I just bought an iMac G5 and am trying to install VD1 onto it. I have OSX, and have downloaded updates to get to Sibelius 3.1.3 build 19, and Kontakt 6.3 Silver.

The problem is I don't know how to actually run Kontakt the program. I can open it through Sibelius as a player, but it doesn't offer any pulldown menus. Is this something I have to purchase separately? I can not seem to find Kontakt the program (not player) so that I can continue the instructions I found on this site...

www.tapspace.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=107

I'm taking things one step at a time and would really like to get this going finally after a year of owning this stuff and it not working for me. Thanks for any help.

Andy Bliss
University of Kentucky

Andy,

Thanks for posting here for help. I think the root of your frustrations may stem from the confusing way these various products are named. KONTAKT (the actual program) is a completely different product than the free KONTAKT PLAYER SILVER that comes bundled into Sibelius. Furthermore, KONTAKT PLAYER GOLD is an upgrade that you can buy to add more sounds and instrument slots (32 as opposed to the 8 in Silver) to the built-in Sibelius player. The built-in Kontakt Player in Sibelius will not load in third-party sounds (such as Virtual Drumline). To load Virtual Drumline sounds (the more powerful giga format), you need to have a software sampler such as Kompakt, Kontakt, or GigaStudio (running in the background, separate from Sibelius).

The other option is to load the sounds (the soundfont version in this case) into a soundfont compatible soundcard (such as a soundblaster Audigy). This isn't as powerful as using the giga format, but it does provide a way in which to load the sounds into your PC's soundcard. Since you're a Mac user, this method wouldn't be workable since soundblaster cards are only for Window folks.

If you are an educator or a student, Tapspace sells KOMPAKT (a more scaled down version of Kontakt, perfectly useable for VDL) for $129, or KONTAKT (the actual full program) for $239. Both are compatible with Mac OSX.

FYI - using the Kontakt Player within Sibelius (for wind parts for example), you don't have to manually load the sounds. Simply set the staff to playback using Kontakt Player (in the Sibelius Mixer window), set the desired sound (i.e. Clarinet), then that sound will load into an open slot in the player itself.

I hope this info helps you, and please feel free to come back to the forum here if you're in need of further assistance.