Native Instruments Komplete 12 Select - Software Review
Native Instruments recently had a huge offer on the KOMPLETE 12 range of product packages, where you could purchase one of 3 different KOMPLETE 12 packages with upto 50 % discount. I couldn’t miss up on this offer and decided to purchase the KOMPLETE 12 SELECT (which is the budget version of the entire KOMPLETE 12 package) at only €99 discounted from €199.
Find herein below my in depth review on this chock full package from Native Instruments.
Installation and downloading of the KOMPLETE 12 SELECT is so easy and effortless using Native Instruments’ ‘Native Access’ (which you have to download in order to install and use any NI software). Once you have confirmed your payment from the official NI website and download Native Access you’ll find all the software that you have purchased in the library , and boy is their allot of software.
First up we have the ever so popular MASSIVE. MASSIVE is a software synthesizer combining analog architecture with wavetable synthesis. And you truly do get that analog sound. I was totally impressed with just about all the presets , you really do feel that ‘warmth’ sound that you would get from an analog synth. Presets range from Bass, Leads, Pads and more . MASSIVE alone is worth the price of this bundle ,as if you had to buy it separately it would cost $149 , so in reality it is a great bargain .
Next up we MONARK, which is one of the best monophonic analog synthesizers out there today. It has been meticulously designed to deliver that true ‘fat’ analog sound to be played at one key at a time to truly savor its bold sound . Featured in this synth are 3 three oscillators, a filter and amp section, modulation, and glide controls. Presets are an abundant here from Bass to Leads to Drums and so much more. MONARK is loaded up with NI’s REAKTOR .
You’ll never need to purchase drum hits again once you have this. It combines 38 sampled acoustic drums . You’ll find everything here from hats, kicks, snares toms and everything else in between. No more digging through sample packs to find the right kick, you’ll find an abundance of top quality drums sounds that you can adjust to your preference . Add sub to a kick , or ‘tune’ it into the right key for you track to make sure it is in key with the rest of your track. NI claims that these sounds are mix ready . When I read this I couldn’t believe it , but once I started loading sounds and making my own drum loops , their words were true. This does make life easier for me and producers alike as you can ‘tame’ the drum sound/loop you want without wasting time .
PHASIS , as the name suggests , is a phase effect . Easy to use because of its very good looking & simple UI. But don’t let its simple look fool you, it really is an amazing phaser and adds nice analog phasing to any sound you wish .
PRISM is an polyphonic modal synthesizer and the quality of sounds as that of the same as MASSIVE. You’ll find presets ranging from Hard Bass to Leads , Drums and more. And there are allot , you have over 370 different sounds to choose from . Shaping sounds is what really stands out with this synth. A nice visual representation of what your doing to each sound makes this fun and easy to use. Top quality synth right here.
REPLIKA has now become my favourite delay effect . I used to go straight for the H-Delay ,but after using this , I now go straight for REPLIKA if Im looking to add some delay to a sound. You have three options with regards to the mode of delay you want , namely Modern, Vintage Digital and Diffusion. I specifically loved the sound of the Digital option and it gives delay some needed ‘colour’ if you so wish .
This is one of my favorite synths in the pack , and currently one of my all time favorite synths. As the name suggests RETRO MACHINE is all about old school retro sounding samples from the 70s and 80s. Its a collection of 16 analog synthesizers and keyboards . If there’s a pad or bass that you’ve been looking for from a track made in the 80s , you’ll find it here . Whats also super awesome about this piece of software is that it comes with an arpeggiator and chord player . So now you can make your own arpeggiator melodies and with the chord player can make chords being played out on just a single note.
What’s a production pack without a great sounding electric piano ? SCARBEE MARK 1 is sampled from an legendary electric piano of the 1970s and with all its analog brilliance. This will be your ‘go-to’ for great an sounding rhodes . Simple to use and adjust with its on-board effects and adjustable instrument noise.
SCARBEE RICKENBACKER BASS is a bass synth sampled from the Rickenbacker® 4003 . I’ve never really used bass guitar sounds for my tracks as I prefer more synth bass sounds but that is just my personal taste. But regardless , for those looking for a bass guitar VST , this one’s for you . Nice sounding bass VST for that ‘punchy’ ‘raw’ bass sound . You can also load up GUITAR RIG to tweak accordingly with an tape saturator, equalizer and compressor and more, depending on what GUITAR RIG series you have.
SOLID BUS COMP was a nice addition to this pack. A great sound compressor that I found was good for ‘glue compression’ for master channel or group channels. It also has sidechain capabilities which is a nice addition. Nice simple and what you would expect from a good sounding buss comp.
Piano VSTs are hard to find and alot claim to be the best. I use pianos in just about every single one of my productions and when it comes to a great sounding piano based VST, there was only one preset from Arturia’s Analog Lab that I would use , that was until I started using THE GENTLEMAN.
I really love the sound of this piano based VST. THE GENTLEMAN is sampled from an upright piano from 1908 delivering an rich and lush sounding piano. For control flexibility you have the options to control levels of pedals, damper, string, and hammer sounds. I used to always use the ‘American Piano’ preset from Arturia’s Analog Lab because of its ‘heavenly sounding’ reverb added to the piano , but when I load up THE GENTLEMAN , even without reverb , it sounds luscious and harmoniously beautiful . I cannot recommend this piano VST anymore, for piano aficionados I highly recommend this VST.
VINTAGE ORGANS is exactly what you would expect from an top quality organ VST. Sampled from 5 organs namely Hammond® B-3, C-3 and M-3 models, the Vox Continental™ II and the Farfisa® Compact from the 60s and 70s spread over 100 presets.
If you’re looking for some ‘proper’ true african sounding drums and percussions for your tracks , then WEST AFRICA is for you. With this software you’ll never need another percussion sample pack again . So many different drum sounds to choose from , from djembe, dunun, bells, bongo and more featuring over 26 percussion instruments . The presets have been split into sub sections for either single hits or loops. When you load up a loop prest of a specific drum sound , the keyboard is layered out into sections for loops, drum rolls, drum fills and again one shots. Tweaking to your specific taste is a dream. So easy to use and adjust each sound and make drums patterns. The UI is simple and easy to use. And let me not forget to tell you about the quality of the sounds … AMAZING. No need to hire percussionists anymore, these sample sounds are truly amazing and incorporating these drums sounds into your tracks will definitely add quality to your tracks.
On top of all of this, there’s still more to be had . You also get 3 expansion packs :
TRUE SCHOOL
VELVET LOUNGE
DEEP MATTER
With a combined total of over 800 loops, over 1100 drum samples and over 700 one shots. Included is also a $25 gift voucher from NI to use in their store to purchase whatever you like.
What I really liked about this package and this specific option of the SELECT 12 and not the entire KOMPLETE 12 is that it was just the right amount of software for me. It’s not like getting 40 VSTs that are over 100 gigs which makes things very overwhelming and in the end I would probably never use even half of them. I already have quite a few software VSTs and if I had to add more , I would just be overwhelmed or would just have to spend hours and hours going through sounds which in the end would just be time wasting. That’s why I like the option of the KOMPLETE SELECT , it gave me some really nice sounding synths and some truly amazing sounding effects. You’ll basically get all your bases covered with this package, you get an electric piano , analog sounding synths, an compressor, drum machine , organ synth and more. It ticks all the boxes in all the right places , even someone like me who already has so many other software VSTs and effects , it was the perfect addition to my collection & for beginners this is the perfect option to get started with without breaking the bank. If you had to buy each of these great pieces of software separately you could easily spend over $500 but now it is only $199.
For beginners it’s a no brainer , this is such an amazing package and for seasoned pros is definitely something to check it and give a try.
For more information and to purchase this awesome bundle of software , head on down to the official Native Instruments website HERE