Hey again edjay - I've just been looking and listening through some of the Sampletekk offerings - their website does not inspire great confidence but it seems like the priority is on the sampling, which is definitely on a much higher level. I have to agree that the Old Lady Steinway sounds pretty fabulous for $50 - rich, warm, detailed and powerful - and I'm putting it onto my might-just-buy-this-one-of-these-days list, despite the fact that I have all the NI pianos and Truepianos full. 

direct link:
http://www.sampletekk.com/proddetail.php?prod=PMIDELIVER-004-FORMAT

Umm, Kontakt 4 player is a free download (along with the other main engines in Komplete Players) and is non-expiring. You just have to register them with the included serial numbers. Trust me, you do want to do this.  
http://www.native-instruments.com/#/en/products/producer/komplete-7-players/?page=1589

Some good stuff in the basic library that comes with it, and you'll get used to the interface of what is pretty much hands-down the best software sampler on the planet, not to mention the other engines. The only downside is that you will find you want the full meal deal sooner or later - but when funds allow, I would submit that the Komplete collection is probably the best bang for the buck in the entire world of computer music.     
 
I don't work for them or anything, I just think they make great stuff and when you see and hear what it does, you'll realize there's very little else that compares. 

Ok, installation of the Kontakt 7 Players complete.

I joined their forum and posted to find out how I access the Service Centre to activate it without an Internet connection on my music computer. Any ideas?

edjay - Have you installed the Service Center? It should have installed a PDF manual alongside, it's in the same directory. There's a section about offline registration, starting on page 18. Here's the relevant info, minus the screengrabs which should guide you through what you're looking at...

----

3.2 Offline Activation
If your computer is not connected to the internet, you need to activate your NATIVE INSTRUMENTS products in Offline mode. In that case you will need a second computer
that has internet access. As described in chapter 1.3 “Internet Connection failed”, choose Offline mode - Continue without connection to the internet. The Offline Activation Assistant Screen appears (see below).

You have to perform the steps described in the following sections in order to activate a product in Offline mode.

3.2.1 Create an Activation Request File
Click Create to proceed with the activation procedure. A list with all inactivated products is shown. Enter the serial number for the NATIVE INSTRUMENTS products you want to activate and click Create. An Activation Request File will be created. Save this file on a portable storage device, e.g. an USB stick.

3.2.2 Transfer and open the Activation Request File
Take the Activation Request File (*.arf) to a computer with internet access, using the portable storage device.
Open the Activation Request File on the computer with internet access by double-clicking it. A page will open in your standard web browser.
Follow the instructions displayed in the browser. Click Send to be forwarded to our website. Depending on whether or not you have a NATIVE INSTRUMENTS User Account, choose either Yes - I do have an NATIVE INSTRUMENTS Account and enter your Login data or choose No - I don’t have an NATIVE INSTRUMENTS Account and register.
At the end of the Online activation procedure click Next to download the Activation Return File (ActivationReturnFile.naf) and save it on your portable medium.

3.2.3 Transfer the Activation Return File and activate the product
Transfer the Activation Return File (*.naf) to the computer with the products you want to activate.

Open SERVICE CENTER and go to the Offline Activation Assistant Screen again. Click Open to load the Activation Return File. The results of the activation procedure are shown on the next screen.


After having activated your NATIVE INSTRUMENTS product successfully, SERVICE CENTER normally checks for product updates. The Update Service is not available in Offline mode, hence you should use a computer with internet access and download
the updates from the support section of the NATIVE INSTRUMENTS website.

subtlearts

3.2 Offline Activation.............

OK, thanks; that was pretty (read - words and expletives fail me!) traumatic - how anyone can create such a complex registration and activation procedure for a free player literally defies belief! I can only assume they enjoy it? Ok, rant over.

I've had a look at the grand piano in the Kore Player straight away and it's really noisy - pops, clicks and loads of crackling. It sounds similar to CPU overdrive - checked that and that's not it. Just holding one finger on a note produces lots of noises apart from the piano note??? (The more keys I press, the more noise there are?)

Had a quick look at some of the processed sounds, and wow, you're right, quite worth a whole days download and registration. So now I have half a million instruments in 17 languages..................and a noisy piano? 

I've gone back to using my trusty MDA piano freebie for now and I'll spend the next few days trying to figure out where this noise is coming from. There's no point in me ordering a module until I've got that sorted out. Thanks, I'll get there eventually.

Thanks for the X1 suggestion Andy but I don't have X1 yet: Though I'm glad to say, I ordered it yesterday and it'll be here some time next week.

Laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaater......

subtlearts


Have you tried it using only the Kontakt Player, i.e. not running in Kore Player?

Not yet: I thought the Kore player was for playing the sounds?

I'll definitely go with the suggestion of the Old Lady, but I need to sort this crackling first.

You mentioned dual cores, so I need to go and have a look at all the settings and preferences; I didn't have much time earlier today.

More later.

Offline Registration = good for the heart-rate! :)

subtlearts


  ......a lesson in maintaining Zen-like calm under trying circumstances. 

Aye, it works fine until you get wound up. :)

Sonic Synth 2..........OMG, four at a time please.

Checked for 2 cores - enabled, then found "instrument pre-load buffer size" with the option to overide from 60kB; this got rid of some other clicks in KontaKt 4, but the piano in Kore remains the same - it's name is "Dubplate Piano". I think it might be a very reasonable sound otherwise.

Found the other piano you mentioned.....yep.....bad.

The "Classic" bass is very usable, no tweaks and I've got a new song section going with that straight away. Good solid sound.

I'm getting to like the idea that I can add new instruments to the same players - far from familiarity being contemptuous, it means I can relax in a few months when I'm familiar with them. I don't need lots of instruments, but it will give me a good chance to refine the ones I need over time. I can see that it will be worth spending time with this bundle.

I shall consider myself pointed in the right direction. Time to get familiar with the NI forum too.

Great tips thanks

OK mystery solved. I had to actually install the Kore Player to get that sample set, I don't know why it had gone missing but so it goes in computer land. I think in retrospect it may have been in the system because it was part of a free set called 'compilation' I had installed at one point which must have gotten uninstalled but left its patches in a folder somewhere. 

But I don't mean my mystery - I mean your mystery of crackles and pops. Yes, they're there on my system too - and I think they're deliberate. That sound is part of a sample set called Urban Arsenal which is oriented at hip-hop and related styles. It would seem that there's a sound layer of vinyl record scratches in there which is what you're hearing and why it won't go away. I gather that's the reason for the 'dubplate' in the name, as well. 

On my system the piano also doesn't respond to the sustain pedal, which is kind of limiting... I have to say I don't find it a particularly good piano at all, but hey - one man's fish is another man's poisson, as they say in France. Nevertheless, it shouldn't be hard to beat that one... 

I found you a free option, the Maestro Concert Grand, which seems pretty durn good on first blush - I haven't played it but the samples sound quite respectable, and the price is right...
http://sonimusicae.free.fr/matshelgesson-maestro-en.html


oh, and here's a few thoughts on library sizes, from a guy who knows something about them:
http://williamcoakley.com/articles.php?article=bigger.php

subtlearts, what a great find!  I downloaded the demos and gave a listen, and this library is surprisingly good for a freebie. I'm going to download it tonight and subject it to the acid test tomorrow: play it solo, then plug it into a dense pop project.

oooh - good point Glyn - I hadn't thought of that. I recently asked another vendor about this and they told me that it requires a special license for 3d party vendors to make libraries compatible with the Player version - Sonicouture does it with some of their libraries, for example, but many smaller vendors don't have the license. So it's quite possible (even probable) that the Old Lady will not work without a full version of Kontakt. 

I suspect that means the free Maestro won't work either (they recommend a freeware player called Synthfont, at www.synthfont.com, but warn that it's not particularly user-friendly). So, edjay, I may have led you up a blind alley after all, albeit with the best intentions. Sorry! 

I guess for under $50 you're back to either Pianissimo or the Sonic Reality Pianos Collection. Out of interest, you can get the latter for about $35 this weekend only (cinco de mayo / mother's day sale) at esoundz:
http://www.esoundz.com/details.php?ProductID=4737

You would have to enter the coupon code 'CINCO15' (minus quotes) in the cart at checkout, which takes $15 off the full price. Oh, and while you're at it, you could refer me for the epointz bonus, my name is 'subtlearts' there as well. That would get us both $5 in epointz bonus for another purchase (these do not expire, unlike the IK ones). 

Again, that would get you a really quite decent Yamaha concert grand, a bunch of other decent pianos, and a large selection of electric pianos including a very good CP70. Hard to go very wrong for 35 beans. 

For reference, this WILL work with no limitations with the SampleTank Free player (I think you already downloaded this one?). 

Hope that helps!

Disappointment all round here, please check your facts gentlmen.

I found an ad for kontakt 2 at over $300 new, so I doubt it would be peanuts 2nd hand.

http://www.nlegear.com/NI-KONTAKT-2.html

Found this on my travels: The first demo is the best I've heard yet.

http://www.artvista.net/Virtual_Grand_Piano.html

subtlearts

I take it you're not interested in the Sonic Reality ones for SampleTank then? I think I'll stop suggesting things now. 

Lots of things here subtlearts: The sampletank is another huge download and installation process, the first one of which, you saw the results of. Plus, it's a workstation and I'm trying to keep things simple. I don't want another workstation, I have a DAW and out boards and software and I'm about to get X1 as well as Win 7. How much more is one person supposed to need to create songs without going completely insane on technology overload to the point of creative inertia?? I'm looking for a piano, one piano that can fit my very meager means at the moment.

The "go figure" is just rude - I'd already made the download and installation of kontakt and kore player and the Helgesson and spent "x" amount of time and mind following all the various suggested possibilities over several days.

My apologies for not mentioning the tip-off about them not working without a full version of kontakt, but it was after most of the work was done.

I've now downloaded and installed the Tascam CV piano as another test.

I mentioned the Art Vista as a point of interest regarding quality.

I'm sorry if that's put your nose out of joint but that all cost me a lot of time and focus.

MDA Piano

Kurtly


MDA Piano

That's what I'm using at the moment - pretty good for such a simple freebie.

Thanks

bitflipper

OK, "peanuts" is an undefined term.

I agree.  :)  I've found an option for kontakt 2 in Oz, but it's a package of other software too, so I'm waiting for a reply to some questions just to make sure it is the full, stand-alone version that I can add a piano to.