Native Instruments had the music geek scene on Twitter in a brief frenzy today when they announced the release of Komplete 6.
Komplete has always been an attractive bundle, providing just about every type of software instrument a producer could dream of. Look at what Komplete 5 offered:
- Absynth 4: A unique, flexible synthesizer
- Akoustik Piano: Recreations of upright and grand pianos
- B4 II: A recreation of the Hammond B3 organ
- Battery 3: A very flexible drum sampler
- Elektrik Piano 1.5: Recreations of classic electric pianos
- FM8: A powerful frequency modulation synthesizer
- Guitar Rig 3: Recreations of classic and modern guitar amps and effects
- Kontakt 3: One of the most capable software samplers on the market
- Massive: An analog-inspired synthesizer
- Pro-53: A recreation of the classic Sequential Circuits Prophet-5 synthesizer
- Reaktor 5: An incredibly powerful modular sound design and synthesis environment.
That’s a pretty versatile collection, to say the least. Now look at what Komplete 6 offers:
- Absynth 5
- Battery 3
- FM8
- Guitar Rig 4 Pro
- Kontakt 4
- Massive
- Reaktor 5
Absynth, Kontakt and Guitar Rig have all seen substantial upgrades, but the workhorse keyboard collection (Akoustik Piano, Elektrik Piano, B4 II and Pro-53) has disappeared. Granted, you could argue that the “vintage keys” craze is so 1999, and from a marketing perspective you would be right. Trouble is, NI doesn’t sell products to marketers. They sell to musicians, and these instruments are still used constantly in virtually every style of modern music.
The most troubling think about Komplete 6, however, is Reaktor. It has now been over four years since it received a major upgrade. While Reaktor may not be the most popular instrument in NI’s lineup, it’s the one that synth geek power users love the most because it provides them with the tools and freedom to build whatever they want. The importance of supporting this kind of innovative activity cannot be overstated. It has been the driving force behind every major advance in music technology, from Les Paul’s early experiments with multitrack recording to Tom Dowd’s 8-track, Bob Moog’s modular synthesizer and the current community of makers, circuit benders and iPhone programmers who are constantly seeking new ways to create sound and music.
Native Instruments had (and may still have) a chance to align themselves with the emerging DIY music tech scene, but by neglecting Reaktor for so long, they are alienating their most important users. Not the emo kid dialing in high gain guitar sounds through cheap headphones, the hack producer throwing other people’s loops together to make another generic pop track, or anyone else who would just as happily use another developer’s version of this year’s hottest app. They’re pushing aside the power users who would have stayed with them for the long term on the strengths of their most innovative products.
This is especially surprising in light of Cycling74‘s recent announcement of Max for Live, a version of Max/MSP (Reaktor’s only real competition) that is designed to integrate with Ableton Live. Ableton already has a strong following among electronic composers, and by teaming with Cycling74 they are demonstrating a solid understanding of their core user base.
One can only hope that Native Instruments will wake up and give their customers similar treatment.
Update: The Home Of Zargon details more issues with Native Instruments customer support.
