# Hi Question to all Penny pinchers regarding Kontakt player (Full version) strategic purchases



## toomanynotes (Apr 7, 2020)

Seems I've been constantly having to pull my bags of $ from under the floorboards for another purchase. Yes I truly hate spending money.

So what is the most stingy way to purchase Full version of Kontakt? 
1. Buy 2nd hand Komplete select from ebay and upgrade?
2. I heard about crossgrades…if you own a suitable vst instrument?
3. I also heard you can upgrade $99 if you have kontakt 1-5 that sounds the best deal, but can't source a copy on ebay
4. or wait till summer sale?? Can it be a lot cheaper?

Pls if anyone knows...

Kind Regards
Pin


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## Technostica (Apr 7, 2020)

Get Arcane for free and buy the Crossgrade next time it's 50% off which will make it ~$125.





Arcane







www.embertone.com


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## fretti (Apr 7, 2020)

toomanynotes said:


> 3. I also heard you can upgrade $99 if you have kontakt 1-5 that sounds the best deal, but can't source a copy on ebay


NI had a sale on upgrades last year at 50% which is when I updated to Kontakt 6 for 49€.
Not sure it‘s a yearly thing or not though...


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## toomanynotes (Apr 7, 2020)

Technostica said:


> Get Arcane for free and buy the Crossgrade next time it's 50% off which will make it ~$125.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


really? this is excellent find. Thanks


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## toomanynotes (Apr 7, 2020)

fretti said:


> NI had a sale on upgrades last year at 50% which is when I updated to Kontakt 6 for 49€.
> Not sure it‘s a yearly thing or not though...


I need to first find an older kontakt on ebay, but thats rare!


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## fretti (Apr 7, 2020)

toomanynotes said:


> I need to first find an older kontakt on ebay, but thats rare!


Ah then I misread, my mistake  
In that case it might be worth looking in the For Sale section regularly, I think I saw e.g. a Komplete 10 offer the other day, but I didn‘t look at the price tag. Maybe there comes a Kontakt 4/5 license someday at a good price; otherwise I think the Arcane Crossgrade is probably the „safest“ bet


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## dzilizzi (Apr 7, 2020)

Crossgrade sale should be in June. Also, if you have any player libraries, you can upgrade from them.


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## toomanynotes (Apr 7, 2020)

So i'll be waiting till June to get it at 50% plus crossgrade? which will be $125 or I can buy it now for $250 with arcane hmmmmm


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## gst98 (Apr 7, 2020)

buy a komplete keyboard and sell the keyboard. if you buy it used you'll probably be able to keep the software and get all your money back if you're patient enough. 

In the UK i foud a shop that has NI a25 keyboard /komplete select as an open box for equivelant of 100 bucks.


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## BenG (Apr 7, 2020)

What @Technostica mentionned is the best method and worked for or more me!

Already had a few 'Player' libraries that gave me the upgrade path and I just waited for the June cross-grade sale for $125. Truly a steal.

If you do not have any Kontakt Player libraries at the moment, there is Arcane and a few other free/cheap options.


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## Leslie Fuller (Apr 7, 2020)

Technostica said:


> Get Arcane for free and buy the Crossgrade next time it's 50% off which will make it ~$125.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Exactly! I’ve posted the same reply to this question in the forums a couple of times.


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## Reid Rosefelt (Apr 7, 2020)

ProjectSAM's new version of Free Orchestra is Kontakt Player, so it might qualify you for the upgrade too. Also Sonokinetic freebies. 

While this isn't the cheapest way, IMHO the best deal on Kontakt is to buy a version of Komplete for half price ($299) in the coming NI summer sale. If you can manage the $$$, you get a ton of great VIs for that additional $174.

On the other hand, buying in the summer sale you will miss out on Komplete 13, coming out in the fall.

And yes, you get Komplete Select if you buy and register a keyboard. And this cuts $199 off of the price of Komplete. I think you get Select even if the owner transfers over the registration to you. So you could get a keyboard for less than $199. I'm not sure what the upgrade price from Select is during the sale is though. It might only be a $99 discount.


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## gst98 (Apr 7, 2020)

TigerTheFrog said:


> ProjectSAM's new version of Free Orchestra is Kontakt Player, so it might qualify you for the upgrade too. Also Sonokinetic freebies.
> 
> While this isn't the cheapest way, IMHO the best deal on Kontakt is to buy a version of Komplete for half price ($299) in the coming NI summer sale. If you can manage the $$$, you get a ton of great VIs for that additional $174.
> 
> ...



The upgrade pricing usually is 50% off.


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## Technostica (Apr 7, 2020)

TigerTheFrog said:


> And yes, you get Komplete Select if you buy and register a keyboard. And this cuts $199 off of the price of Komplete. I think you get Select even if the owner transfers over the registration to you.


The entry level keyboards (A or M series) don't get Select so you need an S series for that.
You do though get a discounted upgrade price to Select, Komplete etc.

If you buy a second hand keyboard you should insist on getting the full Software license transferred or negotiate a discount. It's not guaranteed.


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## mgnoatto (Apr 7, 2020)

TigerTheFrog said:


> ProjectSAM's new version of Free Orchestra is Kontakt Player, so it might qualify you for the upgrade too. Also Sonokinetic freebies.
> 
> While this isn't the cheapest way, IMHO the best deal on Kontakt is to buy a version of Komplete for half price ($299) in the coming NI summer sale. If you can manage the $$$, you get a ton of great VIs for that additional $174.
> 
> ...


Yes I think Komplete deal it's great. I've got Komplete Start buying an audio interface. Then I did an upgrade of 50usd to Komplete Select (50% off) and then a 200usd to Komplete. You get a bunch of nice stuff and Kontakt 6 full.
Looking forward to Komplete 13, if it has Noire would be an instant buy!


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## Reid Rosefelt (Apr 7, 2020)

mgnoatto said:


> Yes I think Komplete deal it's great. I've got Komplete Start buying an audio interface. Then I did an upgrade of 50usd to Komplete Select (50% off) and then a 200usd to Komplete. You get a bunch of nice stuff and Kontakt 6 full.
> Looking forward to Komplete 13, if it has Noire would be an instant buy!


Noire will be in Komplete Ultimate 13, but I don't know about regular Komplete....


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## toomanynotes (Apr 7, 2020)

Great i know what to do thanks For the help!!
just a quick one, im in the uk, but i looked on ebay.com and im findin people selling komplete for £100 with official serial? Is this pirated Or real?
thanks
*NATIVE INSTRUMENTS KOMPLETE 12 ULTIMATE FULL Condition is Used. Shipped with USPS Priority Mail. IT FULL OFICIAL LICENSE WITH REGISTER ON ACCOUNT*


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## Reid Rosefelt (Apr 7, 2020)

toomanynotes said:


> Great i know what to do thanks For the help!!
> just a quick one, im in the uk, but i looked on ebay.com and im findin people selling komplete for £100 with official serial? Is this pirated Or real?
> thanks
> *NATIVE INSTRUMENTS KOMPLETE 12 ULTIMATE FULL Condition is Used. Shipped with USPS Priority Mail. IT FULL OFICIAL LICENSE WITH REGISTER ON ACCOUNT*


I have no idea.

You don't need a box to buy Komplete Ultimate. All you need is a serial number. But even if somebody sold you a box, you can't use it and can't keep it up to date without being registered with NI.

Native Instruments allows owners to sell it but I would never buy it on ebay. That's just me. 

I would only buy software through a forum like this, where the person is an active member that we know. It is always a risk to buy from a stranger online, but at least if you buy on this forum you can see if others were happy with the transaction.

LOTS of cons on eBay.


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## Leslie Fuller (Apr 7, 2020)

TigerTheFrog said:


> ProjectSAM's new version of Free Orchestra is Kontakt Player, so it might qualify you for the upgrade too. Also Sonokinetic freebies.
> 
> While this isn't the cheapest way, IMHO the best deal on Kontakt is to buy a version of Komplete for half price ($299) in the coming NI summer sale. If you can manage the $$$, you get a ton of great VIs for that additional $174.
> 
> ...



As @TigerTheFrog says, buying Komplete is an option. A forum member has one for sale posted today, see here: https://vi-control.net/community/threads/native-instruments-komplete-10.91783/


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## Technostica (Apr 7, 2020)

toomanynotes said:


> Great i know what to do thanks For the help!!
> just a quick one, im in the uk, but i looked on ebay.com and im findin people selling komplete for £100 with official serial? Is this pirated Or real?
> thanks
> *NATIVE INSTRUMENTS KOMPLETE 12 ULTIMATE FULL Condition is Used. Shipped with USPS Priority Mail. IT FULL OFICIAL LICENSE WITH REGISTER ON ACCOUNT*


Thats too cheap to be genuine.


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## toomanynotes (Apr 7, 2020)

Ok i'll be checking for sales on VI from now on. thanks


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## Sulblk (May 4, 2020)

toomanynotes said:


> Seems I've been constantly having to pull my bags of $ from under the floorboards for another purchase. Yes I truly hate spending money.
> 
> So what is the most stingy way to purchase Full version of Kontakt?
> 1. Buy 2nd hand Komplete select from ebay and upgrade?
> ...


I have also been trying to save in this time of need. But my question is if I purchased the $99 Kontact upgrade is it the same as a having a full version. I have searched for weeks to find that answer or do I also have to wait for the (hopefully) June sale for the crossgrade.


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## Technostica (May 4, 2020)

The upgrade is just that, an upgrade from an earlier version, so you need that for it to work.
If you login to your NI account and go to the product page it will usually tell you if you are eligible for an upgrade or cross grade.


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## Sulblk (May 4, 2020)

Technostica said:


> The upgrade is just that, an upgrade from an earlier version, so you need that for it to work.
> If you login to your NI account and go to the product page it will usually tell you if you are eligible for an upgrade or cross grade.


Thank you so much for the quick reply. Yes it offered me Upgrade for 99 or crossgrade for 245 (?) something. When I looked around I believe in their FAQ, it was saying upgrade and crossgrade is the same as Full kontact...so I guess I got confused as to why would I pay 300+ instead of $99.


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## Technostica (May 4, 2020)

Keep in mind that if you buy an upgrade you can’t sell the base product and keep access to Kontakt due to the dependency.
What is your base product for the upgrade?


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## Sulblk (May 4, 2020)

Technostica said:


> Keep in mind that if you buy an upgrade you can’t sell the base product and keep access to Kontakt due to the dependency.
> What is your base product for the upgrade?


The Update price (from Kontact player) is $99 and the crossgrade price is $249 (the qualifying product is Output Analog strings). The Full version is $399 (with a note saying that as the owner of Output vst I qualify for crossgrade). I most likely wouldn't sell the the item--too stuck in trying to get things right.


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