Multiple instrument control in Kontakt

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sepulchre
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11 Sep 2017

Hello,
I'm trying to rig Kontakt in Reason to have multiple outputs, for multiple instruments, not drums. How can various midi channels be assigned? Is there a way to make Reason see them so that there are midi tracks to control them? There are lots of tutorials but they're all about multi outs for drums - not what I'm looking for.
So, will I be forced to resort to a different DAW? Surely there's a way.

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MikeMcKew
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14 Sep 2017

sepulchre wrote:Hello,
I'm trying to rig Kontakt in Reason to have multiple outputs, for multiple instruments, not drums. How can various midi channels be assigned? Is there a way to make Reason see them so that there are midi tracks to control them? There are lots of tutorials but they're all about multi outs for drums - not what I'm looking for.
So, will I be forced to resort to a different DAW? Surely there's a way.
I spent a while trying to do this with no luck... Like you mentioned, I was only able to do this with drums. I believe I read somewhere that this specific feature is still lacking for VST support in Reason.

If I'm wrong and you figure it out, please let me know!

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk


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QVprod
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14 Sep 2017

You basically want multitimbral control. Currently not possible right now unfortunately. Hopefully that will change soon.

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sepulchre
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14 Sep 2017

Thanks Mike and QV. I thought that might be the case. Perhaps a future upgrade will address this issue. I certainly hope so.
In the mean time I found this method which was originally done to be able to use VSTs in Reason prior to v9.5. It involves using LoopMidi, a virtual cable, and treating the VST as an external instrument. I'm going to try it and I'll report any success (or failure) I have. It may mean a separate external instrument must be used for each instrument in Kontakt but I think that would be more efficient RAM and CPU wise than to have separate instances of Kontakt for the various instruments. My poor CPU has enough on its plate already.
Thanks again,
Ken

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sepulchre
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18 Sep 2017

Okay, that didn't work either. I could play the various instruments I had loaded in Kontakt but there was no way to hear them - Reason takes over all sound. So I guess I'll just wait for the Propellerhead boys to add this to Reason and use Studio One in the meantime. Not that S1 is bad, it's great in fact. But I was hoping to have multi out Kontakt in Reason too.

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selig
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18 Sep 2017

Maybe I'm just dense, but even in other hosts over the years I never like working with Kontakt multi-timbrally. Found it simpler to use individual instances of Kontact - maybe it uses more CPU, but the workflow worked better for me as I could leave each instance in edit mode and move around more quickly. Or maybe I was just being dense - are there any advantages besides CPU load to use Kontact this way?


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Selig Audio, LLC

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QVprod
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18 Sep 2017

selig wrote:
18 Sep 2017
Maybe I'm just dense, but even in other hosts over the years I never like working with Kontakt multi-timbrally. Found it simpler to use individual instances of Kontact - maybe it uses more CPU, but the workflow worked better for me as I could leave each instance in edit mode and move around more quickly. Or maybe I was just being dense - are there any advantages besides CPU load to use Kontact this way?


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Pretty much just CPU load. Otherwise, multiple instances is slightly more convenient since you don't have to route the separate outputs. Otherwise the only other benefit to multitimbral is for those who use multitimbral multis perhaps for Orchestral stuff.

AOS
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01 Jan 2018

Any update on this issue? Did Reason 10.01 resolve this? Any workaround besides multiple instances? Thanks

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sepulchre
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27 Jul 2018

@AOS: Nope. Unfortunately not.

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reddust
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08 Feb 2019

I guess there is still no update on this, am I right?

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jam-s
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08 Feb 2019

reddust wrote:
08 Feb 2019
I guess there is still no update on this, am I right?
Yes.

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esselfortium
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08 Feb 2019

Send Mattias at Propellerhead an email and tell him you want this, maybe it'll get added if they get enough messages about it.

There are Kontakt instruments that rely on the assumption you can send notes on multiple MIDI channels, for instance to control which strings a guitar plays notes on. Right now that functionality can't be accessed in Reason.

Similarly, Reason only wants to let me record automation for a small handful of the available midi CCs... mattias pls
Sarah Mancuso
My music: Future Human

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reddust
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11 Feb 2019

esselfortium wrote:
08 Feb 2019
Send Mattias at Propellerhead an email and tell him you want this, maybe it'll get added if they get enough messages about it.

There are Kontakt instruments that rely on the assumption you can send notes on multiple MIDI channels, for instance to control which strings a guitar plays notes on. Right now that functionality can't be accessed in Reason.

Similarly, Reason only wants to let me record automation for a small handful of the available midi CCs... mattias pls

I guess this might be the only way to get PH to do that, thanks for the suggestion I'll try to put my two cents on this query :)

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reddust
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11 Feb 2019

jam-s wrote:
08 Feb 2019
reddust wrote:
08 Feb 2019
I guess there is still no update on this, am I right?
Yes.
I first understood "yes, there's an update on this" but then I read my question again and realized it was "yes, I am right and there is no update" :puf_unhappy:

roselecowboy
Posts: 3
Joined: 11 Oct 2019

11 Oct 2019

sepulchre wrote:
18 Sep 2017
Okay, that didn't work either. I could play the various instruments I had loaded in Kontakt but there was no way to hear them - Reason takes over all sound. So I guess I'll just wait for the Propellerhead boys to add this to Reason and use Studio One in the meantime. Not that S1 is bad, it's great in fact. But I was hoping to have multi out Kontakt in Reason too.
Here is a workaround few years after your attempt. Actually, here is a guy who made it work.
viewtopic.php?t=7503055

Shame on Propellerhead. Every other daw works with one only multi-timbral Kontakt instance without this messy and CPU wasted solution...

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sepulchre
Posts: 13
Joined: 11 Dec 2015

12 Oct 2019

Yes, PH should have done something about this. Oh well.

@ roselecowboy: Unfortunately, the link you posted only takes me to the top of this thread. If you do know of a workaround besides multiple instances of Kontakt please let me know.

Thanks.

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Noiserunner
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Joined: 26 Sep 2018
Location: Munich, Germany

12 Oct 2019

Not a perfect way, but a way:

- Set up a Combinator with a mixer
- Load Kontakt as a VST into the Combinator
- Set up Kontakt with the wanted instruments and multiple outputs
- Wire each output of the Kontakt VST to the mixer in the Combinator
- Set the Combinator as record source
- Create note lanes for the Combinator for each Kontakt instrument
- Create audio tracks for each instrument and set the audio input to the Combinator
To compose or record each instrument in Kontakt separately, the different note lanes has to be soloed. Each instrument can be recorded to its own audio track.

A lot of clicking, but audio files with single Kontakt instruments can easily be rerecorded after changing the midi information in the note lanes.
Compositions can be made by soloing the note lane and the mixer channel in the combinator and then working in the sequencer while playing the recorded audio tracks from the other instruments.
(MacBook Pro 13", some soft- and hardware)

roselecowboy
Posts: 3
Joined: 11 Oct 2019

18 Oct 2019

sepulchre wrote:
12 Oct 2019
Yes, PH should have done something about this. Oh well.

@ roselecowboy: Unfortunately, the link you posted only takes me to the top of this thread. If you do know of a workaround besides multiple instances of Kontakt please let me know.

Thanks.
@sepulchre

Here is the link (sorry) : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PPQupSMdqc

@ Noise
Quite a great tip. But all the fun to mess with midi track for every Kontak instument is lost. You have to record audio for each track after another.

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Lempface
Posts: 183
Joined: 27 Jan 2018

19 Oct 2019

I posted this guide a while back. You need a VST host that can directly access midi ports. I used Bidule but I think Element is another that can do this.

viewtopic.php?f=48&t=7505340&p=375845#p375845
Reason 11 Suite | Bitwig Studio 3 | Native Instruments Komplete 13 Ultimate Collector's | Komplete Kontrol M32 | Maschine Mikro MK2 | Maschine Jam

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