Native Instruments Kontakt is the engine behind thousands of virtual instruments. Released in 2002, it’s a software sampler, and its free Kontakt Player became the standard way to run commercial sample libraries, from pianos and orchestras to drum kits and vintage keyboards.
History
A whole industry of third-party libraries grew up around Kontakt. Native Instruments entered administration in January 2026, with an acquisition by inMusic announced that May.
The hip hop connection
Hit-Boy told Sound On Sound he uses the Native Instruments Kontakt Player. Many of the pianos, strings and keys on modern rap records come from Kontakt libraries.
Getting it today
Many libraries run in the free Player. You need the full version only to edit instruments or use unlicensed libraries.
Native Instruments Kontakt videos: demos, history and breakdowns
