# Kontakt settings stored in daw projects?



## brynolf (Jan 14, 2018)

To my horror I noticed I have to re-save my track templates after I have done a batch resave (or moved kontakt libraries between drives). I assumed that the DAW only needs to be told where the actual instrument file are, and that Kontakt handles the rest. But that isn't the case, is it? The search path for every sample seems to be stored in each and every track template (and every project using those instruments). 

I moved a big library to anothet drive, so I had to re-save my template and all individual projects containing that library. Took hours and hours, as every single sample had to be located. 

Is there something obvious I am missing here? 

I'm using Reaper, but I assume this issue is a Kontakt one and so it applies to all DAWs.


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## danielb (Jan 14, 2018)

usually if I move a library I go to native access to update the folder.. And if I forget some times kontakt ask me for the good folder when loading the instrument.. I never had to redo the template;.. using cubase, not sure why reaper wouldn't work like that...


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## Simon Ravn (Jan 14, 2018)

Yes, Logic, Vienna Ensemble Pro etc saves the location internally within the project. So if you move samples around and open up a project, you'll have to make Kontakt search for those samples in their new location.

I guess they do this to be able to load the samples quicker, or maybe that's just the only way it can work.


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## storyteller (Jan 14, 2018)

Fingers crossed that Kontakt 6 does two things to resolve this... *1)* Takes advantage of Native Access library locations and references the location from NA upon loading (and also does this for non Player libraries). *2)* Have Kontakt somehow figure out how to check and see if a more up-to-date nki/nkm is available in the folder and then prompt the user to use the newer one. So - using a sort of unique id within a patch that it references upon startup.

Maybe it’s just a dream.


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## EvilDragon (Jan 14, 2018)

It's nice to dream, but somehow I'd suggest not holding your breath for it...

Checking KP library locations would certainly help, but what about non-KP libraries? Those would still need to be resolved manually.



Simon Ravn said:


> I guess they do this to be able to load the samples quicker, or maybe that's just the only way it can work.



The reason it works like this is simple: it's storing the whole plugin state when you save the project, in order to be able to load it back correctly the next time you open the project. And in Kontakt's case, "plugin state" consists of all NKIs loaded in the multi, all multiscripts, and Kontakt's output settings. So, yes, paths to all mapped samples are also stored as a part of DAW project, as a consequence.

All DAWs work like this.


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## brynolf (Jan 14, 2018)

One would think it would be better to let the nki keep track of all the samples so the DAW just had to be pointed to the new location of the nki. That way it would be enough to batch resave moved libraries once.

But I'm probably missing something


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## EvilDragon (Jan 14, 2018)

That wouldn't help anything, really. What if the NKI is moved in such a way that _its_ relation to the samples has changed? Then you again get missing samples dialog.

No. There's a very good reason why the _whole_ NKI is embedded into the DAW file.


And yes, NI could handle this better, there are ways to do that very easily (at least for KP libs). Will they? The soap opera continues...


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## brynolf (Jan 14, 2018)

EvilDragon said:


> That wouldn't help anything, really. What if the NKI is moved in such a way that _its_ relation to the samples has changed? Then you again get missing samples dialog.


Then it should suffice to batch resave once inside kontakt, to get all the path issues resolved and saved within the nki. Then all the daw projects using that nki only have to be redirected to the new nki file location, without having to scan tens of thousands of samples for every project.

Ah well, thanks for the answers. No point in arguing over something none of us can affect. I'm off to spend a couple of days resaving my templates and projects.


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## EvilDragon (Jan 15, 2018)

That won't work, because each project is its own entity, and Kontakt instances between projects know absolutely nothing about each other.

Those using VEP have it easier, because they just connect their project to an external VEP instance hosting all the patches. They just do the find missing samples once for every Kontakt instance loaded into it and resave the VEP frame, then that applies to all the projects using that VEP frame. Easy peasy.


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## babylonwaves (Jan 15, 2018)

EvilDragon said:


> No. There's a very good reason why the _whole_ NKI is embedded into the DAW file.


interesting discussion. i wondered the other day if the "original" NKI is stored in the DAW project or the "updated" version. I have Logic projects which make kontakt show something long the lines of "Converting ..." while loading the content. do you know what happens in this moment?


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## EvilDragon (Jan 15, 2018)

The version of NKI that was used while the project is opened is stored in the project file. So, if you update the NKI outside of Logic (by overwriting it), it doesn't affect what was stored in the project.


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## babylonwaves (Jan 15, 2018)

EvilDragon said:


> The version of NKI that was used while the project is opened is stored in the project file. So, if you update the NKI outside of Logic (by overwriting it), it doesn't affect what was stored in the project.


you misunderstand me. i wonder why it shows "converting" every single time i open the project. i'd assume that in as song, the result of the conversion is being stored.


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## EvilDragon (Jan 15, 2018)

Not sure, I never saw that message when opening DAW projects over here...


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