Native Instruments Komplete 15

Kontakt remains at the heart of Komplete 15 and NI introduced some significant improvements in Kontakt 8 including a revised UI, the new Tools functionality and Conflux, a powerful new hybrid instrument.

Can NI make Komplete even more complete?

I reviewed the impressive update to Native Instruments’ Kontakt in last month’s SOS December 2024 issue but, alongside the move to Kontakt 8, Komplete has also been refreshed. Available in multiple versions and at different prices, each Komplete bundle includes Kontakt alongside differing selections of virtual instruments, plug‑ins and expansion packs, some NI branded and others supplied by various NI partners.

Komplete updates operate over a regular two‑year cycle and SOS last reviewed it in the December 2022 issue. Even version 14, by the time you got up into the top two tiers of the product, represented an amazing range of sounds, spanning virtually every musical genre you could imagine. For busy media composers, sat alongside your DAW of choice, Komplete 14 could easily be the ‘one‑stop shop’ for all your virtual instrument and sample needs. All of which begs the obvious question: two years on, just what can NI add to make Komplete 15, well... more complete?

The Komplete Range

There are three main versions of Komplete 15; Standard, Ultimate and Collector’s Edition. The tiers go from 95+ instruments and effects/50+ expansion packs in Standard up to a whopping 165+ instruments and effects/120+ expansion packs in Collector’s Edition, and the tier pricing reflects the different level of content.

There is, of course, upgrade pricing for existing Komplete users and, similarly, upgrade paths between the various tiers. NI also offer the introductory Komplete 15 Select and this is now available in three genre‑flavoured versions — Beats, Band and Electronic — each of which provides a compact selection of instruments, expansions and plug‑ins to suit productions within their respective musical styles and can be used alongside the free‑to‑download Player version of Kontakt 8. Incidentally, NI also offer a three‑tier subscription model with their 360 option, which also includes a free trial period. If you want to explore NI’s sonic world without a significant initial outlay, there are therefore multiple ways to do so.

First, Kontakt

While last month’s dedicated Kontakt review covers the main details of what’s new in Kontakt 8, given that it is an integral part of the three main Komplete tiers, there are a number of key headlines that bear repeating here. First, Kontakt itself has undergone a UI refresh, delivering some obvious workflow enhancements. Second, under‑the‑hood advances to Kontakt’s synthesis features have enabled NI to include a new instrument — Conflux — as part of the Kontakt 8 package. NI describe this as something of a first for Kontakt as it is a hybrid engine, combining both sampling and synthesis technology. Media composers will love it.

Third, Kontakt 8 adds a new feature called Tools, two of which — Chords and Phrases — are included within this first iteration. These can be thought of as MIDI performance utilities offering easy triggering of complex chords and full melodic phrases from a single key press and are available to use with any Kontakt instrument/library. Fourth, Kontakt 8 has a further new instrument called Leap. This provides a ‘sampler within a sampler’ option, allowing the user to trigger both loops and one‑shot samples in a very creative (and rather Output Arcade‑style) workflow. New Leap Expansions are offered to support the instrument but, rather wonderfully, you can also drag‑and‑drop your own samples into Leap and make use of samples within NI’s long‑standing Expansions (those aimed primarily at Maschine), many of which are included within each of the Komplete tiers.

Finally, it’s worth noting that all the under‑the‑hood scripting that provides the new functionality described here is also available to Kontakt’s third‑party developer community. Expect to see this exploited in new ways and in new instruments very soon.

New To Komplete

Aside from those offered by their many third‑party partners, NI produce a regular flow of their own individual new instruments and expansions in between Komplete update cycles. Selections of these then make their way into the various Komplete tiers when Komplete itself is refreshed. While these may not be ‘new’ (and some users may have purchased a selection of them as individual products), they are new to Komplete.

With over 40 new instruments and expansions over the last two‑year cycle, this represents a lot of potential ‘new to Komplete’ content. To avoid filling the whole issue, I’ll therefore focus on the headline instrument additions within each of the three main Komplete tiers. However, if you need to confirm the status of a specific instrument, expansion or plug‑in within a particular Komplete tier, NI’s website does have a very comprehensive comparison list that is well worth consulting.

Raising The Standard

In terms of those instrument addition highlights, the Standard edition gets some very good new offerings. For example, two new Session Bassist titles are now included; Icon Bass and Upright Bass. Both of these follow the usual ‘Session’ instrument format, offering a collection of style‑based performance patterns that will follow your root note/chord triggers, and a ‘melody’ option with a compact selection of performance articulations that allow you to play it like any other conventional sample‑based instrument. Upright Bass is particularly characterful, but NI’s Session instrument series has been around for quite some time and the capabilities and sonic quality have continued to improve. For anyone needing a genuinely solid, professional‑sounding, bass line — pretty much in an instant — these are both great options.

Komplete 15 adds two new Session Bassist titles; Upright Bass (shown here) and Icon Bass.

Also new to Standard is Karriem Riggin Drums, which provides some jazz‑flavoured hip‑hop drums and related patterns. In a straightforward Play Series‑style UI, you can access a number of very cool kits, trigger sets of patterns and tweak the sounds via some easy‑to‑use macro‑style controls. MIDI patterns can also be dragged and dropped into your DAW for further editing. You can also dig under the hood to edit the properties of the underlying kit or customise the effects options.

If electric pianos appeal, Standard adds the ‘Tines Duo’ — Phoenix and Diamond — and these deliver an excellent selection of retro‑flavoured electric piano sounds in a very stylish UI. I particularly like Diamond, which sounds wonderful and is capable of some beautiful ringing tones. If your keyboard skills are limited, both are a lot of fun with the new Chords and Phrases Tools. Both also offer some great sound‑design options thanks to the included processing that’s derived from effects built into Guitar Rig Pro.

The new Session Percussionist instrument is a brilliant addition to all three tiers of Komplete 15.

However, if I had to pick two personal favourites from the ‘now included in Standard’ list it would be Session Percussionist and Scene: Saffron. As with all the NI Session series titles, Session Percussionist combines a very good underlying sample base (over 50 different percussion instruments) that you can play manually, with a very creative performance system that allows you to trigger multiple pattern variations with simple MIDI key triggers. At one level, it is incredibly easy to use and is capable of adding some stellar percussion to almost any project. However, pop into the Editor page and you can take as much control as you wish, both in sound selection and pattern editing, while the Mixer page lets you control instrument placement and ambience. Whether it’s pop, Latin, funk, hip‑hop, many electronic styles, or for cinematic applications, Session Percussionist is a truly versatile choice.

Small but beautifully formed, Scene: Saffron provides a very accessible source of pads and soundscapes that can instantly set a mood in a cue.

Scene: Saffron is the first of a new ‘Scene’ series from NI. As implied by the Scene label, it’s aimed primarily at media composers and, while it’s based around a compact set of samples and a streamlined UI not dissimilar to many of the Play series titles, it provides a really accessible way to generate drones and atmospheres that can easily form the core of a cue. The concept is not particularly new — you can blend two sound sources together via an X/Y pad while also modulating the sound via some macro‑style effects — but it sounds great. The focused format is something aspiring media composers will find it both very accessible and genuinely useful.

A couple of final observations on the Standard edition. First, and rather commendably, it does include all 22 of the current Play Series instruments, and this list includes relatively new titles such as Nacht, Bouquet, Duets and the excellent Glaze 2 (pop and hip‑hop vocals) and Utopia (some excellent trance synths, basses, pads and arpeggios). Second, do note that Standard does not include much by way of NI’s more conventional classical instrument options. If orchestral scoring is your thing, I suspect you would need to step up to one of the more expensive Komplete tiers.

Even More Ultimate

The Ultimate edition of Komplete 15 adds yet more instruments. For example, from the Spotlight series (each of which has a regional flavour), Ireland offers a range of traditional Irish instruments — including tin whistles, fiddles, Irish harp and bodhrán — in a sample‑based format. With combinations of performance articulations and some useful performance phrases/patterns included, it makes a great starting point for anyone needing to add a Celtic flavour to a project. Ultimate also includes Schema: Light (to sit alongside Schema: Dark), offering a powerful melodic/rhythmic sequencing engine based around a set of ‘lighter’ instrument options such as bells, xylophones, various metals, glass and so on. Again, it’s perhaps a niche media composer tool but it would also work in some more experimental styles.

Based around a range of different vocal sound sources, Vocal Colors also hits the ‘experimental’ nail on the head. The organic nature of the samples comes through but, in most cases, they are heavily processed to provide some otherworldly sonic outcomes. The UI lets you dig into the sound layers, sample processing and modulation options should you wish, and you can also import your own samples into the engine. Yes, it’s also a somewhat niche instrument but the sounds would bring something pretty unique to almost any musical project.

As mentioned above, Ultimate is where a greater number of NI’s conventional orchestral instruments start to appear and these include titles such as Action Strikes, the excellent Action Strings 2 and a range of the Symphony Essentials titles covering each of the main orchestral sections. However, Ultimate also adds two more recent titles; Valves (but not Valves Pro; that’s in the Collector’s Edition) and Action Woodwinds. Valves offers some beautiful brass ensemble sounds with automatic distribution of any MIDI notes across the section in an intelligent fashion. In a similar vein, Action Woodwinds does for the woodwind section what Actions Strings 2 does for the string section in that it provides sample‑based sounds and a powerful performance engine. You can create credible ensemble performances with just a few chords while, at the same time, controlling the performance dynamics via the mod wheel. Just as with products such as Sonuscore’s The Score or EastWest’s Hollywood Orchestra, writing fully‑formed orchestral cues should not be this easy... but it is, and it’s rather wonderful.

If I had to pick three personal highlights from Ultimate’s new additions, they would be Session Guitarist Acoustic Sunburst Deluxe, Session Ukulele and Alicia’s Electric Keys. Conceptually, the first two are exactly what you would expect from previous Session Guitarist titles. However, I’ll add that, in sonic terms, Acoustic Sunburst sounds absolutely fabulous. If your project needs a top‑notch guitar part in double quick time, this is a heck of a way to get a result. Session Ukulele is equally good and, if you are familiar with those ‘positive and uplifting’ lifestyle cues that are a popular staple of advertisers, then a combination of Session Ukulele and Session Percussionist provide a pretty impressive means of rolling your own.

Perfect ukulele performances in an instant thanks to Session Ukulele.

The original Alicia’s Keys acoustic piano instrument was very popular, and I suspect Alicia’s Electric Keys — based upon samples of the Grammy‑winning artist’s own CP‑70 electric grand — will prove equally so. The underlying piano sound is undeniably great, but the UI opens up a whole range of processing, sound‑design and effects options, letting you craft the perfect tone for your project. The end result is both classy and inspiring to play and I can imagine we are going to hear it on plenty of high‑end commercial pop and R&B tracks.

The rather wonderful Alicia’s Electric Keys is now part of Komplete 15 Ultimate and above.

Komprehensive Collection

By the time you get into the Collector’s Edition, the bundle includes many more of the high‑end versions of NI’s various ensemble and solo orchestral instruments. Indeed, many of the additional products in the Collector’s Edition are at the top end of the NI tree and aimed very much at film and media composers. In terms of new additions (and as mentioned earlier), Collector’s Edition now includes Valves Pro. The Pro version brings more detailed sampling, considerably more performance articulations, Ensemble and Solo modes with comprehensive keyswitching for articulations, more performance phrases and multiple microphone choices. Valves is already great; Valves Pro is even better.

Once you go behind the slick main display, Valves Pro offers a deep editing experience for your brass performances.

Also new to the top tier of Komplete is Fables, which now joins both Arkhis and Lores from NI’s cinematic/sound design range. Fables is built around a combination of orchestral and organic sounds but includes processed and synthetic elements within an engine that is designed for crafting soundscapes. While the organic nature of the underlying sample base undoubtedly comes through (so you could easily use this instrument within the context of an orchestral score), it offers sound blends and performance options that it would be very difficult to imagine scoring with just a conventional orchestral palette. Mod wheel, expression pedal and polyphonic aftertouch provide plenty of modulation and performance dynamics. The end results are pretty epic; these are sounds that would sit quite happily in a blockbuster film score.

All of which brings us to the highlight new addition to the Collector’s Edition; Kithara. Available as a standalone purchase, Kithara was launched alongside the new versions of Komplete 15 and Kontakt 8 and, commendably for a brand‑new product, rolls straight into the top tier of Komplete 15. Created in collaboration with NI partners Audio Imperia, Kithara provides a collection of deeply sampled guitars and plucked instruments (for example, balalaika, mandolin and ronroco), played in both conventional and unconventional ways. The engine lets you blend up to four of the underlying sources into attack, two sustain, and release sound slots. The sound‑design options are almost endless, with comprehensive layer editing, effects and a ‘fragments’ engine. The latter is particularly interesting as it allows you to add flutter‑like additional notes into the overall sound. Much like Valves Pro does with brass sounds, Kithara lets you generate music that’s undoubtedly guitar/string instrument based, but in ways that it’s very difficult to imagine you could do with a conventional series of the individual instruments. Yes, it is very much a specialised sound, but the end results are some truly beautiful sonic textures.

Full of some amazing string‑based instrument combinations and plenty of sound‑design options, Kithara, NI’s brand new cinematic instrument, is included in the Collector’s Edition.

Plug‑ins & Partners

While I’ve focused here on the instrument line‑ups, Komplete also includes a huge number of plug‑in effects and sound/sample expansions, as well as even more instruments, so I ought to finish with some comments on that front. First, alongside Kontakt 8 itself, it’s worth noting that all three of the main tiers also include Massive X (NI’s flagship software synth), Guitar Rig 7 Pro and iZotope’s Ozone 11 Standard. There are a range of other virtual synths across the range also, the bulk of which appear in all three tiers, with the only exceptions being Flesh, Razor, Skanner XT (found in Ultimate and above) and the powerful Knifonium (only in Collector’s Edition).

The various studio and creative effects options do miss a few of the more high‑profile options in Standard (for example, the Brainworx console channel strips and a selection of very nice compressor and reverb emulations) but, by the time you get to Ultimate, it’s a pretty comprehensive array of options. In terms of the sound/sample expansion packs, all three tiers include the 12 new Leap Expansions and 19 Massive and Massive X synth preset Expansions, while of the original sound pack‑style Expansions, you get 22, 48 and 95 respectively within the three tiers.

Going Up?

Phew! That’s undoubtedly a lot of new stuff and, while Komplete was already a pretty bumper package — especially in the Ultimate and Collector’s Edition versions — NI have managed to find plenty of new additions to add to the different collections. It’s worth remembering that Komplete 15 includes Kontakt 8, which itself is priced at £269$299 (new) or £89 (upgrade) and, as the most widely used platform for virtual instruments on the planet, that’s not a trivial consideration.

Obviously, every purchase decision is a very personal thing, balancing how well the product meets your needs and the available budget. However, given the upgrade pricing for the three Komplete tiers, and quite how much new content is included in each, I do think NI are providing great value for money. In terms of a those considering a new purchase, I think the Ultimate version represents the sweet spot for value, but it remains a significant investment. If your music creation pays the bills, then maybe that’s simply something you have to build into your annual (or, for Komplete, bi‑annual) planning. However, if such an investment represents a significant commitment, then I do think giving NI’s 360 subscription a couple of months might represent a sensible first step.

Komplete 15 does have competition. For example, products such as EastWest’s Composer Cloud or Musio by Cinesamples also offer huge arrays of virtual instrument content and are most certainly well worth considering alongside Komplete to see which might provide the best fit for your own personal creative/budget needs. However, it is difficult to deny that Komplete 15 is very impressive. It’s full of top‑notch virtual instruments, plug‑ins and sound content. Depending upon where you are at in your own music production journey, any of the three main versions — Standard, Ultimate or Collector’s Edition — would provide an amazingly creative sonic palette to sit alongside your DAW.

With Komplete 15, NI have simply made an even stronger case for Komplete as a ‘one‑stop shop’ for all your virtual instrument, effects, creative tools and sound content needs.

Budget aside, the main problem with the top two tiers might be finding the time to fully explore all Komplete has to offer. However, even if you fail in this regard, I can say that the journey itself is a heck of a lot of fun. With Komplete 15, NI have simply made an even stronger case for Komplete as a ‘one‑stop shop’ for all your virtual instrument, effect , creative tool and sound content needs. In its Ultimate and Collector’s Edition forms, Komplete 15 is, indeed, compellingly complete.