Sampletank Library verdict

[soulata]

Hi,


as I'm getting the ST 2.5 engine in the recent GB - how good
are the sounds in the 2.5 library.


The price seems right.


k


p.s.: I already own Kontakt 3 and a few Sampletekk pianos, not much else though

[Karmacomposer]

Here is my take on Sampletank:

I have TONS of synths, sample players, etc. I own most of the commercial ones (had to change this - it sounded suspect the other way - oops).

A long time ago in a studio far away, I used hardware synths (this is pre-vsti) and loved them, but could never get them to sync properly and so I was always "looking" for that next "synth" and always tried out the new sounds it contained. Whenever I found a synth I HAD to buy (which was rare - the Korg Karma was the last one I bought and it "stuck" - I still have it today) I would go home with it and play with the sounds, the patches and combis it contained, and started making music based on the new "inspiration" it gave me.

Why do I mention this, does it have anything to do with Sampletank? Yes, it does.

Sampletank is truly the 1st virtual instrument/sample player that I have bought that truly feels like those days when I was looking for an awesome new synth, played the sounds, and bought it. The sounds are amazing and the library is truly vast. The effects are top-rate and plentiful. It is EASY to make your own presets and samples for it. It is fun as hell to tweak. The results sound amazing in your mixes.

I have been a longtime proponent of Wusik - and still am. I have always loved Wusik for its simplicity, yet powerful features. The library and 3rd party samplesets for it have always been just okay - in some cases, like Vera and others, VERY OKAY. Heck, I still use it in my productions regularly and it is eminently tweakable. But - and this is a big but - Sampletank just feel more like a Maserati where Wusik is like a trustworthy Jeep.

I am getting into Sampletank more and more. Now that I have been in the last three group buys, my library is MASSIVE. What is very very funny (to me), is that for the longest time, I thought the library to the right was the entire deal - and the sounds were good, but not "awe inspiring". It was not until I realized you could click the lcd looking screen above (which shows a patches name) that there was a whole world of combis (that really should be better labelled) that sound INCREDIBLE.

Needless to say, Sampletank is an awesome product and the group buy is a STEAL. Sampletank all by itself is worth way more - and you get all these incredible sounds and products - not to mention a free $400 effect - this one is truly a no-brainer.

Mike

[soulata]

Needless to say, Sampletank is an awesome product and the group buy is a STEAL. Sampletank all by itself is worth way more - and you get all these incredible sounds and products - not to mention a free $400 effect - this one is truly a no-brainer.

Mike

yup,

I joined the GB (nr 200 ).

XL sounds upgrade seems to be worth the money then


(I'll go for it, if it's going to be sold as a download product, thus avouding our customs)

[Meffy]

I like my ST XL and have got lots of use out of it. I won't claim every single sound out of thousands is an all-time great, but the ratio of exciting to unremarkable is higher than I've seen in similar products. Obviously this is a value judgment, so it depends on what kinds of sounds you enjoy, but there's plenty of variety so you'll almost certainly get your money's worth out of it.

[darem]

When it comes to sound quality (not features), Sampletank XL is my "go to", not Kontakt 3.

I can recommend it, it is very usable and the sounds are 80% excellent. Of course, the amount of differents sounds means that some are mediocre, but in general, ST XL is a great offer.

[mellotronaut]

I have the original ST2 XL. I bought it, when it came out (was quite expensive then: almost 500€) and till now i use it regularily. There are lots of good sounds in it.
When the update came out, i had no money for it and now the price for new owners is the same as for owners of the original 8 cds. So i haven't bought it. There should be a discount for owners of the original version.

m

[Squids]

I like my ST XL and have got lots of use out of it. I won't claim every single sound out of thousands is an all-time great, but the ratio of exciting to unremarkable is higher than I've seen in similar products. Obviously this is a value judgment, so it depends on what kinds of sounds you enjoy, but there's plenty of variety so you'll almost certainly get your money's worth out of it.

I agree with the Meffster. These workstation type sound sets are meant to offer variety and within that you're bound to find thing you like and things you don't. But it is good to have the variety available... especially at THIS price.

[guillm]

to mellotronaut's comment...
I have the original XL library, plus lots of content from SR, which I love. I also use the engine for SS2 instead of the SS2 interface.
So what are the differences between the original XL library and the v2.5XL library? Does the new one contain a significant amount of new sample content? Or is the new library largely the same source material as the original library with different programming? New combis? Or what?

[mellotronaut]

to mellotronaut's comment...
I have the original XL library, plus lots of content from SR, which I love. I also use the engine for SS2 instead of the SS2 interface.
So what are the differences between the original XL library and the v2.5XL library? Does the new one contain a significant amount of new sample content? Or is the new library largely the same source material as the original library with different programming? New combis? Or what?

the content is about double the size and there are new combis. Some of them i can't use, because i don't have the additional sounds.

m

[soulata]

@Squids almighty - could this be sold as a dl package?


If I buy it as it is, it'll cost me around 50% more (not your fault but this country's insane).

k

[stratcat33511]

and will this library be compatible with 48Khz / 24 bit ?

[Squids]

@Squids almighty - could this be sold as a dl package?


If I buy it as it is, it'll cost me around 50% more (not your fault but this country's insane).

k

Too large I think. (that's what she said... woops, I watch The Office too much!)

[Squids]

and will this library be compatible with 48Khz / 24 bit ?

Yes.