Sync Cubase playhead with Kontakt sample playhead

Hi,

How do I sync the Cubase playhead with the Kontakt sample playhead? (I’m not referring to tempo syncing BTW)

In other words: when I forward (or rewind) Cubase to time mm:ss, I want Kontakt to start play the sample (a long evolving sample from a Spitfire library represented by a single note in a track) from mm:ss as well (or when past the point of the sample length at the point that it would when I would play the project from the start in one go).

Is this even possible?

I do have a workaround, i.e. to freeze the Kontakt instrument but that’s kind of cumbersome whenever I have to edit the track (unfreeze/freeze).

Hi and welcome,

I don’t use NI Kontakt for many years now, but I doubt this is possible.

Thanks Martin,

Since you’re a Cubase adept, I assume there’s no such functionality in Cubase itself.
Maybe someone who’s really proficient in Kontakt can help me out?

Hi,

Actually I think, this is not technically possible. This might be possible with ARA plug-in, but not with VSTi.

The reason is, when you hit playback, Cubase just sends MIDI Note On to the instrument. Even if the MIDI Note itself started in the past already, Cubase (MIDI) sends just Note On. There is no such an information, like MIDI Note Start Position. So Cubase (and any other DAW) doesn’t transmit this information and plug-in has no way how to get this information. So there is no way how to position the “cursor” in the plug-in.

As I said, I can imagine something like this with ARA plug-in, where the plug-in has an overall information of the data (it’s not real time stream).

I see, that makes perfect sense. Thanks for clearing this up!
I guess freezing the instrument is the way to go then. You can’t always get what you want…

Hi,

Yes, this would work.

I was just a bit cautious with my original statement. Because I know, developers are much much smarter then I’m and they might find a trick how to go around (even if I can’t imagine it).