Product Reviews by KVR Members

I purchased this along with Smart Eq 2 and have been very impressed. It isn't your standard compression plugin, as it contains a spectral compressor, that analyses 2k frequency bands and adds compression independently. The results are excellent and even better if used with the secret weapon.. Sidechaining. When hooked up it ducks only the frequencies that clash with the source, giving a better blend between the two sounds, without losing too much information... all in real time.

In conjunction with the Smart EQ2, I've heard a notable improvement in my mix down sand definitely worth the $120 total I paid for the pair in the sale.

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This really is a great product. I use it on practically every channel and don't find any undesirable effects (although my laptop is reasonably powerful).

With a bit of manual adjustment I can dial in the right settings for the sound and the results are always a cleaner, more separated overall mix.

The nearest comparison is with something like Izotope Sculptor (Neutron 3) but, having tried then both, smart Eq 2 is more effective and comes with a wider range of profiles. The biggest criticism I have is that the standard profile seems to apply the same suggested adjustments every time regardless of source! Which is only if limited usefulness. I would expect the standard one to be more flexible, but it's no big deal.

What I would say is that it works best when paired with the smart:comp. They compliment each other to provide a better overall mix.

I picked this up for $70 in the sales and at that price point is a no brainer.

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After reading a few reviews of Sampletank 2 XL and playing about with the demo, I decided to take the plunge and part with my hard earned cash on this 'Super ROMpler'. I wasn't disappointed!

The XL version comes with about 1500 sounds (plus loops)covering a wide range of (mainly) organic instruments including Brass, Strings, Guitars (electric and acoustic), Vocals / Choir, Woodwinds, Drums (electric and acoustic), Bass (double, synth, fingered fretless), aswell as Lead Synth, Fx, ...The list goes on. With so many sounds there are always going to be some that would not cut it in a commercial project (IMO). However, with the depth of sounds Sampletank has it is perfect for mapping out you ideas and getting the framework in place and there are enough sounds that are highly useable in a professional situation.

Due to the settings available in the module there is scope for manipulating the sounds to get what you are looking for. You can add up to 5 effects including, Reverb, Chorus Flanger (25 or so to choose from)as well alter settings such as pitch fine-tuning and LFO's.

A nice feature of Sampletank is the ability to import AKAI samples and patches directly into the Sampler. This is a painless operation and only takes a few minutes to convert whole cds.

Overall this is a great all in one workstation that has plenty of useable sounds. It is perfect for mapping ideas at the very least and has many sounds that could be used professionally at best. Personally, if i was starting out, this would be my first VSTi purchase as it covers all the bases although the price is quite high for some users(but good value for money all the same).Read Review