FAQs – 8dio.com

Frequently Asked Questions

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The 8dio downloader app will by default not unpack your library downloads automatically. You can unpack your libraries manually on Mac using the Unarchiver, or on Windows using 7Zip.

Alternatively, you can also go to the downloaders settings, and turn off the option "do not automatically unzip".

Our libraries do not show up within the Library Tab of Kontakt. You will need to load our libraries using the Files Tab or Kontakt's Quick-load Browser. However, in Kontakt 7, libraries can be added to the new browser. We have a separate guide for Kontakt 7's Library Browser here.

Libraries that show up within the Library Tab (With the Graphics on the Left Hand Side) are made for the Free Player Version of Kontakt 5 which we do not support. For libraries that require the Full Retail Version of Kontakt 5(6), they will need to be loaded using the Files Tab or the Quick-load Browser.

To access the Quick-load browser, you can right-click anywhere in the empty space of the instruments window (the right-hand side) of Kontakt. It can also be opened with the shortcut control-f (command-f on Mac) or from the Workspace Management menu in the top right corner of Kontakt. With the Quick-Load browser open, you can add and move folders and drag in instrument files from the Files tab of Kontakt, or from Windows Explorer/Mac Finder.

Make sure you only add Instrument (.nki) files or folders to the Quick-Load browser. Adding other files (samples, resources) can slow down Kontakt and cause it to perform sub-optimally. We also have a video guide for the Quick-Load browser here.

For More information on how to load our libraries into Kontakt please check this blog post or watch the video below:

With the release of Kontakt 7, it is now possible to add libraries that aren't licensed through Native Instruments to Kontakt's Library Browser. You can follow these steps to add your 8Dio libraries to Kontakt.

Step 1: Open Kontakt 7, and navigate to the library browser. This is the button in the top left of Kontakt, between the save icon and the word "Kontakt"

Step 2: Select the small gear icon in the bottom left of the window. This opens the "Import Content" menu.

Step 3: Click "Add" in the bottom left of the import libraries menu. This will open your computer's file browser.

Step 4: Navigate to the library that you want to be imported into Kontakt, and select its folder.

Step 5: Once the library folder has been selected, click "close" in Kontakt 7's Import Content window. The library will now be listed in Kontakt 7's library browser.

For more information, please see this guide on Native Instruments' website.

Many libraries with tempo-syncing sounds have multiple versions of these instrument patches. In general, TM patches will have more features, but also require more resources.

DFD means "Direct from Disk," which indicates that there is no time-stretching or syncing in the patch. These patches use less resources (RAM and CPU) than the TM patches.

TM = "Time Machine," which are different algorithms in Kontakt for time stretching and tempo syncing. TMPro is a newer version of TM2. TMPro is almost always recommended above TM2, as it sounds substantially better, especially as the sounds are stretched further. On some older computers and DAWs, TMPro may not function correctly; in these cases, TM2 should work better.

All of our Kontakt-based libraries require the full retail version of Kontakt. Using the Player Version of Kontakt will run our libraries in a Demo Mode which will only allow 15 minutes of playback.

The full retail version of Kontakt, when opened, will say "Kontakt" in the top left. This indicates you have the full version needed for 8dio libraries. The free Player version will say "Kontakt Player"

If you load up a new instance of Intimate Studio Strings, Brass, & Woodwinds you will be presented with 10 empty articulation slots under the Articulations window.

You can populate these slots by double-clicking the 'empty slots' and selecting any of the articulations you wish to use.

Here is a link to our Choir Comparison Blog explaining where we explain the differences between all of our choirs:

https://8dio.com/2017/09/23/instrument-comparison-series-8dio-choirs/

Silka and Insolidus are one of the same choir with Silka expanding on the Insolidus's foundation. Both choirs are recorded using the same singers in the same hall and use the same microphone positions. This means they are designed to work together or they can operate independently as stand-alone choirs.

Silka being a very large expansion to Insolidus, offering more expansions on complex Arcs such as 2, 4, and 5 syllables, as well as adds a rhythmic section including Repeated Staccato Phrases both in Straight and Triplet timings. Insolidus offers Syllable Arcs in 2, 3, and 4 syllables in both 4/4 and in 3/4 time, A wealth of velocity-based short notes, and Tonal Yells.

Century Strings was recorded in a new space - offering incredible flexibility over reverb. Anything from lush hall strings to tight, intimate studio strings. We went through something best described as "hall casting" and went through several environments to find a room that allowed us this level of customization. 6 Microphones (3 Hall - 3 Studio/Close).

Century Strings contains both First and Second Violins - recorded at equal fidelity and depth.

Century Strings contains over 90GB of Sordino Strings. True Sordino is crucial for emotive writing and it is vastly underrated in sampling. You cannot get that silky Newman sound without them. We sampled them at equal depth to the traditional strings, so you can truly blend the two together, which is a quite common method in scores, yet infrequently mentioned in sampling.

Century Strings has more detailed sound overall. A great deal of attention went into capturing real-sounding vibrato and because of the room customization, we got a whole new dimension of air - that we've never been able to capture before. It really does sound like live strings.

Century Strings offers complete control over natural dynamic performances (ex. Arcs), which are completely symmetrical across all string groups. One thing we haven't mentioned is that the Century Arcs were recorded both at multiple velocities AND different speed levels. So when you see a single articulation - it actually contains several different sample sets under the hood. The end-user will barely notice - cause it just works, but many months went into this.

No, The Studio Quartet Series contains newly sampled instruments and players that are completely separate from our Intimate Studio Series. The Studio Quartet Series shares the same GUI, and Features as Intimate Studio Strings but includes a more deeply sampled solo string section including 88 Articulations.

If you wish to upgrade your libraries, please contact us at support@8dio.com and we can generate you custom upgrade codes, as well as check your account for available upgrades and updates.

With the release of Kontakt 6, some of our older libraries are experiencing errors on their interface. If you own or are using Kontakt 6 with 8dio libraries, and are experiencing a GUI error please contact our support staff at support@8dio.com

GUI errors can also be related to missing resource folders. If you have downloaded a library manually it is possible not all files were combined properly. We recommend downloading all of our libraries through our download manger which combines the folders automatically.

If a re-download of the affected library through our download manager is not an option, or if the error persists, contact our support staff at support@8dio.com

If your library is timing out, this is caused by using the free version of Kontakt which does not support our libraries. You will need to load the library into the full retail version of Kontakt.

Our Century Series is broken up into several parts.

Century Brass Solo and Ensemble Bundle

Century Artisan Brass Bundle

Century Ostinato Brass Trumpets and Horns

Century Ostinato Brass Trombones and Tuba

Century Strings Normale and Sordino Bundle

Century Ostinato Strings I

Century Ostinato Strings Chapter II

Century Ostinato Woodwinds Vol. 1 Flutes and Clarinets

Century Ostinato Woodwinds Vol. 2 Oboes and Bassoons

Century Harps

Note that the instruments in the Century Brass Solo and Ensemble Bundle are also available as separate Solo and Ensemble volumes as well as individual instruments. Similarly, the Century Strings Normale and Sordino libraries are also available as separate volumes.

If you load up a new instance of Anthology Strings or Adagio Strings you will be presented with 10 empty articulation slots under the main GUI.

You can populate these slots by double clicking the 'empty slots' and selecting any of the articulations you wish to use.

All 8dio libraries require the full retail version of Kontakt (the latest version of Kontakt 5 or Kontakt 6). Otherwise, each library has its own minimum requirements that can always be found at the very bottom of the products webpage at 8dio.com.

Each library will have a list of included articulations and patches included at the very bottom of the library's page in the "ARTS, SPECS AND REQS" section. You can also find the library's requirements and other information specific to that library in this section.

More information will also be included in the library's overview.

When you download a library for the first time, you might notice that it can take several minutes to load a single instrument. These long load times are caused by Kontakt trying to locate each sample every time you load an instrument, and with larger .nki files in instruments like Anthology Strings, Insolidus, and Silka, can mean extremely long load times within Kontakt. We can simply correct this by resaving all of your .nki files with sample directory information through a 'Batch Resave.'

For more information about how to perform a batch resave, and additional troubleshooting please use the following link:

Kontakt Optimization

Just send us a message on live chat or an email at support@8dio.com and we'll send it right over!

Both libraries include a Solo Engine and a Strumming Engine.

The Instant Guitar Series is aimed towards giving you instant strumming patterns using X Legato to change chords, where the Advanced Guitars allow you to create your own custom strumming patterns using our Custom Strumming Engine.

The Advanced Guitar Series also offers more articulations within the Solo Engine, as well as a Solo Guitar Legato, where the Instant Guitar has both sustains and sound-designed sustains. The Advanced guitar series also has a much more advanced strumming engine, allowing you to fully customize any strumming pattern you may need.

Adagietto contains all the nuts and bolts for core string writing - featuring Ensemble Strings from Adagio

Agitato is a specialty series designed to target the most sought after ensemble string articulations (ex. Williams Legato etc)

Adagio is the individual volumes (Violins, Violas, Cellos, and Basses) from Anthology Strings separated into individual instruments which contain Solo, Chamber, and Ensemble Instruments.

Anthology is a hand-picked collection of these libraries in one convenient, super-polished, collection. New UI, new functionality etc.

All of the Advanced Drum Kits use the Follow Note Technology, which is like interconnected legato for percussive instruments. Click here for more information on our Flow Note Technology. All drum kits also include 10 Microphone positions.

Released in October of 2016, The Advanced Drum Series: Ragnarok is more focused on Progressive Rock, Rock, Jazz, and Pop Fusion. Ragnarok also includes up to 10 Velocity Layers & 10x Round Robin per drum and consists of 37,000 Samples.

Advanced Drum Series Ragnarok

Released in September of 2015, Advanced Drum Series: Blackbird Kit is more focused on Rock/Progressive Metal. Blackbird also includes up to 6 Velocity Layers & 10x Round Robins per drum and consists of 37,500 Samples.

Advanced Drum Series Blackbird

Released in December 2013: Advanced Drum Series: Zeus Kit is a much 'lighter kit' in tone compared to Blackbird & Ragnarok, which focuses more on progressive rock & pop music. Zeus also includes up to 6 Velocity Layers & 10x Round Robins per drum and consists of 38,150 Samples.

Advanced Drum Series Zeus

These are actually the same libraries. However as 8dio has developed and grown, these libraries have had their names slightly modified to represent their contents more accurately. The below libraries are actually the same three libraries, with their old and new names respectively.

Studio Percussion Orchestral -> 6 Studio Orchestral Percussions

Studio Percussion Auxiliary -> 72 Studio Percussions

Studio Percussion Exotic -> 5 Studio Exotic Percussions

In Windows OS, the automatic Windows Defender may drastically increase loading times for your libraries, even if you have performed a batch re-save. This is because Windows Defender automatically scans all files and samples as they are being loaded into Kontakt.

To improve your loading times in Windows, you will first need to add your libraries as an exclusion in Windows Defender. Microsoft has an article available HERE to help you get this set up.

Once the exclusion is made, you can perform a batch re-save on your libraries for a significant improvement in their loading speed.

A Batch Re-save tutorial can be found here.

If you are seeing the Demo Mode in Kontakt when you load one of our libraries, this means you are using the Player Version of Kontakt.

The Demo Mode of Kontakt will only show up within the free Player Version of Kontakt.   Native Instruments has two different versions of Kontakt, the free Player version which is included in their elements bundle and as a free download on their website, and a full version of Kontakt included in their Komplete and Komplete Ultimate bundles, or purchased separately. The Demo Mode appears within the Free Player version of Kontakt for libraries that are 3rd party (ie libraries not licensed or registerred with Native Access/Native Instruments).

If you already own the full retail version of Kontakt, and are getting demo mode, this means your full version of Kontakt has become deactivated and you will need to re-activate the full version of Kontakt to get out of Demo Mode. To do this, you will need to re-enter your serial code for Kontakt itself within Native Access.   Essentially, to summarize, you are currently getting the demo mode message because you are using the free Kontakt Player, and need to activate the full retail version of Kontakt on your computer.

No.

All 8dio libraries require the full retail version of Kontakt and will not function in the free player version.

You can find the full version of Kontakt HERE.

The full version of Kontakt is also included in Native Instruments Komplete and Komplete Ultimate bundles.

You can find all of our Hybrid Tools libraries HERE.

The prophet hardware comes preloaded with 150 Gb of samples. This includes a large part of 8dio's current catalogue and a variety of other unique samples

Glad to hear you like the other add-ons so much! We are always working on adding more additions to our standard catalogue and our prophet add-ones. Currently, all our Prophet add-ons can be found HERE.

Yes, you can!

To do this you will need to install the Prophet mapping utility to your computer. This mapping utility allows you to create your own custom Prophet instruments and add them to the hardware for playback.

The mapping utility can be found here:
https://8dio.com/instrument/sequential-prophet-xxl-mapping-utility/

A detailed walkthrough of how to use the mapping utility can be found here.

All of the official Prophet add-ons can be installed using an external USB stick and the prophet hardware itself. A detailed walkthrough video that explains these steps can be found here.

The Intimate Studio Woodwinds and the Warm Studio Woodwinds are in fact the same libraries. Intimate studio woodwinds came first, offering a full collection of various studio woodwinds all in one place.

Later, we released the warm studio woodwinds, which are the individual instruments from the Intimate studio woodwinds collections. These are available separately for a much lower price than the Intimate studio winds.

Similar to the Intimate Studio Winds and the Warm Woodwinds, the Intimate Studio Brass and Soulful Studio brass are the same libraries.

Intimate Studio Brass is the full collection of brass instruments all in one place.

Our Soulful Studio Brass is the individual instruments from the Intimate Studio brass collections available separately, and for a much lower price.

If you are interested in a library and are curious about a specific articulation that does not have a demo, we can assist! Simply email us at support@8dio.com with the library and articulation you are curious about. From here we will generate a short demo that allows you to hear the articulation more clearly.

In today's music landscape, software instruments play a pivotal role in the creation of captivating sounds, from Top 40 hits to Hollywood Blockbusters to Triple-A Games. Among the diverse array of digital instruments, sample-based instruments have emerged as versatile and influential, transforming the way music is made.

Simply put, sample-based software instruments allow you to play real instruments realistically: when you need a violin to play a line, but you don't have the time or resources to go through the recording process, sample instruments are here to help! To create these instruments, we record the musician playing every note at every dynamic level with every technique. It's like recording a whole symphony, one note at a time.

One of the biggest challenges when creating these instruments is not only making them sound realistic, but making them sound human. When you play a solo live, you're emotionally invested. The nuances of phrasing, dynamics, details like vibrato and tone... it's all too easy to lose all of these when you're sitting in a studio for hours on end playing one note at a time. That's why one of our guiding principles here at 8Dio and Soundpaint is emotional realism - we make sure that the human element is maintained all the way from recording to editing to programing, so that your final product will have the emotional authenticity it deserves.

But it's not just about re-creating the acoustic instruments. One of the coolest things about sample instruments is recording things that would be impossible otherwise. Your production probably doesn't have the time to find over 200 musicians for an incredibly epic orchestra (never mind the cost), but our 240-piece epic orchestra and 200-piece epic choir are ready to play any time!

Beyond the orchestra, we also record analog synths, sonic experiments, and have a line of industry-defining Hybrid Tools for cinematic, epic, and trailer music and sound design.

8Dio instruments run in and require a sample engine called Kontakt, created by Native Instruments. This software runs as a plugin in your DAW (Digital Audio Workstation). You might also hear plugins referred to as VST, AU, and AAX - which are different plugin formats for different DAWs.

Kontakt is an industry standard, tried and true. We have developed hundreds of instruments for Kontakt, and while we love all of these instruments, we also wanted to do more. That's why we created Soundpaint, a new sample engine for a new generation of software instruments. From ultra deep-sampled synths to innovative strings and custom instruments, Soundpaint takes sample instruments to the next level with even more emotional realism, customization, sound design options, and speed. It's also free, so you only need to buy the instruments (or pick up some for free).

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