Here are some Frequently Asked Questions. Got a question? Click here to ask Dan.

• Problem #1 "The Red X's & Red Exclamation Point Conspiracy"
• Problem #2 "I've Got The Registration Blues"
• Problem #3 "The Bluthner was working perfectly but doesn't now after I installed another Kontakt 2 Player Instrument"
• Question #4 "Will BDMO or DDSSA work in Logic?" "Will DD Brass Ensembles work in Logic?'
• Problem #5 "Wow! Is this new Leopard neat!! Now why can't I install BDMO? It was working before the Leopard upgrade."
• Problem #6 "How come I don't have 2 installs with my DDSSA or Bluthner Digital Model One? Everyone else does! Why is there no demo?"
• Problem #7 "BDMO or DDSSA doesn't play on my machine. I'm on Windows XP and have an RME soundcard"
• Problem #8: "BDMO or DDSSA doesn't play on my machine. I'm on OS X 10.4+."
• Question #9: "You know that CD? Whistling Midgets? Where can I get it?"
• Question #10: "What kind of Variable Sustain Pedal do you recommend for the Bluthner?"
• Question #11: "What keyboard controllers do you suggest?"
• Question #12: "What is Groove for Thought?"

Problem #1 "The Red X's & Red Exclamation Point Conspiracy"

USER: "I thought I had succeeded but still can't get any sound and the icons in Kontakt have a red line through them that makes me think its still not registered, even though appears to be."

DD: In the bottom of the Library Info window see that the library installation path is blank. This is why you can't link to the samples and there's no sound. It also explains the red X marks. When you have correctly selected the Library Installation Path, you'll see product icons in these boxes. Find where you installed the Bluthner Model One by using the Choose Button and you should be fine. If not, and you can't find them, reinstall the BDMO or DDSSA and let the installer put the files on your main drive (by default).

USER: "I've got the Kontakt Player at last on the screen (and that took a lot of effort) but it says that something is wrong and a exclamation mark (in red) appears next the Bluthner Model One."

DD: Click on the info button on the Bluthner library icon shown below. It will open the "Library Info" window. I suspect in the "Library Installation Path", there is something other than a link to the Bluthner Model One. See if you can't find where the real link should be (where you installed the data files for the BDMO). If you can't find it, try searching files ending in .nkc or .nkx on your computer. This will guide you to the Bluthner Model One folder, then select it in the Library Installation Path window shown below.

Problem #2 "I've Got The Registration Blues"

DD: A lot of users (ESPECIALLY MAC OS X USERS) experience difficulty in registering their products. A lot of problems can be alleviated by following Service Center's instructions carefully. Rule of thumb: If Service Center tells you there is an update, INSTALL IT! If you don't, you will probably learn the errors of your ways. Always update Service Center and the Kontakt 2 Player if given the option. Quite often this immediately fixes "the problems".

When you've finished installing the Service Center and product updates, remember to shut down your computer and restart it. Sometimes things need to be flushed from the computer's memory. If the flapper valve doesn't seat properly, jiggle the handle.

Problem #3 "The Bluthner was working perfectly but doesn't now after I installed another Kontakt 2 Player Instrument"

DD: This one was baffling until I figured it out. Kontakt 2 Player instruments are all built at different times by different manufacturers. If you install the BDMO and then install another K2 Player instrument that was built at an EARLIER time (with a different player revision), the Kontakt 2 Player Installer will install an OLDER version of the player with the most recent install. This can be a problem, and will render your K2P instruments developed later, useless. There are two fixes for this: either reinstall the "later" libraries again, or go to Service Center and DL the latest version of the player. This should fix the problem.

Question #4 "Will BDMO or DDSSA work in Logic?" "Will DD Brass Ensembles work in Logic?'

BDMO and DDSSA are both in the Kontakt 2 Player format. This means a number of things. They will work in "standalone" mode (meaning that you don't need anything but what's on your disk to use the instruments "right out of the box".

BDMO and DDSSA will also work as plug-ins inside your host applications. They will show up as instruments available in your sequencers like Logic, GarageBand, Cubase, Digital Performer, Cakewalk, Sonar, Pro Tools, and so on. The BDMO and DDSSA are also Mac Tel compatible, meaning that you can use them with the new Macs. The K2 Player works as a VST, DXi, RTAS or AU (Audio Unit) plug in on either MAC OS X or Windows platforms.

The rest of my libraries are either GigaStudio/GigaSampler or AKAI based. This means that you can use them in the host applications. The AKAI versions were designed to work on hardware-based units, like the AKAI line, EMU Systems Emulators and so on. The reason we created these versions was to minimize the RAM limitations, making it possible for hardware users to have access to sounds created for soft samplers, where instrument size was far less an issue.

Giga version will of course work in GigaStudio, but will also be usable in Logic, Kontakt and other soft samplers through their import engines. Chicken Systems "Translator" is also an excellent tool for moving samples and presets around. Remember that we developed the Giga instruments for Giga products, so sometimes the translation to another format doesn't work perfectly. There is no way we can predict the future and make Giga libraries compatible for products that are not yet developed. Check your sampler for compatibility.

Problem #5 "Wow! Is this new Leopard neat!! Now why can't I install BDMO? It was working before the Leopard upgrade."

USER: "I've upgraded to a new MacPro with Leopard and have re-installed "Solo strings advanced. NI Kontakt 2.2.4 authorized but library is not authorized?"

DD: Going back to the tale about different Kontakt 2 Player installers – as developers, all of our libraries are built at different times. The Bluthner was built on a revision of the K2 Player engine that turned out to be incompatible with Leopard. This has been addressed in an installation patch available here:

http://www.native-instruments.com/index.php?id=leopard&L=0

This will have your install issues fixed and you'll be up and running quickly.

Note that this is NOT an issue with the DDSSA. The DDSSA installer works fine with Leopard.

Problem #6 "How come I don't have 2 installs with my DDSSA or Bluthner Digital Model One? Everyone else does! Why is there no demo?"

DD: NI developed new licensing models for developers in Kontakt 2. One of them was the ability to do a single install. I chose this route to control the number of copies out in the real world. Just as you get a single instance when you purchase Auto-Tune, or Windows XP, or Digital Performer, or Garage Band, or any other application, the same theory applies here.

There's no demo period, either, because I requested the feature be removed from my libraries. If you'd like an additional install, you can purchase an additional license for $99 for either the BDMO or DDSSA. This must be for your own personal use on your own personal 2nd machine.

Problem #7 "BDMO or DDSSA doesn't play on my machine. I'm on Windows XP and have an RME soundcard"

DD: When you first install either the BDMO or DDSSA onto your Windows machine, you need to choose your audio devices under Audio/MIDI from the menu in the top left corner of your screen. You also need to set your MIDI settings here.

Problem #8: "BDMO or DDSSA doesn't play on my machine. I'm on OS X 10.4+."

DD: If you're having problems on the MAC, do the above step. Then, look at your Audio MIDI Setup configuration. Make sure Kontakt 2 is "seen" by your Audio MIDI Setup. If not, tweak accordingly.

Question #9: "You know that CD? Whistling Midgets? Where can I get it?"

DD: Whistling Midgets is my CD with Tom Collier recorded sometime ago that I get all sorts of requests for. It features Tom Collier and myself, plus Ernie Watts (the amazing Sax player who has played on everything from the Tonight Show Band to the Rolling Stones "Steel Wheels" tour), Alex Acuña (Weather Report, Lee Ritenour, Dave Grusin) Don Grusin (Grammy Winning keyboardist with Oscar Castro-Neves, Paul Winter, Joe Pass) Gary Herbig (great sax player with Donna Summer, Paul McCartney, the Simpsons. I bought the project back from Inner City Records and tweaked/remixed it for a CD release. I also added some unreleased tracks. Look for it in the shopping cart.

Question #10: "What kind of Variable Sustain Pedal do you recommend for the Bluthner?"

We both use the CME GPP3 Variable sustain pedal. It is of very high quality and works extremely well with the variable sustain pedal patches on the BDMO. You can "dig" into the pedal for additional sustain.

http://www.cme-pro.com/en/product-list.php?bc=4

Question #11: "What keyboard controllers do you suggest?"

For weighted action controllers, I like the CME UF-80 weighted 88 note keyboard. They also make semi-weighted versions, which I especially like, not being a pianist (I'm a bassist). Also, Korg makes an 88 note weighted controller for the street price of about $400. It is quite good.

Question #11: "What is Groove for Thought?"

Groove for Thought is a vocal group I mixed, co-produced and played with. They are phenomenal. The CD is called "Groove For Thought" and has been getting all sorts of praise. I was glad to be part of this project, since it is so good.

http://www.grooveforthought.com
http://www.cdbaby.com

Make absolutely sure and check out the 5th cut on the CD called "And So It Goes". It is a Billy Joel tune, beautifully arranged by their leader, Kelly Kunz.