Dissappointed in Total Workstation Bundle 2 Purchase

[jsheem]

Hello Everybody,


To be honest I was excited when purchasing IK Multimedia's Total Workstation Bumdle. I feel a little bit let down to be honest. I paid $500 plus... I turned down $300 for the arturia bundle. I just don't like the instruments I bought. It is what it is and I will use what I can. Is their anything else out there that compares to the total workstation bundle or is better?

I have a couple of synths on my list for next time. I really would like to get my money's worth-Haltionsonic ($100 update), Tone 2, Arturia V2 Bundle. Can anybody comment on those? I mainly do R&B/Pop at the moment. Thanks for any help.

[Mushy Mushy]

Surely there's a demo of this
If you laid down that cash without testing, well no sympathy TBH.

EDIT: 28gb of samples Bit hard to demo all of them. My bad

[dsynth27]

Surely there's a demo of this
If you laid down that cash without testing, well no sympathy TBH.

Sorry that happened to you! Maybe look into Native Instruments Komplete. That should cover most or all of what you may require and is excellent quality - top shelf gear.

Good Luck!!

[Mushy Mushy]

Surely there's a demo of this
If you laid down that cash without testing, well no sympathy TBH.

Sorry that happened to you! Maybe look into Native Instruments Komplete. That should cover most or all of what you may require and is excellent quality - top shelf gear.

Good Luck!!

Thanks for your advice

[grabme]

Hello Everybody,


To be honest I was excited when purchasing IK Multimedia's Total Workstation Bumdle. I feel a little bit let down to be honest. I paid $500 plus... I turned down $300 for the arturia bundle. I just don't like the instruments I bought. It is what it is and I will use what I can. Is their anything else out there that compares to the total workstation bundle or is better?

I have a couple of synths on my list for next time. I really would like to get my money's worth-Haltionsonic ($100 update), Tone 2, Arturia V2 Bundle. Can anybody comment on those? I mainly do R&B/Pop at the moment. Thanks for any help.

Let down in what way? Surely its how you use the sounds?

[Examigan]

A couple weeks ago it was only $199, but I guess that sale is over

[vata44]

sounds are super dated and many are thin... BUT there is still a ton of potential.

[Xenobt]

Hey jsheem,

Don't give up hope yet! The IK sound engine isn't as open and clear as some others, but there are workarounds and tips I've learned here that put it right up there with the competition.

One of the cool things about the TW2 bundle is that you can run all the instruments in Sampletank, making it much easier to browse, get around and apply effects.

Just put all the other VIs folders in the Sampletank "Instruments" folder, open Sampletank and hit "Relist" on the upper right of the GUI. Give it a few minutes (could be more than a few, that's a LOT of instrument data) and they'll show up like any of the Xpansion Tank libs and its internal sounds in the main browser window.

While you're there, click the "Prefs" button and de-select "Relist on start-up" to keep it from doing the relist every time you open ST. BIG time saver! And make sure "High Quality" is selected.

Once all your IK VIs are in one place, there's a GREAT "bigger-better-button" called ToneControl in the ST effects section. Click on the ST "Master" button in the middle of the program window to switch to the Master section.
On the right, click the first effects slot and a drop-down menu will pop up.

Select "ToneControl" and the fun starts! When you first put it up, it's a little loud, so lower the "Gain" to 1.5 or 2, and use the Tube and eq controls to taste.

My main setting is Tube: 3, Low: 7, Mid: 6.1, High: 6.8, Presence: 0, Gain: 2

Click the on/off button on the effect slot and marvel! It really does help ST and all of IK's VIs sound bigger, better and more mastered sounding.

KVR/eSoundz: Xenobt

[rj0]

I do particularly like Miroslav, especially after subsequently picking up Notion SLE as an interactive front end (if you prefer laying your music out in notation, definitely worth looking into).

And the others seem to have more depth than what's immediately apparent. Worth digging through the manuals.

[ObiWonder]

A couple weeks ago it was only $199, but I guess that sale is over

We have actually EXTENDED the Total Workstation Group Buy til the end of May.

Hey jsheem,

Don't give up hope yet! The IK sound engine isn't as open and clear as some others, but there are workarounds and tips I've learned here that put it right up there with the competition.

One of the cool things about the TW2 bundle is that you can run all the instruments in Sampletank, making it much easier to browse, get around and apply effects.

Just put all the other VIs folders in the Sampletank "Instruments" folder, open Sampletank and hit "Relist" on the upper right of the GUI. Give it a few minutes (could be more than a few, that's a LOT of instrument data) and they'll show up like any of the Xpansion Tank libs and its internal sounds in the main browser window.

While you're there, click the "Prefs" button and de-select "Relist on start-up" to keep it from doing the relist every time you open ST. BIG time saver! And make sure "High Quality" is selected.

Once all your IK VIs are in one place, there's a GREAT "bigger-better-button" called ToneControl in the ST effects section. Click on the ST "Master" button in the middle of the program window to switch to the Master section.
On the right, click the first effects slot and a drop-down menu will pop up.

Select "ToneControl" and the fun starts! When you first put it up, it's a little loud, so lower the "Gain" to 1.5 or 2, and use the Tube and eq controls to taste.

My main setting is Tube: 3, Low: 7, Mid: 6.1, High: 6.8, Presence: 0, Gain: 2

Click the on/off button on the effect slot and marvel! It really does help ST and all of IK's VIs sound bigger, better and more mastered sounding.

KVR/eSoundz: Xenobt

Tone Control is my secret weapon for getting a polished sound in SampleTank and the other IK workstations. Though I only use SampleTank and open the other libraries inside of it. Most of the sounds are meant to be molded into what you need them to be in your song or mix.

[MDMK]

Hello Everybody,
I just don't like the instruments I bought. It is what it is and I will use what I can. Is their anything else out there that compares to the total workstation bundle or is better?

Native Instrument Komplete has many quality instruments both sample based and synths. EWQL Goliath (and other EWQL products) might also be an option for sampled instruments. ReFX Nexus is sample based softaware ROMPler that could fit your needs.

If you need analog sounding synth engine, I'd recommend u-he Diva. It's a CPU hog, but sounds great. Sylenth1 sounds good too, but not quite as "lush" and warm ad Diva. Tone 2 products are good, but so far I've just demoed them.

Btw. When I bought my Total Workstation Bundle I felt quite the same. Now after over a year, I feel that the Total Workstation Bundle is actually quite usable in many situations. With layering and tweaking I have managed to make some really good sounds that just sit well in a mix. In the past months I have many times started a project with some sounds from Nexus, but after adding new instruments ended up changing Nexus to IK Multimedias products. Some times I use external effects, like reverb, eQ, bitcrusher, distortion, flanger and such, to get the result I want.

Don't rush buying new software. Try tweaking with the Sample Tank 2.5 XL engine first and see what you can get out of it. Try the sound's in a mix too.

Some examples I quickly managed to find from youtube where IK's products are used:

SampleMoog in a Mix:

Miroslav in action:

SampleTank piano:

Miroslav with a multilayer instrument:

and

[Nanakai]

Hello Everybody,


To be honest I was excited when purchasing IK Multimedia's Total Workstation Bumdle. I feel a little bit let down to be honest. I paid $500 plus... I turned down $300 for the arturia bundle. I just don't like the instruments I bought. It is what it is and I will use what I can. Is their anything else out there that compares to the total workstation bundle or is better?

I have a couple of synths on my list for next time. I really would like to get my money's worth-Haltionsonic ($100 update), Tone 2, Arturia V2 Bundle. Can anybody comment on those? I mainly do R&B/Pop at the moment. Thanks for any help.

Well, try the Arturia demos out now. After their bundle is over with, I think we'll be seeing a lot of their instruments in the market place. I will have a few to sell myself, including the V2 bundle. If you like, i can send you a PM when I'm ready to sell before I put it up.

[Xenobt]

Total Workstation Bundle is actually quite usable in many situations. With layering and tweaking I have managed to make some really good sounds that just sit well in a mix. In the past months I have many times started a project with some sounds from Nexus, but after adding new instruments ended up changing Nexus to IK Multimedias products. Some times I use external effects, like reverb, eQ, bitcrusher, distortion, flanger and such, to get the result I want.

Don't rush buying new software. Try tweaking with the Sample Tank 2.5 XL engine first and see what you can get out of it. Try the sound's in a mix too.

What he said!

I agree that some of the sounds may not knock you out at first, but when you listen to a lot of classic tracks, (the Beatles come to mind) the sounds there aren't K.O.s either!

And I love the big, hold-down-a-note-and-drool synth patch as much as the next geek, er, guy, but they often don't sit well in a mix. Those ultra-sub to air patches take up too much sonic real estate, and often start threads here about why things don't sound in the mix like they do soloed!


The IK stuff has a unique charm that gives tracks a more "band" vibe than the hyper-real patches I come across in lots of soft stuff and sits right in the mix with minimal tweaking. It may take a little more work, but you'll have stuff that's truly yours, not factory preset 15- OhMooGod.

And I too write with ST because of its ease of use and low CPU footprint (not a little detail!), and end up layering rather than replacing (even if I use real instruments on top), cuz of the VIBE!

KVR/eSoundz: Xenobt

[jkleban]

Honestly, you get what you pay for... I stopped buying bundles years ago just for that reason... when I need an instrument, I take my time and research and DEMO if I can before I purchase....

In the short term, this seems like it would expensive but in the long run, I wind up with instruments that I can use over and over again, and as such, wind up spending less money.

I also find that the instruments by the BIG HOUSEs rarely sound as good and professional as the one up's from musicians....

But for each their own and I do feel bad for the OP on spending large cash and coming out with sounds that didn't knock him out.

Jim

[JJBiener]

I am glad to see I am not the only one who feels uninspired by IK's plugins. I have a couple of their entry-level instruments and they just don't move me. I looked long and hard at the current deal going on, but even though I qualify for the upgrade price, I just can't get excited enough to pull the trigger on it.