I’m working in Dorico to create templates for large percussion libraries (200+ unique instruments). During my testing, I’ve run into significant performance challenges related to how Kontakt instances are loaded. Here’s what I’ve tested so far:
Memory Usage Comparison (Kontakt 6, 7, and 8)
I’ve tested two setups:
- A single instance of Kontakt with 16 instruments loaded.
- 16 standalone instances, each with 1 instrument.
Results:
1 Instance with 16 Instruments:
- Kontakt 6: 290 MB
- Kontakt 7: 385 MB
- Kontakt 8: 524 MB
6 Instances with 1 Instrument Each: - Kontakt 6: 1.6 GB
- Kontakt 7: 1.97 GB
- Kontakt 8: 2.05 GB
Performance Challenges:
- Most of my percussion scores easily exceed 20 instruments, and there’s currently no way to auto-populate a Kontakt instrument in Dorico.
- To recall an instrument from the picker (with its associated percussion maps, expression maps, and correct VST settings), I have to load each instrument individually. This manual process quickly overloads my project.
- I can typically load around (8-10 instruments) before Dorico slows down to the point where I need to force quit the program.
Multi-Core Processor Settings in Kontakt
I’ve also tested the impact of enabling and disabling “Multiprocessor Support” in Kontakt. When Multiprocessor Support is “OFF”, performance is significantly better compared to any of the multi-core options.
Questions for the Community:
- Is there a more efficient way to manage large percussion libraries in Dorico using Kontakt?
- Has anyone found workarounds for automating instrument loading while maintaining proper map and VST settings?
- Are there best practices for configuring Kontakt (e.g., Multiprocessor settings) to handle larger projects?
Any advice or insights would be greatly appreciated!