Native Instruments
Native Instruments was founded in
1996 with its base in
Berlin, Germany by Stephan Schmitt and Volker Hinz with a goal to bring real-time sound synthesis to home computers. Their first product encompassed the
modular nature of vintage sound synthesis in software form, originally titled "Generator" (later on evolved into
Reaktor product line).
Since then, Native Instruments became one of the biggest names in the world of professional musical software, offering a plethora of products aimed at electronic musicians.
Native Instruments also co-develops the digital DJ system
Final Scratch together with
Stanton Magnetics, and has made an alliance with the online dance music store
Beatport.
The Beginning: 1995-1999
In 1995, Stephan Schmitt began looking for alternative ways of generating sound, a need inspired by his distaste towards massive commercial synths of the time. As a hardware engineer and a developer of mixing desks, an active live musician, and a synthesizer player, Schmitt criticized hardware synthesizers for their price, bulkiness, and limitations. The trend of the time was the rapid increase in computational powers of home computers, which made it natural for Schmitt to focus his attention on software methods.
His first idea was both a "new kind of instrument" and a software remake of an old 'cabinet-based' pure analog system. The vision, however, was remarkable: Schmitt combined the familiar time-tested interface for sound programming (utilized in classic analog units, such as
Buchla and
Doepfer) with possibilities presented by software creation (polyphony, programmability, and large units of memory storage). Schmitt's idea was well-received by programmer Volker Hinz, with whom they developed the concept of the first modular software synthesizer.
In early 1996, the software had been developed from the original concept into a fully working instrument, and was called
Generator. Generator's first public showing was at
Musikmesse Frankfurt, and it attracted huge international interest. Around the same time, Schmitt and Hinz registered their little 'company' as The Native Instruments GbR. In summer of 1996, Generator was released as a commercial product, which became an instant success in the thriving
techno and
electronic music communities.
Although musical software like
CSound and
SuperCollider were 'old news' around the same time, Native Instruments created something that had multiple levels of complexity, and involving different levels of both computer and musical knowledge. The instant commercial success of Generator have not only contributed to the following growth of Native Instruments, but also inspired birth and success of many other music software companies in the years to come.
In 1997, Native Instruments GmbH was founded, consisting of six shareholders, and with their first company offices established in Berlin-Mitte. Along with three other newcomers that helped make NI a full-scale economical enterprise was Daniel Haver, a man responsible for professional structures within the company. An internal organizational framework was put in place, and an international distribution network was created. Due to Haver's efforts, Native Instruments' products were distributed in over 20 countries by 1999.
1999-Present
On the software front, it was the original Generator code that continually expanded to include additional functionality that began breaking new grounds in terms of sonic ability. Sampling, among other things, made many experience the power of a computer first-hand, due to the lack of limitations on the size and resolution of your audio clips. Native Instruments began developing instruments using Generator base, which gave birth to famous packages, like
Dynamo,
Reaktor, and
Transformator, the former two becoming quick favorites among the media and musicians alike. By the summer of 1999, the company grew to the size of 15 people.
During that very period, Information Technology was undergoing a "boom" in both development and demand for technology, which increased the sales and enabled NI to establish a few partners, thus increasing their capital. The company moved to occupy a larger (and more expensive) office in Berlin-Kreuzberg, and hired additional personnel for design and marketing of their products.
Software-wise, the end of millennium brought two software re-creations of "old-school" gear, in the form of
B4 Organ (tone-wheel organ emulation) and
Pro-52 (an emulator of a
Prophet 5 synthesizer). In many ways, the familiarity of interface and predictability of sound of these products have attracted a much wider user base than the original "futuristic" Generator. Drowning in critical acclaim, Native Instruments have finally put software along-side of expensive hardware tools for professional sound generation.
In 2001, Native Instruments continued to expand computer-based sound shaping tools, with
Kontakt (a software
sampler),
Traktor (DJ Software), and a percussion sampler
Battery, the latter of which had received copious amount of press in forms of favorable opinion from famous electronic musicians. Native Instruments have established Native Instruments, Inc. in 2002, with offices in
Los Angeles, California, to much appeal of their North American consumers.
Currently, Native Instruments has over 120 employees, and remains a pioneer in sonic innovation of audio software. They have announced
Kore, a "Universal Sound Platform," coupled with a "Host Unit" â€" a piece of hardware specifically designed for control.
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Native Instruments, Official site
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Native Instruments, Official German site
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KVR Audio, Native Instruments developer page at KVRAudio.com
