German music software maker Native Instruments has announced the release of Kontakt 1.5, a new version of their sampler software for the Macintosh. The new version gains VST automation support and other new features.
Full Mac OS X native support in Kontakt 1.5 means that the software can be used standalone in conjunction with Mac OS X’s Core Audio and Core MIDI technology. It can also be used as a plug-in with any application that supports Audio Units, as well as the VST (Steinberg) and RTAS (Digidesign) formats.
Beat Machine is a new feature of Kontakt 1.5; it can turn any percussive loop into individual hits, synced to the host sequencer and mapped to the keyboard to be played as individual hits. Also new is Time Machine II, a new version of Kontakt’s time stretching and pitch shifting engine.
Drag & Drop support now works with files and instruments instead of just the Kontakt browser. A new font has also been added to improve readability, and new Quicksearch functionality has also been added. VST automation means that almost all control element movements from within Kontakt can be draw as automation curves in the sequencer and can be remote controlled.
Other new features have also been added.
Kontakt v1.5 is available as an update for existing users for US$29 until December 4, 2003 — after that, it’ll cost $49 (boxed versions cost more). Users who bought Kontakt after August 1, 2003 can upgrade for free if Mac OS X/RTAS support isn’t already included. Kontakt’s suggested retail price is $399.