# Help with Kontakt database and reducing memory footprint



## WindcryMusic (Mar 29, 2018)

I am trying to squeeze more Kontakt instances into the meager 32GB of RAM on my DAW, and found some advice on the following page:

http://aeonata.com/tutorial-how-to-optimize-kontakt-5s-ram-usage/

The one piece of advice that has me simultaneously intrigued and concerned is the final suggestion to "deactivate the database if you're not using it". From what I have read, the "Object memory" item under Expert / Engine corresponds to the Database plus module size, and that value is showing as 2.56 GB on my system. So at a glance it certainly seems like something that I should perhaps look at changing.

However, I have no idea what might be affected by deactivating the database. I never actually go into the Database tab in Kontakt, so that's not an issue for me. However, does Kontakt rely upon the Database for things like loading patches or samples? My intent here is to have a template with all of the samples I normally want already loaded up (with samples purged), so I wouldn't expect to have to go searching for additional ones very often ... but would deactivating the database cause problems in reloading that template later with all of the pre-built instances of Kontakt, or with loading samples as they are needed?

Hoping for some enlightenment!

EDIT: not having gotten a response, I decided to risk deleting all folders from the database to see what would happen. In case anyone is interested, I didn't see any problems resulting from the deletion ... but I also saw almost no change in the memory footprint of Kontakt. So I guess the database wasn't a significant contributing factor after all. I've had far, FAR better results with limiting the maximum voice counts for patches (pretty amazing, really ... good enough so that I might be able to stay with my 32GB system for a little bit yet, something which had looked impossible for a while there).


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## EvilDragon (Mar 30, 2018)

If you never go into Database tab, then you don't need the database. It doesn't influence anything else, so removing everything from it will free up a bit of RAM.

Yes, unless you have a shitton of patches in the database, it's not particularly RAM intensive. And yes, reducing voice count can save more RAM than you might think (because certain aspects of each Kontakt patch demand a chunk of RAM for each voice of polyphony, i.e. group FX).


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## WindcryMusic (Mar 30, 2018)

EvilDragon said:


> If you never go into Database tab, then you don't need the database. It doesn't influence anything else, so removing everything from it will free up a bit of RAM.
> 
> Yes, unless you have a shitton of patches in the database, it's not particularly RAM intensive. And yes, reducing voice count can save more RAM than you might think (because certain aspects of each Kontakt patch demand a chunk of RAM for each voice of polyphony, i.e. group FX).



Thanks for confirming both of those things, ED! I'd certainly never expected to be able to cut my project's entire RAM footprint by 25% or more simply by optimizing my maximum voice counts (and I haven't even been as aggressive about that with some of the instances as I could be, at least not yet). It's almost as valuable of a Kontakt tip as is sample purging, in my newly-formed opinion.


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## EvilDragon (Mar 30, 2018)

WindcryMusic said:


> It's almost as valuable of a Kontakt tip as is sample purging, in my newly-formed opinion.



Yep, indeed it is.


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