KVR Audio

samsam · Post by **samsam** » Mon Sep 16, 2019 9:38 am

OK so SE is on sale again, 50 euros seems to be the standard. With Jam I can get it for 35. Worth it?

(rhetorical question, I know you can't know what's good for me, just wondering if other folks are looking at this)

Elektronisch · Post by **Elektronisch** » Mon Sep 16, 2019 2:40 pm

samsam wrote: ↑Mon Sep 16, 2019 9:38 am OK so SE is on sale again, 50 euros seems to be the standard. With Jam I can get it for 35. Worth it?

(rhetorical question, I know you can't know what's good for me, just wondering if other folks are looking at this)

Just buy it and you will see if its worth it or not yourself.

I have full version, i like guitars, pianos alot and oldschool choir sounds. I already used those in my music so for me its worth it.

samsam · Post by **samsam** » Mon Sep 16, 2019 3:34 pm

Yea, it was worth it for me, bought.

K-Bee · Post by **K-Bee** » Wed Oct 23, 2019 2:15 pm

Sampletank 4 is €249 the next few days. Is it worth it? Looks like there have been a lot of problems so far.

abernathy · Post by **abernathy** » Wed Oct 23, 2019 4:16 pm

K-Bee wrote: ↑Wed Oct 23, 2019 2:15 pm Sampletank 4 is €249 the next few days. Is it worth it? Looks like there have been a lot of problems so far.

I want to be helpful here - not meaning to trash IK... I have had all versions of SampleTank. Now I am just trying to migrate away from it. ST4 has just been too “messy”. Installation was tedious and frustrating, bugs come and go with each update. I spent many hours migrating some projects from ST3 to ST4 and after all that they now don’t load correctly (all the ST4 instruments I tweaked have this weird low volume problem I can’t fix). I just don’t trust it at all, and I don’t consider it “professional” software for that reason. IK has released some great software lately, but ST4 just seems to be fundamentally broken. And please don’t tell me to contact tech support - I have and while they seem well intentioned they haven’t fixed anything for me.

BERFAB · Post by **BERFAB** » Wed Oct 23, 2019 5:14 pm

abernathy wrote: ↑Wed Oct 23, 2019 4:16 pm
K-Bee wrote: ↑Wed Oct 23, 2019 2:15 pm Sampletank 4 is €249 the next few days. Is it worth it? Looks like there have been a lot of problems so far.
I want to be helpful here - not meaning to trash IK... I have had all versions of SampleTank. Now I am just trying to migrate away from it. ST4 has just been too “messy”. Installation was tedious and frustrating, bugs come and go with each update. I spent many hours migrating some projects from ST3 to ST4 and after all that they now don’t load correctly (all the ST4 instruments I tweaked have this weird low volume problem I can’t fix). I just don’t trust it at all, and I don’t consider it “professional” software for that reason. IK has released some great software lately, but ST4 just seems to be fundamentally broken. And please don’t tell me to contact tech support - I have and while they seem well intentioned they haven’t fixed anything for me.

I love IK products, but I can't really disagree with anything you've said here. I have been with Sampletank since ST2. Back then, it was a really easy to use ROMpler. It's only problem was a sample-size limitation per instrument. ST4 has many improvements, and many great instruments, since then. However, load times, wonky UI, complicated routings and the occasional bug make this hard to call up as a go-to instrument anymore.

Ryan_IK · Post by **Ryan_IK** » Wed Oct 23, 2019 5:40 pm

K-Bee wrote: ↑Wed Oct 23, 2019 2:15 pm Sampletank 4 is €249 the next few days. Is it worth it? Looks like there have been a lot of problems so far.

Sound on Sound, Sonic Scoop, Computer Music, MusicTech and a bunch of other reputable reviewers seem to think so

Check out the latest review from SOS at the link below:

https://www.ikmultimedia.com/news/?item_id=8318

If you're also looking for a controller, the MAX your I/O promo would be a good "in". Purchasing iRig Keys I/O 25 or 49 will get you a SampleTank 4 MAX serial.

https://www.ikmultimedia.com/news/?item_id=8502

abernathy wrote: ↑Wed Oct 23, 2019 4:16 pm I want to be helpful here - not meaning to trash IK... I have had all versions of SampleTank. Now I am just trying to migrate away from it. ST4 has just been too “messy”. Installation was tedious and frustrating, bugs come and go with each update. I spent many hours migrating some projects from ST3 to ST4 and after all that they now don’t load correctly (all the ST4 instruments I tweaked have this weird low volume problem I can’t fix). I just don’t trust it at all, and I don’t consider it “professional” software for that reason. IK has released some great software lately, but ST4 just seems to be fundamentally broken. And please don’t tell me to contact tech support - I have and while they seem well intentioned they haven’t fixed anything for me.

We are sorry to hear you've had some troubles with SampleTank 4. The latest release version 4.0.8 has addressed various issues and included many optimizations to work flow. If you have yet to update, make sure to grab the download from your User Area -> My Products section of your IK Multimedia account.

https://www.ikmultimedia.com/userarea/my-products/

If after updating you're still having any issues with volume levels of older sounds, please contact our support team. They would have the most information and they would be best equip to find you a solution. If you have a ticket already shoot me a PM with your Ticket #. I can flag your case.

https://www.ikmultimedia.com/contact-support/

BERFAB wrote: ↑Wed Oct 23, 2019 5:14 pm I love IK products, but I can't really disagree with anything you've said here. I have been with Sampletank since ST2. Back then, it was a really easy to use ROMpler. It's only problem was a sample-size limitation per instrument. ST4 has many improvements, and many great instruments, since then. However, load times, wonky UI, complicated routings and the occasional bug make this hard to call up as a go-to instrument anymore.

SampleTank has come a long was from SampleTank 2. Version 4 has been a great improvement as you mentioned. If you haven't updated to version 4.0.8 there are a bunch of optimizations for workflow since the original release.

If you have issues with any instruments loading, especially "Go-to" instruments, please contact support team. They will be more than happy to see how they can help get you working. As mentioned above, you can PM me your Ticket # and I can flag down your case with the information listed here.

https://www.ikmultimedia.com/contact-support/

AdvancedFollower · Post by **AdvancedFollower** » Thu Oct 24, 2019 9:23 am

It's still a bit heavy on the CPU for me, especially some presets that use a lot of effects. Other than that, the latest version of ST 4 SE is working great here. The Black LP and Sax are amazing

The UI is a bit confusing for someone like me who's used to working with mono-timbral plugins but give me another couple of years and I'll probably figure it out

K-Bee · Post by **K-Bee** » Thu Oct 24, 2019 3:10 pm

Thanks guys. Just curious really. I already have Komplete as well as a Kronos and various HW synths / romplers. I do like the possibilities Sampletank seem to offer. Looks like opinions vary a lot about this product.

zzz00m · Post by **zzz00m** » Thu Oct 24, 2019 6:32 pm

Many opinions of ST4 in the beginning were fairly negative, as the initial release was perceived as rough around the edges with many common complaints of high memory use and frequent crashes. The tedious manual download and install process with many files containing many GBs of content won no friends either.

The good news is that 6 months, and 8 updates later, the program is very stable and the memory use has been optimized.

There have also been announcements that a download manager is in the works.

So I would say that if you are not in a hurry to check out SampleTank, you might want to wait on the download manager to arrive, although no ETA has been provided.

It's still a bit heavy on the CPU for me, especially with the new larger sampled instruments and the new sample playback engine. Disclaimer: I am running an older CPU (which handled ST3 and many other virtual instruments just fine).

With some of the ST4 library sounds I still have difficulty loading up a multi-timbral instance of ST4 with more than 3-4 instruments that doesn't max out my CPU. But if I spread the instruments around several instances of the plugin it seems to run better. The instruments sometimes seem to put a load on the CPU even when no notes are being played, or their slots are muted.

The new instrument sounds are amazing!

Overall I am happy I got it, just not sure I would pre-order again. Got it for a good price, though!

bill45 · Post by **bill45** » Thu Oct 24, 2019 6:41 pm

The installation process is tedious.You have to extract and install each part
of a 200GB library.That is hundreds of mouse clicks.

Elektronisch · Post by **Elektronisch** » Thu Oct 24, 2019 8:09 pm

Im using the latest version of ST4 and despite having improvements since initial release, still even the sampletank 2 patches are quite heavy and as someone said GUI is indeed wonky. I wish everyone just use less recource heavy and more responsive GUIs. I think Kontakt and Nexus 2 are prime examples of that.

glokraw · Post by **glokraw** » Fri Oct 25, 2019 11:51 am

bill45 wrote: ↑Thu Oct 24, 2019 6:41 pm The installation process is tedious.You have to extract and install each part
of a 200GB library.That is hundreds of mouse clicks.

If you install things when you will actually use them,
it won't seem so tedious. Do you really need the tuba, contra bass, xylophone and bassoon the very first session? I think I'd install
those a week from next tuesday, and install some pianos, synths,
drums, plus a guitar and a bass to get things rolling. etc

Someday soon, an install script should be able to manage
a bunch of archives in a single folder, and allow customers
to edit the location paths as desired before running the script.
There also should be both 'select all', and user-choice options.
Linux package managers handle such tasks every day
for thousands of users, so it can't be _that_ hard

Cheers

BERFAB · Post by **BERFAB** » Mon Oct 28, 2019 12:23 pm

Ryan_IK wrote: ↑Wed Oct 23, 2019 5:40 pm
BERFAB wrote: ↑Wed Oct 23, 2019 5:14 pm I love IK products, but I can't really disagree with anything you've said here. I have been with Sampletank since ST2. Back then, it was a really easy to use ROMpler. It's only problem was a sample-size limitation per instrument. ST4 has many improvements, and many great instruments, since then. However, load times, wonky UI, complicated routings and the occasional bug make this hard to call up as a go-to instrument anymore.
SampleTank has come a long was from SampleTank 2. Version 4 has been a great improvement as you mentioned. If you haven't updated to version 4.0.8 there are a bunch of optimizations for workflow since the original release.

If you have issues with any instruments loading, especially "Go-to" instruments, please contact support team. They will be more than happy to see how they can help get you working. As mentioned above, you can PM me your Ticket # and I can flag down your case with the information listed here.

https://www.ikmultimedia.com/contact-support/

On your suggestion, I just upgraded to 4.0.8 from 4.0.2. It is a pretty comprehensive upgrade, and solves many of the problems I have been having. Putting ST 4 back in regular rotation.

Cheers
-B

Ryan_IK · Post by **Ryan_IK** » Mon Oct 28, 2019 4:56 pm

zzz00m wrote: ↑Thu Oct 24, 2019 6:32 pm With some of the ST4 library sounds I still have difficulty loading up a multi-timbral instance of ST4 with more than 3-4 instruments that doesn't max out my CPU. But if I spread the instruments around several instances of the plugin it seems to run better. The instruments sometimes seem to put a load on the CPU even when no notes are being played, or their slots are muted.

The new instrument sounds are amazing!

Overall I am happy I got it, just not sure I would pre-order again. Got it for a good price, though!

Glad to hear you enjoy the new instruments and you caught a good deal.

SampleTank 4 was recently updated with new options in settings which can help fine-tune SampleTank 4 for your system. Check the Settings window in the Streaming tab and pick the options which best fit your system's drives. Adjust the Pre-load Buffer and Buffer multiplier. This should help with your issues, but if not, feel free to reach out to support and PM me your ticket information.

https://www.ikmultimedia.com/contact-support/

We can confirm we are in the works of a download/authorization manager. Unfortunately, no, there is no concrete time frame just yet, but if you're interested, the newsletter will keep you up to date.

https://www.ikmultimedia.com/newsletter/

glokraw wrote: ↑Fri Oct 25, 2019 11:51 am If you install things when you will actually use them,
it won't seem so tedious. Do you really need the tuba, contra bass, xylophone and bassoon the very first session? I think I'd install
those a week from next tuesday, and install some pianos, synths,
drums, plus a guitar and a bass to get things rolling. etc

Someday soon, an install script should be able to manage
a bunch of archives in a single folder, and allow customers
to edit the location paths as desired before running the script.
There also should be both 'select all', and user-choice options.
Linux package managers handle such tasks every day
for thousands of users, so it can't be _that_ hard
Cheers

We are working on a manager to address your concerns here. Thanks for pointing out that you can always install only what you need, no need to install everything at once.

On the topic of the content being very large. For anyone interested there is a USB copy which simplifies the install process and removes the need to download anything.

For the latest news on developments from IK, sign up to the newsletter here: https://www.ikmultimedia.com/newsletter/

BERFAB wrote: ↑Mon Oct 28, 2019 12:23 pm On your suggestion, I just upgraded to 4.0.8 from 4.0.2. It is a pretty comprehensive upgrade, and solves many of the problems I have been having. Putting ST 4 back in regular rotation.

Cheers
-B

Glad to hear the update is working well for you. Thanks for sharing

SampleTank 4 on the way