Native Instruments says there are no plans for Reaktor 7 after an employee mentioned a platform update in the forum, sparking speculation.
At the end of July, Matthew from Native Instruments announced that the new SuperStarSaw synth was the first product built on a new platform update for Reaktor. This sounded like a major update for Reaktor, perhaps even Reaktor 7.
Now, Native Instruments has once again dashed hopes for a Reaktor 7. In a new post on their community forum, Jeremy from NI wrote:
“there are no plans for a Reaktor; only one comment from Matthew got quoted out of context and spiraled into these speculations”
So, no Reaktor 7 on the horizon after all. However, NI still owes us an answer as to what exactly this platform update is and whether it will be part of a larger update.
Article from July 26, 2026
Apparently, Native Instruments is working on a major Reaktor update (maybe version 7) that includes an option to export ensembles as VST plugins.
In mid-July, Native Instruments released the SuperStarSaw, a new Supersaw Synthesizer plugin in collaboration with A.G. Cook. This was the first standalone new Synthesizer (not Absynth or Massive X) in many years.
According to the latest information, SuperStarSaw is based on a new update of Reaktor. So does Native Instruments have Reaktor 7 in development?
Reaktor 7?
Both Reaktor and standalone synths had something in common: Native Instruments has given very little attention to them in recent years.
The last major Reaktor update was version 6.5 with VST3 support in 2023, and the latest standalone synth was Super 8 in 2020, which was once a Reaktor ensemble.
With the acquisition of inMusic, I fear that Reaktor, among other things, will be scrapped, as it’s too complex and nerdy a product for their portfolio. I still have this unsure feeling. But now there seems to be hope on the horizon.
In a new posting on the Native Instruments community forum, Matthew from NI shared the information that SuperStarSaw (Super*Saw) is the first product built with a new platform update to Reaktor. Exciting! Does that mean Native Instruments is working on a Reaktor 7?
A.G. Cook and friends created and used the patches that became this product long before they became this plugin. More, they will eventually open it to all the builders with this new platform update.
So a possible Reaktor 7 is maybe coming, and there is another super interesting piece of information that pops up with this.
Reaktor 7 With VST Export?
Matthew from NI also says that this new build (maybe Reaktor 7) empowers Reaktor builders to create discrete, standalone plugins running the Reaktor engine under the hood, with high-resolution user interfaces, dedicated authorization, distribution, and installation mechanisms.
As a reminder: in Reaktor you can build all sorts of synthesizers, samplers, experimental tools, effects, etc. This is the USP of Reaktor. These are stored in the proprietary ensemble file (.ens). Thousands of such ensembles are available as free downloads in the Reaktor User Library.
Firstly, high-resolution UIs would be a very welcome update for Reaktor. Many UIs of the free ensembles are more reminiscent of the early days of plugins. A simpler way to create good-looking UIs would be very nice.
On the other hand, exporting ensembles as VSTs is a feature many users have requested, especially those already building complex tools with Reaktor. I imagine Blinksonic would be very interested in this to make the instrument also accessible to non-Reaktor users.
As you can read between the lines of Matthew’s post, this won’t be the VST exporter for everyone, but more for professional builders who want dedicated authorizations, distributions, and more.
It seems they’ll be heading in the same direction as Kontakt Player, which also offers dedicated licensing and “Native Access” access by selling serial numbers. Thus, they would get a piece of the money pie. You can find the details here.
So, in that sense, this could be seen as an evolution of its current Reaktor Player licensing program, which most likely won’t be as successful as its Kontakt counterpart. I honestly didn’t see many Reaktor Player-compatible ensembles these days. VST’s could definitely reach more people here.
I think a regulated VST exporter is a good thing, because otherwise, publishing your tools can easily lead to chaos. Just look at the current flood of vibe-coded plugins on the market. Please, no more of them. I prefer quality over quantity.
Flagship Updates On The Horizon
At the same time, Matthew also announced that other flagship titles will receive significant updates in the coming months.
Hmm: are we finally seeing a makeover for FM8, which would make sense after the Absynth reboot? A big update for Massive X would also be welcome, with a new UI and new options.
A fantastic-sounding Synthesizer in my opinion whose UI is simply not inspiring and not fitting.
It seems like a lot is happening behind the scenes at the new Native Instruments. I’m curious to see when these products will appear.
More information here: Native Instruments
Source: NI Community Forum
Remember Super 8 as Reaktor ensemble and as vst ?
yes
It seems NI abandoned that concept years ago. The current situation with Super 8 is very confusing. Only the ensemble version is usable on my m4 Mac without the Komplete Kontrol support. I will be surprised if NI under the new umbrella can do in months what previously could not be done in years. Especially since a lot of developers were layed off. But who knows ?
Re your copy:
…..
thanks a corrected it 🙂
This is soooo late! Great that its happening but so late. It was there waiting for someone to develop it but they kept it a walled garden. Like Reason, they probably just realized there’s money to be made once you are forced to make it.
This was Tim Exile’s idea, right?
What previous company did to NI pushed NIs development and innovation back 10 years.. original developers probably left.
we need Razor vst
I read that NI are now Bankrupt… correct ?
no longer. InMusic bought them
This is welcome news.
Let’s see how that pans out. Tim Exile will be delighted.
Definitely a move in the right direction.
I had heard a year or two ago though that the lead developper for Reaktor Vadim Zavalishin had left for U-He
last major update 2018ish front patching blocks.
So Reaktor becomes sort of a store where people can sell their created ensembles exported VSTs and NI gets a cut? Sounds like a good idea imho.
So now that Reaktor is off the table, what *are* the options for synthesizer design environments that have VST or AU export? I know people sometimes prototype things in Max/MSP, but it has to be programmed from the ground-up for “export” to a VST or AU, right?
Max4Live with RNBO can VST3 and AU export
It would have been nice if at least the UI was updated in a new Reaktor version.
Even the large standard buttons, faders etc. are tiny on modern screen resolutions.
I guess we can be happy if it’s still running at all on new OS versions.