Hey there peeps, Great web site/forum... plenty of brain food. I've got this burning issue/problem though. I've seen this issue questioned in other forums and to this day I haven't found the definitive answer. I'm hoping I (and the many others who are asking the same question) can find the answer here. You seem like the experts I'm looking for. My burning issue concerns the set up of a multi-instrument (Kontakt 2) in Logic Pro and then setting up Aux channels for each individual instrument in the multi intrument, so I can automate and effect where necessary. I've tried all kinds of combinations (obviously not the correct ones) and am almost at the point of pulling out my hair. To save my hair I'd love to see if anyone has a step-by-step explanation of how to set this up. Thanks in advance, underflux

Hi anderflex Welcome to macProVideo forums! I don't have Kontact 2 but this is a general way to set up Multi instruments in Logic 8: 1. Open a Multi-Instrument Kontact 2. 2. In Kontact assign the desired sound to its own group. 3. Assign the group to an Output. 4. Open the Mixer. 5. The Channel with Kontact 2 on it should have a little + sign at the bottom right of the channel strip. Click it to create an AUx track assigned to an output from Kontact. 6. Click it again to create more Aux's depending on how many you need. 7. If you wish to add the Aux tracks to the Arrange (for automation purposes) drag and select the Aux tracks and select: local menu [b]Options > Create Arrange Tracks for selected channel strips[/b] Let us know if this helps, Rounik

Hi Rounik, Thanks for your quick reply. I have gleaned some really useful information from your reply - such as the create arrange tracks for selected channel strip. So thanks for that. I'm still however a little stuck and confused as to how to set up Kontakt as a multi-instrument. Perhaps I should let you know how far I've got, how I got there and we can go from there, hopefully;-) 1. I create new instrument and tick the Multi-timbral box which creates 16 instrument channels in the arrange page and environment page. 2. Choose Kontakt multi instrument. 3. Open up environment page and select New > Multi Instrument. Attach a new cable from the multi instrument object to the first channel strip. 4. Select the channel strip attached to cable and change the Midi Channel parameter to All 5. Delete the remaining 15 channel strips of Kontakt in the environment page. 6. At this point I can see all the 16 channel strips for the Multi-Instrument. Great. 7. This is the point I get stuck. I add the Aux channels by clicking the small + sign. But I can't see the levels on any of the Aux channels. Do you think its something I'm not doing in Kontakt, or is it something in Logic Pro? I know you said you don't use Kontakt. Do you know any forum users who do at all? Mate, if you could help any further that would be wonderful. Thanks. underflux

Hi anders, Are you on Logic 8 or 7? I'm downloading a demo for Kontact 3 now so hope to get an answer to you later tonight or tomorrow (GMT ;) Also, if you're on Logic 8, you may not need to enter the environment at all! Infact, I'm guessing it's in Kontact that you need to define the outputs for the sounds. These routed outputs should then be visible in the Aux tracks when you create them in the Mixer. in Logic 8, to set up a multi instrument like EXS24 or Ultrabeat you need not go to the environment. In the Arrange/Mixer, insert your instrument (Kontact) - choose the multi-output version. Route the sounds within Kontact as desired. In the Mixer create the Aux tracks. Assign the Aux tracks to the correct inputs from Kontact if they've not already been set correctly. That's all in theory for Kontact. Will test this out myself later. Cheers Rounik

Actually, forget what I said about not needing the Environment. I've just played with Kontact a little and your steps until step 5 make complete sense to me. Wow...Kontakt 3 is quite a beast... Anyway, here's what I've figured out so far Do your steps 1 -5. 6. In the multi-instrument click on th buttons 1-16 so none are crossed out. 7. In the Arrange create a new track. doesn't matter what it is as we're going to reassign it. 8. Ctrl-click on the new track and reassign it to Multi Inst > 1 [A quick tip is to create as many tracks as you need and open the Library and manually reassign the tracks to Channel 1,2,3,4 etc] 9. In Kontakt load multiple sounds. 10. For each sound/instrument you can specify the ouput. 11. or in the Mixer section (in Kontakt 3) clicking on CONF at the bottom of each strip allows you to route the audio signal from Kontakt to the Aux tracks in Logic's mixer... 12. Oops, yes, you should create the Aux tracks in Logic's Mixer now by clicking on the + button. ---- So, now in theory once you figure out the internal routings of Kontakt you've got a very cool multi instrument in Logic because: 1. You can place different MIDI regions on the Multi 1,2,3 etc track in the Arrange that will trigger the different sounds in Kontakt. 2. You don't need to move the Aux tracks to the Arrange, but you can use them in the Mixer window to adjust levels, pan and add effects to each sound assigned to each Aux. Let me know how you get on. Cheers Rounik

Hi guys! I hope you dont't mind I'm joining in this thread. :-) I just wanted to give you some more info... Multi-Instrument and Multi-Output are two completely different things. A multi-Instrument will let you control different MIDI channel on the same external synth or software instrument. This is useful with software instrument like Stylus RMX or Kontakt because you don't need to open up multiple instances of the same plugin. There is no standard multi-instrument software instrument in Logic Studio. Only 3rd party plugins will let you do this. A Multi output instrument will let you output on multiple audio channel. This is useful to have different sound on different audio channel strip. This way, you can process the snare, the kick and hi hats of a drum kit independently. In Logic, the EXS24 and Ultrabeat are multi ouput instruments. Here's how to create a Kontakt multi instrument : 1-Load up the Kontakt plugin on a software instrument track. (select 16 x mono a multi output instrument if you want to have multiple outputs...if not just use the stereo version.) 2-In the environment Mixer layer, select New > Multi Instrument. Click on all 16 buttons to activate all channels. 3-Connect a cable from the multi instr. object to the Software Instrument Channel Strip with the Kontake plugin loaded. In the dialog, click on "Remove" 4-Select the "text tool" and name the multi instr. Object "Kontakt Multi". 5-Open the Kontakt plugin. Click on the " Load/Save" button to select a patch you want. Repeat to load other patches. First patch will be set to MIDI channel 1... second to channel 2... etc. 6-Go to your arrange page. Click on the "+" to create a new "External MIDI" track. In the Library select the channel you want under "Kontakt Multi". Repeat for all MIDI channel you want. That's it for Multi Instrument!

Hey Christian! The more the merrier on this thread! And thanks for clarifying the difference between multi-output and multi-instrument. I see now from my post, I could have been a lot clearer ;) Cheers Rounik

Thanks so much for the awesome information guys. Absolutely crystal clear on this now. In the end it was a school boy error that was my failing - I failed to route the outputs in Kontakt correctly...DOH! Anyway thats brilliant and along the way I've found out some more tips on other things that I was unaware of so thanks once again. I now have a beast of a tool working as it should. I've saved all the settings as a template in Kontakt and Logic so life becomes easy...and more importantly back to the music. Take care you guys. Underflux

Great! I'm glad you got it working. Thanks for the feedback. Have fun with Logic and Kontakt. Christian

Hello, I am a first time poster here. I am still having trouble setting up Kontakt 3 as a multitimbral instrument, I have followed the above steps but my first channel controls the volume of all the other MIDI channels. I am sure it is something obvious staring me in the face but I can't seem to figure it out, do I need to change something within the Kontakt mixer? if so could someone please explain that process to me, as I have only owned Kontakt for about 24 hours. Thanks.