Perhaps this has been answered but I could not find it in my searching.
Is it possible to have both minified/lite and the full library installed/referenced at the same time?

I have been in the habit of minifying libraries on my laptop and keeping the full/pro libraries on an external hard drive, but I have been unable to install both at the same time into Kontakt because the minified libraries share the same name as the full libraries. Is there a way to install both? Maybe just change the SNPID of one of them?

For instance:
MBP local: Minified library
External: Full library

When External lib is not plugged in, it shows missing library on the full, but I can still use minified anywhere.

Thanks!!

 

The only way I know is to duplicate the instruments . Of course you keep the original samples. So if you have originally:

instrument.nki, samples.nkx

After you slim down the samples you make a copy of the instrument:
instrument.nki -> instrument_lite.nki

You have original samples.nkx, and also samples_lite.nkx
then move out of the folder both instrument.nki and samples.nkx and resave only insrument_lite.nki

The key here is resaving with only one "version" of the samples that's been renamed in the lib folder.
This implies changing one instrument file. And the process can be done the other way around (intrument.nki and instrument_full.nki, samples.nkx and samples_full.nki)

 

Appreciate this!

1. By resaving instrument_lite.nki, is this mean a step you take in the Kontakt app, or do you just mean just keep that renamed .nki file in the library folder and move the original .nki out of the library folders?
2. Does this method involve the use of the Kontakt app itself in order to save these nki and nkx files? Or is this just file renaming done in the library folder?
3. What becomes of the original instrument.nki and samples.nkx files that have been removed from the library folders? Where do they go? Do I move those into a different library and save that as a new instrument?
4. The key question: does this method allow both libraries to coexist on different drives? Or do I have to replace the instrument.nki and samples.nkx files each time I want to swap between full and minified?

Thanks so much for your help!

 

This method allows for full and minified versions to be in the same library and folder.
As you said, the key is the samples names can't be changed. That's why the file-swapping mess is necessary when you save the copied renamed instrument.

I'll try to explain more clearly, because yes it's a mess to understand at first. Your full library is this:
DRIVE A EXTERNAL. FULL VERSION: instrument.nki, samples.nkx

1. Say you make a copy to another drive and make a minified version:
DRIVE B MBP LOCAL. MINIFIED VERSION: instrument.nki, samples.nkx

They can't coexist because the SNPID and other identifiers are the same and can't be changed.
The only way: coexist in the same library. same library folder.

2. So you rename the .nki and -nkx of the mini version using the file explorer:
DRIVE B MBP LOCAL. MINIFIED VERSION: instrument_lite.nki, samples_lite.nkx

3. Now it doesn't work because instrument_lite.nki still looks for the samples in samples.nkx.
DRIVE B MBP LOCAL. MINIFIED VERSION: You resave instruments_lite.nki to use the samples in samples_lite.nkx. You use Kontakt, of course

4. Finally, you can copy instruments_lite.nki and samples_lite.nkx into the full library folder:
DRIVE A EXTERNAL. FULL AND LITE VERSION: instrument.nki, instrument_lite.nki, samples.nkx, samples_lite.nkx

Now you have both versions in the same library and folder. If you only want to use the lite version on your fast MBP local drive you can just delete:
instrument.nki, samples.nkx
After copying the full+minified from Drive A. And you're left only with the minified version.

Of course if you've followed the exact above instructions there's no full version in your MBP.
But it's the simplest explanation.

If you want an example PM and I'll send you one.

 

Last edited: Mar 22, 2025

This is extremely clear. I can't thank you enough for taking the time to lay this out so perfectly.

In this scenario, it appears both libraries can coexist on the same drive within the same folder, however it does not appear possible to split that folder and have LITE on local and FULL on external.

You mention at the very end that that I would copy the whole thing to my MBP drive (full + mini), and delete the full. But I am assuming this would also remove the reference/SPNID/all of that to the External, so the external would no longer be in play, even when it is plugged in.

So to summarize, it sounds like it:
1. IS possible to have both libraries coexist on the same drive (although this would sort of defeat the purpose since the storage savings wouldn't be there)
2. IS NOT possible to have both libraries coexist, but with each stored on a separate drive.

 

That's right. It has to be the one on one drive or the other.

 

I'll just add this. The key that prevents us from making two libraries out of one are the instruments, the .nki files.
That's because they're harder to "unlock/decrypt". You can modify them inside Kontakt but you can't remove the IDs (SNPID, and others) that bind and lock them to only one library.

Unlike the amazing tools we have to modify and redo .nkr, .nkx files.