Solo Violin: Way to make interface larger/more legible? [Solved]

XilburQost

I just downloaded and installed Solo Violin. Unfortunately, unlike other Spitfire products I own, the interface for Solo Violin is extremely small; it seems to be stuck inside the Kontakt Player interface which itself is so small as to be nearly illegible (this is the first time I've used Kontakt Player). Is there a way to make the Solo Violin interface larger?

Thanks.

Spitfire Solo Violin v1.3.0b14

Kontakt Player 6.5.3 (R125)

REAPER v6.29/x64

Windows 10 Home v2004 OS build 19041.1052

Doanh

Unfortunately, developers are at the mercy of Kontakt's GUI which cannot be re-sized. I also have Solo Violin and you practically need a magnifying glass to read everything as it's packed with so much information into a very small, confined area. The only solutions at the moment is to change your monitor's resolution or use a larger, second monitor. I ended up investing in a 40" 4K HDTV as a second monitor for opening up Kontakt plugin.

Angus

Hi @XilburQost

As @Doanh says above, we are restricted by Native Instruments in this regard.

In addition to getting a larger monitor, I would first recommend loading the Library in the Komplete Kontrol Plugin instead of Kontakt- as the interface is larger and there are dedicated knobs that are mapped to the parameters on the plugin that are more legible on smaller interfaces.

XilburQost

Thank you Doanh. At least I'm not the only one. I use Windows magnifier to view the NI interfaces, but even then the magnifier--and Windows--are lousy at scaling up fonts. My monitor is 27" with a resolution of 2560x1440 (monitor native).

Thank you for the tip, Angus. Unless I'm missing something, the Solo Violin interface is scaled the same whether in Kontakt Player or Komplete Kontrol, just the aspect ratio is different. That said, looks like I'll be automating most of Solo Violin's effects via the MIDI editor anyway. I'm especially intrigued by how Solo Violin responds to MIDI velocity settings.

By the way, I appreciate Spitfire's upgrade discount for the full version of Kontakt; I've been looking at this product for a while.

Thanks again.

XilburQost

By the way, one significant difference I'm experiencing between Kontakt Player and Komplete Kontrol is that with Kontakt Player I was getting clicks and pops from Solo Violin whenever I had REAPER's MIDI editor open, while with Komplete Kontrol the Solo Violin is as smooth as silk.

Angus

@XilburQost it is most likely because Komplete Kontrol is running a larger buffer. You should also run the library off an external SSD formatted to your OS, if you are not doing so already.

Stephane

Dear @Spitfire Audio,

I understand you have to keep releasing some libraries in the Kontakt format for the sake of consistency (e.g. Albion series). But please consider developing new libraries in the dedicated Spitfire plug-in. It's got a far better GUI, fully scalable, easier to use, far more legible typography (as opposed to the outdated 90s pixel fonts used in the Kontakt interface). As a graphic designer and seasoned typographer myself, I wish to congratulate the Spitfire Audio graphic design team for the top notch work. The only thing I have some reservations about is the exaggeratedly huge knob, of which all the functionalities are simply repeated in the bottom section of the interface anyway. On the other hand it does have a point in the LABS interface indeed, where all the finer tweaking is to be controlled via The Knob. But all in all the dedicated plug-in is a step ahead in terms of user experience to my humble opinion. Don't misunderstand me, I have nothing against Native Instruments whatsoever, I only wish they'd have spent more time on the Kontakt user interface. Again, Christian, Paul, and all @Spitfire Audio, thanks a bunch for your fantastic libraries. 🖤

XilburQost

@Angus Thanks again for the tip. As I move into samples world it would make sense to get a dedicated SSD just for samples. I'd be inclined to get an internal SSD (I already have one for my OS) as I'm not sure what the advantage of external drive other than portability, and it would be one more device I'd be adding to my system's USB pipeline.

Angus

@XilburQost the advantage of an external SSD that only hosts your sample libraries, is that you get separation of data streaming. The most ideal workflow is to host Plugins on your Internal drive, DAW session files on SSD A, and Sample Libraries on SSD B. This will speed up your load times, and prevent sessions from crashing if they get chunky!

XilburQost

@Stephane I'm a computer graphics illustrator and former typesetter which also makes me sensitive to layout and fonts. It appears to me that Kontakt went for the smallest-yet legible font size to accommodate an old-school approach of minimizing an interface's use of screen real estate. With today's larger monitors, and multiple monitor setups, this is no longer as much an issue. Some developers, like Waves Audio, have (thankfully) overhauled their once-tiny interfaces so now they're scalable.

Regarding Spitfire's big knob, I presume it's a gesture to make the interface appear more friendly (circles being more inviting than squares), and Spitfire isn't the only developer taking this approach. I'm not sure the knob needs to be so big, nevertheless behind it I see a genuine desire to keep improving accessibility.

As for Kontakt's interface--dang, it's just off-putting.

Blacklab88

https://community.spitfireaudio.com/discussion/comment/3758#Comment_3758

I'm sorry this has nothing to do with the GUI, but thought I'd ask since you mentioned this. I have Solo Violin running on a dedicated internal SSD. I've had to increase the buffer much much higher than any of my other samples, all of which are pretty complex. Can you tell me why an external SSD is better? Thanks.

Donkey_Oaty

Let's hope that the forthcoming Kontakt 7 will resolve this problem. It's counter-productive and creates eye strain. I expect NI to have addresses this basic failing with the Kontakt 7 release - and they deserve a large kick in the corporate jacksy if they don't.