Native Instruments 22836 Komplete 10 Ultimate Crossgrade

WOW!I already knew about N.I. products, having already purchased Pro-52 and B-4 many, many years ago. I purchased this software ONLY so I could have Reaktor 5, to build my own synths. However, I now have such a huge palate of synths to choose from, I don't know if I'll ever get around to it! I can't really improve on the detailed review of the products that is already posted, but I'll say this: the inclusion of Massive, FM8, Battery 4 AND Kontakt 5 makes this purchase worth far more than what I spent. Fantastic VALUE!

Finally made the jump from the standard version of Komplete to Komplete Ultimate. Definitely worth it! The Heavyocity instruments alone have been worth it to me so far. The Softube EQ's and dynamics are also a nice addition. The USB hard drive is also a nice addition vs having to install 15 discs worth of material. Have had NI Komplete since version six and there is no doubt in my mind it is one of the most complete music making packages on the market.

Came with about 10 discs to install haha luckily I have a 1TB SSD hard drive so my data transfer speed is crazy fast... still took me about 5 hours to install everything. Was a little confusing figuring out how to load all the presets for the instruments via Logic Pro X but I simply went to their FAQ form and found what I needed. Awesome, awesome sounds... won't be needing any new instruments for awhile.

I'm pretty sure it's a good piece of software. I just couldn't use it because it was not compatible with my Komplete 10 so I had to return it. #SUCKS

I've been a Komplete user since V6, so when I recently started working on some new stuff after a 2 year hiatus, I looked to upgrade my VST collection, and Komplete was the obvious choice. However, since I wanted to make sure I got the best bang for my buck (and an upgrade from 7 to 10 was a whopping $700), I looked around for comparable packages. I found none even close, so Komplete it was.Despite having no choice, there are still a large number of things I find very compelling (Kompelling?) about Komplete:- Guitar Rig is easily the best guitar effects software I've found. And it's awesome on pianos too.- Nearly any sound you want can be found or built using the included software....as long as it isn't hyper-realistic guitars (look to RealGuitar/Strat/Eight for that).- Some of the new instruments (Rounds, Kinetic Metal, Skanner) are pretty damn creative and generally awesome.- There's an OBSCENE amount of stuff to experiment with.- Most NI instruments are highly mutable if you tweak your controllers. Some completely transform.- The Komplete Kontrol app (even without the supported NI hardware) is a really nice way to find all instruments and patches.Mostly, I'm happy with my decision, but there are a few negatives worth mentioning:- The search function could use a lot of help. It's still pretty hard to find what you are looking for.- There's no real good way to rate all instruments/patches. You can in certain VSTs (1-5 star in Guitar Rig, for example), but in others you are SOL.- NI is REALLY proud of it.- Some of the instruments (Rise and Hit, I'm looking at you) are so darn specific that they are completely useless for a large number of people.- The huge number of patches and parameters per patch makes the whole thing an enormous time sink. To be fair, it can be very inspiring. But you can also get lost and forget the thing you were inspired to do.

Native Instruments is an upstanding company that makes high quality products for producers. Komplete is a great value and NI has continued to update it along with adding products you can confidently add later.If you make music, this is an excellent addition to any studio setup.

My music horizon has expanded amazingly with this product. If you use FL Studio as a DAW, make sure you have a fast enough processor. I purchased an MSI Apache with this (i7 processor, 2.5 GHz, 8GB RAM) and it does a great job with running multiple plugins at once during audio playback. If you're a serious musician, then I'm sure you'll be serious with having top of the line gear. With that being said, GREAT package.

If you're considering buying this, you already know the value and quality of native instruments products. Though it is a bit on the expensive side the sheer quantity of VIs and samples that you get more than justifies the price. I bought it along with the Maschine studio and Kontrol s61. Can't wait to bury myself in the studio for a few days.