So now we know... the NI Saga continues...
Posted: May 08, 2026 10:47 am
we know that InMusic has acquired NI et. al.
What we don't know is exactly what that mean for us, or our favorite products.
And it is, sadly, far too early to even guess.
Unlike that other behemoth (the B company) InMusic has a bit of a mixed history of success with their acquisitions.
On the one hand they have managed to "rescue" some popular products, if not quite returning them to their place of prominence. But hey, that is no easy feat, so that is not a criticism.
On the other hand, they have not been terribly bashful about discarding products that were not successful, or perhaps did not show a lot of promise. In some cases I think they missed the mark.
And that seems to be the basis for most of the criticism. If they deep-sixed your favorite product you are not likely to look kindly on them.
The other issue that I have heard (with some frequency) is that their go-to-market approach seems to feed the downward spiral, making once well regarded (but pricy) products appear to be bargain basic buys.
And again we have two hands. On the one, they are making some really great technology more affordable. On the other they are eroding the value of that technology. One example that leaps to mind is Wayourware timewARP 2600, by far the best ARP 2600 emulation I've used (and I think I own them all). At one time timewARP 2600 was considered a premium product. That is no longer the case. The same foes for Sonic Implants, although in that case they also distilled (?) their best libraries down to a shadow of their former selves.
So, what happens next? Tis anyone's guess.
My guess is that Kontakt, and at least some of their libraries, will survive. And the big variable is how he goes to market. We shall see...
What we don't know is exactly what that mean for us, or our favorite products.
And it is, sadly, far too early to even guess.
Unlike that other behemoth (the B company) InMusic has a bit of a mixed history of success with their acquisitions.
On the one hand they have managed to "rescue" some popular products, if not quite returning them to their place of prominence. But hey, that is no easy feat, so that is not a criticism.
On the other hand, they have not been terribly bashful about discarding products that were not successful, or perhaps did not show a lot of promise. In some cases I think they missed the mark.
And that seems to be the basis for most of the criticism. If they deep-sixed your favorite product you are not likely to look kindly on them.
The other issue that I have heard (with some frequency) is that their go-to-market approach seems to feed the downward spiral, making once well regarded (but pricy) products appear to be bargain basic buys.
And again we have two hands. On the one, they are making some really great technology more affordable. On the other they are eroding the value of that technology. One example that leaps to mind is Wayourware timewARP 2600, by far the best ARP 2600 emulation I've used (and I think I own them all). At one time timewARP 2600 was considered a premium product. That is no longer the case. The same foes for Sonic Implants, although in that case they also distilled (?) their best libraries down to a shadow of their former selves.
So, what happens next? Tis anyone's guess.
My guess is that Kontakt, and at least some of their libraries, will survive. And the big variable is how he goes to market. We shall see...