Talking About Native Instruments, A Supportive Company of the DTM World!

Hello! I’m Kaoru the composer!

Today, I would like to talk about Native Instruments (hereafter NI)—a name that every music producer (DTMer) is very familiar with.
NI has released a wide range of products aimed at DTMers and has become an essential presence in today’s music scene.

However, for players such as guitarists and bassists, it might not be as well known.

So! I would like to give an overview into what kind of company NI is and what kinds of products they have released.

■ What is NI?

NI (Native Instruments) is a company founded in 1996 in Berlin, Germany by Stephan Schmitt and Volker Hinz.
The company primarily develops, produces, and sells hardware and software for music production and DJ performance.

Among its products, the KOMPLETE series has become a staple multi-instrument suite—so much so that, as far as I know, nearly every professional composer owns it.

Other notable offerings include the KOMPLETE KONTROL MIDI keyboard series and the MASCHINE sampler series, both of which have attracted considerable attention.

In Japan, NI’s operations such as sales, product registration, and customer support are handled by Native Instruments Japan, ensuring a reliable support system for users.

Additionally, NI has formed a partnership with Beatport, a paid music distribution service available online.

Recently, they’ve also started offering unique services like KOMPLETE NOW, a subscription-based product that allows users to access music production tools for a monthly fee.

■ Contents of the KOMPLETE Series

KOMPLETE is a highly popular multi-instrument suite, bundled with a vast array of instruments and effects.
However, many users may not be fully aware of what each software component actually does.
So, let me introduce a carefully selected list of the ones I personally find most noteworthy!

○ Kontakt

Widely regarded as the industry standard for software samplers.
Not only does it come with Native Instruments’ libraries, but it also supports a huge range of third-party libraries, making it highly expandable.
It’s incredibly user-friendly, and I would say that it’s the software I use the most.
It can also run as a standalone application, making it suitable for live performances as well.

On top of that, there are plenty of free libraries available online, and exploring them can lead to discovering lots of unique and interesting sounds.

○ MASSIVE

A synthesizer instrument designed for creating bass and lead sounds.

It comes with a large number of presets, so even those who aren’t confident in sound design can use it with ease.
Of course, you can also create sounds completely from scratch if you prefer.

It’s highly popular among sound designers as well.

○ Razor

An additive synthesizer instrument that runs on Reaktor.
It was developed in collaboration between Errorsmith and Native Instruments.

As its name suggests, it specializes in sharp, laser-like sounds, making it a perfect fit for genres like EDM.

○ Scarbee Rickenbacker Bass

A bass instrument sampled from the iconic Rickenbacker 4003.
This is an officially licensed product from Rickenbacker that faithfully reproduces the character and presence of the original bass.

○ DRIVER

A hybrid filter and distortion effect unit developed by the same creator behind MASSIVE.

○ Guitar Rig

A plugin effect that simulates electric guitar amps, cabinets, microphones, and offers a wide range of effects that can be combined freely.
It’s great not only for recording but also for programmed guitar tracks.
It can even be used with instruments other than guitar.

○ PASSIVE EQ

An equalizer plugin that emulates the legendary Manley Laboratories MASSIVE PASSIVE STEREO TUBE EQ.

○ RC24

A reverb plugin that recreates the Lexicon 224XL, one of the earliest digital reverb units, and
co-developed with Softube.

○ RC48

A reverb plugin that emulates the Lexicon 480L, one of the early digital reverb units, and
co-developed with Softube.

○ REPLIKA XT

A multi-mode delay featuring five different algorithms.

○ REPLIKA

A more streamlined multi-mode delay with three different algorithms.

○ SOLID BUS COMP

A plugin that recreates the master bus compressor from the Solid State Logic SL4000 series mixing console.

○ SOLID DYNAMICS

A plugin that recreates the gate/expander and compressor sections of the channel strip from the Solid State Logic SL4000 series mixing console.

○ VARI COMP

A compressor plugin that emulates the Manley Laboratories STEREO VARIABLE-MU LIMITER COMPRESSOR.
Co-developed with Softube.

○ VC160

A plugin recreation of the dbx 160 compressor.
Co-developed with Softube.

○ VC2A

A plugin emulation of the legendary Teletronix LA-2A compressor.
Co-developed with Softube.

○ VC76

A plugin that emulates the UREI 1176 compressor, and
co-developed with Softube.

All of the plugins introduced above are designed to work seamlessly with compatible hardware, offering an outstanding and intuitive user experience—I highly recommend it!

Native Instruments / KOMPLETE KONTROL A25 MIDI Keyboard

Native Instruments / MASCHINE MIKRO MK3

That wraps up my overview of Native Instruments (NI) and some of their recommended products!
Once you try them, the quality is so impressive you won’t want to let go!
Definitely give them a try!

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