New eSoundz GROUP BUY: Xpansion Tank 7 for 1 + exclusive bonuses

[Reverend Rhythm]

Since this GB is going through the roof, I thought I'd give a bump and an update:

4539 users
461 left to 7x1

[Chester Desmond]

Sorry if this has been asked before - I've joined the group buy through eSoundz, but won't be able to download anything for a month or so. Is there some kind of time limit to download?

it's worth noting that your purchase won't add into the Group Buy counter until registered. ie if we end up at 4999 users you will feel guilty for the rest of your life.

[sudue]

I purchased some XT2 loop titles and found a problem with Loop Sync.
Some loops cannot be synchronized with host DAW tempo.

This problem is found in loop patches at:
XT2 Up Tempo Electronica -> 01 Menu Map Grooves UTE

Is this a bug?
Or I'm wrong?

('02 Loops + Slices UTE' pathces are OK.)

[JavaJ]

I was thinknig the same thing- which made me stay away from the loops going forward- maybe it was just that one that didn't work- and I assumed all were out of sync.
Made me want more RAW packs for Logic- then I can do what I want with them.
I should go back and check as I was staying away from them (which would be a shame if it is just one preset issue).

[torgo]

Wow... I've been on the road for work nearly non-stop for about the last six weeks. I didn't know about this group buy until late last night. What a nice surprise!

Needless to say, I'm in. Already ordered once, soon to double dip and thinking about going for the instant three-peat. Mainly I'm just wondering now how long it will take for my serial to show up on the eSoundz page.

(And more importantly, how many other people are backlogged just like me. We might be really, really close to 5000 users and not even know it yet, since the IK site doesn't count us until our registration goes through.)



Question: has anyone tried both the Acoustic Drums set and the Sonik Capsule Studio Drums set? How do they compare? Any preference between the two?

[zedd]

I purchased some XT2 loop titles and found a problem with Loop Sync.
Some loops cannot be synchronized with host DAW tempo.

This problem is found in loop patches at:
XT2 Up Tempo Electronica -> 01 Menu Map Grooves UTE

Is this a bug?
Or I'm wrong?

I am not so experienced with syncing loops using SampleTank, but I believe that working in Menu Map mode you either work with the grooves at the tempo provided, or you modify the tempo using the SYNTH > TEMPO/PITCH controls and adjust the MODE to Stretch.

If you want to start building a song in your DAW, which will match your set temp, then you drag the MIDI files for each loop you want to work with (stored in the loop + slice folders) and drag those into your DAW for editing and recomposing.

Hey torgo, and the rest of yous...

This thread is pretty slow moving. You might want to post your questions or comments in the main GB thread (now on page 142) which will get them some more exposure:

http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic ... start=2085

[sudue]

Thank you zedd, now I noticed I can control TEMPO/PITCH manually!

But MIDI files is not useful.

'XT2 Up Tempo Electronica' is something odd,
The loop pathces in 'Menu Map' is not related to 'Loops + Slices'.

'Loops + Slices' loops is from 'R.A.W. Drum&Bass',
but 'Menu Map' loops is from something unknown.

(It is fun to see the patch list of this title in the IK site.
'Menu' is not a menu...)

I like the loops in 'Menu Map'.

Anyway now I can synchronize the loops with host DAW tempo manually.
I'm happy.

But I hope SR team will correct minor problems in XT2 titles
and make an updating method.

I think if they use some binary diff tools (like 'Jojos Binary Diff'),
it is not difficult to make an updater.

[zedd]

'XT2 Up Tempo Electronica' is something odd,
The loop pathces in 'Menu Map' is not related to 'Loops + Slices'.

'Loops + Slices' loops is from 'R.A.W. Drum&Bass',
but 'Menu Map' loops is from something unknown.

I'll check and confirm that and then will get on Squids' (or Allen's) case to get it updated. And so should you!

I am taking notes of a couple of issues that I've found. I trust that they will fix the problems and make the fixes available to those who request them.

But MIDI files is not useful.

How come?

If the MIDI files match the Menu Maps, I think this is a great way to construct your song, because you can then easily control and change the tempo and cut and paste parts to do variations and try out different arrangements. Not to mention that you can use different ST outputs to process each loop through external plugins if you want to.

[sudue]

Oh, sorry...I meant that:

- I want to use the loops in 'Menu Map'.
These sounds are great and fun to play.
And I want to synchronize these with DAW tempo.

- But 'XT2 Up Tempo Electronica' does not have any midi files
and slice pathces of these loops.

- The slice pathces and midi files of 'Loops + Slices' are
totally different from 'Menu Map' loops.

So, now I cannot use midi files to synchronize 'Menu Map' loops.
I think synchronizing PITCH/TEMP manually is the only way.

[sudue]

correction: pathces -> patches

addition:
- 'Menu Map' loops cannot be synchronized with DAW tempo
when activating Sampletank's 'Loop Sync' button.

- 'Loops + Slices' loops are OK. 'Loop Sync' button works well.
It seems that 'Memu Map' loops have some kind of bug.

[Squids]

Okay, if you bought the group buy from www.esoundz.com then you qualify for $25 Off (Over 60% off MSRP) on not only all of the Sonic Reality R.A.W. Style Paks but also 15 different ReTank titles have come BACK to esoundz for a limited time only! To get the $25 off EACH title you purchase just use this coupon code which expires on June 11th, 2010. Coupon code: LOOPBUY

And it can be used on the the R.A.W. Style Paks here:

http://www.esoundz.com/downloads.php?fi ... mit=search

and also on the ReTank (SampleTank versions) here:

Blues - http://www.esoundz.com/details.php?ProductID=2465

Country Folk Rhythms - http://www.esoundz.com/details.php?ProductID=2467

Dirty South - http://www.esoundz.com/details.php?ProductID=2468

Jazz Grooves - http://www.esoundz.com/details.php?ProductID=2472

Drum n Bass - http://www.esoundz.com/details.php?ProductID=2469

Latin Afro Cuban - http://www.esoundz.com/details.php?ProductID=2473

Latin Brazilian - http://www.esoundz.com/details.php?ProductID=2474

Latin Caribbean - http://www.esoundz.com/details.php?ProductID=2475

Nashville Pop - http://www.esoundz.com/details.php?ProductID=2476

60's Motown - http://www.esoundz.com/details.php?ProductID=2477

Trip Hop - http://www.esoundz.com/details.php?ProductID=2478

Urban Grooves - http://www.esoundz.com/details.php?ProductID=2479

Vintage Rock - http://www.esoundz.com/details.php?ProductID=2480

Vintage Soul - http://www.esoundz.com/details.php?ProductID=2482

World Grooves - http://www.esoundz.com/details.php?ProductID=2481

All instantly downloadable too! Have fun! Remember you have to have purchased this XT2 group buy from esoundz first to qualify.

[Reverend Rhythm]

I'd forgotten about this thread!

In case you are reading this thread, rather than the 170 page monster thread...

Update:

5614 users
386 left to 8x1

And here are some user demos produced by people in the group buy.

User Demos


Peter - IK Multimedia
SampleTank really is a very quick workstation. With a little bit of research/knowledge of the tools used on the original recording and some ingenuity I was able to do a Floydesque take on the "Shine on You" Part I sounds in just a few minutes only using instruments from these Xpansion Tanks with no external processing of any kind (limited myself on purpose).

I used sounds from Vintage Keys, Cinematik, and SampleOB Xpander (and only one from each for the pad, one from SampleOB Xpander for lead). Mind the few seconds of silence at the beginning - I also only took a few minutes to tweak the export Smile
http://storage.tinytoaster.com/STShine.mp3

Cognition
The reason the demos you've heard are focusing on unusual effects is because that is (in my opinion) the Cinematic Collection's strong point. You might want to check out Symphonic Strings, which seems to have a bigger emphasis on strings rather than effects. I don't have that one, so can't comment.
Here's something I improvised real quick using the Cinematic Collection strings;
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3049335/Cinematic_strings.mp3

For me this doesn't cut it for strings, and neither does Garritan (for me). I'd recommend East West Quantum Leap Symphonic Orchestra, even if you can only afford the Silver Edition. You can always upgrade later. However, this might not be within your budget. (Note: I'm an EWQLSO Gold Plus user, which is in a completely different price class from SampleTank).

For new readers, here is my demo of the aspects of the Cinematic Collection that are more exciting to me personally:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3049335/Jon%20C ... ration.mp3

Edit: It is definitely possible to get better results with the Cinematic Collection strings than my improvisation. I was just improvising for a few min on my MIDI controller using presets (sometimes with a reverb or a delay added)

Peter - IK Multimedia

I'd very much appreciate it if somebody could post some samples with more traditional symphonic / orchestral sounds.

I tried and succeeded at only picking traditional orchestral sounds only from Cinematik and within a few minutes had a decent combi and multi-out setup to do this small piece. Forgive the crashes in the wrong place and other nits here and there. There's layered strings, brass, and winds with a lame percussion track - all from Cinematik only:
http://storage.tinytoaster.com/STCinematikOrch.mp3

Peter - IK Multimedia
Some of the Beach Boy vocals done up quickly, starts "in the manner of the church" (a capella - I have to try to brush up on the true Italian meanings seeing that our HQ is in Italy) then in a mix then back to a cappella. I've added bass from the Bass tank, organ from the Vintage Keys, and a drum loop from the Vintage Rock loops for the midsection "mix":
http://storage.tinytoaster.com/STVoxBoys.mp3

androidlove
Here's a little dry Cinematik demo. there's a player embedded in the page
www.4shared.com/audio/ISV9uMiH/cinematik.html

2ndStringer
Here is a quick jam with several libraries involved:
http://members.dslextreme.com/users/jre ... padjam.mp3
The pad is from Cinematik, layered with some stuff from World music. The hand drum is from World, as is the psaltery. The bowed bass is from Symphony Strings 2. The guitar is my Strat through a non-IK product (sorry). It is just a two-chord ambient sort of thing, and I am no pro, but a lot of people might do this sort of thing with SampleTank.

androidlove
Here's a dry run on the Hip Hop instrument pack. It's only the tip. You could ride out a career with just this set.
www.4shared.com/audio/mH09rixa/hip_it.html
Someone requested a pop demo using the Hip Hop set because that person wasn't a fan of hip hop. I made an old sounding piece because the Hip Hop sounds are old. Hip Hop likes to recycle. if you're looking for hip hop... btw, which GM set recreates old analogue like that?

androidlove
I filled up all 16 slots for this retro pop piece using the hip hop set. Uses just the effects that loaded with the parents. If you have a cheese allergy, you may want to avoid this.
www.4shared.com/audio/0XYJQ4Tg/hip_pop.html
Whereas the bass break in hip it was garbage, this one is the bomb (please, someone get that).

Siedler
Thought, I want to share my work with you guys. Maybe it would help people to decide, if they want to join the GB. And also it's a "thank you" for IKMM and SR for it. So they know what people do with their sets Wink
http://swift-assistance.de/joomla/image ... _Dream.mp3
It's done with a few freebies for the electronic-sounds and mastering, the rest is done with these packs of the GB:

• Cinematik Collection
• Piano Collection 2
• Symphony Strings 2
• World Grooves

Have fun with it, and pm me if you like it. If not, don't say it - I'm a cry-baby! Crying or Very sad HiHi

Jesse J
Here's a little loop I made after I downloaded the Acoustic Drums today:
http://rapidshare.com/files/384715164/J ... emo_01.mp3
I'm using a Kit from Acoustic Drums 2 that I edited to be a bit tighter, keys are from the Piano Collection 2 and a little spice from the Cinematic Collection. Just 3 channels used, bass comes from my Roland Fantom G as I haven't got the Bass xpansion (yet).
Here's a little screen-shot of ST while playing this:
http://img.skitch.com/20100507-1m137a62 ... t3j13r.jpg

Jesse J
Here's another little demo:
http://rapidshare.com/files/384720448/J ... emo_02.mp3
Just 3 channels, a mandolin patch I created using the World Instruments Collection + Tremble Strings from the Cinematic Collection.
http://img.skitch.com/20100507-nns7313y ... p1tkbe.jpg
I used Toraverb for the big reverb. The built-in ST reverb would probably have done the trick just as well, but I happened to have Toraverb in my Aux so I just used it...

androidlove
Here's an arp only demo. It's the default sounds. Run it through a chorus and a delay or a flanger and a reverb if it sounds too plain
www.4shared.com/audio/DgwomIXE/arp_pack.html

abi

Hi, do somebody have the Vintage Keys Collection.
I have the Piano Collection and like to know if in the Vintage Keys are new Rhodes patches in. Can anybody make a demo? Just play around on different patches....

Here's a quick demo (sorry for the playing):
www.zshare.net/audio/762517413df6c525/

JavaJ
Definitely need more demos. I did the Vocal Collection one on Youtube.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lxXJ5nJl0k

Baard

To celebrate 7x1 I share what I have been doing with ST the last days. All sounds are from the GB, the title celebrates us reaching 7 at this very moment!

That would be the ARP Prosoloist flute with some pitch modulation. I posted my patch list here: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/965632/sampletank.JPG (I never got around to use the congas tho)

Its from the Sampletank XT pack. So is the organ and the flute. The "salsa" piano in the first part of the song is "Upright" from piano collection tho. Really like that one, but it didnt cut through towards the end, so I kept HQ Free Piano there, I wrote with that one. Thats what amazes me with what I got from this deal. You are writing from the second you load a sound and press a key.
Baard - Seven for the Price of One

pheeleep
I made a short Dark Hip Hop Instrumental demo last night using DeepSouth, World Instruments, World grooves, Cinematik, DownTempo and Vocal Collection. This can give you an idea of the sounds included. I wish I had the time to add more sounds to it, but alas..
http://www.burakg.com/pheeleep/IK_Group ... eeleep.mp3

SaganTech
Here's a simple piece, Eight for one, I created with one instance of Sampletank and every sound used is from this group buy. It uses 2 sounds from the OB library, 2 Vintage rock grooves, a bass from the bass collection, 3 guitars from the electric guitar collection, and one sound from the vintage keys collection.

curt1lp
I used the first patch in hip hop instruments - electric sweep (2.05) and some beats out of Downtempo Electronica Tempos (2.50)to enhance a basic backing track posted by Scuzzo at the Les Paul forum jamzone

(I also added some Xils3 Le action, Minimogue luxus and Absynth (organ sound) as well as my Strat into Le Poulin Le456 with cab impulses, effects bluetube effects especially the Tempo Delay effect from the audiomidi nobrainer and BooteqMk2, Ferric TDS.)

Urban Midification

blueman
I did a demo with Downbeat Electronica (including Bass and World Instruments expansions): Heron Demo

[odd]

Okay, I flat out need some help here. I remember signing up to this group buy via eSoundz. Been hospitalized meanwhile. Going through my emails now I'm not sure what to actually do in order to get the group buy material. Do I start out by registering the light/XT version of SampleTank2? Advice much appreciated.

[DarkStar]

I hope that you have recovered now.

Hi- I joined this group buy in early May. I got a reciept, and a lot of email around how well it was going, and how it'd been extended. But never anything saying: you can download your files now.
Now on esoundz I have a serial number of xpansion tank group buy. But I don't know what to do with it, and I understand I may have missed out on downloading the products. (I thought we had 30 days from June 6- but it looks as if there may have been a June 14 cut-off- I'm not sure why.)
What can I do?
Regards- rob

Ouch... The short answer is yes, there was a cutoff in mid-June. That was the deadline to register with IK to get all the extra selections. Regardless of where you bought it, you needed to register, download the XT player and select all your goodies through IK.

What to do now: put in a support ticket with IK Multimedia, give them the same details you posted above and ask them the same questions, and hope for the best.

Also send a PM to Peter from IK Multimedia, with the same details and the same questions, and again hope for the best. Peter's a good guy. I suspect he'll do what he can to take care of you.

And if you don't mind, after you hear back from IK support and from Peter, please also PM me and let me know how things turn out. (Make it a PM rather than a regular message post, so that I'll be certain to see it.)

One other note... since you bought it from esoundz, you should have a download code for your esoundz "Raise The Bar" bonus selection plus the bonus Wild Card library. Check your esoundz user area (if you're logged in, you can click on your user ID to get to your account) and click "My Downloads" on the left side of the screen.

If you don't have those download codes available, put in a support ticket for them through esoundz.

Strong recommendation: feel free to download the Wild Card set from esoundz if you like, but *WAIT* until the IK situation is resolved AND you've made your selections from IK before redeeming your esoundz bonus DL code (or even clicking on the link, as it tries to cash in your code right away).

There were plenty of issues/questions people had with those choices, and there isn't even an easily available list on their web site. (The DownloadableSoundz web site makes you click "Redeem" first before it shows you the complete, accurate list.)

The sets you (hopefully) get from IK will affect your esoundz bonus decision, and you WILL want to ask questions about your potential selection BEFORE you redeem the code.

I'll be happy to walk through all the choices/angles with you when that time comes... again, PM me after you hear back from Peter and from IK support.

Good luck.
-torgo (esoundz: bhall1968)

robstowell - I just noticed that you just now joined KVR to post your message, so you might need help finding Peter at IK to send him a PM...

Click on page 1 of this thread (scroll down this screen and you'll find the "Goto page" near the bottom). Peter entered the second message on page 1. Click "PM" under his user name and then leave him a message to spell out the situation for him.

You'll have to go to IK Multimedia's web site to put in a support ticket there and do the same.

I'm fairly sure things will work out for you one way or another. They're really good about being fair and taking care of customers.

(And again, please PM me to let me know how it goes - preferably before you make any of your selections, so that we can hopefully steer you clear of some mistakes with your choices that many others - myself included - made with ours.)

[odd]

Darkstar, thanks a lot. I'm actually still at the hospital, but at least have wireless internet now.

I understand I should mail IK support and also Peter from IK. Have done the latter for now, as the official support ticket seems to require a long list of irrelevant technicalities be filled out.

Another question: at the top of my eSoundz order page I see download links for Kontakt Player under the header 'Ultimate Drums Grup Buy Specials'. This must be for a later, more recent group buy. Having not partaken in this, do I really get the Kontakt Player for free anyway?