Kontakt 8

The Do-It-All Instrument Platform

The virtual instrument platform reinvented

Imagine any sound – Kontakt lets you find it, create it, and transform it. The latest edition of our revolutionary sampling platform combines a brand-new set of intelligent tools with countless sound design options, redefining how you generate ideas and make music.

The latest version of the industry standard sampling platform with brand-new features and product additions designed to inspire. New Chords and Phrases Tools offer smart features to quickly spark ideas and can be paired with your favorite Kontakt instruments to unlock new creative possibilities. Meanwhile, Leap opens a world of looping and experimentation, and Conflux, a new hybrid instrument using enhanced wavetable oscillators, allows you to modulate organic and synth-based sounds in real-time.

The biggest collection of virtual instruments

With hundreds of officially licensed instruments available from NI and other leading manufacturers, alongside thousands more from boutique developers, sound designers, and composers, you’ll never run short of inspiration.

At the core

Bring Kontakt to life through deep integration with our latest Kontrol S-Series MK3 keyboards, the intuitive physical extension of your software instruments: featuring an immersive high-res screen, intelligent auto-mapping, and all your key switches and zones helpfully laid out on the Light Guide. Plus, with next-generation NKS technology, seamlessly dive into thousands of sounds, virtual instruments, and effects from our partners. 

Stay in the flow

Use Kontakt with Maschine grooveboxes and earlier generations of Kontrol keyboards to browse and preview sounds directly from your hardware, control key parameters with dedicated knobs, and much more. 

Dream it, build it

All your favorite Kontakt libraries are built right here in Kontakt, and creating unique virtual instruments of your own can be as simple as dragging in a single sample or as deep as your imagination. 

Features

• Tools: Chords and Phrases Tools deliver MIDI content and randomization features for creating melodies and sequences, sparking new ideas fast. Works with any Kontakt instrument.
• Leap: An ultra-fast way to play and manipulate loops and samples. Includes 12 Leap Expansions – curated packs for specific genres and styles, including Afrobeats, Latin Trap, Platinum Pop, Progressive Trance, Soul Gold, and more.
• Conflux: A true hybrid instrument combining samples with wavetable, FM, and ring modulation oscillators for real-time sound manipulation.
• Kontakt 8 Factory Library 2 includes over 900 instruments.
• A platform for thousands of third-party sample-based instruments.
• Seamless hardware integration with Kontrol keyboards and Maschine.
• Deep NKS integration with hundreds of instruments to allow quick browsing, preview, and hands-on control for your virtual instruments.
• Improved tools for building your own instruments.

System Requirements

Mac

• macOS 12, 13 or 14 (latest update)
• Intel Core i5 or equivalent CPU, or Apple Silicon Macs (via Rosetta 2 & natively on ARM in Standalone or in hosts that support it)
• 4 GB RAM (6 GB recommended)
• Graphics hardware support for Direct 3D 11.1 (Feature Level 11_0) or higher

Windows

• Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit, latest Service Pack) or Windows 11 (latest Service Pack)
• Intel Core i5 or equivalent CPU
• 4 GB RAM (6 GB recommended)
• Graphics hardware support for Direct 3D 11.1 (Feature Level 11_0) or higher

Note: An internet connection is required to install and activate this product. Once installed, all products can be used offline.