Kontakt is probably the best sampler plugin I have ever seen. There is so much flexibility and control you have with this plugin. With the right sound libraries, I think you could easily make music that is almost on the same quality of professional movie, game, and tv soundtracks. The main downside is just how expensive everything can be. You not only have to pay for Kontakt itself (which I believe is 100$) but you also have to go out and buy the sound libraries separately. Kontakt has easily cost me much more than my DAW and Computer combined, but I would still say it's worth it due to the level of quality and control you have with the plugin.

Really is the Don of samplers. No other sampler comes close in terms of the range and depth of libraries available for it. The scripting language under the hood makes it hugely powerful for things like orchestral libraries. I'm not so bothered about using it for synth sounds, an actual synth vst or hardware will give you more variety, but for orchestral or cinematic, sound fx or deep complex pads, it is unmatched. The same goes for percussion libraries. It is rock solid and almost certainly THE industry-standard sample player.

I get this in Komplete but that is really the main program I use in Komplete along with the Sample libraries. It is a vital part of my computer setup allowing me access to the amazing sample libraries from companies such as Spitfire, Sonokinetics, Berlin Orchestra etc. At times I hate it because I do not spend enough time learning how to use it...so I don't know how to move libraries, or why they disappear from the list or why it doesn't work but I usually am able to finagle it into working again and fall back in love with it heheh.

As the titles says it all, I been a long time user of Kontakt especially a few of the sample library which are most commonly found in my music like The Grandeur, Symphony Series.

One thing I would heavily recommand to other is the use a SSD while running Kontakt to ensure your audio wont get cut off during the exportation

I got Kontakt 5 half price right before Kontakt 6 came out. I really love the Rickenbacker Muted Bass and the Alicia Keys. However I probably wouldn't spend the full $1200 for this whole set. The drums and strings are pretty good and there are some filler sounds but it's a little high I feel for what you get or at least for me for the music I often write. Really up to what you're looking to write and what you need it for.

There is so much ingenuity in this plugin, its no wonder this thing cost an arm and a leg (and your liver, kidney, and spleen). And i would pay all that minus the arm, because then i can't make anymore more music.

All joking aside, Ill focus more on the plugins that are meant to replicate real world instruments. Pianos, strings, orchesteas, violins, cellos, etc. They all sound dynamic, vivid, and just realistic.

Lets take the string sounds for example. Kontact has many libabries to replicate different ways you can make the same note on a violin (like playing p, mp, mf, f, fff, different bowing techniques, bouncing bow, pizzicato, i can go on). Not all from one library of course. But if you ever get to play around with action strings, you will know what i mean. I felt like i had a symphony orchestra ready at my fingertips, and i was their conductor.

Piano sounds sound amazing. most piano synths would have this sort of twangy sound, which i dislike and it feels fake. Their piano libraries have such clarity, you can easily capture the elegance and grace of the piano.

Brass are ok.

I use Kontakt a lot for electric bass or when I need symphonic/orchestral elements, great sounding instruments. For pianos I mostly use the add on packs 'Alicia Keys' or 'Una Corda', but the standard ones sound pretty nice too. If you hear any electric guitar sounds in of my tracks it's also most commonly from the ilya Efimov guitar instruments for Kontakt, that I really like

This is my favorite software for actual instruments. If I need a distorted guitar melody or an acoustic rhythm, this is my go-to software.

Native Instruments is a German technology company that develops software and hardware for music production and DJing. The company was originally known for their software instruments, but has also expanded its product line to include various other music equipment segments in recent years.

Current products of Native Instruments include software synthesizers, samplers and effect processors, sound libraries and emulations of acoustic instruments, groove production systems and audio interfaces, as well as various products for computer-based DJing that include DJ software, Digital Vinyl Systems, hardware controllers and specific DJ audio interfaces.

Native Instruments was founded in 1996 in the Kreuzberg district of Berlin, Germany, where its headquarters are still located. It also has branches in Los Angeles, Tokyo, Shenzhen and London. The company also holds a partnership with the online music store Beatport.

I do think that I have this plugin on every track. The libraries are amazing, even the factory library has pretty decent sounds and I tend to fall heavily on it anytime I do any orchestral work. If I never have said what my favourite plugin is, this one comes very close to that title.

This plugin is very easy to use, some libraries are heavily sampled, giving your effortless creative experimentation. Speaking of the libraries, they range from effects such as EQs and compressors all the way up to orchestral ensembles all contained inside of a little window on your desktop! Just pray your CPU can handle it.