KVR Audio

Lawnmower Of The Damned · Mon Jan 31, 2005 5:06 am

Thanks for all of the replies. Everyone has really helped me understand the difference between the two.

Also, I checked out Sampletank 2 Free and Sonik Synth 2 Free and their soundsets. From the few hours I have had to toy with them I must say that I am really enjoying SampleTank quite a bit, and finding Sonik Synth to be a little less suited to my tastes.

That could very well be because of the choice of samples given away with the free version. The Electric Piano and B4 electric organ are great fun to play. The strat and accoustic guitar sound surprisingly good (This is coming from a longtime guitarist, so that means something). The accoustic piano wasn't bad considering that I could probably run 100+ instances of it before making my CPU bar get into the red zone.

In Sonik Synth there weren't any sounds that really made me just want to sit and play for a long while. With a little tweaking, layering, detuning, portamento and whatnot, I was able to come up with an interesting lead. However, I'm not that interested in synth leads as I will always be a much better guitarist then keyboardist.

Still, I'm going to assume that this was a preset issue. I will certainly be buying SampleTank 2, and I might still get Sonik Synth 2, though I'm not as fond of it as everyone else seems to be. If I wanted analog style synths then I think I'd be better off with a Nord G2 Modular, or an Evolver. Hey Squids, cut me a deal and we'll see if I want Sonik Synth or a hardware synth!

Oh, who am I kidding? I'm probably going to buy all 4...

All this from a guy who mainly plays guitar. I really need help with my gear aquisition syndrome.

Pete C · Post by **Pete C** » Mon Jan 31, 2005 5:54 am

thornemaelstrom, you might want to also check out the forthcoming Studiophonik from SR/IK. It also uses the ST2 engine (which I am starting to really love), and is practically ALL acoustic instrunents: bass, guitars, pianos, horns, and drums.

Pete

pheeleep · Post by **pheeleep** » Mon Jan 31, 2005 6:20 am

Well let me tell you, there are some very nice acoustic guitars in Sonik Synth 2.. but they are not on SS2 free...

I mean, either way, you can't go wrong, so good luck to you. I know you will be happy going either direction ( and even more getting both ).

dgkenney · Post by **dgkenney** » Mon Jan 31, 2005 12:40 pm

thornemaelstrom wrote: In Sonik Synth there weren't any sounds that really made me just want to sit and play for a long while. With a little tweaking, layering, detuning, portamento and whatnot, I was able to come up with an interesting lead. However, I'm not that interested in synth leads as I will always be a much better guitarist then keyboardist.

As a fellow guitarist I understand where you are coming from. I really like the guitar and bass selections in SampleTank 2 as well as the other "bread and butter" sounds. I really wasn't all that interested in SonikSynth 2 since synth sounds weren't my focus. The cross-grade was such a deal that I couldn't resist however and I got SonikSynth 2 also. I am very glad I did.

There are tons of other sounds in Soniksynth 2 besides synth sounds - guitar, drums, ethnic, strings, etc. The synth sounds are also great and the layering capabilites open a door of creativity for me.

I wouldn't know a keyboard if I tripped over it yet SS2 enables me to make some different kinds of music then I would ordinarily make using a guitar.
As an example, here is a piece called "Magdalena" I did with using only a midi guitar and SS2 (except for the drum loops)
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/8/dgkenneymusic.htm
Good or bad this is not something I would have been able to do before getting SS2.

In short, both SS2 and ST2 are great in my book.

Dan

origami · Post by **origami** » Mon Jan 31, 2005 12:46 pm

I am quite disappointed with the sounds in Sonik Synth II Free...I mean I KNOW the full version must be incredible, but I'm just saying the sounds in the free version are quite dull in general, except for that Silky Piano which sounds great.

how does Sampletank go regarding strings (cellos, violins, etc)??

Rellik · Post by **Rellik** » Mon Jan 31, 2005 3:48 pm

Strings-wise, it's got some AWESOME legato string ensembles.

It's got nice solo strings as well.

But as for articulation and stuff, no real variety. The staccato solo strings have some weird panning issues, and the staccato string ensembles are just plain really bad. Overall, it's a nice string section for string-pads and such, but you're going to need to fill it out with free SF2's if you want to do any serious orchestral.

Honestly, I think ST2XL is the perfect compliment to a good collection of free Soundfonts

I've been able to make some convincing orchestral arrangements with this setup (actually, the free soundfonts are pretty much carrying the whole thing, but if I needed something more legato I would know where to find it).

blinkz · Post by **blinkz** » Sun Feb 13, 2005 5:51 pm

I have recently downloaded the sonik synth2 FREE. I have authorised it and followed all instructions and as far as I can see it sould be working. The problem being that I can not get it to make a sound!
How do you load an instrument/patch into it???
Any help would be greatly appreciated as I have read the reviews of it and it looks cool!

Cheers
Blinkz

origami wrote:I am quite disappointed with the sounds in Sonik Synth II Free...I mean I KNOW the full version must be incredible, but I'm just saying the sounds in the free version are quite dull in general, except for that Silky Piano which sounds great.

how does Sampletank go regarding strings (cellos, violins, etc)??

Sonic Synth 2 & SampleTank 2: What's the difference?