Only 4 stereo outputs in Kontakt 4?

Cubase
1

I have a setup that worked in Sonar X2 but is different here in C7. I have a Kontakt 4 mixer set up with 7 stereo channels and an aux (Kontakt 16 out mode). The output assignments look like this inside Kontakt:

ch1 1/2
ch2 3/4
ch3 5/6
ch4 7/8
ch5 9/20
ch6 11/12
ch6 13/14
aux 15/16

In Cubase I only see 5 stereo and 6 mono channels. In Sonar I can get all 8 channels stereo. Channels 6 and 7 seem to be going each to 2 mono channels meaning I have to use 2 tracks for each to be stereo. Surely I’m missing something!?!

2

Aloha v,

What do the Kontakt folks have to say about this issue?
{‘-’}

3

Surely I’m missing something!?!

Not really.

Kontakt 3 and 4 have always implemented within Cubase, the “16 Out” VST selection as a 5 stereo/ 6 mono channel setup. It is still this way in Kontakt 5. The AU versions provide a more civilized and varied selection. As far as I’m concerned, Kontakt’s VST output routing options have always been a weak point in the instrument and should have received a serious overhaul in its implementation a long time ago. Who’s to blame? Probably NI for the most part. Users have whined themselves blue in the face to NI for years about this issue and have gotten nowhere. It is what it is.

However, with Cubase 7, there is a workaround of sorts that may provide a solution for you. The goal is to reduce the Mixer view to display 8 individual stereo outputs of Kontakt (1/2, 3/4, 5/6, 7/8, 9/10, 11/12, 13/14 and 15/16). You probably know some of these steps, but I’ll list them for anyone reading who doesn’t.

1• In Kontakt, you create an 8 stereo output Multirack via Add Channels and save it as a Preset. An annoyingly laborious process but once done, it can be called up immediately when needed. Load the Multirack with the instruments needed.

2• In C7, load Kontakt into the Instrument rack and activate all outputs from the little [-> widget to the right of the Edit button.

3• The Mixer now displays 5 stereo Channel faders and 6 Mono faders. Pan the mono channels left and right per “pair”.

4• Create 3 Stereo Groups; in the Project Window’s Track List, drag those three Groups into the Kontakt 5 16 Out folder, just below the Kt. aux 4 track. The folder’s order should look like:

Kt. st. 1
Kt. aux 1
Kt. aux 2
Kt. aux 3
Kt. aux 4
Group 1
Group 2
Group 3
Kt. unassigned [1]
Kt. unassigned [2]
Kt. unassigned [3]
Kt. unassigned [4]
Kt. unassigned [5]
Kt. unassigned [6]

Assign: Kt. unassigned [1] & [2] to Group 1, Assign Kt. unassigned [3] & [4] to Group 2 and Assign Kt. unassigned [5] & [6] to Group 3.

5• In the Mixer, make sure the Channel Selector is selected in the Setup Window Layout editor (button at the extreme top left) and that Visibility is selected.

6• Turn the visibility off for:
Kt. unassigned [1]
Kt. unassigned [2]
Kt. unassigned [3]
Kt. unassigned [4]
Kt. unassigned [5]
Kt. unassigned [6]

7• Name the remaining Kontakt channels to whatever you want. You should now have 8 Stereo faders appearing in the Mixer view in a neat row….although the last three will have different colored knobs. And even that can be changed in Prefs. The Groups can be treated exactly the same way as the preceding five channels (EQ/Inserts/Sends, Output assignments…etc.).

Not exactly the most elegant solution….but, using only C7 and Kontakt, it does reduce the clutter to eight stereo fader and metering….which I assume is what you wanted to do in the first place.

Edited for an addition instruction.

4

Hi Weasel,

Thanks so much for your detailed workaround. It works well and I appreciate the effort.

5

This is why I never use the Kontakt 8out or 16out .dl, just the main Kontakt.dll l and I have no problem loading as many stereo outs as I need. My default is 9 stereo outs plus 4 stereo aux outs.

6

Is this still the recommended way? Or would you advise using Track Instruments instead to achieve this? I’m guessing with Track Instruments, you bypass this weird issue of Kontakt’s final outputs being “Mono” ?