| Author | Topic: Who has Sonik Synth 2? | |||||
| pheeleep | Posted: 2nd January 2005 10:31 | |||||
So, who has purchased and received Sonik Synth 2? What are your impressions please?
I have tested sound libraries for Sonic Reality in the past, but not Sonik Synth 2. I wasn't approached to test this one. All beta testing must have been done internally.. hmmmm... Hey Squids, if you read this, can I test Sonik Synth 2 even though it's finished? 
I haven't seen SS2 in action, haven't heard it aside from the mp3 demos on esoundz.com.. I am considering getting it as I have Sampletank 2 xl and would only pay $199.00 for the upgrade... but this offer is apparently ending in a few weeks so I will have to decide soon.. I am mostly interested in how it compares to Ultrafocus or Atmosphere? Do some of you own those programs as well? What makes SS2 better or not as good? Do these programs compliment each other, or do you think they are all very similar? Just looking for some feedback here, as Sonik Synth 2 has been out ( granted not for that long ) and I haven't read much feedback about it yet. Even if you don't own Atmosphere or Ultrafocus, I am interested in your impressions.. good or bad.. I want the real deal.. give me some feedback please. | ||||||
| One | Posted: 2nd January 2005 11:22 | |||||
Get it!
Its got great sounds in it. More than you'd believe and all of a good quality. I like the new piano and the assorted keys. I wish I,d had a bit more time with it during the holidays I'm sure thats why we haven't heard more about it. Anyway best 200 bucks I spent last year for sure. I feel like I'm set for awhile. | ||||||
| bluedad | Posted: 2nd January 2005 11:29 | |||||
check out the comments of jeez in this thread | ||||||
| progfusion74 | Posted: 2nd January 2005 11:46 | |||||
I have it .. still going through it. I love the various elements included. That's the best part for me and the organization of the instruments. Its definitely more of a sound sculpting tool than ST2 etc. Some of the included combis give you a good idea of how it can be used. I am going to have fun getting my own combis going, although I plan to use it in ST2. One comment: The SS2 engine seems to respond faster than ST2 for some reason.
prog | ||||||
| DevonB | Posted: 2nd January 2005 11:54 | |||||
I'm HOPING to have it Monday in the mail box, but I do have Ultra Focus and Atmosphere. I'll let you know how it compares. Only thing that won't be fair is SS2 covers other elements that UF and Atmo don't go into at all. I'm assuming you're wanting to know how good of a synth/pad machine it is? Devon | ||||||
| Squids | Posted: 2nd January 2005 12:37 | |||||
I guess because all three are the same price ($399).
I hope you get yours tomorrow, Devon. I'd be curious how you'd compare the product since you have all of the cool stuff. Sorry to our beta testing friends about SS2. We didn't do any outside beta testing as this was just too big! Too much to ask. But, next time maybe (next capsules perhaps). Cool thread.  | ||||||
| pricer | Posted: 2nd January 2005 13:01 | |||||
i'm expecting mine from tmrw too, EWQL Gold shouldn't be too far after that either. What current steps have been taken for a community patch area, are IK or SR still going ahead with the user library idea mentioned a while back? | ||||||
| pheeleep | Posted: 2nd January 2005 13:57 | |||||
Cool.. replies.. Yes, please come back to this thread.. don't forget about me.. I know you will be too busy messing around with it once you receive it!
DevonB, yes I would like to know how the synths/pads in SS2 compare to the ones in Atmosphere and Ultrafocus.. Please give us a run through of those types of sounds if you have the time, once you have messed around with Sonik Synth 2.. | ||||||
| Squids | Posted: 2nd January 2005 14:28 | |||||
What do you mean? The patch sharing thing I mentioned? We'll do that on www.esoundz.com for members some time this year. There's also a site someone made: www.sampletankx.com and actually if they'll post the whole disclaimer thing about what sound file types you can and can't share (basically child patch and combis are ok and parent patches/samples are not... unless they are your own samples that you made of course, except they'd be better off making it just sharing the child and combis to be safe) then I think IK would even promote it a little (put it in their newsletter or something). But, that seems to have some potential for that as well if it is still going. I am working on a freebie set of patches for all SS2 users. I have a few fun things in mind that I know you will like Pricer like a virtual drawbar B3 sound set... in fact, since I just let the cat out of the bag on that, which CC#s should I assign the 9 channels of drawbars to? Any preference? I have a Voce midi drawbar controller. Maybe I'll map it to that. | ||||||
| Frunobulax | Posted: 2nd January 2005 15:10 | |||||
I've had SS2 for about 10 days now. I also have Atmosphere. I've discussed both synths in a long SS2 thread in the SR forum, but I'll hit the main points again here.
I don't have Ultrafocus, so all I can really say about comparing SS2 to UF is the obvious point that UF focuses solely on synth samples, whereas SS2 also includes other keyboards and various other instruments, including guitars, strings, ethnic instruments, drums, etc. So SS2 is kind of like a cross between Sampletank and UF. Atmosphere has a narrower focus compared to SS2, as many people probably know. Atmosphere is also a closed system, and you are limited in the amount of tweaking you can do. You only have two layer combination patches to work with in Atmosphere (compared to 16 in SS2), and all of the effects are burned into the samples, unlike SS2. So the big advantages of SS2 over Atmosphere are the much greater breadth and variety of sounds in SS2's library, and the programming flexibility that you have in SS2. I've been having lots of fun programming my own combi patches, and I have had good results coming up with Atmosphere-type patches, both in terms of pads as well as one-note atmospheric drones. I love Atmosphere and I would buy it again in a second, but I think SS2 has replaced it as my favorite synth. The reason is the programming flexibility and the variety of sounds in SS2. Plus I plan to pick up Sampletank soon so I can combine SS2 sounds with all the Sampletank formatted sounds, and if I also buy the Chicken Systems Translator I could then import my Kontakt and Giga libraries and use these with the SS2 sounds in Sampletank as well. So the SS2 sounds are capable of being used in kind of an open-ended system, which I think creates almost unlimited possibilities. As for the sound quality, some of SS2's patches out of the box sound like they could have come out of Atmosphere, as there are some lush moving pad presets. However, these are just a fraction of the presets contained in SS2 (even though there are quite a few of these sounds). I prefer SS2's leads and basses over those in Atmosphere, and of course SS2 has tons of different types of sounds that are not found in Atmosphere. But if like me you want more Atmosphere-type sounds than are contained in SS2's presets, it's easy enough to program them yourself as you have thousands of sounds to draw from, and plenty of good effects. I've been creating a lot of my own Atmosphere-type combi's over the past few days and I think they sound like they could have come right out of Atmosphere. But while SS2 can certainly compare to the sounds in Atmosphere, if you're really into lush pads and evolving atmospheric sounds, I would say it's still very worthwhile to also get Atmosphere, because Eric's programming is top-notch. Plus hearing how he's done it has influenced my own patch-making. I would also like to say that SS2 is really a completely different animal than SS1. Sure some of SS1's presets are carried over to SS2, but these are just a small fraction of the total sounds in SS2. The overall quality of the sounds is substantially improved, and the quantity of material that you have to work with is immense. As I have learned over the past 10 days, you really cannot appreciate everything SS2 has to offer until you start programming your own sounds. For those who already have SS1 or Sampletank, I cannot imagine anyone would be disappointed with what they got for their money by picking up SS2 at the upgrade/crossgrade price. Even at the full price, I think it's a terrific bargain for all that you get. I really like this plugin. | ||||||
| Squids | Posted: 2nd January 2005 15:24 | |||||
I'd be curious to hear some of the patches you made. It sounds like you are the ideal user for something like SS2 because you'll use the presets but also use the 5,000+ elements for making your own sounds which is where it can become very customizable to your tastes. | ||||||
| Kim (esoundz) | Posted: 2nd January 2005 15:27 | |||||
Yep. Basically, I can't imagine anyone buying this and being disappointed. Even at the full (non-upgrade) price, it's top stuff. Seriously. Forever, Kim. | ||||||
| Alfalfa | Posted: 2nd January 2005 15:43 | |||||
edit | ||||||
| Frunobulax | Posted: 2nd January 2005 16:09 | |||||
As soon as I get a some more finished I'd be happy to upload a bank of patches to KVR and the Sampletank patch site you mentioned. | ||||||
| Kim (esoundz) | Posted: 2nd January 2005 16:14 | |||||
I think it'll be around for a week or two, then the price will go up (but not all they up to the non-upgrade price).... but I'm not certain. Forever, Kim. | ||||||
| Squids | Posted: 2nd January 2005 17:24 | |||||
Good man! That's the spirit. See? This is going to be fun. I just finished an audio demo (one of them). It's tough making demos when you have so many sounds. I look forward to hearing user demos. The upgrade from SS1 to SS2 will at least be availabel through the end of January. I don't know if it will be available after that at all but if it is then it will probably go up in price a little bit (like $249 instead of $199 which is what it is for a limted time in the launch). Also, the upgrade from Sonic Synth 1 to Sonik Synth 2 is only available from Sonic Reality through esoundz here: http://www.esoundz.com/details/viewDetails.php?ProductID=242&referrer= details It will not be available from IK or stores. But, the CROSSGRADE for ST2 XL users IS available from both esoundz, IK and eventually any IK dealer that wants to carry it (they should because there are thousands of ST2 XL owners that would want SS2 just for its sounds). | ||||||
| bnmoore | Posted: 2nd January 2005 23:25 | |||||
I have it but haven't had much time to spend with it. I work in TV news and we had this little disaster thing to deal with while most everyone was on vacation for the holidays. We've been sort of short staffed. | ||||||
| Kim (esoundz) | Posted: 2nd January 2005 23:51 | |||||
I wouldn't call it little. 
Back on SS2. I was thinking earlier today how it's kinda hard to describe what it's for. Seriously, with the breadth of sounds included, and the DSP effects built in, it can sound like anything you want it to - smooth and warm to harsh and abrasive... Thick and fat to thin and light... Acoustic and synthetic... How to explain what it sounds like? How to describe what music it's good for? Forever, Kim. | ||||||
| Caleb | Posted: 3rd January 2005 05:03 | |||||
I've got it and it will probably be sitting on a shelf for some time yet before I install it.
Good thing is I know the delayed gratification will be intense when it arrives. I'm not sure what to play with first the drum combo pack, the symphony strings or sonik synth 2. I might need to take a couple of sickies. 
Caleb | ||||||
| Mighty_Hero | Posted: 3rd January 2005 08:24 | |||||
I have atmosphere and will be buying SS2 on the 14th, because I have SS1, and know this will be awesome.  | ||||||
| Squids | Posted: 3rd January 2005 16:18 | |||||
A bunch of new audio demos were posted for Sonik Synth 2 on esoundz if you want to check them out: http://www.esoundz.com/details/viewDetails.php?ProductID=244&referrer= home
Of course, you have to listen for the sounds as naturally the style of music (ranging from retro 70's and 80's to dance to misc) is just an example context. But, you get to hear a lot of different sounds in action (and that's not even close to hearing all of the best ones either- we'll be doing about 2,000 riff demos in the sound list area in the next couple of months as well). | ||||||
| DevonB | Posted: 4th January 2005 17:32 | |||||
Just FYI, I did get SS2 from UPS late last nite. Hope to have more time to spend with it. Initial impressions are favorable. Very easy to make my own presets that I like, and easy to make and save changes to the ones I don't like.  Is it an Atmosphere or UF killer? Give me several more days.
Devon | ||||||
| Squids | Posted: 5th January 2005 08:29 | |||||
Anyone who really wants to know all about Sonik Synth 2 can now go to: www.soniksynth.com and get a NEW FREE version (Sonik Synth 2 FREE with new sounds). There's also video clips, an interview (more Squids babbling on and on... ) and all kinds of info about the product. Enjoy! | ||||||
| Beardedone | Posted: 5th January 2005 08:33 | |||||
Still waiting for the mail.  | ||||||
| Vocalpoint Studios | Posted: 5th January 2005 08:49 | |||||
Why did I get a notification from ESoundz on Dec 21 that my Sonik Synth 2 had shipped...yet here we are on Jan 5 and nothing has arrived. I mean - Im am in Calgary, Alberta. Not too hard to find.
*EDIT* - Typical...as soon as I post this...in walks the mail guy with my SS2! Gotta go....! Cheers, VP | ||||||
| Squids | Posted: 5th January 2005 09:50 | |||||
You can thank the holidays I am sure. Gordy, you'll get it soon (I hope). Hang in there! | ||||||
| Beardedone | Posted: 5th January 2005 09:54 | |||||
Thanks Dave! I'm really looking forward to it.
BTW Please call me Gord or Gordon but not Gordy. Only my mom gets away with calling me Gordy! Sorry to be a PITA but is an old scar from my childhood.  | ||||||
| Rabid | Posted: 5th January 2005 09:59 | |||||
Don't have it yet but thinking hard about it. There are too many companies knocking on my door. Sonic Reality, Native Instruments, Cakewalk, AAS, etc. All offering amazing products and asking for dollars in return.
Be gone evil ones. I shall not be tempted. Lust and desire will not lead me astray. Be gone I say. BE GONE! Ok. This is not working. What do I do now? Anyone have some garlic? Robert | ||||||
| jones-y | Posted: 5th January 2005 10:13 | |||||
Try a one year old kid, an impending marriage and home purchase, an exorbitant rent, and a fiancee who's an accountant by day. Works for me...  | ||||||
| woolyloach | Posted: 5th January 2005 11:28 | |||||
Downloaded it and fiddling with it - a nice little toy indeed, even if free! Guess I'll have to start saving up for the Real Thing now. Runs fine in Tracktion on my poor 2.53GHz P4/1GB RAM machine.  | ||||||
| Squids | Posted: 5th January 2005 15:26 | |||||
Woops. Sorry Gordon. | ||||||
| tkmattson | Posted: 5th January 2005 15:42 | |||||
Squids,
Hi, I posted my issue undeer it's own topic. I'll save you some time if you're looking at this one. I'm having some sort of problem with SS2 Free in Tracktion (to my dismay, as I am really interested in this product, and the sounds sound really good, just playing them). The problem is this, when I make a little four note (one measure) loop in Tracktion, there is a popping (looping?) noise at the end of every measure. I copied the same loop to other tracks and had other VST's playing it, and there is no such popping, so it seems to a problem exclusive to an SS2/Tracktion pairing. Any ideas as to why, and moreover, suggestions to a cure? Thanks, Todd | ||||||
| Beardedone | Posted: 5th January 2005 16:43 | |||||
No problem. How were you supposed to know? | ||||||
| Squids | Posted: 5th January 2005 18:02 | |||||
Well, I don't personally use Tracktion. I did see a few other people say they were using it in Tracktion without a problem though. I know I haven't heard that problem before in anything else. I will ask someone to check it out and see what's up there. It may have to do with what your polyphony per part is set at and your buffer for your sound card. One big difference between SS2 and other VSTis is that it takes up more CPU as it is doing something more intensive (especially when you layer sounds that each have effects, especially reverbs). You can try turning reverbs off on insert. IK does tech support for the application side of Sonik Synth 2. | ||||||
| Kim (esoundz) | Posted: 5th January 2005 19:35 | |||||
It could be that Tracktion is sending a complete MIDI reset when the clip loops (which would cause SS2 to "hiccup"). The same thing happens in Cubase when I set it to do a MIDI reset at the end of each clip. The solution is to somehow disable automatic MIDI reset. Another possibility is that there's some bizarre MIDI controller data in the loop (such as program change?) that might be hard to see in the MIDI editor. If you're still having trouble, tell the programmers about it here: http://www.soniksynth.com/SSSupport.html Make sure you type your email address correctly, because that's how they'll get back to you. Forever, Kim. | ||||||
| Squids | Posted: 6th January 2005 06:12 | |||||
Thanks Jeez. (Jeez may have to come work for us. The man is dedicated to helping people! Totally awesome. You know that is really appreciated around here. I'm glad you're coming to NAMM. It'll be nice meeting you in person.) | ||||||
| Beardedone | Posted: 6th January 2005 06:49 | |||||
I will have a look at it in Tracktion when I get my copy. | ||||||
| Mighty_Hero | Posted: 6th January 2005 07:37 | |||||
I will move to Florida to do customer support for you all.  | ||||||
| Squids | Posted: 6th January 2005 15:02 | |||||
Uh oh. You've got some competition Jeez! If we did hire someone to join us I think Jeez has really shown initiative to help people around here. He's been answering questions and all kinds of stuff. He doesn't work for us. Not yet anyway. But, I like when people show what they can do and it is helpful to others. So, thanks Jeez. I am sure others you've helped thank you too. | ||||||
| Kim (esoundz) | Posted: 6th January 2005 17:29 | |||||
|
Forever, Kim. | ||||||
| Squids | Posted: 7th January 2005 08:10 | |||||
I have some free combis for Sonik Synth 2 FREE we'll be giving away here in the next week or so on www.esoundz.com Also, new demo riffs to check out on the sound list page.
Oh, crossgrade to ST2 engine only is over. But the full crossgrade to ST2XL with the sounds is available. | ||||||
| pheeleep | Posted: 8th January 2005 15:13 | |||||
Yo DevonB.. what's the consensus? Are you too busy playing with Sonic Synth 2? lol.. I think I am going to get this bad boy.. there are some good reviews already on the SR forum.. wonder if I should paste them here in this thread.. they are pretty detailed.. and full of positive stuff... me wants it.. | ||||||
| stale bread | Posted: 8th January 2005 15:24 | |||||
does sonic synth free load wavs? | ||||||
| pricer | Posted: 8th January 2005 15:30 | |||||
i'm afraid not, it's a closed system. Though ST2 will and is a companion product alongside SS2, as they compliment each other very well. | ||||||
| Squids | Posted: 8th January 2005 15:30 | |||||
No you can't. Even the full version doesn't do that either. It's a synth rompler meant to create sounds with it's own sample set and the vast possibilities of combining them, processing and editing them with synth parameters. SampleTank 2 full version can load waves. Not the free version though. | ||||||
| pricer | Posted: 8th January 2005 15:32 | |||||
stale bread even without wav import, i can guarantee you'll be impressed with SS2 - there are so many sounds in there it can make you giddy. | ||||||
| DevonB | Posted: 8th January 2005 15:55 | |||||
Overall, I like SS2 much much better than SS1. I didn't like SS1 at all. Keep in mind, I'm one who goes after specialty products, and am willing to spend the big bucks to get what I want too. I have about 112 gigs of Gigastudio files and about 57 gigs of VST based sampler products. I also have over 30 commercial synths at my disposal too. Not a bragging point, I just want you to understand what I have access to when I'm comparing SS2 to other things. SS2 is the synth building machine. It has a lot of great building block content, and SS2 actually makes it pretty easy to make your own presets. In fact, out of Atmosphere, UF, and SS2, SS2 gives the most options and most flexibility to build your own, which is nice. If you're a roll your own kinda guy, you've got plenty to choose from. While I still prefer the synth sounds that come with UltraFocus more, UF is a very focused product on one thing. SS2 has much more than just synths. The synths this time around I like a LOT better in SS2 compared to SS1. If you need a large variety of sounds, and don't have a lot of cash to get a lot of sounds, SS2 would be a way to go. If you were specificly after synth only sounds, my preference still leans towards UF. Does this mean SS2 is bad? Hardly. As Squids and Company put more presets and combis together, they might change my mind too. I'm also having fun making my own.
Overall, SS2 is a pretty good product when you add all the pieces together. The Sampletank 2 engine is the best out of the UVI vs ST2 fight, hands down too. It's obvious Squids had a lot of fun putting this together. If you demand the best of the best, and are willing to lay out the cash to buy the big libraries that specialize in one instrument or another, SS2 does compete pretty good for synths, but not my favorite for natural instruments still. Then again, if you had the cash, you'd be buying everything up anyway, right?
Bottom line, if you don't have a lot of cash and need easy access to a huge variety of sounds, SS2 is not a bad way to go. Hope that helps! Devon | ||||||
| Poni | Posted: 8th January 2005 16:04 | |||||
Squids what exactly is the difference between the SS2 and ST2 players. I noticed that they are not the same in appearance and was wondering if they are interchangeable. | ||||||
| Squids | Posted: 8th January 2005 16:35 | |||||
Here's a good way to look at it from a practical use standpoint. If one has both then they work together by being different plug-ins that can browse to the same sounds to load. Well, ST2 can load any of the SS2 sounds plus its own and any other ST format sounds you have. SS2 can only load its own sound set. But, the sounds of SS2 are in a special coded ST2 format that both can read. Sonik Synth 2 is based on the SampleTank 2 engine. It is practically the same but besides its different appearance it doesn't have some of the things that ST2 has such as multifx patch loading and saving, loop sync selection (in SS2 loop sync is always set to on) and of course there is no IMPORT functionality like there is in SampleTank 2. One thing that Sonik Synth 2 users can do is crossgrade to SampleTank 2XL and get extra sounds and extra features for a nice discount. If someone is a SampleTank 2 XL user then they can pick up Sonik Synth 2 mainly for its sounds. 8.5 gigabytes and 5,800 sounds for the crossgrade discount of $199 up until March 1st is quite a deal. That's for the introduction and then it will go up to $249. after that. Consider it like a "sounds only" version (except you get the app too which can be a good utility for browsing to two different places at the same time or for just the aesthetic inspiration of the different GUI, also some sound organizational advantages of SS2 interface automatically filtering out all non-SS2 sounds). Hope that helps. Devon, I am glad to hear that you like Sonik Synth 2 since we really did our best to try to please everyone (including those that have everything! ). By the way, you are right about the potential of both us and users to shape this machine into even more than it is now. This is just the beginning. As you say, it is probably most unique in how it is a compilation of building blocks that can be combined, tweaked, processed into your own thing pretty easily. I think this also gives it a lot more of a chance of becoming taylored to each person's tastes which is how it should be. | ||||||
| Kim (esoundz) | Posted: 8th January 2005 17:31 | |||||
Also, the SS2 plugin has larger text in the left-hand window (where it shows you what you have loaded), which can be useful for people with reduced eyesight or a high resolution computer screen. Forever, Kim. | ||||||
| Squids | Posted: 8th January 2005 17:47 | |||||
Yes, and it the GUI is designed more around COMBIS. The combi name is nice and large if you were playing live. | ||||||
| pheeleep | Posted: 9th January 2005 07:33 | |||||
Ok, here is what x.bruce had to say about SS2 ( what a thorough review.. I can't believe the size of it! lol.. )
x-bruce I wasn't sure what to expect with the update to Sonic Synth 1. Honestly, I was very happy that Sampletank 2 brought a bunch of new life to it but I have always enjoyed the "different" and more unique, almost signature sounds of programmable synths, which is why I'm so very pleased to see the new Sonik Synth 2. Although I'm not a "real instrument" freak I do love the way the Sonik Synth interface works and especially love layering within it. I've seen people somewhat confused about layers but you can do them in ST2 quite easily, yet the new GUI for SS2 is better and with it's database feature it gives SS2 a bit of an edge on some of the Kompakt and (hope I'm not sticking my foot in my mouth by saying this) the UVI interfaces I've come across. Sonik Synth 2 feels like a synth now. When SS1 was available it was a convienient way of working with lots of useful sounds which there is a big audience for, I'm sure. Sampletank 1 didn't help much as it was not really what I'd call a synth engine. That changed in ST2 but with this new version of Sonik everything just seems more right. It programs better and like the EASTWEST Kompakt sample sets of late it's nice to see Sonic Reality not only offer useful and a large variety of patches, most totally unlike Sampletank's libraries, a serious plus. I know Squids was saying there would be more synth in SS2 but until you actually try it....you don't know. I'm really impressed because of a few things. 1. This version of Sonik Synth is a whole new thing and for the most part hardly gets in the way of SS1 sounds 2. The synth design is a bit more to my liking than the standard ST2 design (though I'd love to see some skins that have better clarity on the lettering for us old folks that don't want to wear glasses to see all the text). 3. Many, many more synths and an overall different sound which you'd hope would be the case; that or whole new samples that are also really useful. To my liking it seems SR decided to give the programming types something to work with in SS2. In fact, I like to work with this set more than the Sonic Station kit which I use in Kontakt. I guess I'm just pleased to see my high hopes not only matched but surpassed! That is not something I can always say, in fact, quite the opposite when dealing with what is essentially a sample library and quality synth engine. Cheers too for making lots of Combis!! On SS1 many of the sounds had a very Rolandesque feel to them, or at least imo. In SS2 the sounds remind me, and I mean this with high praise, Emu-like. The sounds are crisp yet much more organic, except when they're not supposed to be. Adding the voice partials makes it easy to use many vox inflections, especially with the sample stretch feature debuted in ST2. Lastly, it is refreshing to see a bigger distance between IK Multimedia's ST2 sound (I think the samples have a certain feel to them, one I like, but a quality particular to them) which is why I'm so happy that the Sonik Synth programs and samples are so different. This was my one concern prior to working with SS2, would it be different enough to warrant purchase. The answer is absolutely, if there's anyone here who hasn't made their mind up. I file Sonik Synth as my first surprise of 05'. Yeah, it's early, but great stuff is still great. One last tiny critisim. How do I save duplicating waveforms to use with the ST2 versus SS2? I'd like the flexibility of using both, but I don't want to have another 8 gig folder of Sonik Synth files for ST2 or visa versa. Any suggestions? In particular I'd like to get the Symphony Strings set into the Sonik Synth GUI along with the mellotron Sampletank library by another company. Can I do this? It looks like anything ST2 compatible is Sonik Synth 2 compatible. In any case, a stunning new set of sounds and a lot of diversity in a environment that is welcome to programming or just using presets, whatever others are comfortable with. Lately the bar as been raised vastly higher than a couple years ago. I liked Sonic Synth 1 a great deal, read my review of all things Sonic Reality in the KVR review section. But I did not expect Sonik Synth to compete with the specialized libraries such as Morphology or Vapor, both which I love. But Squids and company rose to the challenge. Gentlemen, I am very impressed. | ||||||
| pheeleep | Posted: 9th January 2005 07:36 | |||||
Here's what Blades said ( another long review ):
And now that I'm here...a little SS2 review. Let me start by saying Hi...I am new around here as a poster/owner of the product. I am primarily a drummer, but dabble with keyboards, guitar, bass, vox, etc...You can here some of my music at the sig below, though none has SS2 in it yet! It was produced with a DSPFactory/sw1000xg combo, along with a bunch of other fairly inexpensive stuff and both "real" examples are quite old (2002). Now onto the review: I love this thing. I was specifically looking for a way to expand my pallette of sounds in general, with an emphasis towards the keyboard side of things and this is just the ticket. Since I do mostly mainstream sorts of music, and TRY to play other instruments, this is a great package for filling in the holes. The sw1000xg has been a great performer, and I'll probably still use it (midi only), but this thing may completely stomp it in a mix in terms of quality, so I may find that I DON'T use it anymore! I already owned ST2XL, but I think this is a MUCH better package overall for my needs and the two will complement each other fantastically. They should cover most of the bases, though a capsule or two may round it out some more. There are so many sounds in here, but that's not all there is to it for me, just like the SIZE of samples isn't everything. There is a variety that spans the whole spectrum of the sorts of things I may need, and the quality is consistent across the board, unlike so many other sound sets which have a few great ones and a lot of duds/filler. I'm sure there's some stuff in here I'll never want/need to use, but that's a taste thing - I don't feel like it's "missing" anything though. Just about any TYPE of sound is here. I have not yet become a real fan of the A.pianos...don't know why, they didn't sound as good to me as a lot of the other stuff, but that's fine - they are certainly at least at workstation quality pianos - and some of the "effect" pianos may come in very handy. The Mellow Grand sounds quite real, however, to me. The Elements: Wow. Can you say "overboard". It seems that just about every waveform choice from most every type of synth, in multiples (like several different versions of a sawtooth from the same synth or synthline). Individually, probably not that useful, but with effects or stacked into combis - unbelievable. It's quite amazing how quickly you can build a rather flat and uninspiring snippet of sound and combine and twist it to be spectacular, huge, smooth, etc. I took a few minutes and took an element wav (with efx like chorus/delay/rev) and simply combined it with a built in patch (Dont Cry) - lovely big spacetaker! In moments of my time. Combis will have a place in my future. This is familiar territory for those who have used the sw1000xg card before, but these sounds are so much more noble. There are so many combinations of things that can be done in here, there should be no worries that you'll be using the same keyboard sounds as anyone else. While SS2 seems very capable of emulating so many synth sounds that have been coined over the years, there's a wealth of potential for very original and useful sounds that NO ONE ELSE will have put together. I'm quite satisfied with SS2, especially as a gift from my wife...loads of inspiration and great kick-off starting points, I don't even know where to begin with it! Feel free to quote me...I'll be posting this over at the Cakewalk forums, as well. -- Blades My Soundclick page Kevin Gilbert Cover Tune - From Here to There | ||||||
| pheeleep | Posted: 9th January 2005 07:40 | |||||
Hi DevonB,
Thanks for getting back to me and sharing your comments. You didn't like Sonic synth 1, hey? Man, I really dig Sonic Synth 1. Well, it's decided.. I am going to get Sonik Synth 2. I just got some tax papers yesterday in the mail and realized that indeed, it is almost time for that yearly refund! Woohoo. Thanks again.. and please, anyone who owns/tried Atmosphere and/or Ultrafocus and Sonic Synth 2, I am still really interested in your comments regarding how they compare. I still may end up picking up ultrafocus in the future.. I am such a sample whore | ||||||
| DevonB | Posted: 9th January 2005 21:03 | |||||
Well, I bought it, then put it back to back against my Roland JV-2080. Every time, I felt the Roland beat it in overall quality of the sounds. I even sat one of my non-muso friends down who loves music, and did a blind back to back comparison. Every time, he picked the Roland for what he liked better. I eventually deleted it off my drive to give myself some space back. SS2, on the other hand, actually sounds like I'll get some milage out of it. I'm finding a LOT more usable presets, and the ST2 engine is more like a synth instead of some boring playback engine. Still, I'm finding myself grinning like an idiot more flipping through presets on Ultra Focus again today. I *REALLY* like bell-type sounds, and UF does a LOT of bell synths. In fact, almost every synth category has a Bell directory. But, UF doesn't have orch samples, or pianos, or guitars, or drums. For me, those are all covered in specialized libraries that I've purchased or aquired over the years. Either way, get both. You can read my review of Ultra Focus if you like over at http://www.traxmusic.org if you'd like more in-depth coverage of it. Devon | ||||||
| x_bruce | Posted: 9th January 2005 21:27 | |||||
I said a whole lot already, but I'm very happy to see the accent on synth sounds and on "real" sounds, not recycling Sonic Synth 1 or Sampletank 2 for that matter.
Devon's analogy of building blocks is a good one. That's what I especially like about Sonik Synth 2. You can build and tweak and have fun with it. And as the site points out it is a group effort. Without the ST2 engine SS2 wouldn't have the flexiblity it has. The critical thing about SS2 was, "will it be a synth" or a Rompler. Although it's a bit of both it's more like 30/70 with 70% being synth sounds and the combination sounds which I've felt were critically missing from all sample based synths initially. It's also a perfect reason why multitimbral synths should be built, who's to say non-sample synths wouldn't benefit from this capability? All VirSyn synths are multitimbral and with that kind of synthesis power there is hardly anything made that they can't compete with. The combination presets on Sonik Synth 2 are very Korg like except they are useful in a mix. Like I said in the comments that were quoted, I loved how Vapor sounded, especially how the multis were, or could be developed. In Morphology it's almost essential to use multiple patches, not because they can't hold their own, imo Vapor and Morphology are what I expected from Atmosphere with $100 spare change. But with a more general library Sonik Synth 2 is very much a challenger to Atmosphere. In the old days people used bass samples and other such things as a layering method to create complex patches. Now, you not only have the great synth samples but you also have the traditional instruments which can also be used as an excellent base timbre to develop. The sample mangling is also a wonderful thing. As a Kontakt user I'm spoiled by such things and often used Vapor and Morphology samples along with, you guessed it, Sonic Station samples. This was my previous pad monster. I can't begin to tell you how happy I am that I can do most of the same things in Sonik Synth 2, with a library that has been well thought out and works nearly flawlessly between the real and synth instruments. It's a great update with a sensible price, haven't seen the list but it most likely is well within it's price/performance catagory. | ||||||
| Jeremy_NSL | Posted: 9th January 2005 22:11 | |||||
So Devon, what do you think of SS2's non-synth stuff? Obviously its not as good as your 100s of giga libraries.. But how does it rank in comparison to your Roland now? | ||||||
| Squids | Posted: 9th January 2005 23:58 | |||||
This time around we factored in a lot of requests we had regarding both the building block tweakable synth side of things as well as the request many people had for more natural instruments. Being one of the outside programmers for Yamaha on the Motif ES, SR had a desire for this version of Sonik Synth to do some more multi-dynamic instruments and extra strums and squeak noises for the guitar, plus sometimes slideup notes and other enhanced performance elements. It's certainly not going to replace hundreds of gigs of streaming instruments. But, it does round off the line up of compositional tools offered inside Sonik Synth 2 for multitimbral "workstation" sequencing.
I like what X_Bruce just said about how the different instrument choices you have in SS2 vs. some of the other sample-based synth plug-ins out there. It's not just that you get some extra sounds to write with. Even though that's added value to have a 152 meg 3 dyanmic piano or a 52 meg Strat etc. on top of thousands of synth sounds, we realize that some people may have libraries for that kind of stuff already (even from us). But, what I like people to see in Sonik Synth 2 is that all of these sound sources under one roof can be used to mix together, process and create all kinds of different sounds that you might not otherwise have the source to do if you didn't have those instruments. I mean, maybe you want to create a pad out of an ebow guitar sample mixed with wine glasses or the breath noise of a sax and so on. It doesn't have to be JUST electronic synth sounds. But, there's plenty of that too. | ||||||
| DevonB | Posted: 10th January 2005 05:50 | |||||
No doubt, Vapor is excellent, especially for its price. I consider it to be an instrument. Morpholgy is a loop CD with a fancy interface, period. Morphology you have to mold your song around it most of the time. Doing 2 fisted chords with most of the patches is not going to happen either due to the way the sounds are put together. Putting Morphology into the same category as Vapor, Atmosphere or SS2 is kinda weird, I think. Atmosphere can be kinda 'loop CD-ish' on some of the pads, but most you can play a chord and it works. I really wish other people would have mentioned that about Morphology, but I think how the product is presented is being changed. Devon | ||||||
| DevonB | Posted: 10th January 2005 06:16 | |||||
My opinion hasn't changed much. It seems it's mostly the same material from SS1, but Squids will correct me if I'm wrong, I'm sure. I uninstalled SS1 a LONG time ago, so I'm going off of memory. But, I will say on categories I didn't like at all before, there are one or two patches now that I like. The acoustic guitar, there was a few, for example. Bass guitar I did like even in SS1, so not much changed there. Orch stuff I don't like at all (surprise surprise, when most of my Giga library is orch stuff).
The big one that I was hoping to like this time around was the new pianos. Compared to my Roland JV2080, they still sound thin and plastic-y to me. Compared to the Roland Fantom XR, I like Roland's new piano better. Roland also dedicated half of its sample rom to JUST the piano this time around too. Heck, I even like my new Yamaha P60 piano sounds too. But it's down to taste. I put together 4 piano samples a long time ago and asked what people preferred. It was between SS1 (the C7 patch I believe), Roland JV2080, PMI's Steinway D, and I think it was the Kawai giga piano I have. It seemed people's preferences leaned to all the choices as what was the 'best', but I can't find my old thread anymore, and I ain't searching through 7000+ posts to find it either of mine.
In summary, SS2 does really lean HEAVILY on synthetic, and it does that pretty well. The natural instruments seems very small in comparison. Comparing them against dedicated libraries isn't fair, that's for sure. While I did find a few of the natural patches to my liking, and certainly more so than SS1, they will most likely be blended with synthetic sounds to make my own patches. SS2 will not be my go-to synth for natural instruments, but keep in mind what I already have. My Roland ain't my go-to synth for natural instruments most of the time either.
Devon | ||||||
| origami | Posted: 10th January 2005 06:26 | |||||
how does it go in terms of cpu usage?
and what about Sampletank II? cpu usahe high or low? thx | ||||||
| arrakeen | Posted: 10th January 2005 06:36 | |||||
Having bought SS1 all those years ago now, I HAD to buy SS2 (great upgrade price) ...even though as a full time video games sound designer I have not wrote any music in over a year - however I do intend to get back at it!
Ordered yesterday and looking forward to it. A few questions: * Will it be limited in outputs / midi chans as the original was when compared to ST XL? * Will it load SS1 sounds? Thanks | ||||||
| DevonB | Posted: 10th January 2005 07:21 | |||||
Didnt' seem too bad. The more complex the patch, the worse it got, obviously. I was seeing around 5-20% on my Intel 2.53gHz box. Devon | ||||||
| origami | Posted: 10th January 2005 08:19 | |||||
thx Devon.
in fact I'd probably buy Sonik Synth if it was a sampler too and imported wavs. | ||||||
| Mighty_Hero | Posted: 10th January 2005 09:11 | |||||
Ordered today, so hopefully it will be here by Thursday...and I am off next Monday. | ||||||
| x_bruce | Posted: 10th January 2005 12:19 | |||||
Devon, I do agree that Vapor is a stunning anomoly, all things considered, and that it's very different from Morphology, but I love working with both. I can see how some users would be put off with Morphology, it is highly specialized and doesn't have much to offer for traditional sounds, but I expected it to do what it did. It's a specialty synth, kind of the opposite of Sonik Synth 2 though you can get soundscape sounds easily, try stretching samples and dropping some traditional sounds down 2 octaves. I've been trying all kinds of patches and succeeding.
Your take on Sonik Synth 2 is mostly along the same grounds as mine. I'm reviewing it at musicFAQ. I assume you'll do the Trax review. If so, let's talk about it with Darren. I think our reviews will be fairly different from each other. Maybe both sites can share both reviews? I'll talk to Darren unless you catch him first, assuming you're interested in the comparitive review idea. Anyway, I think most people will be pleased as Sonik Synth 2 is actually a synth rather than a rompler. Although it might sound like I'm comparing Vapor in some degree to SS2 might sound like a negative thing but I love Vapor and think Sonik Synth 2 is somewhat like the extra-large, expanded version of Vapor. Many of the sounds are distinguished without being hackneyed. There's a lot to like with SS2. | ||||||
| pricer | Posted: 10th January 2005 12:37 | |||||
well as a user of both SS1 and SS2, i can i'm being increasingly impressed by it - initially when it loaded up i have to admit i thought something was wrong, people were saying SS2 was huge, yet all of the directories were in front of me, without even scrolling down, but gradually opening up each sub-folder I realised how big it was getting - in fact i started playing with the combi's to realise where everything was (the groove directory took me quite a long time to discover...i was buried beneath all of the synth elements.
My initial impression over SS1 was that it felt more like a synth, i could directly compare patches to modules and keyboards i've played and the sounds have a more solid 'workstation' character. The most prominent workstation i've worked on a for a good length of time was the Yamaha CS6x, SS2 blows this away easily, granted i thought SS1 beat it on many levels too but SS2 can knock it out of park. If there is one redeemable aspect of the CS6x then it has to be with the airy/glossy quality of the patches and effects. Both with SS1 and SS2 i feel there isn't enough top end (especially compared to Spectrasonics, UVI and Korg's product range). Granted, SR deal with mainly vintage instrumentation, and generally the SR patches have a warmth that the above lack, it's still a minor quip from an 'out of box' perspective, and that sparkle can be obviously incorporated within the mixing stage. Pads have always been a great forte for SR and SS2 doesn't at all dissapoint, while not having any experience with Atmosphere, i am familiar with Spectrasonics product range (Distorted Reality series), while again SS2 may just beaten on the one-note tune aspect by the likes of Korg and Spectrasonics, SS2 possesses far greater terms of depth. I have fond memories of going deep into programming Korg's NX5R and JD-800 and they were both beasts, but SS2 is 'scarily programmable', what's even more impressive is the signs that this could be extended in future updates to further giddy heights. Everything seems geared to the fulfillment of the building block/linear synthesis system. The addition of acoustic elements just adds to the range of what you can do with SS2. As electro-acoustic timbres add far more range to patches and while everyone may not want to construct Matmos-esque soundscapes it's a great idea and can give breath new life into patch creation. On specific acoustic instruments, firstly the acousti guitars blew me away, i really wasn't expecting the guitars to be this good. I'm still not sold on the electric guitars, though i've never been sold by any sampled e.guitars and it's probably more to do with my programming than anything else. The basses are again a step up from SS1, ST2's engine definetely helps in that department too
The organs are another high point, both in quality and range, not only covering the staple hammonds, pipe and reed organs, but more eclectic instruments such as the vox jaguar, vox continental, calliope etc. The brass/woods/strings are of the same quality found in ST2 and SS1, though with far more depth allowing greater freedom in full string arrangements. As i've heavily used SR strings in the past I know they're great for commericial contemporary music, though as DevonB touches on they are a specialist area and it's a tough market to compete in. The pianos are a mixed bag, i was expecting a lot from this big 152mb piano, but i find i'm slightly let down, in that it's quite thin sounding and cold, illustrated by a wideQ 4db boost around 80Hz to get IMO a balanced sound...though to each their own. Though on the plus side, the antique pianos rock, from the tack pianos (great Ben Folds patch name) to the awesome ep's, which again offer a lot of depth with different model variations. The drum kits are great, you can get practically get lost in them all, there is far more depth this time round, especially in percussion. The kits make good usage of the ST2 engine, especially for more gritty styles of music, as well as the stretch engine for more obscure styles. Contrary to other comments, i found that the electronic kits can cover a far range of styles, with some dedicated time both Stretch and ST2 fx, you can create an eclectic range of kits. Again, the quality is a big step up from SS1, while obviously the ST2 FX greatly help, the quality of samples is far more solid. The I-Drums again are a product highlight (at least now Sonik Synth can state it has a brush kit ). Though the ST2 engine does compromise the amount of control you have over the drums (even in the most basic of macro kit levels).
Overall, this is my new one stop sound creation tool, superior to SS1 in every way, far more detailed than ST2XL and i imagine it can compete with a range of current workstation synths. It'll be interesting to see what direction the community patch design goes, a lot of the patches seem very prog orientated (it's SR after all ), but it can used as a very powerful dance music tool, with the ability of creating huge sounds - maybe a side-by-side with a few big modern synths (JP8000, Virus, Supernova etc) could be helpful. Or electronica, with the immersive pads and potential of the acoustic elements. All in all a great product. | ||||||
| DevonB | Posted: 10th January 2005 12:39 | |||||
My only beef is it's not a synth, it's a loop CD. Nothing wrong with loop cd's. The content of Morphology is actually quite excellent. If you expect to play it like SS2, or Atmosphere or Vapor or Ultra Focus though, it's not the same as it's not designed to work in that fashion. It depends on your workflow. If loops are good for you, then you won't mind a bit. Kontakt makes Morphology much more workable though. I found I like it better within Kontakt than in Kompakt. Devon | ||||||
| Squids | Posted: 10th January 2005 16:47 | |||||
You guys are awesome. You've even out megaposted me! I can't even read all of that right now. But, interesting takes on it.
One thing that hasn't been mentioned much is the drums in Sonik Synth 2. I was just talking to a few drummers who really appreciated this aspect of it. One person said that he thought the drums in SS2 were not only good but better than some of the dedicated drum products that cost around the same price as all of SS2. I know it isn't what people think of first when they think of Sonik Synth 2 (although maybe when you think about how much I love keyboard drums perhaps). But, don't forget about the drums!!!
There are some new acoustic and electric instruments in Sonik Synth 2 that weren't in the original SS1. Those are probably some of the ones Devon likes and to be honest I was trying to appeal to those like Devon who had been asking for more realism and performance elements for natural sounds. I didn't go crazy in this area because we have some more stuff coming out that REALLY goes into this territory (like Studiophonik... and maybe even something else!!!  Come see me at NAMM and I will reveal! )
Again, I think some of you guys REALLY get it when you talk about using the natural sounds inside Sonik Synth 2 as SYNTH ELEMENTS for mixing, processing and creating those wonderful combis. In this area there is a lot of potential to make this synth your OWN. That to me is a very important part of a synth and besides the sheer amount of material to work with in this product, this is perhaps the biggest significant difference between the first version and Sonik Synth 2. To be honest, this is what I had always had in mind. In fact it is even a bit beyond what I had imagined initially. I feel like it's finally catching up to a vision we had about it years ago. I enjoy using it just as much as you guys. | ||||||
| Squids | Posted: 10th January 2005 16:49 | |||||
Sonik Synth 2 users can crossgrade at a nice discount to SampleTank 2 in order to be able to do that and other cool things. ST2 will also read your Sonik Synth 2 sounds which makes it a nice expandable system. | ||||||
| origami | Posted: 10th January 2005 16:49 | |||||
is sonik synth ever going to import samples like sampletank does now?
(I'm afraid I know the answer...) | ||||||
| Squids | Posted: 10th January 2005 16:50 | |||||
No, it has the same 8 stereo outputs and 16 midi channels that the full ST2 XL has. It also has nearly ALL of the same synth edit parameters and fx too. It won't load SS1 sounds but it does have the "best of" SS1 within its massive 8.5 gig sound set. If you have SS1 you can still read it from ST2 though. | ||||||
| Squids | Posted: 10th January 2005 16:53 | |||||
No, it never will. I am not saying it won't be expandable in some ways (click the "i" on the top left of the module and you will know what I mean. ) but to work with samples in this engine you need SAMPLETANK 2. That is the sample workstation that is designed for manipulating your own, importing from various formats or reading all sorts of different ST2 format libraries out there from SR, AMG, IK and others. That and of course to use its own diverse sound set that includes all types of samples from instruments to loops to phrases etc. | ||||||
| origami | Posted: 10th January 2005 16:58 | |||||
I guessed so...but it was nice to try | ||||||
| stale bread | Posted: 10th January 2005 23:10 | |||||
am i understanding this correctly, you can play all of sonic synth 2's sounds in/through sampletank 2xL, if that is the case do they sound different at all or is the sound transparent so that if one did that then one wouldn't lose any difference than when playing through sonic synth 2 ? | ||||||
| Squids | Posted: 10th January 2005 23:14 | |||||
Yes, it would sound the same. It has the same engine underneath the hood and the format is exactly the same (except for a special coding to allow SS2 sounds to be opened by both but SS2 can only read its own sounds and not others). SampleTank 2 is a must-have piece for serious Sonik Synth 2 users in my opinion. Overall you get really great flexibility, a ton of sounds and a lot of value for your money with the crossgrade discounts between the two. | ||||||
| Beardedone | Posted: 11th January 2005 11:01 | |||||
Mailman has just delivered SS2.
Damn! Now I will have to wait until tonight to try it out. Let's see 5000 sounds ..... may have to call in sick.... | ||||||
| Beardedone | Posted: 13th January 2005 05:46 | |||||
Does anyone know which patch has infinite sustain. Squids played one on the SS2 video that just kept on playing with one touch. | ||||||
| arrakeen | Posted: 13th January 2005 06:04 | |||||
Thanks for the reply Dave, pretty good news, and if I want to play SS1 sounds, well I'll load SS1 up! However, I might take advantage of the crossgrade to ST2 XL, hopefully that will load SS1 sounds!? Hmm, but the way things are here I won't even be installing SS2 for about a month - just damn busy! 
Cheers | ||||||
| Mighty_Hero | Posted: 13th January 2005 10:07 | |||||
Mine should be here tomorrow. | ||||||
| Beardedone | Posted: 13th January 2005 10:11 | |||||
Good stuff MH! Enjoy | ||||||
| Mighty_Hero | Posted: 13th January 2005 10:13 | |||||
Yeah I still use ss1 all the time. | ||||||
| Beardedone | Posted: 13th January 2005 10:14 | |||||
I think you will use SS2 even more. | ||||||
| x_bruce | Posted: 13th January 2005 10:42 | |||||
Devon, I've come to edit many of the samples within Kompakt or contact. I do think the library for Morphology. I suspect that's one reason for the simple waveforms, as a way of attaching pitch to undulating sounds. But it's a person's way of programming. No one's right, we all just have opinions that are passionately argued.
Hey Dave, I'm confused about using SS2 with ST2. I thought I read you had to copy the directory structure to ST2. I love the sounds and I can hear hydrid sounds between ST2 and SS2, but if I have to give up another 8.5 gig to do so this becomes unattractive. Did I read the manual wrong? Also, is there any possibility to ger the manual on individual pages? Mine has 2 pages side by side. It's very unpleasant to work with. I'll take a Word or RTF file or even a http files. Beyond these two concerns I'm very pleased at how well IK Multimedia sampled their work. It fills in spectral areas quite nicely, mixing the two synth sounds. I was probably one of the harshest critics of Sampletank 1 but everything you said about ST2 was dead on, and Sonic Synth 2 really compliments Sampletank 2 and Sonic Synth 1; in all very impressive and substantial value. | ||||||
| Mighty_Hero | Posted: 13th January 2005 10:53 | |||||
Where I am confused is, I have been reading (I am waiting for my copy to be here tomorrow) where you can use all the elements and combis with ST2, then somewhere else where you can only use all of them with SS2 etc.
I want to be able also to use just ST2, SS2, and everything else I already have (ST2 sounds, expansion cds etc) in ST2. If I have to install SS2.dll just to use all the sound content of SS2, that will not be "ideal" | ||||||
| Beardedone | Posted: 13th January 2005 10:55 | |||||
AFAIK ST2 reads all of the SS2 patches. | ||||||
| dgkenney | Posted: 13th January 2005 11:05 | |||||
Well..yes and no...but more yes I use everything from within ST2. I have never even opened up SS2. You can install all the sounds into your ST2 folders by drag'n'drop. You do however have to run the installer of SS2 to get the folder with the SS2 combi's that Squid made. Once you do that however, you can move them over to the ST2 presets and never have to worry about SS2 gui again. So you do have to run the SS2 installer to get the combi's but you don't have to activate to use the sounds or combi's if you have ST2. I have not done it but my guess would be you could remove the SS2 folders once you move the combis and sounds. Hope that helps. Dan | ||||||
| Beardedone | Posted: 13th January 2005 11:38 | |||||
OK that is interesting. I only specified the root folder within the SS2 plugin after installation where I neglected to instruct it properly. I gues I will have to do a reinstall as I do not have a Combi folder in SS2 | ||||||
| Mighty_Hero | Posted: 13th January 2005 11:40 | |||||
Makes total sense. Now how will the combis and elements be accessed by ST2, once I run the installer? Through the load area where the effects load, or through the normal patch way? | ||||||
| dgkenney | Posted: 13th January 2005 15:36 | |||||
The folder is not called "combi" in SS2. I am not at my music computer right now but if memory serves me well I believe it is called "presets." Dan | ||||||
| dgkenney | Posted: 13th January 2005 15:39 | |||||
The combis will be accessed in the "load" area just like the ST2 combi's are. This assumes of course that you have copied the combis over from the SS2 preset directory to the ST2 directory. Dan | ||||||
| Squids | Posted: 13th January 2005 18:45 | |||||
SS2Presets for Sonik Synth 2. ST2Presets for SampleTank 2. They both use the same format for "combis" called .IKMP (IK module preset I assume). You can put SS2 IKMP files into your ST2 folder but know that they won't open correctly unless you are browsing ST2 to your SS2 sounds (otherwise it won't find the associated individual parts of the combi). | ||||||
| Beardedone | Posted: 13th January 2005 19:22 | |||||
Thanks Dave. But now I am really confused. I do not see SS2 presets listed just the parent and child patches. There is no button for prests as there is in ST2 The SS2 installer put the preset folder onto my C drive. I uninstalled both the Dxi and VSTi and and then reinstalled just the VSTi into my VST folder which is located on my D drive. My SS2ounds are located within my ST2 instrument folder on a 180 GB Seagate Baracuda external USB 2.0 drive. I have copied the preset folder from my C drive to the SS2 instrument folder and I relist the preset folder is there but empty. How do I install the preset folder on the external drive? | ||||||
| Beardedone | Posted: 13th January 2005 19:24 | |||||
OK I see now the SS2presets are similarly located as they are in ST2. : Sorry for the confusion. Too long a day today. Still not sure though if the presets need to be along side the instruments though. | ||||||
| Squids | Posted: 14th January 2005 00:59 | |||||
Combis whether they are for SS2 or ST2 are still "IKMP" files. In order for them to work in SS2 they have to be in the SS2Presets folder which is DIFFERENT than the SS2Instruments folder. But, once you've installed the app and the combis go to the SS2Presets folder you can copy all of them and paste them into your ST2Presets folder and point ST2 to your SS2 sounds. Then you can load SS2 combis inside ST2. I hope that helps. | ||||||
| JaseisMusic | Posted: 14th January 2005 02:00 | |||||
Overall, I'm pretty disappointed with SS2. I was hoping for something that would rival trilogy/atmosphere. Not even close really. Some of the synth basses are very good, but nothing special. Leads are mostly run of the mill stuff. It seems sonic reality is a company great at sampling but not synth programming, as the natural instrument soundsets they put out are excellent, but the synth stuff is average. I get more out of plugsound 5, albino, even synth1.
One pleasant surprise in SS2 is the piano stacks, very nice and usable. Similar to the kind you'd find in Korg's workstations, I'm glad to finally have these sounds in software. I find it a fair value at the crossgrade price, but would be upset to pay full price for it. | ||||||
| Kim (esoundz) | Posted: 14th January 2005 02:27 | |||||
What kinds of synth sounds were you looking for? You can get a LOT from combining the synth waveforms in the ELEMENTS section, and applying the synth parameters (such as envelopes, LFOs, filtering, etc) in addition to the effects chain. Doing this, SS2 is more like a "build a sound from scratch" synth, rather than a "pick a preset and wow me" rompler. A lot of sounds benefit from being processed by the Tone Control effect, which simulates a tube EQ section. It'd be a shame to write off the synth capabilities of SS2 if you haven't fully explored the possibilities of creating your own sounds from the elements. Take another look. Then again, it's all about taste, isn't it? I'm always programming my own synth patches and especially crazy custom drum kits in SS2, and I don't think I've ever used a piano stack! Each to their own, really. Forever, Kim. | ||||||
| Mighty_Hero | Posted: 14th January 2005 07:14 | |||||
Thanks all. This also makes sense. I got to thinking about when my package gets here today, and I am going to install SS2 gui also. Since we have to point to ss2 while in it, and also I want to really only check out SS2 and all the new things. Plus since 1/8 or so you all have been saying is overlap, I for one am not going to go through each preset looking for a copy, and two I have the drive space. I look forward to playing all weekend and Monday and I am pretty certain I will really love SS2 | ||||||
| Beardedone | Posted: 14th January 2005 07:52 | |||||
I spent the two last evenings writing a track using just SS2 to sort of "test drive" it in effect to see what kind of an "inspiration quotient" it has. So far I am see quite a high IQ. The track is not finished but has progressed pretty well - I was held by the time I spent browsing - it was too much fun checking out the variety of sounds. | ||||||
| pheeleep | Posted: 15th January 2005 07:54 | |||||
I got my Sonik Synth 2! Woohoo..
I am using it directly in Sampletank 2 for now.. Keep in mind, I have only messed with it for a few hours, so there will be more feedback to come.. I need a few more hours ( days? ) to browse through all the sounds.. My god there are so many to go through. I have found the fattest bass sound ever in Sonik Synth 2 ( to my taste of course ). For hip hop/drum and bass, this bass is sooooo happening! It's my new favorite synth bass sound. For the last few years my favorite synth bass was a Z3ta+ custom patch, but it's now moved to the second position.. This one in Sonik Synth 2 is outstanding. It's called "Sub Station". I played a few notes of it as is a bit loud ( without adding any effects ), and my roomate came running in the room yelling.. "Oh my god, that bass is so fat!!! What the #@%$!!! where did you get that sound???" He's an old friend of mine and is always interested in my music, the sounds I use, etc.. he doesn't make music, but always takes interest in what I do musically, the tools that I use, etc.... he was impressed! He loves hip hop... I had a huge smile on my face as I was playing/improvising some hip hop/ dance hall bass lines.. I was making the walls in the appartment shake like crazy!!! Then, I slapped Vintage Warmer on this bass patch to make it even fatter. Forget it! This patch gives me goose bumps, and makes me smile every time I play a note with it.. I am sure some neighbors a few buildings down must have been wondering what the hell was going on ( I have loud monitor speakers )
Anyway, It's under Synths>Synth bass>sub station. I briefly previewed some of the patched at random, in all the categories, and I am already impressed. SS2 adds a lot of quality sounds to my already big collection of samples.. I'll keep you guys posted as I explore it more. As of now, I started a hip hop beat with SS2 using that bass sound and the SS2 electronic drum kit " 029 Ripped Up Kit ". Man, fun fun fun.. | ||||||
| Squids | Posted: 15th January 2005 08:45 | |||||
The full price is the same as a lot of other sample based plug-ins but you get a lot more variety and quantity of sounds for your money. Instead of just basses for that price or just synth pads you get over 5,000 sounds covering that plus a lot of other categories you didn't mention such as vocal textures, drums, orchestral textures. I think it is rare that anyone would think that for all of that it wouldn't be worth the price. Considering that we (and Spectrasonics) both still sell many $199 single CD libraries through our distributor, ILIO and that Sonik Synth 2 is the equivalent to over 20 CDs for $399 I think that most |
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