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Kontakt allows custom interfaces for its instruments, as found on all library content.

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When we reviewed Kontakt 4, it received top marks, and rightly so, as it had become the most powerful and rounded sampler on the market.

In the intervening couple of years, NI have refocused their product line, with hardware (Maschine, Traktor Kontrol and Guitar Rig Kontrol) now playing a bigger role.

However, with such an enormous array of Kontakt libraries available from NI and numerous third parties, Kontakt now feels like the flagship of NI's sound-creation range, offering both deep sample manipulation and immediate ROMpler-like gratification.

"Kontakt now feels like the flagship of NI's sound-creation range."

It runs as a standalone app and a VST/AU/RTAS plug-in. Note that the library comes ready-compressed this time, using Kontakt's lossless audio format, resulting in a smaller 25GB disk footprint.

The content is now arranged in large container files as opposed to individual WAVs. However, Kontakt addicts will recognise the same seven-category library (Choir, Band, Orchestral, World, Synth, Vintage and Urban) with over 1000 instruments.

One thing that continues to frustrate Kontakt users is the process of upgrading the sample library when a new full version is released. To maintain compatibility with old DAW sessions, users have been encouraged to install from scratch the new library and retain the old library as well.

With nine dual-layer DVDs to install, this not only takes ages (and makes Komplete 8 Ultimate's hard drive-based installation seem highly attractive) but also leaves you with a legacy sample-set eating disk space.

Kontakt 5 doesn't work with earlier library versions. On the upside, previous projects work fine with the new library, so you can delete your old one to save some space once you know it's all working OK.

Synth city

The only new sample content this time round is the Retro Machines Mk2 library, which is also available on its own for $79 as a Kontakt Player instrument.

Those who buy Kontakt 5 get a code to download the pack, which contains patches sampled from 16 vintage hardware synths, from the obvious (Minimoog and Roland MKS-80 Super Jupiter) to the unexpected (Crumar Roady electric piano and String Melody II string machine).

The interface is nicely done, with a Sound knob to radically EQ the oscillator, four filter types, reverb/echo, arpeggiator and more. There are eight Sound Variations per patch, showcasing the diversity available from the raw samples, and you can even morph between them with a slider.

Sonically, it's characterful and inspiring, with the pleasing, clear-yet-warm sound associated with analogue. Retro fetishists will love it, but it's totally suitable for modern electronic and pop too.

The immediate playability and simplicity of editing the sounds means this library is perfectly in keeping with the über-ROMpler aspect of Kontakt.