IK Multimedia have made their latest version of SampleTank 2.5.5 available for all users as a free and fully functional download complete with a 579Mb sample library. SampleTank, described as; ‘the ultimate sample work station’ has been around for quite a while, and certainly ranks highly among the best. SampleTank is 16 part multi-timbral with a staggering 256 voice polyphony assignable to seperate midi channels.  There are 16 individual stereo outputs which are easily routed to the host mixer with a simple scroll of the channel selector. In the Effects menu you will find 33 DSP based multi effects processors powered by IK Multimedia’s hugely respected products such as; Amplitube, T-Racks and the Classic Studio Reverb series. The synth-sampler engine in SampleTank is cool too. There are a total of 50 sound editing features made accessible by selecting a parameter control such as; Macro, Synth, Filter or either of the two LFO’s . Interestingly, the LFO’s in SampleTank, similar to its’ sample playback engine, are fully synchable to the host tempo. On a subjective note, I found one of the most impressive features in SampleTank to be the extremely powerful ace – ‘Zone’ editing. Zone editing allows you to tweak individual samples of any loaded imstrument patch simply by selecting the ‘Zone’ button found at the right side of the keyboard. Once selected, you can choose any of the highlighted keys and begin to edit the individual samples by using any of the DSP processing tools available in SampleTank. SampleTanks library consists of 204 sounds hitting a total storage space requirement of 579Mb. The presets in the library represent a selection of showcase sounds taken from IK Multimedia’s SampleTank stock library, Miroslav Orchestra, SampleMoog, SampleTron and Sonik Synth 2. Multiple Instruments from the library can be layered easily by routing the seperate sounds to the same channel in SampleTank and saved as a ‘Multi’ preset for future recall. It is possible to load your own wav samples and create your own custom instruments. The process of importing is a trite complicated due to SampleTank having to convert each sample to it’s own dedicated file extension. The process involves clicking the ‘Import’ button to browse to the file or folder you wish to convert. Then from he pop-up window you must point SampleTank to a destination folder and create new folders when necessary. A second gripe concerns the miniscule text size in each of Sampletank’s windows. I found it a tad on the small side forcing the ocassional squint (even with my glorious screen goggles!), that said, I believe the design of the SampleTank is excellent. Everything appears on the first page, right there, no jumping from view to view or page switching involved. The immediacy of Sampletank’s ‘one click’ sample browser window means searching for sounds is done in a flash and the patches themselves, are loaded so quickly. Combine this with SampleTank’s ‘zone’ editing and the very impressive ‘pitch and stretch’ function and you have a first class sampler pressing for promotion to the ‘first port of call’ slot in your sample based workflow. To get your copy of SampleTank you must first register with a bonafide email address to receive the download links. Here is the page link to IK Multimedia… Enjoy!

Brought to you courtesy of Soundwrx Digital