# Cheapest path to Komplete 13 Ultimate Collectors Edition from Embertone/Komplete Select



## Sunny Kumar Dallas TX (May 8, 2022)

I love this forum. An absolute goldmine for hard to find info and advice. Need your guidance on the below:

My daughter and I have finally decided to go FULL ON into the NI ecosystem. We have Komplete Select ( came free with M32 purchase) and Embertone walker registered with NI. Based on researching on VIC, it seems one can score the full CE for $799 or even less instead of $1599, if one uses the right upgrade path during sales. I can wait for sales but there is some pressing need to get Full Kontakt 6 now ( we just bought New Century Brass 60 Off) if going down this path doesn't significantly increase the final CE cost. 

I am seeing the following offers right now with no ongoing sales 

1) Use SELECT to upgrade to Komplete 13 for $399 and then upgrade further during sales to Ultimate and then to CE. Will this result in the lowest final cost for CE ($799 or less?) 

2) Embertone Walker crossgrade offer is $125 for Full Kontakt6 which I assume I can then upgrade to Komplete 13 during sale and further to CE. Will this result in the lowest final cost? 

Also when upgrading/crossgading during sales, is it more cost effective to upgrade incrementally or jump all the way to CE? 

Our eventual goal is to get to Komplete 13 Ultimate CE by Dec 2022 ( or should I wait for Komplete 14 CE if it is expected by year end?) I have the budget available now but other than full Kontakt6 and maybe Noire/India collection, there is no pressing need for 6 months to a year for their other libs, so I can wait if advisable. 

If, possible I would like to get Kontakt6 Full ASAP rather than wait 6 months. On other stuff, I can wait. Ashlight is important, so should i just wait on the whole thing including Kontakt6 cuz K14 may be out soon and may include all the recently released stuff incl Ashlight?

$800 is a huge stretch as it is, so i would like to use it as efficiently as possible even if it means to wait longer. Use case is Orchestral for commercial types of tracks (Film, TV, Ads, Games etc.). 

Thanks in advance for your tips.


----------



## Benbln (May 8, 2022)

If everything works as usual we just have to wait a few days until June as Native Instruments have the Summer of Sound Sale every year at the same time. That would be the time to upgrade and as far as I know you can upgrade within the sale itself from Select to the CE.


----------



## glyster (May 8, 2022)

What kind of music do you make?

My path was K13 (onsale) -> CE (2nd hand).


----------



## Sunny Kumar Dallas TX (May 8, 2022)

My daughter (16 years old) makes Orchestral music for new media - films, TV, Ads, Video games. Mainly lyrical tracks featuring exposed piano, violin and cello with strings, synth and brass underneath. She currently has Hoopus, EWCC, Spitfire Symphonic Strings, Damage and Soundpaint Palindrome, Izotope Tonal Bundle. We have decided to go FULL On into the Komplete ecosystem and perhaps in future all in on VSL and Omnisphere. Komplete CE seems like a good value for the breadth of libraries it offers. We want to buy Kontakt6, Noire, World Ethnic collection and Ashlight for use right away. I might as well buy the whole darn thing (CE) rather than pay the same amount to buy those 4 pieces of SW individually. There are probably other gems in CE she will find useful. I just want to find the cheapest way to CE.


----------



## Jrides (May 8, 2022)

Benbln said:


> If everything works as usual we just have to wait a few days until June as Native Instruments have the Summer of Sound Sale every year at the same time. That would be the time to upgrade and as far as I know you can upgrade within the sale itself from Select to the CE.



This


----------



## Technostica (May 9, 2022)

It's usually cheaper to upgrade in fewer steps. 
So the cheapest is usually Select to either Komplete or Ultimate and then to CE. 
It's also cheaper to buy from 3rd party retailers as they will price cut even the half price deals. 

If you buy the Kontakt Crossgrade now at half price, it may be cheaper to sell that once it's no longer on sale and upgrade from Select to higher tiers.


----------



## Markrs (May 9, 2022)

Upgrade in the summer sale. Also, worth knowing that Komplete 14 comes out towards the end of this year (they have a 2-year release cycle), though that will be full price on release and not on sale until the 2023 summer sale.


----------



## dunamisstudio (May 9, 2022)

Wait until summer sale


----------



## Jrides (May 9, 2022)

if she is interested in anything that has been released since UCE13, here’s what I would probably do.

1. wait for the summer sale
2. Upgrade select to K13 + K13U. it costs the same and gives you the opportunity to downgrade/sell anything above K 13, if it ends up being overkill.

3. Buy K14UCE In the 2023 summer sale.


this will net you the most overall products within about a year’s time frame. She would end up with all the stuff released in 2021 and 2022 + all the stuff in K13UCE. I have no advice regarding how to get a 16-year-old to wait a year for anything though lol.


----------



## Sunny Kumar Dallas TX (May 9, 2022)

Thank you all for your responses. 




Technostica said:


> If you buy the Kontakt Crossgrade now at half price, it may be cheaper to sell that once it's no longer on sale and upgrade from Select to higher tiers.


If i was to go down this route, where can I sell my Kontakt6 license - Ebay, VIC?


----------



## Jrides (May 9, 2022)

Sunny Kumar Dallas TX said:


> Thank you all for your responses.
> 
> 
> 
> If i was to go down this route, where can I sell my Kontakt6 license - Ebay, VIC?


It’s only potentially cheaper if you can flip the license for more than you paid for it. That’s a bit more convoluted and involved if you have never sold software before. Also the risk that you can’t sell it for more than you paid for it would potentially land you with a higher cost. The benefit? You don’t have to wait a few weeks until the summer sale starts to use your new brass library. Personally that’s a lot of hassle for a couple of weeks lol. Why MMV

upgrading from select is the most straightforward way to go about it at a low cost. The summer sale upgrade price is $200 USD for K13. 

however… To answer your question. You could sell it here, eBay, or KVR for sure. However, once the summer sale starts you would probably have to sell it for a loss or wait until it’s over to try and at least break even. Might even have to wait a couple of months after the sale is over, because many will just buy directly from native instruments.


----------



## Pier (May 9, 2022)

Also consider checking out Knobcloud:









KnobCloud


The first dedicated marketplace for audio production software licenses.




www.knobcloud.com





Maybe you can find an upgrade license from Select. Or maybe an older version of full Komplete from which to upgrade to Ultimate or CE cheaper.

A tip on using Knobcloud: always bargain. Most people selling a second hand license will prefer getting a bit less money than getting no money at all.


----------



## Technostica (May 9, 2022)

Jrides said:


> It’s only potentially cheaper if you can flip the license for more than you paid for it. That’s a bit more convoluted and involved if you have never sold software before. Also the risk that you can’t sell it for more than you paid for it would potentially land you with a higher cost. The benefit? You don’t have to wait a few weeks until the summer sale starts to use your new brass library. Personally that’s a lot of hassle for a couple of weeks lol. Why MMV
> 
> upgrading from select is the most straightforward way to go about it at a low cost. The summer sale upgrade price is $200 USD for K13.


The issue is not about it being cheaper but that the OP would like Kontakt sooner rather than later.
If the summer sale does happen again this June, I would wait if you can, but with all the changes happening with NI and their partners, it's not a 100% given.

I bought the Kontakt half price Crossgrade at one point and used the free Arcane library as the base.
When I decided to sell it, I pointed out to potential buyers that they could also get Arcane for free and therefore the Crossgrade gave them a full license.
So I had no problem selling it for more than I paid for it as most people aren't aware of this loophole.

So it depends how happy you are selling software, how urgent it is to get Kontakt and whether you want to take the slight risk of them not having Komplete on sale this summer.

I've downgraded from K13 CE to Kontakt only as it meant I would focus on all my non NI software.
If I ever reach a point where I feel I have exhausted all that, I can always upgrade to Komplete 26 or wherever it is by then.


----------



## Jrides (May 9, 2022)

with all the talk of selling software… No one has mentioned the fact that native instruments requires you to hold onto a registered product for at least two months before they will authorize a license transfer. So there’s that. It may or may not matter to the OP though.


----------



## Russell Anderson (May 10, 2022)

Sunny Kumar Dallas TX said:


> I love this forum. An absolute goldmine for hard to find info and advice. Need your guidance on the below:
> 
> My daughter and I have finally decided to go FULL ON into the NI ecosystem. We have Komplete Select ( came free with M32 purchase) and Embertone walker registered with NI. Based on researching on VIC, it seems one can score the full CE for $799 or even less instead of $1599, if one uses the right upgrade path during sales. I can wait for sales but there is some pressing need to get Full Kontakt 6 now ( we just bought New Century Brass 60 Off) if going down this path doesn't significantly increase the final CE cost.
> 
> ...


Hey, heads up. Metapop.com competitions are frequent (multiple per month) and around 30-50% of them offer Komplete Ultimate as their grand prize, sometimes for multiple placements. So, you know... that is another way!


----------



## Sunny Kumar Dallas TX (May 10, 2022)

Thanks all! Let's see what June brings. I am not a big fan of reselling so I will probably just go the Select > K13 route for now.


----------



## widescreen (May 10, 2022)

Sunny Kumar Dallas TX said:


> Thanks all! Let's see what June brings. I am not a big fan of reselling so I will probably just go the Select > K13 route for now.


Why not reselling? It's so easy. 2 or 3 mails, receive the money, send the license number (or start the process on NI). Done. I've done it a 100 times. And bought my K13UCE that way cheaper than you would imagine.

I would recommend to check private resellers while Summer Sale is going on, because there are so many people selling their licenses in sales time, often even 2/3 or 1/2 price of the sales price. Don't know why, as they lose money then, but you can benefit from that. Perhaps buy a used K10, K11 or K12, as they normally are even cheaper, then step up to 13UCE as the upgrade path is possible from every version K8+.

I personally did every single step (K13, K13U, K13UCE) through private resellers. Only my first Komplete Select was a $99 deal directly by NI (comes usually 2-3 weeks prior to Summer Sale only by newsletter). Which I resold soon after picking up my first NI Komplete Kontrol S Keyboard. So you can jump over that step.
That way I only paid ~$600 for K13UCE by being attentive.

If you step up to K13U(CE) you can save additional money if you sell your Damage license you mentioned earlier. Should be at least $100-150.

People often forget that if they upgrade to U(CE) editions that they have some libraries doubled that are resellable.

Off topic: I am very happy for you that your daughter goes that path with you together. Mine is waay younger, but already cannot detract the allure of composing. And she has drawn more notes on paper than I have in my whole life. 
Hopefully she's still at it when she's 16.


----------



## Sunny Kumar Dallas TX (May 10, 2022)

widescreen said:


> Off topic: I am very happy for you that your daughter goes that path with you together. Mine is waay younger, but already cannot detract the allure of composing. And she has drawn more notes on paper than I have in my whole life.
> Hopefully she's still at it when she's 16


Wonderful to hear that you are partnering with your daughter on your composing journeys. For me as a non mucisian myself, it has been an absolute blessing to be an intimate part of my daughter's compositional journey. 


widescreen said:


> Why not reselling? It's so easy. 2 or 3 mails, receive the money, send the license number (or start the process on NI). Done. I've done it a 100 times. And bought my K13UCE that way cheaper than you would imagine


Well, thank you for encouraging me to go down this path. I really appreciate all the details you provided. If it is a simple and reliable process, then i should definitely explore this option. 

Where do you find easiest to buy and resell - Knobcloud, KVR, VIC, eBay? Are there other sites? 


widescreen said:


> If you step up to K13U(CE) you can save additional money if you sell your Damage license you mentioned earlier. Should be at least $100-150.


Wow, I had no idea i could resell Damage. We bought it on a student discount direct from Heavyocity. What would the resale process look like here?

ADDITIONAL RESALE QUESTIONS FOR ANYONE TO JUMP IN

1. Maybe I should only buy resellable sw, plugins and samples from now on when possible. Which vendors allow you to resell? NI, Heavyocity, VSL. Are there others? 

2. If I buy on a student discount are there restrictions/stipulations on reselling? 

3. If i buy on sales/promos, are there restrictions/stipluations on reselling? 

4. Is there one or two large vendor of samples that are most resale friendly and seasoned and hypeweary composers prefer?

I am still going to let the sound quality and ease of use as evaluated by my daughter dictate the purchasing decision but as this is racking up to be extremely expensive, perhaps i will also consider resaleability as an important criteria. 

Thanks again to everyone for your great insider tips. It is astounding how much rare knowledge and education i have received during the short 9 months I have been a member here. Because of you guys, my daughter has decided to pursue professional composing ( she is headed to the NYU Screen Scoring Summer Program next month and hopes to be admitted to a similar Bachelor's Program next year) and is better armed and informed to hopefully succeed in this otherwise extremely low odds field as a pro. 

On a similar note, I have been fortunate to connect directly with a few members here by Direct Messaging them but I don't want to abuse that privilege. If you have an interest in helping me help my 16 year old daughter increase her chances of succeeding as a composer, i would be grateful if you would Direct Message me. I hope I am not crossing any lines here but some relationships we have been able to cultivate here via Direct Messaging are priceless. 

Thanks again to all who make VIC the wonderful community and resource it is. 🙏🙏🙏


----------



## Pier (May 10, 2022)

Sunny Kumar Dallas TX said:


> If I buy on a student discount are there restrictions/stipulations on reselling?


Depends on the manufacturer but it's common for educational licenses to be NFR (not for resale).

Some manufacturers also make it so that second hand licenses become NFR after the first resell.


----------



## Technostica (May 10, 2022)

Some educational licenses can only be sold to other educational users.


----------



## Technostica (May 10, 2022)

"3. If i buy on sales/promos, are there restrictions/stipluations on reselling?"

Usually not but check the small print.
For example, with a Best Service two for one offer, you can't sell the free library.


----------



## Russell Anderson (May 10, 2022)

Sunny Kumar Dallas TX said:


> Is there one or two large vendor of samples that are most resale friendly and seasoned and hypeweary composers prefer?


Audio Ollie is resale-friendly. It is rare in the world of sample library development. Maybe it has to do with @pulsedownloader as most of the non-VSL resale-friendly companies I've seen are using Pulse.


----------



## TW5011 (May 10, 2022)

One way to save money on the Komplete upgrade is to buy a Sweetwater gift card during their Father's Day sale which saves 10%, and you can use that on anything there. Also, if the Native Instruments upgrade sale overlaps with GearFest (hosted by Sweetwater in late June), which it normally does, then if you call in during the conference, they usually have additional discounts on products. You have to call in (or attend*) because most pro audio products have minimum advertised prices. This is how I got my upgrade to Komplete Ultimate a couple years ago.

* This year GearFest is virtual (again) because of Covid, which stinks. It's a great event to attend, and you can get some special deals that you normally can't get anywhere.


----------



## widescreen (May 10, 2022)

Sunny Kumar Dallas TX said:


> Where do you find easiest to buy and resell - Knobcloud, KVR, VIC, eBay? Are there other sites?


These are the main ones. We have local ones that worked well for me, perhaps in the U.S. you have comparable platforms. But the mentioned ones are alright.



Sunny Kumar Dallas TX said:


> Wow, I had no idea i could resell Damage. We bought it on a student discount direct from Heavyocity. What would the resale process look like here?


Oh, you bought directly from Heavyocity? Then it's not allowed, sorry. I must admit I always linked it mentally to NI as it is part of K13U and K13UCE (was since 11? 12?). If it were bought in the NI shop it could possibly be resold, but I don't now for sure.

But the others are right, it's best to thoroughly read especially the reselling conditions before buying anything over a certain price level. At $30 I don't mind. But at $200 I surely do.


----------



## Cdauterive1 (Sep 11, 2022)

Sunny Kumar Dallas TX said:


> I love this forum. An absolute goldmine for hard to find info and advice. Need your guidance on the below:
> 
> My daughter and I have finally decided to go FULL ON into the NI ecosystem. We have Komplete Select ( came free with M32 purchase) and Embertone walker registered with NI. Based on researching on VIC, it seems one can score the full CE for $799 or even less instead of $1599, if one uses the right upgrade path during sales. I can wait for sales but there is some pressing need to get Full Kontakt 6 now ( we just bought New Century Brass 60 Off) if going down this path doesn't significantly increase the final CE cost.
> 
> ...


Sunny I’m looking to upgrade from select to CE as well what did you end up doing and what was your total cost? Thx


----------



## Cdauterive1 (Sep 11, 2022)

Markrs said:


> Upgrade in the summer sale. Also, worth knowing that Komplete 14 comes out towards the end of this year (they have a 2-year release cycle), though that will be full price on release and not on sale until the 2023 summer sale.


Did you end up upgrading to NI CE? If so, what was the path you took with final cost. I currently have select and really want to upgrade to CE. Thx


----------



## Markrs (Sep 11, 2022)

Cdauterive1 said:


> Did you end up upgrading to NI CE? If so, what was the path you took with final cost. I currently have select and really want to upgrade to CE. Thx


I got a 2nd hand Machine 2 that can with Komplete Ultimate 10 which I then updated via the Summer Sale to Komplete 13 Ultimate CE.


----------



## Technostica (Sep 11, 2022)

Cdauterive1 said:


> Did you end up upgrading to NI CE? If so, what was the path you took with final cost. I currently have select and really want to upgrade to CE. Thx


The sale is officially over but there is some stock still in the retail channels.
I looked on Google and in the UK you can still upgrade from Select to K13CE for ~£600.
To update to K14CE would add over another £400 which by comparison is poor value.


----------



## Sunny Kumar Dallas TX (Sep 11, 2022)

Cdauterive1 said:


> Sunny I’m looking to upgrade from select to CE as well what did you end up doing and what was your total cost? Thx


I upgraded from select to K13 during June 50% off. With 14 released, I will probably just wait till next summer and decide best way to upgrade. I am not sure the value of K13 UCE or K14UCE vs buying indivual best of the breeds libraries for my daughter's strings, string solos and general orchestra focused composing. We already had to buy TG, JB and Emotional CVV libraries recently to spruce up her debut album sounds . K-UCE seems less and less compelling even on a great sale but you never know.


----------

