Squids, does SS2 include sounds from SR expansion packs ??

[martian]

I have sampletank XL2, onmisynth, symphony string, guitar coll and sonic synth 1

I'm thinking about crossgrading to SS2 and was jus curious as to whether some of these sounds are in the included library?

if so i may jus scrap all the rest and use SS2 exclusively, i'd prefer quality over quantity.

also if i purchose the crossgrade from esounds how much is shipping to uk?

thanks,

[Kim Lajoie]

With Sonik Synth 2, you probably won't need to use Sonic Synth (the original), Omnisynth or Guitar collection. It's not the same instruments, but the material in SS2 is similar, and almost always sounds better anyway.

You might still find a use for Symphony strings, but I'm not sure. It might depend on how attached you are to it.

SampleTank2XL can completely different sounds to Sonik Synth 2, so it will give you a good variety of different flavours and colours.

Forever,




Kim.

[martian]

wow quick responses around here..nice.

another question would be, what are the limitations of the SS2 engine compared to ST2 i hear people talking about? is it jus in regards to being able to import different formats?

also would you say the 'real' instruments (mainly brass) in SS2 are better or on same par as ST2?

thanks,

[harmony gardens]

WM,,, You're going to totally love it when you crossgrade. Since you already have ST2 XL, you can run all the sounds you have already, plus SS2 under ST2 as one massive library. Just put all the sounds in the same folder, and point to that folder in the preferences. You can make combinations in Sampletank that blend any of your sounds in your library together. You'll have both quality and quanity, and a whole lot more. There's really no need to scrap anything you have if they might still be useful. It's a great value for the price.

Generally speaking, the sounds in SS2 are better than Sampletank 2, but there are great sounds in both. They compliment each other nicely.

[Kim Lajoie]

another question would be, what are the limitations of the SS2 engine compared to ST2 i hear people talking about? is it jus in regards to being able to import different formats?

That's the main limitation. And you can't access other SampleTank libraries in the Sonik Synth 2 interface (SS2 is completely self-contained).

There are some minor differences too - like the ability to bypass or lock the whole effects chain, the ability to load and save a whole effects chain, the ability to view instrument info (including its size) before loading it, the ability to switch loop sync off, the ability to set loop sync to global or per-part, the ability to set the plugin colour (although SS2 looks beautiful!), the ability to see all 16 parts at once ... that's all I can think of for now.

It looks like a lot, but they're really minor things. Like Harmony Gardens wrote, you can use Sonik Synth 2 as an expander for SampleTank2, so you can have everything accessible from one plugin (SampleTank2). All under one roof, all under your fingertips.

also would you say the 'real' instruments (mainly brass) in SS2 are better or on same par as ST2?

I don't know the brass very well, but the non-synth instruments that are Sonik Synth 2's real strengths are:

Acoustic pianos
Electric keyboards
Acoustic/Electric/Bass guitars
Drumkits
Orchestral textures/layers

There might be more, but I'm tired and that's all I can think of right now.

Forever,




Kim.

[Arglebargle]

I'll be honest with you, the brass in ST2 isn't very satisfying. It's OKAY, I mean, it'll get you through if you don't have anything else, but it's not great. There ARE some sweet saxophones classified as Brass, even though they're not.

I would imagine the brass isn't spectacular on SS2, either.

IMO, the places where ST2 shines is pianos (acoustic and electric), drums, loops, bass. There are good organs and orchestral sounds too.

[Squids]

Actually, I think the brass is pretty good in SS2 and ST2 personally. It's better than the version 1s of those anyway. But, we're doing a brass title that will come out one of these days that will have even more for that sort of thing.

Anyway, it seems most of the questions were answered (thanks). Sonik Synth 2 does have some sounds borrowed from various SR archives that have made their way onto Akai libraries and Capsules or Refills but only bits and pieces to round off a diverse selection for doing other things with them as well (such as using those sounds as elements for combis).

Bottom line there is that I would still use the other sound collections in ST2 even though you're getting the crossgrade to Sonik Synth 2. But, if you are trying to conserve HD space then simply just delete specific sounds you don't like from the previous libraries... that may be a better way to go (or if you have the HD space then just leave it). You COULD replace SS1 with SS2 though as really most of IT's best sounds ARE in SS2 (being the sequel and retaining some of the legacy sound it had but taking it one step further with the new effects and combis).