# Nils,where are you? Please, we need your help for a KScript Editor update to support K4.



## Dynamitec (Oct 2, 2009)

Hi everybody,

has anybody seen Nils? Now that Kontakt 4 is out, it would be great to have an KScript Editor update to support the tons of new features (which unforunately can't be manually added by modifying the ksp_util.txt file). :( 

Best,
Benjamin


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## Big Bob (Oct 2, 2009)

Hi Benjamin,

I think we've all been missing Nils for some time now. I hope he's just in overload mode and will be back soon.

BTW What are some of these 'tons of new features' included with K4? Have User Functions been added? If you find the time, maybe you could post a quick summary of the new KSP stuff?

God Bless,

Bob


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## gregjazz (Oct 2, 2009)

Big Bob @ Fri Oct 02 said:


> BTW What are some of these 'tons of new features' included with K4? Have User Functions been added? If you find the time, maybe you could post a quick summary of the new KSP stuff?



I would be interested in this also, since NI doesn't have the K4 manual out yet...


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## Dynamitec (Oct 3, 2009)

The 4.0.1 update available now, includes the new reference (as far as I know).

Functions unfortunately haven't been added yet.

But here are some highlights:
- Multiscripts are officially supported and integrated to the Kontakt 4 UI (+documentation)
- It's possible to link scripts (.txt file) to an instrument and script slot. If you change the .txt file all scripts are up to date on "restart engine" or on the next load of the instrument (this is also great if you have a lot of instruments using the same script)
- Array limit is now 32768 (it's very easy to pre-calculate/cache almost all functions of BigBobs Math library and store them in single arrays)
- get_event_par(), set_event_par() functions allow access to tuning or volume of an event by Id (EVENT_PAR_TUNE, EVENT_PAR_VOLUME)
- New timer (which actually can be used to run BigBobs Benchmark without using an "real" stopwatch)
- Completely new way to script the GUI / larger performance view (pixel exact positioning, new UI elements, user skin-able UI elements, access UI elements by Id rather than name (Ids can be stored in arrays and for example all elements could be hidden or shown in a loop)
- Smaller improvements like functions to set the script title, resize the performance view, etc.
- Virtual keyboard keys can be colored from KSP now (no need for tricks to show custom keyswitches etc)
- Parser-Stack increased
- New KSP reference pdf (completely rewritten)

Those are only some highlights! KSP really gets some updates in K4!

Best,
Benjamin


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## Big Bob (Oct 3, 2009)

Hey Benj, thanks for the info. Some of the things you mentioned sound very useful, especially indexing of UI elements. Too bad about User Functions though, do you think they might be coming soon?

Is the pdf of the KSP manual going to be available for download for K3 users or will we have to buy K4 before we can see what we will be getting with an upgrade?

Again, thanks for the heads up my friend.

God Bless,

Bob


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## cc (Oct 7, 2009)

steff3 @ Wed Oct 07 said:


> K4 - anyone tried custom UI graphic elements? Is that easily possible?
> 
> Can one use the UI elements that are in the library?



I haven't done it myself but both look possible. The files are just png's with images for each state.


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## Dynamitec (Oct 7, 2009)

Hi Steff,

Yes, it's easily possible. You can create custom sliders, knobs, buttons. You can set text color, color for the ui_table colums, you can set text size (though very limited). The concept to add custom images and elements is amazingly simple, due to the new user folder structure. You just put all your images, IRs etc. in the Kontakt user folder and refer to them without path or anything. 

However I'm not sure if one is allowed to use the Kontakt library graphics for own projects. 

The biggest problem right now is, that the KScript Editor needs an update for the new functions since they can't be included in the KSPUtil.txt :( 

Best,
Benjamin


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## steff3 (Oct 8, 2009)

Thanks for your replies ...

Yes, I had a look into the scripting manual yesterday and looked at the UI elements pngs, though I have not installed K4, so I am not that sure about the folder structure .... 
I am also aware of the copy right questions concerning the use of library elements ...

Generally it looks like KSP made a big leap with K4 ... lots of things are now redundant, not sure if that is good or bad, confusing at least ... but need for backwards compatibility. A bit sad that GUIs can not be sized freely, but two rows more is not that bad ...

Hope they did not change the scales of the controllers within Kontakt, or all custom aligned sript controllers will be obsolete ...

best


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## Dynamitec (Oct 8, 2009)

Hi Steff,
yes KSP made a big big leap with K4! And actually it's possible to resize the GUI in pixel (but only vertically).

Best,
Benjamin


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## steff3 (Oct 8, 2009)

Hello,

I thought there is a max size of 350 or 450 pixel ... At least that was my impression after 'crumbling' the manual last night ... 

best


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## Dynamitec (Oct 8, 2009)

Oh ok, I thought you meant by "not resized freely" that it behaves like the old performance view (can only be resized in fixed rows and by the elements placed on the GUI). What I meant by "resized freely" was that you can actually set the PV to a specific height without placing any GUI elements on it at all.


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## steff3 (Oct 9, 2009)

Hello,

Thanks for your reply ...

Do you know if the UI elements can be scaled (so that they are displayed twice as big as in the file)? one can set the width and height, but that seems only to be for reserving space ... and in the text files next to the elements there is a resize option, but with both set to YES it seems not possible to resize them. I guess that is more than reasonable (as it will not look very good and it will only cost CPU cycles)

Anyways, anyone know if it is possible?

Thanks

best


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## cc (Oct 13, 2009)

steff3 @ Fri Oct 09 said:


> Hello,
> 
> Thanks for your reply ...
> 
> ...



I do not think it is possible. My guess is that those resizable tags in the text file are there for the future - maybe they are going to make the instrument rack resizable in Kontakt 5 (6? 7?).


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## cc (Oct 13, 2009)

Dynamitec @ Wed Oct 07 said:


> The concept to add custom images and elements is amazingly simple, due to the new user folder structure. You just put all your images, IRs etc. in the Kontakt user folder and refer to them without path or anything.



I actually think it's a bit _too_ simple! If you are trying to distribute instruments you have to tell people to also copy the image files to their user directory which they are unlikely to do correctly all the time. 

I complained about this on the kontakt beta mailing list, and (after someone more important than me also complained!) they said they'd look into doing something were the images could be in with the nki.


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## MaraschinoMusic (Oct 13, 2009)

Can you import and use your own instrument icons yet?

That would be pretty cool...


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## steff3 (Oct 13, 2009)

Yes, the problem of how to get your own controlUIs there is quite concerning ... additionally it seems that NI insists on their property of the controls in the library ...

Instrument icons - I think for performance view you can just hide it (that for sure) and put it on the background tga ... maybe you can even tell it to load your own one ... (at least there seems to be a lot of those things in the image libary, but I did not try and did not look into that yet ...)

EDIT:
Yes, you can use your own instrument icons, you can set this with a command inside the script and it gets used in Performance View and when the instrument is opened for editing (as it seems).
Hope that helps

best


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