure** » Sun Feb 22, 2009 10:37 am

BlackMath wrote:
some of my favourite sample library suppliers provide content that is designed around Kontakt but has reduced or little functionality with Live.
I don't think that's true... Kontakt works very well with Live,

You have misread my post? It's the sample libraries that have reduced funcionality with Live. eg Sonic Couture products that come with KSP scripted players but this is not present when you drag the nki file into Sampler, for example.

BlackMath · Post by **BlackMath** » Sun Feb 22, 2009 11:25 am

oh ok I understand now..

worldgalaxy · Post by **worldgalaxy** » Sun Feb 22, 2009 3:51 pm

IMO the Kontakt library sounds a lot better than EIC 2. You can load up the kontakt libraries into Sampler. You have to adjust the root keys for them because for some reason they all set themselves at G8, but it's not a big deal. Obviously you lose all the processing from kontakt's filters and whatever. I love Sampler but Kontakt is better for straight up type stuff, it does suffer from the usual NI problem of having a fucking horrible UI though.

glitchrock-buddha · Post by **glitchrock-buddha** » Sun Feb 22, 2009 4:29 pm

If you're looking for orchestral stuff, kontakt does have a great library of orchestra sounds as well. And world instruments too.

I like kontakt for multi-sampled stuff and sampler for simple sample mangling stuff. Or stuff that I sample myself. But kontakt is way better for sample libraries. They always sound better in kontakt from third parties if they're made for both formats. If they are in kontakt format or some other non-ableton format, then it will load properly in kontakt and maybe not properly in sampler.

Anyways, I like having them both.