Install Guide - Kontakt Player instrument
NOTE: If you are trying to set up inSIDious, the steps will be identical to the ones listed below, with the only difference being that you will need to set up and load Reaktor Player, not Kontakt Player.
Step 1 - Install Native Access
Install Native Access if you haven't already done so. If you haven't used Native Access before, and don't have a Native Access account, you will need to set one up (keep in mind that your Native Access account is separate from your Impact Soundworks account).
https://www.native-instruments.com/en/specials/native-access-2/
Step 2 - Install Kontakt Player
Install the latest version of Kontakt Player through Native Access if you haven't already done so. It will appear in the "Instruments" category under the "Available" tab.
Step 3 - Install Pulse Downloader
Install Pulse Downloader if you haven't already done so.
If you don't already have an account set up (you're given an option to do this at checkout), you will need to do so (keep in mind that your Pulse account is separate to your Impact Soundworks account).
Step 4 - Redeem and download instrument in Pulse Downloader
In Pulse, use the serial key for your Kontakt Player product to redeem your instrument. If you keep the "Install Now" checkbox checked, Pulse will immediately install the instrument once you click the "Redeem" button.
If, during this process, you get an error, it might be due to a few things (look at what the error says, and if you report the error to us, be sure to send us a screenshot):
Your instrument has already been redeemed. This might be because you are attempting to redeem the instrument to another account, or because something went wrong on our end; first double-check if you might have redeemed the instrument to a different Pulse account, and if you're unable to find it, let us know.
Pulse does not accept your install location. This often happens when you're attempting to install to what Pulse considers a "not safe" location or places it doesn't have access to through system permissions. If this happens, select a different location and try again. You can always manually move the instrument folder later if you want to (but you will need to use Pulse to reconnect to it so it can "see" where the folder is).
- Something might be blocking Pulse from downloading. Check your firewall settings and make sure that it allows Pulse to download. If you're unable to do this, contact us and we will help you out.
Step 5 - Register and activate instrument in Native Access
Once the instrument is downloaded, use the same serial key in Native Access to register your instrument.
NOTE: If it works in Native Access, your serial will consist of five sets of capital letters and numbers (no lower-case letters). If your key looks different or is too long to fit in the boxes, it's not a Native Access serial and the product cannot be registered; refer to our non-Player install guide instead.
When you register the serial, you will see a pop-up:
NOTE: Occasionally, this pop-up will not show automatically after registering, and you may even not be able to find your instrument in the list. If this happens, click the Refresh button in the top right corner of the Native Access window:
Wait a second as Native Access refreshes the list of available instruments, and it should now show up, along with the "Locate" button (see below).
The instrument has now been added to the "New" tab over on the left (note that if you close Native Access at this point, this tab will not show upon relaunch):
You can also find the instrument in the list in the Available/All category:
Click on the "Locate" button. Native Access will now show you a new window where it asks you to choose a location for the instrument; click on the folder and then navigate to where you downloaded the instrument with Pulse Downloader. You will want to choose the topmost folder (i.e. if you downloaded Pedal Steel, choose the folder called "Pedal Steel." If you downloaded Shreddage 3 Telos, choose the folder called "Shreddage 3 Telos," and so on).
After you've done this, you're all set!
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: When I load the instrument in Kontakt, it shows a red DEMO warning, and playback stops after a while!
A: The instrument has not been correctly registered and/or in Native Access; see Step 5.
Q: The serial I have doesn't fit in Native Access!
A: You are trying to register an instrument that is not compatible with Kontakt Player. As long as you have the full version of Kontakt (not the free Player), all you need to do is load the instrument through the Files tab in Kontakt; no registration required.
If you are certain that it is a Kontakt Player library, double check to make sure the code was entered correctly and that there are no other accounts the code could be registered to.
Q: Do I need to make a new account / re-register each time I switch computers?
A: No. In fact, once you create a login, that is the login you should use for any system you install your products onto. Pulse will keep track of all your registered products for you so that you can immediately download.
- WARNING: Product codes can only be redeemed in Pulse once, so if you lose your login credentials, creating a new account will not fix the problem. If you cannot find your login credentials, you can contact ISW support - if you provide an order #, we should be able to find your account.
Q: I'm trying to download from Pulse, but it's asking for more space than I thought it would!
A: Please note that Pulse requires you to have twice the library size available to install. The reason for this is to ensure there is extra space for SSDs / OS drives - for example, if a product takes 20GB to download and install but the user has only 21GB on their drive, it can cause issues if the drive gets too close to 100% capacity. Once the library is installed, the final folder size should be identical to the product information on our website.
Q: I downloaded the plugin but now I don't know where it is! What do I do?
A: Go to the Library tab and click on the product icon to view more info. Pulse keeps track of what version you're on, the location your folder is downloaded to, and even lets you open this location.
If you still run into issues, let us know and we can look into it further.
You can contact our support team here, or by clicking Get Help in the Orders page of your ISW account.