SampleTank 3 $99 in August 16 part multi-timbral, 4 effects and EQ per channel, thousand of instruments, 33 gig samples

[glowrak guy]

This should run in a current wine/Reaper, some wine over-rides may be needed,
(and then possibly with LinVst) so I recommend installing the SampleTank free version first,
(comes with a Grand Piano and some other nice sounds) and also install the free version
of their Syntronik synthesizer,
of which the sounds will appear in the SampleTank menus.

The $99 content comes as eight 3 gig archives, and they use a manager app
to help keep things tidy. It also stores serial numbers, discounts,
available updates, etc pretty helpful

http://www.ikmultimedia.com

(beware, their ad for the new $200 UNO hardware synth will lead off,
and that not in hushed tones, replete with a precious snowflake
at the controls )

[jonetsu]

This should run in a current wine/Reaper, some wine over-rides may be needed,
(and then possibly with LinVst) so I recommend installing the SampleTank free version first, ...

You are using a conditional tone - are you actually running this ?

First time I hear about IK Multimedia. Why would the Syntronic synth be needed to use Sample Tank ?

Cheers.

UPDATE

OK, so I downloaded the Sample Tank 3 demo. I really do not feel like going through 30 pages of authorization/installation now so I'll ask you : How does it fare with the Authorization Manager ? I presume you have used the offline method ?

[glowrak guy]

Hi, the IK authorization manager works, as do the Custom Shops, for ala-carte tests and purchases.
And their account system is useful managing details over the years.

Syntronik isn't required, but is recognized as a sound library, so a nice freebie.
Cautionary tone, due to system diversites, my practice is to get bargains,
knowing that linux keeps getting better at using them.

Here are some reviews (use subtitles as desired)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eN9FXonOvxU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWNLnXanzi0

Cheers
(I'll be installing the full version shortly, main computer
is getting upgraded, doing full backups on the wannabees )

[jonetsu]

It works. The Authorization Manager is not much after all. Its 30 pages manual scared me yesterday

Got 4 serial numbers, one for ST, one for Syntronik, and two for T-Racks. The piano sounds good, although pianoteq is much better IMHO. OTOH with ST it's possible to change many parameters of the sound.

Cheers.

UPDATE What's described below is solved. See further down in thread.

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UPDATE

It plays nice in Mixbus32C v5. However, it is a total mess in Bitwig. Not only does it suffer from the same problem as MDrummer that is, receiving notes on MIDI channel 2 by default, which is not that bad by itself as changing the channel in the plugin solves the problem, it receives notes on other MIDI channels as one is playing which means that some notes are not heard. And it wouldn't make sense to load the same piano sample across all MIDI channels to solve this absurd problem. This is clearly a Bitwig problem. So I'll see if I would get ST3 with the limitation of using it only in Mixbus32C....

I emails Bitwig support with a follow up on the MDrummer troubleshooting I did recently by sending Vojtech debug logs. He found out that the problem was that Bitwig was sending on MIDI channel 2. Or at least, from what I can see, that these two plugins, MDrummer and ST3 are receiving by default on channel 2. Bitwig support does not see this, of course. These are the only two plugins running via linvst that behaves like that.

The Syntronic plugin by itself is not much. It does not expose any of its parameter to the DAW. But then, as you mentioned, the same sounds can be loaded in ST3 and then the params are exposed. Which allows for modulation , automation, etc.. The Syntronic plugin plays nice in Bitwig. Only ST3 has the erratic MIDI channel behaviour.

bitwigSampleTankMIDI.jpg (120.28 KiB) Viewed 1507 times

[glowrak guy]

Glad you're having some success. The free version now allows importing
sounds from earlier 2.x versions, sometimes www.esoundz.com
has some good sales on them. Did you watch the Syntronik video?
It covers the layering/splitting capabilities. The standalone versions
run by wine might also be useful to build some track for import to Bitwig etc
Cheers

[jonetsu]

I'm not that much interested in Syntronic's sounds. I pretty much like the synths I have and there's a lot still to explore with them.

For using with ST3 I can export a quick stereo track to Mixbus32C, add ST3 material there, then export the ST3 track back to Mxibus32C. Not as comfortable, but can get stuff done.

UPDATE

A bit perhaps heavyweight, but it works as a test: I use both Mixbus32C and Bitwig. I have test tracks in Bitwig, synths, drums, etc... Then there's an audio track in Bitwig that takes the stereo output from Mixbus32C master out in which ST3 can be played. No need to export/import tracks. MIDI editing would be very rudimentary in Mixbus32C though.

[jonetsu]

Just a quick note on the ST3/MDrummer case and Bitwig as the screenshot above shows for ST3. In case it might make someone think of something.

These are the only two plugins that shows the following behavior. Although all MIDI notes are on MIDI channel one, the plugins must be set to channel 2 as for them they are seeing the notes being received on channel 2, not channel 1.

Two plugins made by very different companies that share one common aspect: they both support a MIDI note mode and a MIDI pad mode. In MIDI note mode the keyboard is used, in MIDI pad mode the drum pads are used. None of the other plugins I have, Linux and Windows VST, offer two modes like this and they all work OK.

Whatever software development was needed to support these two modes, those two companies implemented it the same and they provoke the same behaviour in Bitwig Linux.

With ST3 there's even an additional problem: when two or more MIDI events are received in the same time window (like playing a chord, or applying aftertouch pressure on a note) they are received on subsequent MIDI channels. The screen shot above shows a 3-note chord being played. First note on channel 2, 2nd note on channel 3 and then 4. Since no samples are loaded in 3 and 4, only one note was heard.

I still got ST3 as I can use it in Mixbus32C. Both of these plugins are running fine in Mixbus32C. I can export a rough stereo Bitwig mix in Mixbus32C and record a part there, then export it and import it back in Bitwig OR I can run both Bitwig and Mixbus32C and play ST3 in Mixbus32C with its output directed to a Bitwig track. Both can possibly be synchronized also.

I can also use an already made Bitwig track made of single notes none overlapping and put ST3 on it to try sounds.

It can also be possible that what seems to be a Bitwig problem will eventually get fixed although so far Bitwig support has somwhat of a diffcult time about it.

Cheers.

[jonetsu]

Very first and quick impressions of ST3. For the sale price it's worth it if you want sampled instruments in your arsenal. Comes with a lot of them. Some are 'keyswitched' meaning that a MIDI note will trigger other expressions of the instrument. Like a guitar going into harmonic mode. It seems that some expressions can be assigned to the modwheel.

Out of the box so to speak many samples do not sound really like the demos you can hear. There has to be more EQ and some other audio fiddling to be done on a certain number of them to make them sound very good. ST3 provides a wide array of audio processors. When it does not shine so much IMHO is with the synth sounds. Having played synths for such a long time one can immediately feel that these sounds are 'not real' as they are sampled. Many lack expressiveness. Whereas modulations of various sorts is the game for just about very synth, those sample sounds do not offer much in that field. There are two LFOs but it's nevertheless very rudimentary. Better add modulations in the audio processing. This said, there are useful synth sounds also.

Another feature is that for each sample it's possible to modify filter and envelope parameters so starting with a piano sound you can end up with something pretty much different.

There are also loops and multi instruments setups but I haven't explored them. Same with the drum pad mode which can be used to trigger sequences. ST3 supports up to 16 channels, each with its sample and filter settings.

So again, from a quick impression, the sale price is worth it if you are seeking to add a natural sounding aspect to your creations. Be aware that these samples are really cutting through a mix. On a soft or mellow project made out of synth tracks they will initially stick out of the mix pretty much.

I run ST3 with wine-staging and linvst in Linux Mint 18 KDE.

Cheers.

[glowrak guy]

ST3 is a lot of fun, I've got an acoustic guitar, vibes, and a synth pad sequenced,
and in the effects, there's a decent subset of Amplitube 4 under the hood,
lots of gain-staging/modulations etc, so you might get lucky if you have an expression pedal
you can hook up.
It's gonna be a hoot adding instruments to yoshimi/zynaddsubfx, the u-he herd,
discovery pro, and reasonably, the contemplated add-infinitum
Cheers

[jonetsu]

Amplitude 4 CS is all right. I tried it on a guitar track and fiddled with a few of the included presets/modules. Sounds all right.

However, I could not get the T-RackS 5 CS going as I do not know what's the executable to launch to get what seems to be a CS frame into which other T-RackS module can be loaded.

[glowrak guy]

https://www.ikmultimedia.com/products/tr5cs/

After download/install,authorize, launch the standalone T-rackS, the last choice
in the file menu opens the Custom Shop. I don't think the CS can launch
from any TrackS plugins, but in Amplitube and SampleTank plugins, there should be
a shopping cart icon in the upper right to open the CS (custom Shop)

To demo items, you must be online with the Custom Shop open,
(or you get a hiss quite often) so I start the shop first, then load the plugin(s) I'm going to demo.
Don't know if the time limits are all the same. The T-racks Leslie collection demo is 14 days,
it used to be 48 hours for guitar gear...with a 3-month wait to have a fresh demo
of the same item.

I've made a few CS purchases, and the system
keeps track of them, with easy access to serials and authorizations
when you need them. I just re-authorized Sonik Synth 2, purchased years ago,
so I can import and use it's sounds in SampleTank
Cheers

[jonetsu]

OK. I found out that the actual executable plugin is called TR5 Suite.dll. However, the CS complains about T-RackS not including One when One is there and can be launched on its own (and will produce regular noise). What path are you using for T-Rack5 to be used in a DAW ?

T-RackS offers an alternative to Waves to using 'classic' audio processors. I've read many comments about Waves users having problems on Windows, as well as the company having bad business practices, so it's nice to see IK Multimedia offering an alternative.

This said, I hope that my review of ST3 did not paint a too negative picture for the readers. There are a lot of great sound possibilities in there. I already am incorporating some tenor sax to the current WIP mix to double the existing Saxlab2 saxophone, as well as adding a jazz bass doubling track to the piece's synth bass for some added warmth.

Cheers.

[glowrak guy]

My Mint 18 setup is preoccupied for a while, I put T-racks in

/home/me/.wine/drive_c/Program Files/IK Multimedia/T-RackS 5/T-RackS 5.exe

My linvsts are on the Mint setup, so this one is on an AMD computer
without graphics card, and running wine-staging 2.18.
The T-racks plugin is doing well, Custom Shop is open, I have the free EQ,
and am demoing the Tape Delay, and Opto Compressor, there is a shopping cart icon on
the bottom of the free EQ plugin window that I missed earlier...I just love
gray on somewhat darker gray for such things

The Amplitube stand-alone runs OK in this wine 2.18 setup,
but T-racks standalone crashes. Probably needs a few over-rides.
Just what weekends are meant for
Cheers

[jonetsu]

The problem described above with the wrong MIDI channel being sent by Bitwig to Sample Tank 3 (and MDrummer, both these plugins being sensible to MIDI channels, unlike every other synth plugin) had to do with Bitwig's MPE feature being enabled by default for all plugins.

Disabled, ST3 works nciely.

bitwigMPEButton.jpg (23.06 KiB) Viewed 1447 times