Extract text from NCW files
To convert your NCW file to another format, you need Kontakt or other Audio software.
To convert other file formats to the "Audio Sample" file type, you need software like Kontakt or a similar tool.
The .NCW (Native Compressed Wave) file is a proprietary, lossless audio format developed by Native Instruments specifically for use with their industry-standard Kontakt sampler. While effective at reducing the file size of massive sample libraries - often by 30-50% - without degrading audio quality, the format presents significant interoperability hurdles. Unlike standard WAV or AIFF files, .NCW data is unreadable by most Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs) like Logic Pro or Ableton Live, and it cannot be opened in common audio editors like Audacity.
This format effectively locks the audio content inside the Kontakt ecosystem. Users often encounter these files when digging through sample library folders, hoping to extract raw drum hits or instrument tones for direct editing, only to find them inaccessible. To use these samples outside of Kontakt, you must convert them. The ideal target for conversion is WAV (PCM audio) for maximum fidelity and editing capability, or FLAC for archiving. Note: A small percentage of .NCW files may be CNC machine profile data from Elumatec EluCad software, which is completely unrelated to audio.
Use Convert.Guru to open and convert your NCW file.
Users also converted NKI, SAMPLES, NKC, ZIP, NWC, NKR, WAV, RAR, SVD, NCM, NKX, STY and SF2 files.
If you want to convert NCW file to WAV, MP3, AAC, FLAC, OGG, WMA, M4A, AIFF, OPUS, ALAC, APE or WV, you can use Kontakt or similar software from the "Lossless Audio Compression" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert MIDI, AAC, TTA, AU, WV, DTS, MID, FLAC, RA, MP3, PCM or WAV files to NCW, try Kontakt or another comparable tool in the "Lossless Audio Compression" category.
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our NCW converter.