The KOMPLETE production software bundles together many of Native Instruments finest virtual instruments and effects including synths, sampled instruments, effects, samplers, and more.
KOMPLETE 13 comes in four different versions ranging from the cheapest KOMPLETE 13 Select to the most expensive KOMPLETE 13 Ultimate Collectors Edition. There is even a free version called KOMPLETE Start.
List of KOMPLETE bundles from least to most expensive:
- KOMPLETE Start (free starter version)
- KOMPLETE 13 Select
- KOMPLETE 13
- KOMPLETE 13 Ultimate
- KOMPLETE 13 Ultimate Collector’s Edition
(Check the Native Instruments website for prices, offers and full specs.)
Number of instruments & effects included with each KOMPLETE bundle 2021
| Instruments/Feature | KOMPLETE 13 Select | KOMPLETE 13 | KOMPLETE 13 ULTIMATE | KOMPLETE 13 Ultimate Collector’s Edition | |
| Number of instruments & effects: | 16 | 68 | 118 | 122 | |
| Number of included expansions: | 5 | 24 | 39 | 73 | |
| Sample Library: | 50GB | 320GB | 840GB | 1.1TB | |
| Synths: | 4 | 14 | 16 | 16 | |
| Samplers: | 0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | |
| Studio Effects: | 1 | 5 | 11 | 11 | |
| Creative Effects: | 3 | 11 | 15 | 15 |
Below I list the core drum and percussion based instruments you can find in each bundle:
| KOMPLETE 13 Select | KOMPLETE 13 | KOMPLETE 13 ULTIMATE | KOMPLETE 13 Ultimate Collector’s Edition | TYPE | |
| Battery 4 | Battery 4 | Battery 4 | Drum Sampler | ||
| TRK-01 | TRK-01 | TRK-01 | Kick drum + Bass synth | ||
| POLYPLEX | POLYPLEX | POLYPLEX | Sampler | ||
| BUTCH VIG DRUM | BUTCH VIG DRUMS | BUTCH VIG DRUMS | Kontakt Instrument | ||
| DRUMLAB | DRUMLAB | DRUMLAB | Kontakt Instrument | ||
| ABBEY ROAD 60S DRUMMER | ABBEY ROAD 60S DRUMMER | ABBEY ROAD 60S DRUMMER | Kontakt Instrument | ||
| STUDIO DRUMMER | STUDIO DRUMMER | STUDIO DRUMMER | Kontakt Instrument | ||
| ABBEY ROAD 50S DRUMMER | ABBEY ROAD 50S DRUMMER | Kontakt Instrument | |||
| ABBEY ROAD VINTAGE DRUMMER | ABBEY ROAD VINTAGE DRUMMER | Kontakt Instrument | |||
| ABBEY ROAD 70S DRUMMER | ABBEY ROAD 70S DRUMMER | Kontakt Instrument | |||
| ABBEY ROAD 80S DRUMMER | ABBEY ROAD 80S DRUMMER | Kontakt Instrument | |||
| ABBEY ROAD MODERN DRUMMER | ABBEY ROAD MODERN DRUMMER | Kontakt Instrument | |||
| MASCHINE DRUM SELECTION | MASCHINE DRUM SELECTION | Kontakt Instrument | |||
| WEST AFRICA | WEST AFRICA | WEST AFRICA | WEST AFRICA | Kontakt Instrument | |
| MIDDLE EAST | MIDDLE EAST | MIDDLE EAST | Kontakt Instrument | ||
| INDIA | INDIA | INDIA | Kontakt Instrument | ||
| CUBA | CUBA | CUBA | Kontakt Instrument | ||
| SYMPHONY ESSENTIALS – PERCUSSION | SYMPHONY ESSENTIALS – PERCUSSION | Kontakt Instrument | |||
| ACTION STRIKES | ACTION STRIKES | Kontakt Instrument | |||
| EVOLVE MUTATIONS 2 | EVOLVE MUTATIONS 2 | Kontakt Instrument | |||
| EVOLVE MUTATIONS | EVOLVE MUTATIONS | Kontakt Instrument | |||
| EVOLVE | EVOLVE | Kontakt Instrument | |||
| KINETIC METAL | KINETIC METAL | Kontakt Instrument | |||
| REAKTOR 6 | REAKTOR 6 | Synth | |||
| 5 Expansions | 24 Expansions | 39 Expansions | 73 Expansions | Sample + Preset packs | |
| KONTAKT Factory Selection |
Please note that in the tables above I have only listed instruments I think have a clear drum/percussion focus. KOMPLETE bundles come with many more synths and effects and sample based instruments.
As you can see from the table above, the KOMPLETE 13 select edition contains only a limited number of drum and percussion tools while the most expensive bundle, KOMPLETE 13 Ultimate Collector’s Edition, contains enough drum and percussions instruments and sounds to keep a musician or producer busy for years.
List of KOMPLETE drum and percussion instruments:
TRK-01: (Synth) Powerful electronic kick and bass instrument that marries innovative sound design, sequencing, and modulation, with classic mixing techniques.
Middle East (KONTAKT instrument): 25 distinctive percussion, melodic, and string instruments, drawn from Arabic, Turkish, and Persian traditions.
West Africa (KONTAKT instrument) : A collection of beautifully sampled percussion and melodic instruments from West Africa in a playable, polyrhythmic instrument.
India (KONTAKT instrument) : A vast library of traditional Indian rhythmic patterns and historic scales, designed for ultimate realism and adaptability.
Cuba (KONTAKT instrument) : Authentic Afro-Cuban sounds in a rich, highly-flexible instrument.
Butch Vig Drums (KONTAKT instrument) : An inspirational instrument that packs serious flavour. Vig’s highly distinctive and heavily-processed style of drum production is immediately accessible for punchy, production-ready beats.
Battery 4 (Drum sampler): Venerable ‘cell’ based drum sampler and creative beat production tool. Battery comes with 143 kits in the latest Battery 4 library with a focus on electronic and hip hop production. Find drum sounds quickly with the easy-to-use, tag-based browser, drag the sound into a cell, and start creating beats.
Polyplex (sampler): eight-part drum sampler with randomizing capabilities, creative layering, and near infinite tweakability.
Drumlab (KONTAKT instrument) : A sonic laboratory for layering drums, combining pristine acoustic samples with a punchy electronic edge.
Studio Drummer (KONTAKT instrument) : Three premium drum kits, over 3,300 exclusive groove patterns and a detailed mix studio with high-end effects.
Abbey Road Modern Drummer (KONTAKT instrument): Contemporary rock/pop. Recorded at Abbey Road Studios, London.
Abbey Road 50s Drummer (KONTAKT instrument) : The authentic sound of the very early years of popular music, recorded at Abbey Road Studios.
Abbey Road 60s Drummer (KONTAKT instrument): Sampled vintage drums recorded at Abbey Road Studios, London.
Abbey Road 70s Drummer (KONTAKT instrument): Sampled 70s drums kits, from funky precision to bombastic heavy rock. Recorded at Abbey Road Studios.
Abbey Road 80s Drummer (KONTAKT instrument): Epic 80s drums from edgy new wave to big-budget metal. Recorded at Abbey Road Studios.
Abbey Road Vintage Drummer (KONTAKT instrument): Ultra-rare vintage drum kits recorded at Abbey Road Studios.
Maschine Drum Selection (KONTAKT instrument): 20 drum kits taken from the MASCHINE library, an integrated drum computer, plus effects.
Reaktor 6 (synth): N.I’s flagship modular synth lab – create custom synths, samplers, effects, and sound design tools or access a huge library of ready to use synths, drum machines and much more from the Reaktor community library.
Action Strikes (KONTAKT instrument): Cinematic percussion instrument from Heavyocity.
Evolve Mutations 1 and 2 (KONTAKT instrument): Cinematic percussion instrument from Heavyocity.
Symphony Essentials (KONTAKT instrument): 55 orchestral percussion instruments, recorded at Studio 22, Budapest.
Is KOMPLETE worth it?
If you want to quickly build up a complete collection of music production instruments, effects and sounds then the KOMPLETE bundles represent excellent value for money even if you already own a couple of the instruments included in the bundles.
Each KOMPLETE bundle represents a considerable saving when compared to buying the products individually (and you can save even more by buying KOMPLETE bundles during seasonal promotion and sales periods).
The KOMPLETE bundles cover multiple instruments from electronic to acoustic and orchestral and whatever genre of music you make there’s sure to be something you can use in your next track or score.
The KOMPLETE Ultimate and Collector’s Edition contain so many sounds and options that they are best suited to musicians and producers who are working on music as a career while the smaller KOMPLETE 13 bundle contains enough quality instruments, effects and sounds to inspire hobbyists and enthusiasts for years.
Although they might be considered expensive by many, the KOMPLETE Ultimate and Collector’s Edition are by far the cheapest way to buy nearly every piece of software in the N.I. store.
Does Maschine come with KOMPLETE?
If you purchase any version of Maschine (Maschine Mikro, Maschine MK 3 or Maschine+) it will come bundled with a selection of Native Instruments instruments and effects all of which can also be found in the KOMPLETE bundles but Maschine does not include any KOMPLETE bundle.
If you purchase a Maschine and then purchase a KOMPLETE bundle at a later date (or vise versa) you will have some overlap in the instruments and sounds you end up with.
As an example, the Drumlab KONTAKT instrument comes bundled with Maschine MK3 but not Maschine Mikro or Maschine+ and all versions of KOMPLETE. KONTAKT Factory Selection comes with Maschine MK3 and Maschine+ but not Maschine Mikro etc.
What is KOMPLETE Start?
KOMPLETE Start is a free production suite from Native Instruments. In total you get over 6 GB of instruments, effects, loops, and samples all for free.
It’s a great way of dipping a toe into the world of KOMPLETE without spending any money. Of course Native Instruments hope that after playing around with KOMPLETE Start you’ll be tempted to get the credit card out and buy more N.I. instruments or the bigger KOMPLETE bundles but there’s no obligation.
List of KOMPLETE Start included products:
- 2,000+ studio-quality sounds
- 16 pro-grade synths and sampled instruments including:
- TRK-01 BASS (bass line generator synth)
- MIKRO PRISM (synth)
- LAZERBASS (monosynth)
- CARBON 2 (synth)
- SPACE DRONE (sound generator)
- NEWSCOOL (Sound generator)
- BLOCKS BASE (Reaktor based synth series)
- 3 ‘Play Series’ instruments: ANALOG DREAMS, ETHEREAL EARTH, and HYBRID KEYS (*cut down version of complete products)
- KINETIC TREATS (sampled instrument)
- EXPANSIONS SELECTION (1,500 loops and samples taken from various Maschine Expansions)
- WORLD, BAND, SYNTH, VINTAGE, URBAN BEATS (4 sampled KONTAKT instruments).
KOMPLETE Start comes with THE KONTAKT 6 player which allows you to run all of the NI KONTAKT instruments, as well as hundreds of instruments from third parties. You also get THE Reaktor 6 player which allows you to run any of the ‘Made for REAKTOR PLAYER’ synths from NI and third party creators.
KOMPLETE start is an essential download for anyone looking to take their first steps into the Native Instruments ecosystem.
You can read more about KOMPLETE Start and download the latest version for free from the N.I. website here.
What is KOMPLETE Kontrol?
The KOMPLETE bundles deliver a lot of sounds! KOMPLETE Kontrol is a handy plug-in for browsing through instruments and effects. Each preset has an audio preview, so you can audition each one before loading it up.
Does KOMPLETE come on a hard drive?
Purchase a physical copy of KOMPLETE 13 and gigabytes of instruments, effects, and additional content comes on a portable N.I branded HDD. Purchase a download version, and your KOMPLETE software becomes available via the Native Access app (see below).
What is Native Access?
Native Access is a free, one-stop hub for product installation, registration, and updates. You’ll need to install this to install/register any N.I. software or hardware product. You can read more about Native Access on the N.I website here.