Exporting MIDI to Kontakt 5?

• Aug 26, 2018 - 01:50

Hi all,

I'm considering buying Kontakt 5, and want to ensure that it will do what I want. I'll explain my current setup/situation in some detail so that you can help:

  1. I've written an orchestral piece using Musescore, and while the soundfonts are great for playback, I want to create a very realistic sound, and I like the Symphony Essentials collection in Komplete Ultimate (which also contains Kontakt 5).
  2. What I'd like to be able to do is output the Musescore playback via MIDI into Kontakt 5 (or perhaps import a MIDI file?), assigning each orchestra part in Musescore to the respective instrument group in Symphony Essentials.
  3. This will allow me to effectively "record" the piece into Kontakt using Symphony Essentials.
  4. Once the piece is in Kontakt, I can then modify the sound (modulation, crescendos, etc.) to make it sound more life-like.
  5. I can then output the finished product to MP3 or other format.

Am I thinking about this in the correct manner? Before I make this investment I want to ensure that what I'd like to do is possible (or perhaps you have other suggestions that will help me accomplish my goal). I'd also like to learn if other programs or hardware are mandatory (or at least highly suggested) for me to be able to do what I want. Thanks for your help.

(As an aside, I'm not particularly skilled on the keyboard, so playing the piece into Kontakt with a keyboard is not my preferred option.)

Erik


Comments

Hi Erik
I use MuseScore and a number of external Synthesiser / "Sound Font" products including Kontact to create music. It does work but, Real Time Export of MIDI takes a beefy machine. I don't have one so I am pushing the limit all the time trying to do real time export. Musescore I think is the best MIDI PLAYER about the place and it is quirky :) I am looking for other products all the time but as of today I have not found anything to beat it.

So exporting a piece to a MIDI file and then using that file to be read by the external Synth / DAW et al, does work and I have tried this with Kontact. I got to set the package you mentioned for a bud (Non computer savvy Professional Record Artist and Producer) Some nice sounds can come from it. Different playing styles different instruments are handled better by different packages so unless you are like him - very successful - independently wealthy as a bonus we go looking for open source material to gap fill.

I find there is plenty of variation within the scoring notation to cover loudness, other nuances may be handled by the Synth you are using. e.g. Setting the respective volume of a given item of a Drum Kit. It does depend on the piece I have found it handles most things if you know how to correct notate a piece of music - there are some quirks an a few bugs but nothing that isn't fairly easy to sort out. You can work around a lot by by having multiple staves and grouping notation to each stave for playback / export, like assigning a part to a musician.

The more you use the tools you acquire in the creative process the better you keyboard skills will become :)

All the best

In reply to by Ron Southworth

Thanks for the thorough reply, Ron. By "beefy machine", are we talking about anything not available "off the shelf", so to speak, at Best Buy? :) I've had my laptop for 5 years so I was considering an upgrade as is.

I've been mulling over the keyboard idea too...I can get by, certainly, and when you consider most of what I wrote is fairly straightforward melodically and rhythmically, I may actually be able to manage it. Either way, sounds like there is a path forward with Kontakt for me.

In reply to by lautier

Hi, lautier.
I use kontakt, but Ron says you need a host program (DAW) since kontakt is a sampler, in which you can load libraries and effects, etc.

In my case I use FL (you have lots of daw with different prices and some free).

The first step is to make the score, for example in Musescore, you can add the maximum information, dynamics, volume, tempos etc, although this is modified in the daw with work.

Once finished it is exported in midi (in Musescore) and opening the daw is imported as midi.
Each instrument is assigned to a channel (this can be modified, created, deleted, etc.)

From here it is about assigning sounds to those midi channels, it can be done with kontakt or with any vsti, in the free field there are interesting things although most are paid.

As you comment, you think to use the bookstores that come with kontakt, very well, at first it seems to me successful until you get all the operation, then you can go acquiring things from other houses (they are quite expensive).

Well, you have the channels with your instruments, the next step depends on the daw, there are differences, in my case I charge a channel with kontakt (or several kontakt, depending on the number of instruments).

I open kontakt from the daw (.dll) and load the libraries in kontakt, for example 1 guitar and a cello.

In the container of the DAW for kontakt (wrapper) I have to place a number (INPUT PORT - different for each instance) and in the instrument another channel number, for each instrument.
Once configured kontakt I go to the MIDIS channels that I have imported (guitar and cello), I have assigned the kontakt wrapper the number 1 (each instance a different number), the guitar I assigned the channel 1 and the cello the 2 , so in the midi channel of the guitar you have to place in PORT the number 1 (kontakt instance) and in channel 1 for the guitar, 2 for the cello.

Another thing that has to be done in kontakt and that I forgot is to configure the outputs so that the sound goes independent to the mixer and then we can manipulate it, reverb, eq, compressor, etc.)
This is easy, you have to open outputs, one for each instrument and assign them in the PROCESSING tab (in FL) 1, 2, 3, etc.

With this we get to have the separate instruments in the MIXER.

This whole subject is easy but not intuitive, so if you have questions ask or watch videos in YTB about the daw and kontakt.

Another topic that you comment is that at the moment you do not think to introduce with keyboard the notes, I do it this way, in the daw we have a piano roll to manipulate everything, velocity, volume, effects, sizes, notes, etc.
Everything by hand and takes a lot of work, it is difficult to achieve the realism of playing live.
Sometimes you can find works touched in midi by people who are more realistic, you can use those midis, they are humanized.

This would give for hours because you have to know many things, for example mix and use all the tools of the daw, eq, pan, reverb, compressor, limiter, etc.
But to give you an idea these are the things you must know to achieve the purpose you mention.

I'll make a simple outline of the steps (in FL), greetings.

MUSESCORE export midi

FL import midi

CHANNELS FL
channel 1 guitar PORT = 1 channel = 1 (PORT 1 is the instance of kontakt, PORT 2 other kontakt..)
channel 2 cello PORT = 1 channel = 2
channel 3 ....... PORT = 1 channel = 3 etc
kontakt ( another channel)

IN KONTAKT
create outputs 1, 2, 3, etc
instrument guitar Port A (from host) = 1 output = 1
instrument cello Port A (from host) = 2 output = 2, etc.......

WRAPPER FL
Input port = 1 (instance)
Processing 1. Kt. st. 1 / Kt. st. 1 R = 1
2. Kt. aux 1 / Kt. aux 1 R = 2 etc......

with this, each instrument is assigned in the mixer separately to manipulate, all this is joined in the master that is the final sound that we export to different formats, wav, mp3, flac, etc.
Before that in the mixer we have configured each instrument to our liking to make a whole, for it is given panoramic, volume, eq, reverb to place the sounds in the stereo space, etc.

In reply to by lautier

With some images it is better understood and this way it can be valid for other people who want to start mixing.

I have exported the midi from Musescore and import it into Fl,
menu File - Import - Midi file

I have done a short midi with violin and cello to try.
I created two channels, one for each instrument, if there were eight instruments I would create eight, correlatives.

On another channel I add kontakt (we have to have it in a VST folder and tell FL the route, only the first time)
in the following way:
menu Channels - Add one - kontakt 5 (if it does not appear in the list you have to scan as follows:
menu Channels - Add one - More - Refresh - fast scan; it appears in red, click on kontakt 5 and it will be available forever.

Imagen1.png

Now we open kontakt, we load the violin and the cello, it creates an output by default, but we need another one for the cello.
In the outputs tab we can create the ones that we need, in this case another one, the 2.

Imagen2.png

To the violin we assign the output 1 and the cello the 2 that we have created

Imagen3.png

We have to change the ports, the violin is assigned the 1, we assign the cello to the 2

Imagen4.png

In the container of kontakt (wrapper) we must assign a port (instance of kontakt) in input port, I have assigned a 1, if we load another kontakt we can place the 2 and .......

Imagen5.png

In the Processing tab, we place the outputs of the two instruments 1 and 2.

Imagen6.png

We have already configured kontakt, now we must relate the channels that we have imported with the kontakt instruments so that they take control.
I have changed the default names for those of the instrument, clicking on the channel we open the channel configuration window, in this case we have selected the cello and in PORT we place 1 (instance of kontakt) and in channel the number that we have given to the instrument within kontakt, in this case 2, the violin is 1, the rest is not played, they are inherited midi data.

Imagen7.png

If we have taken the correct steps, in the mixer the first channel will be the violin and the second the cello, independent, the master is the main channel where all the other independent channels are mixed.

Imagen8.png

It is time to open the piano roll from the midi channel, here we see the notes of the violin, the cello notes of the other channel as ghost (reference) and below we have the velocity bars to handle the dynamics, one by one or by selections.

Imagen9.png

To get an idea, I have loaded an eq and a reverb into the violin channel of the mixer, now that the kontakt sounds of the libraries are the ones in control, it is time to mix and as a last step, export to wav, mp3 etc, using menu File - Export
Imagen10.png

In reply to by goranire

This is so gracious of you to post all of this and extraordinarily helpful...thank you a thousand times. I had been on the fence about the DAW but for simplicity's sake I'll download the FL trial and start playing around with this. Given the space requirements for Kontakt I suppose I'll bite the bullet on getting a new laptop, too. This is not a cheap hobby. :-D But I'll configure everything in a few days and see what I can make happen. I feel much better informed than I was a week ago, thank you.

In reply to by lautier

I'm glad it's useful.
I made the explanation with Fl because it is the one I have, but you will know that there are many daws in the market.
You have to decide what type of music you want to do and find the most suitable one, for example with FL you can do everything, but it is more specialized in electronic music, this does not prevent doing classical, baroque, classical guitar, etc (which is what I do , amateur).
Maybe other daw's are easier for this (I do not know).
Assuming that English is your language, it is very easy to find info in YTB on any daw, vsti, vst, etc.

In any case if you need help in something do not hesitate to ask, I have learned everything I know this way.

a greeting

In reply to by lautier

Beefy is what my machine isn't :)

Plugins all take a lot of your CPU availability and memory.
So if you have a really old machine like mine that has 4G of Ram you run into limits all the time... Yes one off the shelf but not an entry level machine,

Mac OS X 10.11, macOS 10.12 or 10.13 (latest update), i5
Windows 7, Windows 8, or Windows 10 (latest Service Pack), Intel Core i5 or equivalent CPU

An Internet connection and a graphics card that supports OpenGL 2.1 or higher are required to download and activate this product.

Once installed and activated, the product can be used offline.
4 GB RAM (6 GB recommended for large KONTAKT Instruments)

https://www.native-instruments.com/en/products/komplete/samplers/kontak…

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