IK/SR VI HOT BUY - GROUP BUY on eSoundz!!! SampleTank Instruments for $99 + more!

[Xenobt]

Looks like it's only in XL! I gave torgo knowledge!:o

I kept my XL and XT folders separate just in case there were any patches or instruments that were specific to it.

And that's a lovely patch. I was playing Whispering Piano as I wrote the earlier post, but wished it had a little more focus and bottom... which your multi does! NICE!

On a semi-related note, lovely patches;

Squids, what's the story with the random Sampletank instrument/patches on the eSoundz Specials Section? They change every time I look at one, so it's a one shot deal to buy one! Am I just overlooking a menu on the eSoundz site for them? And no sound examples... It would take some guts to buy.

But a big 'ol categorized list with mp3 examples to compile and obsess over... The AmpliTube Custom Shop at IK got me thinking.

There are inexpensive ala carte sound effects sites, now gtr effect sites, but as far as I know, no one lets you buy instrument sounds the way they're sold in the eSoundz sidebar, one at a time. It could really add up business-wise too... I'd like to help those who've helped me!

And I'd LOVE a chance to hear a quick demo and buy an instrument as needed. (okay, rarely NEEDED!)

Just think about it, Squids, eSoundz... What say all of you, KVR?

KVR/eSoundz: Xenobt

[torgo]

As promised, a full rundown of Piano Collection 2.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

First, the short version:

If you have or plan to get Sonik Synth 2, don't bother with Piano Collection 2. It turns out that most of the sounds are repeats. (Until very recently, I didn't realize it either.)

If you have/will get Miroslav Philharmonik, Piano Collection 2 is a great way to use a bonus choice. It's almost a no-brainer.

If you have/will get SampleTank XL, it already has a pretty nice set of pianos. But the ones in Piano Collection 2 are different. So if the piano is your main instrument, by all means add it as a bonus choice. Otherwise, the selection in XL probably has you covered already.

For everyone else, if you really want acoustic pianos as a free set, this will do the job. But if there are other things on the list that you want, think about picking up Sonik Synth 2 instead. That will get you most of the Piano Collection 2 - plus a whole lot of other stuff.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And now the mega-post version:

If you have/will get Sonik Synth 2, you probably won't want to bother with Piano Collection 2. I always knew that many of the XpansionTank libraries had some overlap with Sonik Synth, but it's usually not too extreme.

But I finally compared Piano Collection 2 in detail with Sonik Synth this weekend, and I was stunned how much duplication is there.

First, never mind Sonik Synth - there's a good amount of repetition within the Piano Collection itself. In particular, the 155 meg "Acoustic Grand Piano" (the Yamaha C7) and "Granduation Day" are the exact same parent sample files. The only differences are in the settings and effects.

The same goes for the 43 meg "Warm Grand" and "A Yam Grand 52" (which is also offered in the "bonus section" of the SampleTank XL library), the 32 meg "Lo Fi Piano" and "Antique Steinway Grand", and the smaller Rhodes electric ("Gritty Rhodez" and "Sweet Rhodez") and Wurlitzer electric (all three of "SuperWurly", "Trem Wurly", and "Distorted Wurlitz").

All of those have exact byte-by-byte matches of the parent sample files (the ones with the .stw extension).

Another pair, the 86.7 meg "Steinway Concert Grand" and "Shimmering Steinway" are almost identical - the difference being that five notes at the upper end of the keyboard fall in different sample zones from one to the other. And "Baby Grand On Hand" matches the Antique Steinway/Lo Fi pair the same way - a couple of notes at the top move from one zone to another, but otherwise you'd be hard pressed to tell any difference whatsoever between them.


Now compare the set to Sonik Synth's piano offerings... the Acoustic Grand/Granduation Day are NOT the exact file as the "001 The One" in Sonik Synth, but (a) the file sizes are extremely close (b) if you listen to them side by side, they sound exactly alike, and (c) if you look at the zone mappings, they're identical. So we'll chalk that one up as a match. (It's the big Yamaha C7 grand - the same piano as the Deluxe C7 that comes with Infinite Player.)

Moving on to the Steinways, the "Shineway Piano" is an exact match to the "008 Shiny Steiny" in Sonik Synth. And the 86.7 meg Steinway Concert Grand/Shimmering Steinway are different samples from the Shineway/008 Shiny Steiny, but they sound quite similar. In a mix, you wouldn't know which one you were hearing.

And as far as the electric pianos go, all of them are also in Sonik Synth. No kidding.

The three Wurlitzers listed above (again, they're all the same parent sample) are the "012 Trem Wurly" in SS. The two Rhodes mentioned above are the "001 Chorus Rhodes EP". The "Electric Grand CP" is the "021 Yam Grand CP". The "D6 Clav" is the "Nice D" in Sonik Synth (look for it under Elements B > Instrument Elements). The "Sparkling EP" is the "019 Sparkling EP" (and also "003 FM Electric Piano"), and the "Harpsi" is "Sgt Peppa's Squidsichord" (found in the Elements section of Sonik Synth).

The only one that isn't already an exact match to a Sonik Synth parent file is a Rhodes called "Dyno My Road". Sonik Synth has it, but you have to do a quick tweak to make it match. Take the "024 Dyno Might" in Sonik Synth, click the VELOCITY button and set the Amp and Filter knobs to 0, and presto - you've got "Dyno My Road".

So the bottom line is that for Sonik Synth owners, the Piano Collection 2 really offers only about 7 new pianos - and only one of them really stands out to me as anything truly different. (That's the "Home Tape Piano" that I used in the earlier layering example.)



But for everyone else that doesn't have Sonik Synth, it's still a great set - and it's still one of my favorites on the list.

Knocking out the repeats, there are still 16 different pianos in the collection that make up about 570 meg of distinct samples.

These include the big seven-and-a-half foot Yamaha C7 grand, a few flavors of Steinway, some other warm sounding baby grands, that Home Tape Piano thing, and a handful of the basic electrics (CP series, Wurlitzer, Rhodes).


In particular, if you have/will get Miroslav Philharmonik and want more pianos, the Piano Collection 2 is a *perfect* choice.

Miroslav already has that one Steinway, recorded in a few articulations and also mic'd in that big cavernous hall. The Steinways in PC2 are NOT the same piano as the one in Miroslav. (I think they're entirely different models, and they're also recorded differently.) And of course PC2 also adds the big Yamaha C7 plus others, giving you choices among the big concert grands.



Also noteworthy is that SampleTank XL's library was created by IK (or by other producers for IK). Every other instrument/library in this group buy was created by Sonic Reality.

That's significant because it means the acoustic pianos in SampleTank XL are all different from the ones in Piano Collection 2 or Sonik Synth. The XL library already has a good set - call it about 15 that you'd be likely to use, plus several useful electric pianos. But if acoustic piano is one of your main instruments, you can broaden your selections very nicely by adding Piano Collection 2 on top of SampleTank XL.


I've recommended Sonik Synth several times as a good all-purpose library. Now that I've checked and found that it includes a good chunk of Piano Collection 2, that's another reason to consider it. Sonik Synth would be a replacement for SampleTank XL, the Piano Collection 2, and the essentials of SampleTron all in one.

So if you're thinking about the Piano Collection but have other items on the bonus choice list you might want instead, you could cover a lot of ground all at once by picking up Sonik Synth instead. At the moment, it would be $89 with the current EZ10 coupon code, but it would also land you another round of bonus selections plus save you the choice you would have used on Piano Collection.

If there are several other goodies on the list that you like (the guitar and bass collections, acoustic and/or electronic drums, the Latin grooves sets, etc), it might be well worth it.

-torgo (esoundz=bhall1968)

[Krabat]

Quick note to Krabat (or anyone considering the Vocal Collection), don't forger JavaJ's NICE set of child patches for it here in the Patches and Banks section above, they really make it MUCH easier to work with,,,

KVR/eSoundz: Xenobt

Thanks alot. But I think now, the vocal collection is fading a bit in the backround (maybe at 400?)

Anyway, a bump to the first page, only 4 left to hit 300!

Gunnar
--
esoundz: Krabat

[Reverend Rhythm]

I just wanted to stop by and tell you guys how impressed I am with how you are moving this thread along! Great information and inspiring talk about this software and sounds! Great job guys!

[torgo]

We might be over 300 already - the latest update is at least 14 hours old.


REMINDER: use coupon code EZ10 to save $10. It's good this week on anything on the Esoundz web site.

[torgo]

Another weekend tip: yes, you CAN use those Combis from Miroslav in the SampleTank interface. You just have to have all the underlying instrument sounds loaded into SampleTank as well.



Copy the various Miroslav instruments into your designated instrument folder, and copy the Combis into the SampleTank presets folder. (If you're using Windows, look for SampleTank in C:\Program Files.)

Then refresh the Combis list. (The refresh command is in the list of Combis, not a separate button. Click the list, and it will be the first item at the top.)


-torgo (esoundz = bhall1968)

[jamestoffee]

If you are posting outside of KVR at all to spread the word please post links to that here so we can see.

I am a newbie here. I've spent the last few hours (ok 4 hours ) trying to "educate" myself via this thread on what all has been taking place over the last weeks.

Anyway, I did give a shout out at my usual stomping grounds at guitarnoise.com

http://www.guitarnoise.com/forums/viewt ... 26&t=51084

[doubleslash]

Another weekend tip: yes, you CAN use those Combis from Miroslav in the SampleTank interface. You just have to have all the underlying instrument sounds loaded into SampleTank as well.

Here's how I have these installed:

\IK
+Sampletank
+SonikSynth
+SampleMoog
+SampleTron
+Miroslav

each VSTi includes a folder for the instruments (as set in the prefs).

If you point SampleTank at the top level, it will be able to find the instruments anywhere underneath. Your combis can mix instruments from all the collections without copying. (It takes a while to index and relist, and you'll need to relist if the underlying file locations change).

I have the same setup on my SR folder as well; so I can mix-n-match things,
yet keep everything ordered by instrument collection.

[torgo]

While we're waiting for the updated count (we've probably crossed the 300 mark already), here's another piano sound tip:

It's easy to make your own "honky tonk" style piano. Just take any acoustic piano (the HQ Free Piano mkII in SampleTank Free is a perfect choice) and add a chorus effect - it's #10 on the list of SampleTank's built-in effects.

Set the chorus depth to about 35, the rate to 0.5 Hz, and give it a wet/dry mix of something like 45%.

And that's all there is to it!


-torgo (esoundz = bhall1968)

[bigtom]

Torgo, I've yet to hear anyone speak much about organ sounds. I use mostly pianos, but have a need for a good B3 type of organ sound. Can you help me out?

[torgo]

Sonik Synth has an outstanding collection of organ sounds, both acoustic and electric (in separate folders), including several B3 sounds. Good cathedral organ (think Rick Wakeman) sounds as well as some basic and gritty electrics.

SampleTank XL also has a decent sampling of organs. Among the bonus libraries, the Vintage Keys Collection has two detailed B3 sounds to go along with its three monster electric pianos.



I'm also going to break away from the Group Buy and suggest you start by trying out a nearly forgotten FREE plug-in from yesteryear: Dirtbag, by Istvan Kaldor. It's basically a simple drawbar organ, but it adds a nasty little overdrive effect and rotating speaker controls.

You can read about it here in KVR's plug-in database. The links you'll find on the KVR page don't work anymore, but Kaldor's collection of free plug-ins are available here:

http://www.vstplanet.com/Instruments/VS ... zers13.htm

[Xenobt]

Hey torgo!
Yeah, that's a quick way to all those 80's Phil Collins piano sounds! With a little less Depth, it'll add a nice 80's metal shimmer to your distorted guitars if you put if AFTER the overdrive/distortion too...

A note to newbie effects users, chorus, flangers and phasers need some of the original signal to sound their best.
It's the "beating" of the effects delay time and pitch difference AGAINST the original pitch that makes them work.

So it may seem counterintuitive, but sometimes turning the blend control down will give you a more pronounced effect than running it high with these time/pitch modulators. For deeper effects once you have them balanced, the depth and feedback controls will give you more intense results.

About the organ question, bigtom, if torgo hasn't beat me to it, Sonik Synth is THE organ instrument... AGAIN!

Everything in it is big and full and sounds just like the patch name. There's a few cool B3 organs in the STXL library, (and some of those pipe organs are to DIE for!) and a few more in Squid's Rare Instruments V1 Electric, but like the pianos in STXL, the sheer number of good solid choices in so many styles makes SS the hands down winner for organ.

And everything else, apparently, after reading about the doubles in the Piano Collection 2 and SS, thanks for the catch!

I'm coming around, torgo... I see now that Omnisynth for my meat-and-potatoes sounds may have been better saved for another library if I already own Sonik Synth.

ALTHOUGH, Omnisynth DOES have a folder of Synth Waveform samples from vintage EMS, Moog and Sequential that are a GREAT start for programming your own stuff.

If all problems were so tough...

KVR/eSoundz: Xenobt

[bigtom]

Thanks torgo and Xenobt. I think I've spent all I can spend, so maybe Vintage Keys will be the route I'll go. I'll also check out the freebies as well.
Thanks again

[Xenobt]

Glad to be of service, bigtom, I think that's the ONE instrument set I DON'T own... Thanks for pointing that out...

Still, $10 off right now and epointz for the purchase... I may yet!

And I bet I know SOMEone with the skinny on its parent samples and overlaps!

KVR/eSoundz: Xenobt

[torgo]

I've touched on the Vintage Keys set a few times: monster (190 meg) Yamaha CP70 electric piano, huge (100+ meg) Rhodes EP88 and Wurlitzer electric pianos, two good B3 organs, some 'Tron strings and choir, and some assorted retro synth and other keyboard sounds.

The other stuff is pretty good if you don't already have it, but the main selling point of the set is the trio of big electric pianos.



Xenobt - You already have a really good CP series electric piano in Omnisynth 2. It's the "003 Elec Grand CP" in the "Bonus Larger Instruments" folder.

The one big flaw with it is that the bass zones are hideously out of tune. But you can fix that - click the ZONE button to On and use the fine tuning (in the SYNTH section) to tune each range one at a time.

If you can tune that puppy to your liking, you probably wouldn't need Vintage Keys. You've already got the Rhodes, Wurli's, B3 and 'Tron in Sonik Synth.