Do you know any Kontakt library that sounds good/great but has a poor/subpar GUI?

If so, why do you think it sucks and how would you change it?

 

Funny you bring this up. I just recently went through and updated my library and loaded up a lot of the Zero-G content and I would have to say, they have some good sound content but damn, no GUI or nothing to tweak any of the sounds. I mean dont get me wrong, I know a lot of work goes into making these GUIs and such but man, give us some level of tweakability. I am sure there are numerous libraries out there that are just content and nothing more and I will happy to had to this thread when I come across them.

 

I'd say 'Kontakt' itself!! many great libraries for Kontakt, but its UI is a lot to be desired!!

 

sounds like a pain in the ass... you'd think a company like that would take things a lil' bit further, right?

looking forward, if you could add which specific parameters you'd like to tweak that'd be great

 

To me it is like the story of the Volkswagen and The Porsche.
You can put a Volkswagen beetle motor into a Porsche. Then you have a million dollar looking car with a 1,000 dollar motor in it.

I'd rather have the 1,000 dollar looking car with the million dollar motor in it. While having the best of all is desirable, the sounds are the reason to use any KONTAKT library.
Apparently you can make your own with your own graphics if you can script, if aesthetics are important people seem to indicate.

 

I had a few ugly looking/great sounding libraries before, but since my previous hard drive crashed I lost almost all of my Kontakt libs. something coming off the top of my head is StudioWeapons Underscore. it has useful sounds and deep modulation capabilities with a confusing UI.

 

I get what you're saying and agree, however... accessibility is important as well. I'd like to have a tweak-able page with easy access parameters because like @powerplay said, Kontakt's UI isn't that great. Having to click and open submenus of submenus, etc.. is far from ideal.

Exactly, if you're making a library, why stop at 80%? That last 20% (GUI) can improve your library greatly.

Yes, you can make your own GUI. No, no need to script.. there's tools to do the scripting for you (e.g. Kontakt GUI Maker) and I think they're pretty good, even come with design components (knobs, slides, menus, wallpapers, etc). Of course, knowing how to script and/or having design skills is a plus because you then have full control.

Also, the GUI isn't just there for aesthetic purposes, it has a practical function (i.e. allow the user to be expressive and creative without having to open several levels of menus, etc). A good GUI is essential for a good workflow.

 

Last edited: Apr 20, 2018

Interesting, I checked it out and it doesn't look too bad to me. Will take a deeper look later.

What exactly do you find confusing in that particular library?

 

"Right"?!?!?!

You would think that they would put a little bit of effort in making a small GUI that allows you to tweak a few things say (ADSR, Low pass/Hi pass, maybe some convolution verb...etc.) just to name a few.

I mean, dont get me wrong. We do live in a time where you can add a ton of things to anything. But when you have a platform such as Kontakt that you are designing content for. You think you would design "Content" for it to utilize everything within said platform.

I have seen a few releases by SampleHero as of late for example:

Not much but enough to alter the sound in a way instead of "adding" effects outside of said platform. I mean I dont expect anything like what say Heavyocity, Samplelogic or some of your other heavy hitters bring to the table. But just a little something to bring add to the great content they have already gathered and created.

Another content library that does this from time to time is Big Fish Audio. There are a few libraries that have the KLI system (which is a pain sometimes to navigate and or use) but at least it is something for the libraries that have been provided with it. But most of the other libraries are just content with no means of tweaking.

I am looking into gathering and designing sounds to create my own Kontakt libraries. As I know having good content is key to any library, having tools to further customize and design those sounds is just some good icing on the cake.

 

That's what I'm saying, that final 20% of GUI work that goes into creating a good library is essential for a painless workflow, from the user point of view.

Wasn't aware of this, sounds interesting to tweak loops, will definitely look it up later.

Exactly! I'm doing the same myself, I'm actually working on a small library as we speak.. Made libraries in the past for personal use but never bothered to make a custom GUI. This time I'll try to make a decent GUI. This thread is meant to find out what not to do and what a regular user wants from a GUI.

 

20% is all...not that much if you think about it. And with that new version of GUI tool coming out, 20% shouldnt be that much tougher to reach.

Yeah that KLI system "Kontakt Library Instrument" of theirs is pretty cool but a little irritating to maneuver. Below is a video of one of the libraries that utilizes these features:

That is way cool. I am getting to the point to where I can create and design myself and I am looking forward to doing so. If you dont mind, could you share your process? I would like to know how you are going about it and what all you are looking at doing. For myself (being a sound effects designer) I am looking to create a library where you can of course tweak and edit sounds to picture and such say for SCI FI and or horror. I am taking inspiration for this from a library that did this specifically with foley. So i said "if they did it foley, I can do it with other things".

 

There are a lot of good sounding KONTAKT libraries out there. Many do not have a GUI by what is called "good", but have usable or good sounds.
For example I captured one that has usable sounds and an almost non-existent GUI at all. But the sounds are still good and sampled well enough. The sound is more likely to inspire creativity in many musicians rather than the look of a GUI. While I am sure a great painting or piece of Art has inspired many a musician, in the audio aspects the sound is more important in my opinion.
Horses for courses.

 

Watched the video and I feel you, seems annoying.

Absolutely. This is my 1st attempt at it so there's not much of a solid process yet. Also, being a 1st time, I've decided to keep it fairly simple, here's the plan:

1. come up with a concept for the instrument (done, check pic below)
2. record/synth the samples (done)
3. develop a detailed design prototype (done, check pic below)
4. make a 3d model of the prototype (done, check pic below)
5. texture the 3d model (to do)
6. render a still of the textured 3d model [non-moving parts] (to do)
7. render animations [moving parts, knobs, etc] (to do)
8. assemble the GUI of the instrument (to do)
9. add samples to the instrument (to do)
10. test instrument
11. fix bugs
12. release instrument

//

Concept:



Detailed design:



3D Model:

 

whats that 3d program ?

 

You're still not getting it... If you're going to use the sounds 'as is', there's no need for a GUI, agreed. However, a lot of us like to tweak the sounds to our taste or function of the sound. That's where a good GUI comes handy, you don't wanna open several levels of menus just to tweak a parameter or two, in the middle of your creative 'mode'.

For some reason, you're still thinking of the GUI as a purely aesthetic thing. It has a function, to make the user's experience as painless as possible. A good analogy: this forum. The most important thing is the content, of course. However, would most of us use it if it looked like this?


Probably not. That's what a simple HTML page looks like, I think you can image what a fairly complex forum like this looks like under the fancy styling. Don't take my word for it, press F12 whilst reading this and you'll see with your own eyes.

So yeah, I'll repeat, a good GUI is essential for a good workflow.

 

Last edited: Apr 22, 2018

It's a parametric CAD modelling software, Autodesk's Fusion 360.

I export it to Autodesk's Maya to do the texturing and rendering.

 

Last edited: Apr 23, 2018