SUPPORT ← SLATE + ASH

Please take a look at the following information to see if you can find a solution to your problem. If not, feel free to get in touch at support@slateandash.com.

CYCLES

LOADING YOUR OWN SAMPLES

If you're using Kontakt 7, you might finder it easier to use the rack view. CYCLES was built for Kontakt 6, before the current Kontakt 7 interface existed:

Kontakt 6 View

To drag and drop your own samples you need to make sure you're using the patch at /Instruments/User/User Sources.nki.

You can take a look at this video which demonstrates how it's done.

Please also make sure you are using AIFF or WAV files as these are the only accepted formats in Kontakt. Please note that in Ableton, imported audio is amended with metadata that makes it unreadable by Kontakt. It's best to import from your OS file browser in this case.

HOW DO I INSTALL CYCLES?

CYCLES must be installed in Native Access. To do this, click ‘Add a serial’ in the top left of Native Access and input the 25 digit serial number you received from us in email. Once you have done this, link the library in Native Access to the relevant content location on your computer by browsing to the ‘Products Not Installed’ and clicking ‘Add Library’. CYCLES will then automatically appear in Kontakt. More detailed instructions can be found here.

HOW DO I USE CYCLES?

There is currently no manual, but you can check out the detailed Overview Video on the CYCLES webpage to find out more.

HOW DO I RUN CYCLES?

CYCLES runs in a free version of Kontakt called Kontakt Player and in the full version of Kontakt.

NATIVE ACCESS ISN'T SHOWING A KONTAKT UPDATE, BUT KONTAKT STILL ISN'T ALLOWING ME TO USE CYCLES.

In certain cases Native Access will not allow Kontakt updates beyond a certain version if you are running an older operating system. CYCLES requires Kontakt 6.3.2 or higher (which requires macOS Sierra or higher) so you may need to update your operating system for it to work.

I AM GETTING THE ERROR MESSAGE ‘THIS INSTRUMENT BELONGS TO A LIBRARY THAT IS NOT CURRENTLY INSTALLED' WHEN TRYING TO OPEN CYCLES IN KONTAKT.

This happens if you are trying to load an an instrument into an old version of Kontakt or from a library that is not installed in Native Access. Ensure you are running Kontakt 6.2.1 or higher and that CYCLES is installed in Native Access.

I AM HAVING CPU ISSUES

Because of its tempo-sync and granular capabilities, in certain scenarios CYCLES can be CPU intensive. If you’re having issues, try increasing the buffer size and reducing the sample rate of your DAW. Within the granular engine it can also be helpful to ensure that ‘Stretch’ is turned off in the ‘Source’ section and that the ‘Density’ setting is not too high.

GENERAL

DRIVE FORMATS ON MACOS

Please note that case-sensitive formatting of hard drives on MacOS is not compatible with our products.

On macOS 10.12 Sierra (and earlier versions of OS X), the standard HFS+ / Mac OS Extended (Journaled) format is recommended.

On macOS 10.13 High Sierra and later, the Apple File System (APFS) format is recommended.

NATIVE ACCESS SAYS 'ADD LIBRARY' BUT NOT 'INSTALL'

This is a bug in Native Access that has been fixed in later versions. It should give you install options rather than asking you to add the library.

In the first instance, please upgrade Native Access to the latest possible version:
https://www.native-instruments.com/en/specials/native-access-2/

You can find legacy installers here:
https://support.native-instruments.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000407909-Native-Access-Legacy-Installers-for-Older-Operating-Systems

Then please make sure to log out, exit Native Access, reboot, and log back in.

If you are continuing to have problems and are a Mac user, please try the steps in this article:
https://support.native-instruments.com/hc/en-us/articles/360016913977-Native-Access-Error-Message-Installation-Failed-Mac-

And the steps in this article under 'Additional Steps':
https://support.native-instruments.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000884238-Native-Access-Error-Path-is-invalid

CRASHES / GUI GLITCHES / OTHER UNUSUAL BEHAVIOUR

Please note that none of our instruments are designed to work with Kontakt's native MIDI CC modulation system and using this can result in strange behaviour. We recommend users only use the modulation systems we have designed.

INSTRUMENT IS NOT SHOWING IN KONTAKT

Please check you have met the minimum Kontakt version shown on the instrument's landing page. Our instruments each have different requirements and won't show up if you are using an outdated version.

REFUNDS

As is common with most Kontakt-based library manufacturers, we are unable to offer refunds as standard, but may do so at our discretion.

If you have any concerns about fitting our instruments into your workflow, feel free to send us an email first: support@slateandash.com

We also recommend checking out the many in-depth reviews of our products available online.

DEMOS + TRIALS

As is common with most Kontakt-based instrument manufacturers, we are unable to offer a demo version. Please check out all our overview videos before ordering and feel free to contact us with any questions: support@slateandash.com.

You can also find many in-depth reviews of our products on YouTube and other sites.

PACKS

I CAN'T FIND MY PACKS PRESETS

Please note that currently, PACKS presets do not appear in the Kontakt 7/8 Library preset list. It is best to use the rack view to navigate CYCLES presets, ('classic view' in Kontakt 8), which has the added benefit of showing categories for them all:

Watch Video

PRICING

DO YOU DO SEASONAL SALES?

We don't offer any seasonal sales (such as black Friday). We only offer sales when we release a new instrument, which typically only includes that instrument, plus any bundles it is part of.

UPGRADE PATHS

There are no upgrade paths to the bundles available at a later stage, so we recommend checking out all our instruments before making your purchase to decide on the best deal.

EDUCATION

We offer a 25% discount for those in education or music therapy. The maximum discount available is 25%; it cannot be used on the bundles or in addition to any sale discounts that may be on offer.

To redeem, please email support@slateandash.com with up-to-date proof of your educational status. This can include confirmation letters, student ID, emailing us from an official educational email address, or any other reasonable proof.

SOFTWARE

LICENSES

Every purchase of a software instrument comes with one serial that enables up to two installations on different machines.

INSTALLATION

All downloads, installations and registrations are handled by Native Access. Our instruments are hosted in the free Kontakt Player (downloadable in Native Access).

SPECTRES

HOW DO I GET THE MULTISAMPLE UPDATE?

Head into Native Access and you should see an update option next to SPECTRES.

If it is not there, first try logging out of Native Access, exiting and rebooting, then logging back in.

If you still don't see the update, try updating Native Access. Make sure to install afresh from this link because NA doesn’t auto-update between major version numbers.
https://www.native-instruments.com/en/specials/native-access-2/

If all else fails, simply reinstall SPECTRES and it will install the latest updated version.

The latest version is 1.1.0

CAN I IMPORT MY OWN SAMPLES?

On this occasion, it was not possible to incorporate importing your own samples for SPECTRES. At the moment we do not know whether it will be possible to implement this functionality in future.

However, there is a vast and varied library of source material creating endless possibilities in sound design, which we consider to be the bulk of the value. We've had users initially express concern about the lack of user sample support, but then come back to us later saying they simply don't need it!