by Tim Cant

How to use the new Komplete Start to create a song for free

how to create a song with Komplete Start

Starting your musical journey with the free Komplete Start bundle offers a gateway to professional-grade tools without breaking the bank, allowing you to explore a wide array of instruments, effects, and plugins at no cost. This free bundle empowers you to create your music with a rich assortment of sounds and production tools, enabling experimentation and honing of your unique sound.

Komplete Start has been refreshed this year and now includes twelve powerful instruments and effects from Native Instruments, specially selected to give you a broad palette of sounds to experiment with.

In this tutorial, explore this selection of instruments and effects that you can use along with your DAW to make your most exciting music yet that can sound like this:

Is Komplete Start really free?

Komplete Start is absolutely free. You will however need to provide your own DAW software to get the most out of it, but if you don’t already have a DAW you can use a free trial version of Ableton Live or Reaper, amongst others.

What is Komplete Start?

Komplete Start includes the nature-inspired Hypha, synthwave powerhouse Analog Dreams, the mystic Ethereal Earth, the traditional Irish Harp and Yangquin, and the versatile workhorse Kontakt Factory Selection 2. These instruments are compatible with the included Kontakt 7 Player, and the full version of Kontakt 7.

The effects include mastering equalizer Ozone 11 EQ, epic reverb Raum, tube compressor Supercharger, the iconic Replika delay, the vintage-sounding Vinyl and Guitar Rig 7 Player, a special version of Guitar Rig 7 Pro.

How to make a song with Komplete Start

1. Make a drum beat

The first step in how to use Komplete Start can be started with the percussion elements of the song. Let’s start our song with a drum beat, using a tempo of 120 BPM. Most DAWs will be set to this tempo by default. We’re using Ableton Live for this tutorial, but you can use whatever DAW you like.

A 120 BPM project tempo
A 120 BPM project tempo

To make our drum beat we’ll use a drum kit from Factory Selection 2. In your project load up Kontakt 7 Player or Kontakt 7 on a MIDI track, select the Kontakt library, and double-click the Drum Machines – 606 preset to load it up.

The Drum Machines - 606 preset
The Drum Machines - 606 preset

In your DAW’s MIDI editor, add C1 kicks on the first beat of a bar, and the eighth and tenth 16th notes, with G#1 snares on the second and fourth beat. We’ll use velocity values of 100 for everything in this guide unless otherwise specified.

The kick and snare pattern
The kick and snare pattern

Now add C#1 closed hats on eighth notes with velocity values of 45.

Adding closed hats
Adding closed hats

Now drag the kicks on 16th notes to the right slightly so they fall just behind the grid. This gives them a swing feel that makes the beat sound funkier.

Swinging the 16th notes
Swinging the 16th notes

By default this kit has a delay effect on it. Turn this off by clicking the power button next to where it says FX on the instrument’s interface.

Turning the kit’s FX off
Turning the kit’s FX off

Now let’s add some reverb using the specialized Raum effect. Add Raum to the MIDI track, and select the Factory Presets > Small > Drum Buss preset.

Applying the Raum Drum Buss preset
Applying the Raum Drum Buss preset

Now loop this MIDI clip out for four bars.

Looping the beat out for four bars
Looping the beat out for four bars

2. Compose chords

Factory Selection 2 includes a useful electric piano patch that we can use to create some smooth chords. Add a new MIDI track and this time load up the Mark II Classic preset from the Kontakt library.

The Mark II Classic preset
The Mark II Classic preset

Set this track to -10 dB.

Balancing the Mark II Classic preset
Balancing the Mark II Classic preset

Let’s go for a jazzy feel. Sequence a C minor 11 chord, followed by an F minor 11 chord, using a soft velocity value of 51 for a smooth sound.

Smooth jazzy chords
Smooth jazzy chords

Let’s make this sound more interesting with some of the instrument’s FX. Click the FX button on the instrument’s interface.

The FX button
The FX button

Now click the power button next to the Phaser effect to activate it.

Activating the Phaser effect
Activating the Phaser effect

This smooths out the sound further, giving it a silky movement which will sound great in context with the other elements we’re going to add.

Now, let’s loop this two-bar chord progression out for four bars.

Looping out the chord progression
Looping out the chord progression

3. Add a bass line

Let’s find a solid bass sound that will complement our smooth electric piano chords. Add another MIDI track, and this time in Kontakt select the Analog Dreams library and double-click the Met Meat preset.

The Met Meat preset
The Met Meat preset

Set this track to -5 dB.

Balancing the Met Meat preset
Balancing the Met Meat preset

Now turn the preset’s FX off with the FX power button.

Deactivating the Met Meat preset’s FX
Deactivating the Met Meat preset’s FX

Now copy this two-bar bass line that plays C, D#, F and A#. To make this bass sound fuller, we play it on both C0 and C1 octaves.

The Met Meat bass line on two octaves
The Met Meat bass line on two octaves

Now loop the bass line out for four bars.

Looping out the Met Meat bass line
Looping out the Met Meat bass line

4. Make a melody

For our melody we’ll use the Ethereal Earth instrument. Add another MIDI track, and in Kontakt load up the Oxide preset in the Ethereal Earth library.

The Oxide preset
The Oxide preset

Set this track to -16.4 dB.

Balancing the Oxide preset
Balancing the Oxide preset

Copy the melody we’ve used here.

The Oxide melody
The Oxide melody

5. Create a counter-melody

Let’s use another Ethereal Earth preset for the basis of a counter-melody. This time load up the Sweat Beads preset.

The Sweat Beads preset
The Sweat Beads preset

Set this track to -11.5 dB.

Balancing the Sweat Beads preset
Balancing the Sweat Beads preset

Copy the melody MIDI pattern we’ve used here.

Let’s develop this sound by layering it with another instrument. Add another MIDI track, and this time laid up Irish Harp – The Dark Bard from the Irish Harp library in Kontakt.

The Dark Bard Preset
The Dark Bard Preset

Again, set this track to -11.5 dB.

Balancing the Dark Preset
Balancing the Dark Preset

Duplicate the MIDI over from the Sweat Beads track.

Duplicating the counter-melody MIDI
Duplicating the counter-melody MIDI

Let’s thin this sound out slightly so that it doesn’t compromise the beats and bass. Add Ozone 11 EQ to the Irish Harp track, and double-click on the main panel to add an EQ band.

Adding an EQ band
Adding an EQ band

Click the filter type and select High-Pass > Flat to change it to high-pass mode.

Selecting high-pass mode
Selecting high-pass mode

Now set the Slope to 6 dB an octave by dragging the handles at the side of the EQ band.

Selecting the slope
Selecting the slope

Now set the Frequency to around 1000 Hz.

Setting the frequency
Setting the frequency

This cuts out the low-end of the sound, thinning it out and helping the drums and bass punch through the mix.

Now let’s add a touch of reverb. Add Raum to the Irish Harp track, and this time select the Factory Presets > Large > Arcadia Dream Hall preset.

Adding Raum reverb
Adding Raum reverb
Looping out the counter-melody
Looping out the counter-melody

6. Add an atmospheric pad

Adding another element will make it easier for us to create a satisfying arrangement. On a new MIDI track, load up the Hypha library’s Fifth Hour preset.

The Fifth Hour preset
The Fifth Hour preset

We’ll use this atmospheric pad like a top string layer. Copy the simple part we’ve used here which plays C followed by A#.

The Fifth Hour part
The Fifth Hour part

Loop this clip out for four bars.

Looping out the Fifth Hour part
Looping out the Fifth Hour part

7. Arrange your song

Here’s the arrangement we’ve used.

The arrangement
The arrangement

We keep the arrangement interesting by adding or removing elements every four bars, which prevents it from sounding too repetitive, and allows us to showcase different combinations of parts.

Start creating music with Komplete Start for free

Here we’ve seen how you can make your first song using some of the instruments and effects included in Komplete Start. If you’d like to learn more check out tutorials on beat making, music production, mixing, and VST plugins.
 

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