Organizing your Kontakt library

Author
Elffin
Max Output Level: -67 dBFS
  • Total Posts : 1196
  • Joined: 2007/02/11 16:49:19
  • Location: Wales
  • Status: offline
2014/11/15 10:47:15 (permalink)

Organizing your Kontakt library

Hi... been looking at my collection of third party libraries for Konakt and been wondering ....'what 3/4 quarters of em are!
 
Any tips in regards to sorting your sounds...
 
I did think about reorganizing using the database and to label them... but also considered classifying them in the quick load window.
I have some EWQL kontakt patches and they are based on Kontakt version 2 and therefore database rules can be applied.
Whats the easiest option to do?
 
#1

11 Replies Related Threads

    bitflipper
    01100010 01101001 01110100 01100110 01101100 01101
    • Total Posts : 26036
    • Joined: 2006/09/17 11:23:23
    • Location: Everett, WA USA
    • Status: offline
    Re: Organizing your Kontakt library 2014/11/15 11:10:29 (permalink)
    The Favorites feature in Kontakt is under-utilized by most users, at least it was by me for many years. I'd often remember the library but not the patch name. In Favorites I can list individual instruments and organize them by category. It gets cluttered in a hurry, so it's not the best solution for those with very large collections, but I find it helpful.


    All else is in doubt, so this is the truth I cling to. 

    My Stuff
    #2
    Glyn Barnes
    Max Output Level: -0.3 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 7564
    • Joined: 2009/06/10 05:12:31
    • Location: A Stone's Throw from the Line
    • Status: offline
    Re: Organizing your Kontakt library 2014/11/15 11:28:04 (permalink)
    I have them organised by developer but I don't think that's the best solution once the collection reaches a certain size. I will be interested to see what is suggested.

    Intel i7 3770K @4.4GHz, 32GB RAM, 240GB SSD System disk, 2 x 2TB and 1 x 1TB (with SSD Cache) HDD. Windows 10,  Sonar Platinum. Roland Quad Capture. 
    Music - Switchwater on Soundclick
    Music - Goldry Bluszco on Soundcloud
    #3
    Fleer
    Max Output Level: 0 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 8715
    • Joined: 2014/08/29 10:17:45
    • Location: Boston/Cambridge
    • Status: offline
    Re: Organizing your Kontakt library 2014/11/15 11:35:33 (permalink)
    Maybe the new Kontrol software could help (with or without a Kontrol S keyboard). Didn't try it out yet.
    #4
    Glyn Barnes
    Max Output Level: -0.3 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 7564
    • Joined: 2009/06/10 05:12:31
    • Location: A Stone's Throw from the Line
    • Status: offline
    Re: Organizing your Kontakt library 2014/11/15 12:02:57 (permalink)
    Fleer
    Maybe the new Kontrol software could help (with or without a Kontrol S keyboard). Didn't try it out yet.
    it is a good idea but I think it only works with registered libraries, and even then those that have had the metadata added.

    Intel i7 3770K @4.4GHz, 32GB RAM, 240GB SSD System disk, 2 x 2TB and 1 x 1TB (with SSD Cache) HDD. Windows 10,  Sonar Platinum. Roland Quad Capture. 
    Music - Switchwater on Soundclick
    Music - Goldry Bluszco on Soundcloud
    #5
    Elffin
    Max Output Level: -67 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 1196
    • Joined: 2007/02/11 16:49:19
    • Location: Wales
    • Status: offline
    Re: Organizing your Kontakt library 2014/11/15 18:37:51 (permalink)
    I've been doing it via developer... and list has just grown... so finding that right 'sound' is awkward...
     
    Might try and rearrange my quick load lists.... and place them into something like...
     
    Purchased libraries :   As the library appears...
     
    Synths :  
    - Bass,
    - Lead
    - Pad,
    - Fx 
    - Drum Machines
    - Hardware synths
    Acoustic:
    - Vocal
    - Strings
    - Woodwind
    - Brass
    - Percussion
    - Pianos
    - Guitars
    - Drum kits
    - Ethnic
    FX
    - Glitches
    - Nature
    - Events 
    - Bizarre
    Loops
    - Acoustic
    - Synthetic
     
    Any categories I've missed out on?
     
    Should be quite easy to drag and drop them... 
    An  also I'm sure that I can copy the quickload file and import into future versions of Kontakt.  Edit - added Pianos...
    #6
    swamptooth
    Max Output Level: -53 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 2229
    • Joined: 2012/04/16 15:44:21
    • Status: offline
    Re: Organizing your Kontakt library 2014/11/16 00:46:11 (permalink)
    Elffin
    FX
    - Glitches
    - Nature
    - Events 
    - Bizarre


    I'd add - More bizarre and -unrecognizable :D

     
    Arvid H. Peterson
    Sonar X3E Prod / X2A  / X1PE | Cubase 9.5.1 | Reason 9.5 | Sibelius7 | Pure Data
    Native-Instruments Komplete 10 Ultimate and a smattering of other plugins
    Home-brewed VSTs 
    Toshiba Satellite S855-S5378 (16GB RAM, modified with 2x 750GB HDDs, Windows 8.1 x64)  
    Samson Graphite 49, M-Audio Oxygen 49, Korg nanoPAD2, Webcam motion tracking programs 
    M-Audio Fast Track Ultra
    Member, ASCAP   


    #7
    wst3
    Max Output Level: -55.5 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 1979
    • Joined: 2003/11/04 10:28:11
    • Location: Pottstown, PA 19464
    • Status: offline
    Re: Organizing your Kontakt library 2014/11/16 11:00:03 (permalink)
    I keep the libraries themselves in a directory tree that is divided by locked, how they were acquired. In each of those trees I organize by developer. So on the disk, and in the files menu it looks something like:
    -- NI (stuff that shows up in the library pane, came with Kontakt or add-ons from NI)
    ---- Factory
    ---- Session Horns
    ---- Session Strings
    ---- etc...
    -- 3rd_Party (stuff that shows up in the library pane, developed by others)
    ---- Kirk Hunter
    ---- Heaviocity
    ---- Soniccouture
    ---- etc...
    -- Purchased (libraries I purchased, that need some form of authorization)
    ---- Project Sam
    ---- SoundIron
    ---- Chris Hein
    ---- etc...
    -- Demo (demos from developers that I might end up purchasing the full version)
    ---- currently empty
    -- Free (all the free stuff out there, and that's a lot)
    ---- Tonehammer
    ---- 8Dio
    ---- SoundIron
    ---- etc
    --Imports (stuff I've imported from old GS, EPS, and Akai libraries)
    ---- GigaStudio
    ---- EPS
    ---- S900
     
    Then, in Quick-Load I drag stuff in and arrange it by categories, pretty loose actually.
     
    - Orchestral
    -- Strings
    -- Winds
    -- Horns
    -- Percussion
    - Choirs
    - Sound Design
    - Guitars & Basses
    - Drums
    - Keys
    -- Pianos
    -- Electric Pianos
    -- Synths
    -- Organs
    - Pop/Jazz Horns
     
    In some cases I need to expand a little bit, for example I'm going to move "synths" up to the first level because it is getting a wee bit crowded.
     
    The database is a really cool feature, but I stopped using it a while ago because (a) the memory footprint was huge, and (b) it was a real pain to assign keywords to older libraries. I've since created a spreadsheet where I can rapidly assign keywords, and a script that I hope will load the database - still working out the kinks, and frankly it isn't a really high priority. And as I've recently built a machine with 32GB of memory I am hopeful that the memory penalty will be much less significant.

    The old Kore software did a nice job of finding stuff if you went through the pain and suffering to load it up. ZEN from Big Tick also looks promising, and the Kontrol program from NI could be good too, but I'm not willing to pay for it, and not tempted to upgrade to Komplete 10 yet.
     
    So for now I use my disk organization to find by vendor, and quick-load to find by sound - although I am certain there has to be a better way.

    -- Bill
    Audio Enterprise
    KB3KJF
    #8
    Elffin
    Max Output Level: -67 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 1196
    • Joined: 2007/02/11 16:49:19
    • Location: Wales
    • Status: offline
    Re: Organizing your Kontakt library 2014/11/16 17:22:26 (permalink)
    Thats interesting...
     
    I kept my files by developer  ... never conisdered browsing the directroy tree to load them directly..
     
    Seems you agree that the quick load can be used to classify sounds..
    #9
    jimusic
    Max Output Level: -64 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 1325
    • Joined: 2008/05/21 18:59:52
    • Location: Near Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    • Status: offline
    Re: Organizing your Kontakt library 2014/11/16 22:43:55 (permalink)
    Elffin
    I've been doing it via developer... and list has just grown... so finding that right 'sound' is awkward...
     
    Might try and rearrange my quick load lists.... and place them into something like...
     
    Purchased libraries :   As the library appears...
     
    Synths :  
    - Bass,
    - Lead
    - Pad,
    - Fx 
    - Drum Machines
    - Hardware synths
    Acoustic:
    - Vocal
    - Strings
    - Woodwind
    - Brass
    - Percussion
    - Pianos
    - Guitars
    - Drum kits
    - Ethnic
    FX
    - Glitches
    - Nature
    - Events 
    - Bizarre
    Loops
    - Acoustic
    - Synthetic
     
    Any categories I've missed out on?
     
    Should be quite easy to drag and drop them... 
    An  also I'm sure that I can copy the quickload file and import into future versions of Kontakt.  Edit - added Pianos...


    I do mine very similar to this using the quick load, but I'll have folders like 'Guitars' then the sub-folders 'Electric' or 'Acoustic'.
     
    Then another for 'Basses', 'Trumpets' [or Horns] etc.
     
    For things Like Hollow Sun and Embertone, I name their folders 'Hollow Sun 9 Odd Balls' and 'Embertone 8', so I know at a glance that there's 8 in that folder.
     
     



     
     
    #10
    sharke
    Max Output Level: 0 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 13933
    • Joined: 2012/08/03 00:13:00
    • Location: NYC
    • Status: offline
    Re: Organizing your Kontakt library 2014/11/17 02:16:48 (permalink)
    I have a real problem categorizing things. My brain just stops working when I run up against a category dilemma. I get this when I'm organizing and color coding tracks in a project. Take this bass synth. Should I group it with the synth tracks or the bass tracks? What about this stringed instrument simulator in Reaktor. Lump it in with the guitars or the synths? And then of course there's those wacky instruments which are part percussion, part tonal....

    James
    Windows 10, Sonar SPlat (64-bit), Intel i7-4930K, 32GB RAM, RME Babyface, AKAI MPK Mini, Roland A-800 Pro, Focusrite VRM Box, Komplete 10 Ultimate, 2012 American Telecaster!
    #11
    lawajava
    Max Output Level: -55 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 2040
    • Joined: 2012/05/31 23:23:55
    • Location: Seattle
    • Status: offline
    Re: Organizing your Kontakt library 2014/11/18 22:13:51 (permalink)
    Quick Load - it's the only way to fly!  Easy to add to, easy to organize, easy to jump to your various libraries.

    Two internal 2TB SSDs laptop stuffed with Larry's deals and awesome tools. Studio One is the cat's meow as a DAW now that I've migrated off of Sonar. Using BandLab Cakewalk just to grab old files when migrating songs.
    #12
    Jump to:
    © 2024 APG vNext Commercial Version 5.1