IK Multimedia Xpansion Tank 2 Group Buy

[Squids]

That's what I mean about people getting the wrong impression just based on a few complaints or criticisms. A lot of it is subjective. These sounds are excellent. You can take whatever I say with a grain of salt because I'm the developer but you can also take some personal criticisms with a nice chunk of sea salt (ungranulated) as well! Not all of the sounds perfect but many of them are in many ways right on the money. Enough to please a wide assortment of tastes. I can tell you as one who recorded most of it that high end equipment is used on Sonic Reality sampling sessions - Neve, API, SSL and other class A or tube mic pres etc. EXCELLENT studios all around the world... if you want to get to know Sonic Reality's quality of sampling you can watch some Sonic Reality TV www.sonicreality.tv

Also you can look at the roster of artists that use SampleTank sounds as well which is impressive (if that impresses you - if not then just read on... there's bound to be something!). www.ikmultimedia.com - artist section.

There are tons of fantastic quality sounds in this series. They come from years of doing Group Buys ironically and they sold for more then with most people quite happy with the value of what they got. This, for only $50 is a sort of "celebration" of years of doing SampleTank sounds and a great opportunity to get in some of you missed out all these years we've been doing these... or, if you don't already own SampleTank it is even BETTER! You GET SampleTank with it! It is a full expandable open SampleTank engine included for the price... that alone is worth $50. I have absolutely no doubt that it is worth the money and it should be recommended to anyone doing any style of music... including Bluegrass.

There are things you can do in SampleTank that are every bit as powerful as many other soft synths or sample-based romplers out there. It has its own bag of tricks. These sounds are the source material for what it can do with internal processing, easy and musically useful synth editing, quick multi-timbral use... SampleTank itself has won many awards and sold many many tens of thousands of units (at $300-400!!!!). Sonic Reality has also won many awards for its libraries and also has many thousands of users of products ranging from $50. to $2,000 each. Quality abounds! These are by no means "some cheap crap" for $50. You're getting sounds and software that has previously sold for many times the price.

Now get off that fence before your butt stays that way (as Momma used to say). Here's the link: http://www.esoundz.com/details.php?Prod ... ode=XT2KVR


Hey, sometimes you gotta play hardball. Just kidding. I am now officially off to go make some music. Good luck! Have fun! Have a nice weekend. I'll be back. (no that is not a movie quote).

[JavaJ]

So I spent more time watching the Youtube video's- Didn't realize that ST was 16 part internally- almost looks Hypersonic ish. Thanks for the comparison on Proteus. I was listening to the constructions kits and am wondering if picking up 1 would be good from some idea starters (I actually do kids music and would wonder what loop packs would fit really well in that Disney-Top40-Bubblegum style?). Do you get more content with the normal loop packs versus the construction kits?

[kitekrazy]

Yeah, one person said that the strings were thin and metallic, and someone else said they were warm and lyrical. They sound good to me, but I haven't had much time to play.

John

They are not in the league of EW, Sonivox, VSL, ect. SR String was my first library because most of the above costs $$$$. Paying that kind of money is not always practical for a hobbyist.

[kitekrazy]

Ok, I need to pick #4. This is tough. I have Cinematik, OB,Arp. (no regrets on those)

Does anyone have the Hip Hop Instrument?

[pekadan]

Can somebody answer this?

I bought the original Piano Collection for Sampletank 1 years ago. I see that the patches in Piano Collection 2 are called the same, so I assume the new lib is based on the same samples as the original. Question is, are the new patches (now made for Sampletank 2) in any way different in terms of quality, dynamics, etc? I.e. can Piano Collection 2 be considered a useful update of Piano Collection 1?

Actually, I wonder the exact same thing about Symphony Strings 2 (which btw I know also adds some solo instruments not available in the original set).

If you own the original Piano Collection 1 and Symphonic Strings 1 I would say that you might want to pick out another title instead. There are some very nice additions to them though if you are a fan of either library and want more... If you consider that each library is normally $50 then at 4 for 1 you are getting another 3 for free. That is really how one should look at it IMO (or that you are getting each one for $12.50). So... whether you look at the others as FREE or as $12.50 cost averaged I think it could be worth getting say Symphonic Strings 2 for the solo strings and any other additions. The Piano Collection has less additions but it does have a nice larger sized grand in it that could be worth the $12.50 (or freeness) alone. I think it is called Big Grand. It's one of my favorites.

But, I'd say, if you already own the predecessor then it is only worth getting if you look at it as "free" or $12.50 I wouldn't suggest someone who owned it previously pay the full $50 for just that pack... hmmm, in some ways you can even look at the $12.50 as your "upgrade price" for the additional content and since we sell individual single sounds for as much as that on www.downloadablesoundz.com it is easy to justify that way as well.

However, if you don't choose to look at it that way then I recommend picking some other titles that you don't already have. It's nice to have 30 titles to select from! The only reason we're able to offer that is because it represents years of sound development for the SampleTank platform. I doubt we'll ever see an offer quite like this again so enjoy! I hope my suggestions were helpful.

They certainly were! Thanks a lot Squids for taking the time to give detailed answers to the questions. The info you provide as the developer is helpful and useful and adds a lot of excitement to this group buy!

[raintalk]

These are great sounds. There is just something about the style to them. I can't quite put my finger on it. It's like sometimes you like some music but don't know why - just enjoy it.

Now I find out I get free #4 - but oh no - too many choices.
I think I'll just buy another pack so I can pick even more. It may even get up to 10 for $100.

Now the question is, should I do the second buy from IK or www.esoundz.com?
I already get the freebee from esoundz for the first pack I bought.
Any benefit or downside from buying a second pack from either place?
Either way it'd the deal of the century - and we got 90 years left in this century.

[barbecutie]

IK Multimedia Xpansion Tank 2 Group Buy

Now 4X1! Currently at 1633 users! Need 2500 users for 5X1!

http://www.ikmultimedia.com/xtgroupbuy

and

http://www.esoundz.com/details.php?ProductID=4293

BBC

esoundz user: BarBeCutie or see epointz referral thread below for other users:

http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic ... ht=epointz

[Squids]

These are great sounds. There is just something about the style to them. I can't quite put my finger on it. It's like sometimes you like some music but don't know why - just enjoy it.

Now I find out I get free #4 - but oh no - too many choices.
I think I'll just buy another pack so I can pick even more. It may even get up to 10 for $100.

Now the question is, should I do the second buy from IK or www.esoundz.com?
I already get the freebee from esoundz for the first pack I bought.
Any benefit or downside from buying a second pack from either place?
Either way it'd the deal of the century - and we got 90 years left in this century.

Great post!

Benefit of getting it from esoundz would be that you can pick up another referral epointz, you add more to your membership discount on the site the more you buy (from silver to gold to platinum level for the highest discounts when offered) and probably some other benefits too. You'll make a Squid happy. That's not really a reason!

Either way, it's great to hear you love it so much you're in for two. I think there's inspiration in every collection - even styles one doesn't even think they do. For instance, someone doing Hip Hop might get some real quirky unique results mixing in some World or Country Folk Rhythm title. Some odd combination of loops that people wonder how you did it or came up with it. More things to create happy accidents just messing around. I have all of them (of course) and that's what I do. I look for what inspires me and I don't always predetermine what that's going to be. So it is fun to load something up and see if it makes you think of something musical and then go from there. A fun way to write for me.

[JavaJ]

Guys, I pulled the trigger (jumped off the fence- KoolKeys- used you as my pointz buddy). But how long does it take for the serial number to show up. Is it a matter of minutes or hours (or days). Was looking forward to spending my Friday night playing.
While I wait, I will go through this thread again and try to narrow down what I actually want to get.
I am thinking the vocal and cinematik ones
Then considering 2 constructions kits- watching the youtube videos on them made me more interested as I was already thinking of lyrcis to sing over some of the beds that were being made.

[Analyst69]

Actually I believe that Tom Sawyer sound is a Moog. But, there's some good pads for sounds from Moving Pictures and Signals in there.

Yeah, the other sounds would be somewhat like those other artists too. If you're a fan of those three you owe it to yourself to have some cool Oberheim samples!

I am doing some work with Rush right now for their upcoming tour interestingly enough. I can't say too much about it yet but I will be able to in June!

Thanks for that Squids..I had played with some of the Moogs in the 1 gig of sounds that came with Sampletank, and they do seem like "that" sort of sound. I've played music for 25 years, but never really given much attention to synths, so this is all new to me.

I think I'm convinced, the Oberheims are the next purchase (I mean freebie, woohoo).

I am mighty jealous when I hear you are doing some work with Rush, not that I would have any skills they would need anyway (unless they need someone to sit around with an "in awe" expression while they play their music ).

Cheers

[koolkeys]

Guys, I pulled the trigger (jumped off the fence- KoolKeys- used you as my pointz buddy).

Thanks! Good luck with your choices! It's a tough one!

Brent

[Harry_HH]

oops and I forgot to mention that Stretch could be used for the "melodyne-style" sample engine, FYI. Stretch is oft-overlooked but VERY cool and powerful.

Edit - to elaborate, you also do have some really nice oohs and ahhs in the Vocal Collection that could be used for rock and with Stretch you could really extend them.

Peter, this essiential, could you make a demo example of this and put it on this thread? Harry

[Squids]

Actually I believe that Tom Sawyer sound is a Moog. But, there's some good pads for sounds from Moving Pictures and Signals in there.

Yeah, the other sounds would be somewhat like those other artists too. If you're a fan of those three you owe it to yourself to have some cool Oberheim samples!

I am doing some work with Rush right now for their upcoming tour interestingly enough. I can't say too much about it yet but I will be able to in June!

Thanks for that Squids..I had played with some of the Moogs in the 1 gig of sounds that came with Sampletank, and they do seem like "that" sort of sound. I've played music for 25 years, but never really given much attention to synths, so this is all new to me.

I think I'm convinced, the Oberheims are the next purchase (I mean freebie, woohoo).

I am mighty jealous when I hear you are doing some work with Rush, not that I would have any skills they would need anyway (unless they need someone to sit around with an "in awe" expression while they play their music ).

Cheers

We don't want anyone to be jealous. We want you to enjoy getting sounds from us with an extra bonus of occasionally getting to hear some inside scoop on bands you might like (or certain bands that certain people like I should say)... perhaps get a little vicarious enjoyment out of it! We try to give a look from a real world perspective such as what you see on www.sonicreality.tv and things like this: Nothing too fancy, more of what it would really be like to be there... or at least wherever we're allowed to be in connection with any of these great musicians.

There's a bunch of things I'm doing with Rush right now that are exciting. One of them IS announced already and that's Neil Peart Drums Vol 1: The Kit. A virtual recreation of his drum kit which you can see in that video I posted above. But there's some more stuff... some of it relates to the upcoming tour.

The funny thing is that both Alex and Geddy use IK and SR products and Neil is the only one who doesn't... yet he HAS a product with Sonic Reality!

By the way, at some point it is very likely that we'll do a lighter SampleTank version of the Neil Peart Drum kit. I say lighter only because ummm...well it is a 15 gigabyte kit (actually over 30 gigabytes for the full thing with all the kit pieces loaded snares on and off)

[standalone]

oops and I forgot to mention that Stretch could be used for the "melodyne-style" sample engine, FYI. Stretch is oft-overlooked but VERY cool and powerful.

Edit - to elaborate, you also do have some really nice oohs and ahhs in the Vocal Collection that could be used for rock and with Stretch you could really extend them.

Peter, this essiential, could you make a demo example of this and put it on this thread? Harry

Squids in person:

[bronxsound]

Let me give a vote for Sonic Reality. I have few ST products by SR and they are great. Honestly speaking, some of them don't sound very exciting when played alone/out of context. But in the mix they are BRILLIANT!

I'm a big fan of Sonic Reality products and I think this GB is a great opportunity to get quality musical sounds. Also Sample Tank is a great sampler/s.player - lightweight, easy in operation and very flexible (multi outs).

If I were anyone who does not own ST and is after good, inspirational sounds I would jump in straight away.