Virtual Samplers

Easy and problem-free installation. Easy-to-install expansions and very well organized in categories. No incompatibility problems with cubase nor protools. Logical and simple manual. It's a sample preset player. SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE My setup: Windows 7 64b I7 4930k 64 gb ram 2400 Asus p79 deluxe gold RME madi soundcard coupled with a burl mothership b80 SSD Performance with windows 7.7 The software works correctly and the samples are loaded in less than a second, even the hollywood2 range. Stable setup Very low resource usage Possibility to open 30 nexus instances in a single project without any overload, even on my old I7 2600k. OVERALL OPINION I've used it for 7 years, I think. I've tested all vsti on the market What I like best: Original sounds that are regularly updated by the publisher with expansions. Nice built-in effects and the addition of a real IR reverb, which is great to give more character and breadth to the sound Fast and easy use and setup What I like least: Sample player only, so it lacks synthesis generators to make sound design Sound editing is restricted and you can't create your own combinations The sounds are usually found on several expansions, which can be a bit disconcerting when you consider that an expansion costs $60 and that from the 128 sounds it includes, you have already heard 10 or 15 in other expansions and there are 20 useless SQ sequences they've put in just to fill space. It lacks a search engine for the sounds What I regret: They should make version 4 mixing phalanx / sylenth and it would be awesome Nevertheless, it's a very good product for people who like modern sounds and quick searches. There are bundles with very attractive prices, but the complete version is pretty expensive. I have used it every day on all my projects, so I would buy it again.

Bioscape is a Kontakt and Komplete platform-based sampler, with over 320 presets in the categories of pads, textures, ASMR, drones, pulses, playables and effects. Designed by Luftrum Sound Design (and a team of field recorders), the sounds in this package are astounding, and an obvious winner for the KVR Audio Readers Choice Award 2020. Other descriptive terms for this package include unique, organic (even the metallic sounds) and crystal clear, making it ideal for film scores, gaming soundtracks and also those who compose in the genre of ambient music. The demo included with this review covers only some of the hundreds of sounds, none of which were edited (more on that later); the demo’s intention is to present some sounds I find captivating, but also to illustrate some of the features of this program’s platform. It is these features that allow you to take Bioscape to a completely different realm as you create some of your own unique takes with all the morphing tools at your disposal. Exceptionally flexible, Bioscape has a host of tools and parameters designed to work with the included sound samples, but you also can drag and drop your own sound samples for personalized experimentation and composition. The Bioscape platform has two sections or layers (wave files), and each with its own editing parameters. You can play/record just one layer, whereas invoking both layers results in A being stacked atop B. You can take those sound samples and adjust the length or target of each, e.g., loop a section of the entire wave. You then can play either layer forward or reverse, as well as forward/reverse stop and even ping-pong them if desired. Each layer further has its own filters and envelopes, as well as a number of effects, including modulation, delays, reverbs and a step sequencer that is ultra-easy to use (thus allowing for a basic sound to become a rhythmic pulse). If that wasn’t enough, you can take a wave and enter a new realm with the Mutate DNA and Motion Recording functions. Mutate DNA comprises of several sound characteristics that can be applied to a sound sample, for one or both layers. Each layer has 25 different themes, such as biomass, carbon, bow, eternal, machine, etc., and it’s amazing how different a sampled sound can be when switching from one theme to another – utterly different! Not all mutations work with all samples (e.g., a ‘ping’ sound vs a pad), but you can spend hours discovering hundreds of different textures with this one tool. The Motion Recording permits you to control the dynamic movement of volume, cutoff, pitch, panning and effects in real time, e.g., as you move the cursor about on the XY Pad you can record the outcome. The result is a far more organic life to the samples, and definitely a backbone to some original composition. Overall, for $159 USD, you get more than some amazing samples; Bioscape is an editing platform that will entertain and inspire for a long time to come. Consequently, expect to invest many a wee hour in the night addicted to Bioscape, and be prepared to be impressed. Bioscape works as a standalone platform or within a DAW, working with its host, Kontakt player (you do not need the full version). And it also works with Komplete, both programs that are available for free download through Native Instruments.

Sonik Synth 2 is a pretty good workstation with a lot of different tools for using and designing your own sounds. The program is far more in depth than what I thought it was going to be back when I purchased it. It comes with over 5 thousand sounds. I have not had many VST’s at all that come with that many sounds, and also the sounds are so easy to edit and change to make them your own. The possibilities are endless with this software. It can run on either Mac or Windows systems and the price of it is very affordable as well. SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE The Sonik Synth 2 can be used as the main part of your whole setup, it doesn’t just have to be used as a sound module or VST. Sonik Synth 2 seems to be like a do it all software , but it gets over looked in other departments besides the sounds. A great part of using Sonik Synth 2 is with the ability to “Stack” sounds, basically just layer sounds and add some effects to them and you can really get some cool unique stuff that you can almost grantee that other musicians wont have the same sounds as you. OVERALL OPINION The quality of the sounds are very good, they can be used for almost any style of music you can think of. There is also a built in “search” engine. Where you can basically just type in what type of sound or instrument you are looking for and it will bring them up. Because when you have 5 thousands plus sounds it is easy to lose sounds or have a hard time finding one that you want. Just search , its that easy. They have constructed Sonik Synth 2 to be as user friendly as possible. I have used the first Sonik Synth, and Sonik Synth 2 blows it out of the water!

This is definitely a piece of software that you have to read the manual to. It's a little clunky and most certainly isn't intuitive, demanding that you do your homework. Once you do though, there's little difficulty. SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE The software works fine and is stable, but the interface is showing its age. It doesn't use many resources, despite having built in effects. OVERALL OPINION I worked in a pro audio shop in the early 2000's. This thing then came in the form of a large, expensive rackmount device and they FLEW off the shelves. SO MUCH music was produced using these things, it's unreal. Reading the reviews here, it just goes to show how people are unaware what this thing is - basically pop-music in a box. It's the king of sound modules - everything is laid on, even the effects, panning, you name it. The software implementation does lack of course the hardware advantages of the rackmount, like multiple outputs, but for free? This is a steal. Give it a try, you really cannot go wrong with this thing for making any remotely MOR music.

Ik Multimedia software is easy to install, and authorization can be done from the Ik Multimedia webpage. The sample tank library is rather large and is installed from DVDs. It takes a while to install. One thing that really bothers me about the software is that every time you start up the application, it takes a long time for the software to load. My only explanation is that the software is looking for and making some kind of record for the the location of all the sounds. For many other samplers (Kontakt, Kore, etc) the database of sounds is built the first time the software is opened. Sample Tank seems to essentially build this database every time the application is opened. This is also true when I open it as a plug-in inside a DAW. This alone makes the software almost unusable because every time I open it up I have to wait from 5 minutes for it to load. I usually go make a cup of coffee, what a hassle. SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE The instruments in Sample Tank are totally 'under-sampled' compared to other comparable software. There are almost no velocity layers in the instruments, and it is obvious that in most cases they just took one sampled note and pitch shifted the note to other notes. The pitch shifting algorithm sounds terrible with obvious artifacts. This is also true of the time-stretching algorithm used for the loops. The amount of sounds in Sample Tank is extremely large, and along with some of the other expansion packs (Moog, Miroslav, etc.) all the main kinds of music are covered. However, the amount of usable sounds is very low. There are a few 'diamonds in the rough', but they are difficult to find because it is really hard to navigate and find instruments in side the software. The effects (reverb, chorus, compressors) are all worthless. You would be much better off using effects inside a DAW instead of using the effects in Sample Tank. OVERALL OPINION Compared to other samplers available, Sample Tank is like a prehistoric dinosaur. The interface is terrible, and the actual sounds are equally unsatisfying. IK Multimedia has clearly put its resources into developing mobile iOS apps. Sample Tank is less than an after-thought, it probably has no future at this point. It is my impression that there was a large user base, but it must not have been large enough to be continued. I received Sample Tank when I purchased the Muse Receptor with IK Multimedia software. I do not recommend purchasing it separately. I would not purchase it myself if I had not received it as part of the other product. Unless IK Multimedia puts in some serious work on the software, the most we could hope for is that Sample Tank becomes nostalgic.

I purchased the Vienna Special Edition, and everything sounds great! These samples are the industry standard for good reason. Unfortunately, if you really want a variety of articulations (such as ponticello tremolo), you'll need to buy the extended library. This doubles the cost. Also be prepared for a bit of a learning curve, not to mention a ton of re-mixing if you already had your arrangement almost finished using a sample library other than the VI. Still, you've got to take the plunge if you need really tasty orchestra samples. You won't be disappointed, but it may take a little while (initially) to have it sounding the way you want SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE Vienna Special edition it's amazing for it's price, I have some others libraries for scoring films, but with Vienna I have way more possibilities when it comes to phrasing and expression, plus it takes me less time to give the perfect organic touch to my film scores, it sounds just great. I love it! You will love it too, because when it comes to using vst’s in todays market there are literally a ton of different vst’s. Vienna is one that you will be able to use in almost all genre’s of music. They also update the program several times a year so you can download the upgrade and fixes for free. I ran this on my macbook and it worked perfectly . I am not too sure about pc’s though, but it will probably work fine. You can call them at any time if you have any questions they have a great customer support line. OVERALL OPINION This sample library is truly amazing. The level of realism that is possible for this price is truly astounding. I highly recommend this library. To really get the most out of it though, you'll have to work a little on your mix, in particular, your dry instrument tracks to reverb ratios. Once you get it right, though, it can have amazingly life-like outcomes

I worked with it one week at a friend's. He also has Colossus, so I was able to compare them. I'll tell you more about that later! I didn't install nor authorize it, so I can't say anything about it. SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE It works very good and the design is all right. It runs fine, doesn't crash. OVERALL OPINION The sounds: You have everything. And a lot of variety, there are thousands and pretty varied sounds. Most sections (strings, pianos, etc.) offer different sound "characters", with different recordings, conditions, etc. I had the impression that several libraries were mixed together, which I love, because you have lots of choices! In terms of quality, it goes from awesome to ridiculous and awful. But you eventually end up finding what you need thanks to the number of sounds available. It's very musical: You go fast, it sounds fine, it's full of life and uses very little resources! On the other hand, it is outclassed in terms of sound by more modern libraries. Compared to Colossus, the latter has a larger library, considering the number of layers and the quality of the samples. However, Sampletank 2 is more practical and musical! When looking for a sound we started with Colossus (which is 3 years more recent + with better sampling quality) and 9 out 10 times we ended up using ST2! It's a Swiss-army knife that can save you in many situations!

Native Instruments has been around for some time, leading the music software industry with sample profiles and effects. In order to best use the software a platform had to be developed, similar to requiring a Mac or Windows OS in order to run a word processor, for example. Similarly, Native Instruments developed Kontakt in order to run in-house, licensed and third-party samplers. For those unaware of what a sample is, the most obvious would be traditional instruments, such as piano, bass, orchestra strings, etc., all of which sounds are controlled by a ‘controller,’ e.g., piano keyboard or MIDI guitar, for instance. Consequently, you can take a synth, piano or guitar and have it sound like something completely different. Originally, I investigated the Kontakt platform as I wanted to work with a sampler program called Dystopian Guitars, a third-party product developed by PulseSetter Sounds (I did a review with demos on this, as well). Kontakt was required to host Dystopian Guitars, and both worked seamlessly together – no locking up, no pausing or glitches. Moreover, Kontakt comes with its own sample library and has become the industry standard with the biggest selection of samples from Native Instruments and other sample designers – in other words, if you want variety in choosing your samples, you’re going to have the largest selection with Kontakt versus any other platform. The accompanying demo includes some sample sounds that come with Kontakt, as well as a few from Dystopian Guitars. The Kontakt program does allow a person to create his or her instruments, for those with the determination to do so. Being new to the platform, that certainly is over my head for now, but it will be an interesting project down the road. Regardless, Kontakt is very easy to use. It can be a stand-alone platform, so that you can open the program and play samples live through a computer, or it can be integrated into a DAW for recording purposes (you need to create a new soft-synth track and add Kontakt to the effects bin). Once open, you simply select what library you want (e.g., orchestra instruments) and what instrument you want. With your computer or DAW set up properly (e.g., select what instrument will control the sounds, e.g., piano keyboard), you then replicate the chosen sampled instrument, e.g., cello, violin string section, etc. In a nutshell, that is it, for both live play or if recording an instrument in your DAW, thereby developing soundscapes for movies, gaming or jamming backing tracks. You then can increase the complexity of samples, merely by adding layers onto the Kontakt platform, e.g., merging a bass guitar with a pad and perhaps a kick drum – all controlled and timed perfectly by the same notes being played on the controller. This certainly is a time saver (presuming they all play the same notes), but allows you to create a wall-of-sound for those massive Devon Townsend backing tracks. Both the ease of use and flexibility of Kontakt are key aspects to why this program is a must. Now, the latest version of Kontakt (being version 6 at the time of writing this) has some new features from the previous versions. They include a wavetable synthesis module, new instruments, new modulation effects (choral, flair and phasis), the ability to drag-and-drop your own instruments, enhanced effects and creator tools in the new standalone application. For those familiar with Kontakt, this brief overview and included demo obviously are to the point, but for new users who may be of a different musical background, e.g., a guitar player familiar with hardware (pedals and amps), like myself, the use of Kontakt and what it offers opens a door to a whole new world of composition possibilities. In that regard, the accompanying demo includes basic operation of Kontakt, and how it works within a DAW, but also its use in replacing or substituting instruments in an already created backing track (in this instance, PG Music’s Band-in-a-Box). As stated, Kontakt does include a variety of instruments, some traditional (e.g., guitar, bass, piano, strings, etc.), but also some that offer hundreds of sound variations (e.g., Ethereal Earth). Those will keep anyone busy for a while, but then there are hundreds of unusual, unique and fantastic sounding libraries available that puts an entirely different spin on the term Gear Acquisition Syndrome.

Kontakt is my one and only sample player. It's a strong and versatile program and after using it for about 7-8 years I'm still learning more and more about how powerful this thing is. I generally use Kontakt as a plug-in and outside of some occasional samples I've programmed myself in some of Logic's synthesizers, I use Kontakt exclusively for sample playback, editing, and creation. Most projects I've done start with me opening a multi-channel instance of Kontakt and loading up the sounds I need. For a complete beginner it might take a bit to realize the full potential of this program, such as the sample editing capabilities and using the multi-channel aspect to save CPU, but it's generally straightforward. Once it's loaded up, all you have to do is find your sounds and double-click. The Kontakt sound libraries themselves are pretty decent although not the best. The orchestral samples are very flexible and controllable, but just don't sound that great. However, they can be effectively utilized mixed-in with more professional samples for a bigger, fuller spectrum of sound. I find the strings, for example, to be a bit harsh but that can be great if you want to boost the upper frequencies of a more dull string patch, or a synth pad. In the end, there are some decent sounds in there but you have to go looking. The best thing is to separate all the sounds that really excel into another folder for easy access. Besides being a great sample player, Kontakt has been really useful to me in creating and editing my own samples. You can drag and drop any audio file into the Kontakt interface and it is immediately mapped out and pitch shifted onto the midi keyboard. After that you are free to edit the audio in so many different ways and add other audio files as well to make an entire sample collection in one .nki file. I've used this function to create my own sample libraries of percussion instruments that I've collected over the years and I've already started on some cool flutes and other wind instruments I've got lying around as well. It's an incredibly easy process and can also be really useful for sound design. You can drag any audio audio at all in and then mess with it as much as you want. Sometimes the results of random experimentation can be quite useful. I really can't see any big cons to this software, I'm just such a fan. There isn't much it can't do and there are seemingly endless possibilities. Cheers!

Kontakt is a software application and plug-in that can be used as a stand-alone software instrument, or as a plug-in inside a DAW. It is primarily a 'sample playback' engine and comes with a decent library. Kontakt can be expanded by purchasing more individual sound libraries with more sounds. You can also also create your own sound libraries in Kontakt with your own samples if desired. The software can be purchased as an individual software application, however I received it as part of the Native Instruments Komplete Bundle. It can be downloaded off the NI website and installed. Authorization is completed using the NI Service Center application. SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE Kontakt is really easy to get started with. The libraries are easy to use - just drag and drop and play your keyboard. However, Kontakt also allows for deep editing for the experienced user. I am not an expert user by any means, because there is a whole scripting language that can be used for users that really want to program kontakt. I have created sampled drum libraries as Kontakt instruments. The round-robin and velocity layer sample playback is easy to set up, but it might take looking through the manual to understand. My recommendation is to experiment. OVERALL OPINION There are many sample-playback applications on the market. Kontakt comes out ahead in my mind because of the amount of libraries available in the Kontakt format, the innovative user interface, the flexibility of use, and the constant addition of new features. The sample libraries from NI for Kontakt are a bit hit-and-miss. There are a few that stand out in my mind - Damage, Alicia's Keys, Session Strings Pro, etc. There are a few that I don't like - Balinese, George Duke, etc. And a bunch that are average, Studio Drummer, Classic Pianos, etc. There are also a bunch of third part sound libraries to consider. I used Steven Slate Drums 3 in Kontakt for a long time before he released his own stand-alone application. Serious composers should probably look at EastWest libraries rather than Kontakt. If you are looking to just do some general propose music producing/mixing, Kontakt is the way to go.

Digidesign's Structure Free is the free version of this software that I got free with Pro Tools 8. I don't know if it can be had for another version of Pro Tools or whatever, but I do know for sure that you get it for free when you purchase and get an upgrade to Pro Tools 8. Structure is basically a sampler that allows you to manipulate your sound in a variety of different ways. I didn't need to do anything to install and get the software running, as it took care of it all when I installed Pro Tools 8. I'm still learning all the ins and outs of the software, but the typical functions and parameters are pretty easy to follow and understand after a few uses. It is definitely a powerful piece of software, even in it's free form. There is a whole lot that you can do with it and it will certainly take some time to learn it all. However, if it's something that you think you'll be using a lot, I'd recommend getting the full version. I haven't seen a manual for this software, but next time I open it up I'm going to seek one out so I can get more familiar with it. SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE I'm running Pro Tools LE 8 and Digidesign's Structure Free on a Mac Book Pro that has a 2.2 Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo processor and 4 GB of RAM. I run Pro Tools with a Digi 002R audio interface, and within this configuration I can't say I've had a problem running this software. I generally don't have any issues within my home rig, as it is pretty sturdy and is able to handle a good amount. Having said this, I've only needed to run one of these within a session at a time, so if you're wondering about how well it would run if you wanted to run a bunch of them at once, I can't speak to that. OVERALL OPINION While I don't use this software enough to upgrade to the full version, I'm definitely happy to have the free version of Structure in my home rig, as there is still a lot that you can do with it even in this limited version. The full version doesn't cost too much, but until I feel I start to use this enough to warrant buying it, I'll stick with the free one. Like I said earlier, I don't really know if you can get this outside of Pro Tools 8, but I will say that if you have Pro Tools 8 you should definitely have checked out this by now. It's overall a very powerful piece of software and it's great that you get a free version of it with Pro Tools 8...

Installing the Steinberg Halion virtual symphony orchestra software wasn't a problem at all and only took a short while. I didn't have any compatibility problems as I ran this within Steinberg Cubase, so everything was compatible. The interface of the software is quite user friendly as it isn't hard to choose between the different instruments and even to change specifics about the sounds and to change the effects. After playing around with the software for a little while I was able to understand pretty much everything going on with it and I have little doubt that most of you out there will be able to do the same and for this reason I don't think that a manual is necessary. SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE I am no longer running Steinberg Halion as I no longer use Cubase SX, but when I did I ran it on a Hewlett Packard lap top with a 3.0 Ghz processor and 2 GB of RAM. The only reason I no longer use it is because I have switched to Pro Tools and this isn't a compatible piece of software with Pro Tools. While I was running this in Cubase I was able to run it quite well without any processing power problems. As long as you have a decent system I think you'll be okay with running this software. OVERALL OPINION I first used Steinberg Halion about four or five years ago as it was one of the first virtual orchestras that I used and used it a lot as I was always impressed with the sounds. While they aren't the most realistic looking back, they do get the job done if you want to get some orchestra sound in your songs at a cheap price. It is versatile software which definitely adds to the reasons that this is a good piece of software. The price is reasonable, but I would probably recommend looking into the newer versions of this software as it probably sounds better and is more up to date...