Soft-Sampler Quandry

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mark4man

mark4man

MoonMix Studios
Hey...!

Sorry for the overlapping inquiry...but I thought I should post also in this forum [&...after hearing the difference between sound module pianos & sample-based pianos over at Pugatory Creek...& in conversing with digital musicians (many here at the BBS) on the qualities/limitations of each, I'm leaning more towards a Soft-Sampler.]

Here's my basics:

Right now, I do not need extensive envelope & parameter shaping...I just need a reliable software sampler that will run efficiently in my DAW (SONAR XL 2.2); [& of course be triggered by its MIDI tracks]; & has realistic piano & acoustic guitar sounds.

So...1) If I went towards NI, what is the basic difference between Kontakt & Kompakt?

Does Kompakt also come with libraries? If so, how are the pianos (I need grands, uprights & some electrics) & acoustic guitars (I need 6 & 12 strings, strumming & otherwise)?

[Drums, synths, FX, etc. seem to sound fine out of my present ROMpler (JV-1010.)]

Can both (Kontakt & Kompakt) play other formats?

2) Without starting a soft-sampler war...how are SampleTank, VSampler; & others? Seems like NI has all the damn awards!

Thanks very much,

mark4man


BTW - Forget GS3. It crashed my box real bad. Found out later I needed to disable hyperthreading in the BIOS for it to run; & then found out from my PC mfg. that my BIOS is not that advanced (currently running a 2.53GHz; & would need the BIOS for a 3GHz.) Needless to say...it's going back...or a trade to Kontakt...or something. Thanks.
 
You can download a demo version of Kontakt here.

The only opinion that matters is one's own especially when spending a large amount of dosh...
 
Kompakt's library is far superior to Kontakt's. Kontakt's is actually kind of sad. But the parameter shaping is more limited with Kompakt. If you buy Kontakt, you can buy Kompakt (with its library) for $100. That ends up at $479. Or, you could buy Kompakt, then upgrade to Kontakt for $220. That's $420.

I'd recommend trying Kompakt, then making the upgrade if necessary. You'll never regret having the library of the first, and the functionality of the second.

There's samples of both piano and acoustic guitar tracks at the Kompakt page.
 
ssscientist & Chrisjob,

Thanks much.

I've shifted my focus toward MachFive, because...A) It plays every sample format known to man: & 2) It plays PlugSound samples, which I really love the quality of [notwithstanding the fact that USB (PlugSound) licensed it's UVI engine to MOTU, which makes them sort of affiliated.]

What do you blokes think of Mach5?

Thanks again,

mark4man
 
mark4man said:
What do you blokes think of Mach5?
Click to expand...
Oooh! I lurve being called a bloke! It's so, well, UK-ish!

The Mach5 has gotten good reviews, including a very credible one in Sound on Sound, IMHO the worlds best gear mag. Since their review is behind a 'subscribers only' wall, here is the summary.
-----------------------
MOTU Mach Five £295
pros
Easy to use, yet one of the most powerful sample-based devices on the market.
Good value — if you need just one copy!
Great bundled sound library.
Easy access to other sample libraries.
cons
Cross-platform musicians will have to buy Mach Five twice if they want to use it on their Mac and PC.
Requires a lot of your CPU power and RAM when being used multitimbrally with lots of effects.
Hogs screen space.
summary
One should never talk in absolutes in a review, but I can't help thinking that this might be the ultimate sample player currently on the market.
----------------------
You can find the full article in the current (December) issue of Sound on Sound -- this looks like one SERIOUS soft sampler...
 
two words...vsampler 3. ok maybe not 2 words but hey. its a respected sampler thats been out for a long time.

http://www.vsampler3.com

under $200 and just as good as kontakt, halion, emulatorx, mach v ect. IMHO.

It just doesnt come with a big library. but you can use the money you save and get any of the great sample CD's out there.

of course if you need a pretty carboard box, a bunch of bundled sounds that probably aren't that great and want to spend $300 - $400, then kontact, halion, emulatorx, mach v will do nicely. :p
 
stevem554 said:
of course if you need a pretty carboard box, a bunch of bundled sounds that probably aren't that great and want to spend $300 - $400, then kontact, halion, emulatorx, mach v will do nicely. :p
Click to expand...

Pretty tough talk for a newbie... ;) And you've actually used Kontakt, Halion, Emulator X and Mach V, right? I'd hate to think you're just talking thru your hat.
 
just got thru with my dial-up download of the vsampler3 demo
Click to expand...
Yeah...me too.

(Decided to go with it beacuse...in searching around the net for sample CD's, I ran across the SoundScan series from Universal Sound Bank. They we're .wavs. I thought...what's the deal...they (USB) offer formats other than UVI? Went back to the USB site; & sure enough, there they were. I just flat-out missed them before, that's all. Now, I can get the same USB sample quality in a standard format; & play/tweak them in VSampler instead of MachFive!...I'm happy.)

Anyway...got VSampler configured in SONAR. Let me know if you have any questions.

mark4man
 
<< Pretty tough talk for a newbie... And you've actually used Kontakt, Halion, Emulator X and Mach V, right? I'd hate to think you're just talking thru your hat. >>

I'm sorry if I came across as arrogant :) I didn't mean to.

I'm a newb on this forum but have been doing midi music since the days of the mac classic and opcode sequencers...even before exctasy was popular
:eek:

true, I've only demo'ed kontact and vsampler 3. so I am talking thru my hat. but I have scoured forums in search of peoples opinions. I was mainly making a point regarding price. for $200 you will get a sampler *as good as* any of the others.

but I did say for the extra money (hal, kon, emu, mach) will do nicely.
:p
 
I have Emulator X and it *is* an awesome soft sampler. FWIW, I also have Cakewalk Project 5 and Kinetix, and NI FM7, I have used Kontakt. I am not a huge fan of Kontakt, but FM7 rocks for FM sounds.

I should also note that these *complement* my hardware synth setup, and do not replace any of them.
 
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