Kontakt is probably the best sampler out there. And that’s primarily what I use it for because, as a sampler, it’s an absolute powerhouse. It replaces any other sampler I’ve tried because of what can be done within it. Nothing else is needed, and the results are great.
These plugins definitely speed up my decision-making. As mentioned, Raum is my go-to reverb. So, regardless of what I’m loading up – if I need a reverb, I’ll always add a Raum. With Kontakt, you can load in a sound, manipulate it with the onboard effects, and create something completely different from what you initially loaded in.
The workflow is great. I scroll through my sounds, audition them in real-time, and then edit them. I’ve made my own presets for these plugins, and I want my music to sound pretty cohesive within reason, so these plugins work perfectly. I can open them, load a preset I’ve created, and know it will sound good or take minimal tweaking.
I’d actually go so far as calling them essential because they are my go-to reverb and my go-to sampler.
Although to some people they may look daunting, once you understand the basics and know your way around them, they’re a valuable part of any plugin setup. I’m not much of a hardware producer. A lot of my stuff is in the box. So it makes it easy for me to reach over to an instance of Raum for a piano I’m working on, use my piano preset, and I’m away.
Using these kinds of tools helps me to keep things simple.
Pro tip from Kokiri: Set up project templates with your go-to sends, channels, and color coding already loaded. You’ll spend less time organizing and more time producing.
