There are different ways to improve the overall performance when running our libraries. One of these is "purging" articulations. By default, when you load any library into Kontakt, all the available samples for that library are loaded into your computer's RAM. Purging the samples you aren't using in that instance of Kontakt is an easy way to improve the overall performance within your library.
There are two options for purging which we will detail below.
Purging in our Evergreen Framework
Libraries using our Evergreen Framework have an in-built purge function. Before performing this action, make sure you have the sounds loaded within the plugin that you want to use.
Next, from the lefthand icon menu select the Settings Cog and, depending on your library, you will see something like this:
You will see two options relevant to purging from within this menu:
AUTO-PURGE MICS
With this control set to ON, when a microphone fader is moved to the minimum (bottom) position, it will automatically turn off and purge the samples from memory. As soon as the fader is moved, it will reload and turn the channel back on.
If you do not want this behaviour, set this control to OFF.
PURGE UNUSED ARTICULATIONS
You can click the PURGE NOW button to remove any articulation/sound that is not currently selected. Kontakt will then purge these samples from memory and free up the space for other things.
On the HOME page you will see that these switches are now greyed-out. If you wish to reload them, click on any of the sound switches and it will load everything back up again for you to change your selection.
Purging in Kontakt
When opening any of our libraries within Kontakt or Kontakt PLAYER, you can still save RAM on your computer by purging unused samples.
KONTAKT 5 & 6
Before you start the process, make sure you have the articulation and mic signals that you want to use. Once you have your sound loaded within Kontakt, from within the info panel inside Kontakt you will see the Purge Menu. Click the downward facing arrow and select Reset markers.
Next, you need to play the notes on your keyboard that you will need for the performance. Each note you press will set a marker, which Kontakt will reference in the next step.
Once you have the notes selected, go back to the Purge menu and select Update sample pool.
You can now refer back to the Memory portion of your Kontakt info panel to see you have saved significantly reduced the memory used within this instance of Kontakt:
KONATKT 7
The steps for this process within Kontakt 7 remain the same, as once you have the instrument loaded within Kontakt 7 you will see the Purge menu within the info panel. You will see an additional option to purge via the FILE menu at the top:
These additional options allow you to purge a single instance of Kontakt, or multiple ones.
Note! Purge all instances will only work if all Kontakt instances are within the same process.