I am considering going for the full Kontakt 2 or Kontakt 3 crossgrade offer.

I read some initial reports that K3 was having some issues with the Garritan libraries a while ago. Anyone using K3 for VDL? Any issues to report?

Thanks

Derek

The only thing I am aware of is that you would need at least Finale 2008a to have Kontakt 3 support for use with Finale.  Anything previous to that, the plugin may not show up as an option to choose within the VST or AU Setup areas.

Scott,

Thanks for your input.

I was not aware of the requirement for Finale 2008a. I actually use both 2007 & 2008 and being honest, I feel more comfortable with 2007. From what I can gather, most of the current available powered by NI libraries should work OK in Kontakt 3.

I guess I will download the demo and take it from there.

How do you like Kontakt 2?

Derek

To tell you the truth, I rarely use the Kontakt Player 2.  I will almost always use the full Kontatk 2 as it allows me the flexibility I need to get the sounds I want and edit the sounds as I need - in terms of tuning, texture, etc.

Theoretically, Kontakt 3 should work just fine with VDL 2.5. However this hasn't been tested much so I would definitely recommend you play around with it using the demo version if it allows you to do so. Since KP2 came out, many VDL users have seen much less need for the full version of Kontakt, but as Coach mentioned, it certainly does give you some extra flexibility.

Just as a brief follow up..

I have been trying the Kontakt 3 demo version and it is working well so far with VDL:2.5. Added bonus is that it actually works with both Finale 2007c and 2008a on the windows platform. I understand the Finale 2008a limitation is only for mac users.

It is also more difficult to pick up a copy of Kontakt 2.

Derek

I wanted to follow up on this discussion.  I downloaded the Kontakt 3 demo and tried to use it with Finale 2006.  I installed the kontakt 3 .dll file into the VST plugin folder of Finale (along with my Kontakt 2.dll file) but it is not showing up on my plugin list when I start Finale 2006 up.  Is it officially incompatible with Finale 2006?  I'm really thinking of buying Kontakt 3.  The features it offers PLUS the huge library are great when you look at the Crossgrade price.  I'm just wondering if Im looking at the Finale 2008 upgrade price as well.  Finale seems to run ALOT better when Im using Kontakt as a plugin instead of a standalone with Virtual midi cables.  I really want to avoid that if I can. 

On a side note, I had no problems with Cubase SX using Kontakt 3 as a plugin.  It was GREAT!

If I need to call the folks at NI, I will.  I just wanted to check here first.

Thanks!

Kontakt 3 is not compatible with Finale 2006. On Windows platforms it is fully compatible with Finale 2007c and Finale 2008a, on Mac platforms it is only compatible with the 2008 iteration (2008a & 2008b). This information is available on the Finale support pages if you want to search.

I now have the full version of Kontakt 3 working on my rig with no issues to date.

Derek

Well, I called the people at NI today and he told me it ";should"; work but wasnt sure.  After trying it a few different ways, I came to the same conclusion.  Wont work.  SO, Looks like I'm going to upgrade.  It'll be a big investment for me, but Im excited to move up!

Finale have just announced 2009 which has improved VST/AU support capable of hosting all VSTi's.

www.finalemusic.com

Derek