Native Instruments have just announced VST3 plugin compatibility will be coming in the next Komplete Kontrol / Maschine release and this now means we can load in VST3 plugins for use in Komplete/Maschine!!! 

I started developing and testing NKS support years ago with the Roland Cloud plugins on Windows but due to the fact the macOS version of the Roland plugins did not offer a VST2 plugin option and NKS only worked with VST2 I decided to not invest the time to only support PC and instead wait until VST3 was supported. 

I have now managed to trawl through all the plugins and test them, build templates and create artwork and am currently working through the huge amount of presets available with the hope this will mostly be available as the next version of KK/Maschine is released. 

Here is what will be released: 

Zenology Pro Collection

The full zenology collection will be available including the core factory library, all SDZ soundpacks, Model Expansions and EXZ Wave Expansions. These will be released as single bundles (such as Zenology Factory, SDZ Bundle, EXZ Bundle, Model Expansion Bundle) and at this stage I will not be releasing the individual libraries in this bundle tho can always create a custom package on a request basis if it is really needed

Legendary Collection Core Presets

The full legendary collection consists of 19 separate plugins which will be available both as separate NKS libararies and a complete "Legendary Collection" bundle covering all instruments. This will offer full mapping of every plugin, all artwork/sound files, tagging for all the factory presets included with each plugin. The expansion preset libraries will also be available down the road if there is interest. 

SRX Collection

This will be offered as separate plugin libraries as well as a complete SRX Bundle and will cover all the SRX factory presets.

AIRA Collection

This will offer libraries for both the System-1 and System-8 plugins separately and also as a bundle.  

FAQ

What about expansion content and ongoing updates? 

It will also be available and will be done in stages depending on the level of interest. I personally am not a user of the Roland Cloud content myself and the cost to maintain a subscription is a bit too much for me to simply develop NKS libraries so because of this I will be processing new content in 3 month blocks if I see there is enough interest there. This will mean it will depend largely on how many people take up the initial library releases so if you want to see the full browsing experience I would encourage you to support development by investing in the initial release.

Will you also release anything for the "Sample Packs"? 

The sample packs are simply wav loops and samples so there is nothing for me to add. I will only look at adding additional patch expansions for the synths if there is interest enough to do it.

What about the discontinued Concerto plugin and all that content which is now freely available? 

Unfortunately no. This is not one that is possible because it has a bit of an issue when saving the NKS files. The path to where you install the content is "hard coded" into the preset and will cause an error in loading if the location is different which is often the case since people can place it wherever they like and obviously the path differs between macOS and PC too. Since it is a discontinued product and because of this problem I cannot invest time to make it NKS. 

Will this work on PC/Mac and does it need an additional "wrapper"? 

I am currently testing and developing NKS support on the latest Beta version of Komplete Kontrol and Maschine and it will work on both PC and MacOS without the need for a wrapper. You will need to ensure you have the VST3 version of the plugin installed for this library to work (VST2 will not work on either PC or Mac). It will not work on current Komplete/Maschine versions. 

When will this all be available? 

As soon as the next version of Komplete/Maschine is released but possibly sooner since NI have just announced VST3 compatibility so if you have a Beta version of Komplete / Maschine you will be able to use this library or you will need to wait for the next release.

VST3 Support for Existing NKS Libraries? 

So now that VST3 support has been announced I have fielded a number of questions especially from macOS users who have things a bit rough at the moment with the state of compatibility. 

Does VST3 work with existing NKS libraries? 

First thing to note is VST3 plugins will not simply work with existing NKS libraries. There are some technical issues here but it comes down to the level of attention a dev pays to their VST3 version. Some developers will allow a call to a plugin to work for the VST3 version from VST2 saved data and things will work. Most NI plugins will do this but 98% of the libraries I ahve tested will not work. 

This means for the moment, all existing NKS libraries work from the VST2 version of the plugin and will not work on the VST3. Every page on this site in the "Compatibility" section will state if VST2 or VST3 is supported

I am a mac user and have an existing NKS library from you but cannot install the VST2 version on M1. What do I do? 

Curse the fact you are using macOS :) 

I am not able to guarentee things will work forever and if you cannot install VST2 versions and VST3 does not work with the NKS library then there is nothing at all I can do for you at the current moment

So I can get a refund as it's been working for years and now I cannot use it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sad that I get asked this kind of thing with this kind of tone but that's how people behave these days. So first I will direct your attention to the bottom of every product page, at the end of every included readme doc to the section where it states no refunds are given, we offer test versions and cannot guarentee compatibility into the future. Just as some plugin developers who now no longer maintain old plugins, if you use macOS you are screwed on that. You Windows users need not worry, thinsg tick along just fine as usual. 

Will the VST2 libraries be updated to VST3? 

I am in the midst of testing the best and easiest way for me to make updated versions of existing libraries that will work with VST3 for plugins that do not. 

This is not as simple as editing the NKS and saying it is for VST3 now.  In tests I have done it seems some plugins are completely different in how they map their parameters so the templates don't work, or the preset data is different. In many cases making the presets again is resonably simple BUT the tagging in many cases was done manually and this is the work I want to avoid. 

I am currently developing some ways to pull info out of NKS files and inject it into other ones so I will hopefully be able to exchange info between different versions of a file to make this easier but I have to warn that this is looking to be a huge amount of work so for those users that MUST have a VST3 compatible library you may be required to purchase the library again (if they can be done in VST3 easily enough in the first place) but for the rest, just install the VST2 version of a plugin

So does this now mean moving forward VST3 plugins will be processed? 

Yes. Moving forward if a plugin offers VST3 for both PC/Mac then the VST3 plugin will be made NKS. THis may also mean plugins that were previously not possible (like Roland Cloud) may now be considered. 

How can I keep up with development news? 

Best way is to jump on the NI forum and switch on notifications for this thread here: 
https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/305/nks-freelance-soundlabs-3rd-party-nks-libraries-for-komplete-kontrol-maschine#latest

Or follow my facebook page here:

https://facebook.com/freelancesoundlabs