Play

The Play Page: Browse thousands of instruments from Hip Hop to Classical and make quick adjustments on the fly

If you enjoyed the ease of SampleTank 2, you'll love SampleTank 3. It gives you 16 "Parts" that work like a channel on a mixing board or a track on a DAW.

Parts are powerful. You will use them when selecting instruments, applying effects and using MIDI Patterns. Each Part can contain one instrument and up to 128 MIDI Patterns, and each has its own 5 insert effect slots — now you have a quick way to modify your sounds individually. For more global effects, each part also contains 4 insert effect sends that let you easily send your sounds to effects that process multiple instruments simultaneously like delays and reverbs. Parts are also flexible. Each Part can be assigned to any MIDI channel letting you layer, split and perform complex multi-timbral sequencing with ease.

The Browser

Finding sounds has never been easier. SampleTank 3 features an easy-to-use streamlined browser. Use it to quickly find the sounds you need. Its tabs let you easily navigate between all the essential elements of the Play Page: MULTI, INSTRUMENT, PATTERN and LIVE.

Need help? Try the INFO tab at the bottom of the Browser, that's where you'll find all the important details for each sound: its description, a list of its assigned controllers and a vivid 3D representation of the selected instrument.

For patterns, switch to the PATTERN tab for a quick way to try out new patterns at various tempos with the sounds you've already loaded.

Looking for something? SEARCH lets you use keywords to quickly find the sounds you're looking for using simple terms like music genres or sonic attributes. For example, if you want a pad sound to fill out your electronic track type "atmospheric," and SampleTank 3 will present you with a tailored sound palette of Instruments and Multis. Now you can get back to the more important business of finishing your song.

With SampleTank 3, naming, saving and deleting your Multis or Instruments is easy. Just click on the menu icon in the bottom left.

The Part Viewer

On the right is the Part Viewer. It features an overview of the 16 Parts in your selected Multi. For each Part, you can see the loaded Instrument along with easy-access controls for volume and pan.

Previous SampleTank users will find this panel very familiar! The Part Viewer is also where you select the Part to load an Instrument into or to access its Macro controls and insert effects in the control panel at the bottom.

Working With Patterns

Want to get in the groove? SampleTank 3 includes an outstanding collection of pre-made MIDI Patterns that you can use to spice up your songs. When you click the PATTERN tab you'll see a list of the MIDI Patterns available — all easily previewable with the Browser's dedicated preview button. You can load up to 128 MIDI patterns per part with each conveniently organized on your keyboard starting from C0 with one pattern per note.

A keyboard loaded with patterns is a potent creative tool. Just imagine the possibilities of being able to trigger SampleTank 3's professionally created MIDI sequences as part of a live performance. And with these Patterns you'll always find something that fits. Once assigned to keys you can edit your Patterns to suit the tone of your song by applying quantization, changing the intensity of the Pattern's dynamics or even transposing the Pattern up-or-down. And should you need to take it further you can drag your edited Pattern straight into the DAW of your choice, and it will retain all of your carefully considered fine-tuning.

Once your patterns have been loaded where you want them, you can use the Global Play button at the bottom to start and stop all enabled Patterns simultaneously.

Realistic playing with Articulation

Different playing styles are what give real instruments their distinct character. SampleTank 3 gives you an unparalleled degree of dynamic expressiveness through its "round robin" feature and multiple articulations, both of which help you mimic the organic tonality of real instruments.

Think of articulations as different playing styles. For example, a violinist doesn't just trigger notes but instead uses a variety of techniques — like Pizzicato plucks, abrupt Staccato bursts and sustained Sostenuto tones — to express a full spectrum of musical emotions. SampleTank 3 lets you apply the same principle to a majority of its sounds. These articulations are easy to use and can be played in a variety of ways: assign them to a specific key, control them with the modulation wheel or simply cue them by playing different velocities. This is particularly noticeable when it comes to acoustic instruments where subtle changes in technique — like finger plucking versus pick playing on a bass — make all the difference.

Going Live

If you have a gig to go to, you've got to check out SampleTank 3's LIVE tab. It's where you can quickly organize your sounds for live performance.

After you've picked your instruments you can create an entire Setlist. And with SampleTank 3's smart loading system, you will have all your Instruments, Multis and Effects pre-loaded for you so you can switch sounds instantaneously and segue into your next song without having to wait. SampleTank 3 handles the details — now you have a sound workstation that you can perform with on stage with confidence.

Layers, Splits and Multi-Timbral Sequencing

Mix, match and let your creativity run wild: SampleTank 3 makes it easy to use multiple instruments. Want to combine an Acoustic Bass with a Vibraphone? It's a breeze. Just assign whatever Parts you'd like to the same MIDI channel. It's just as simple to split your keyboard to play multiple instruments. Just do the same thing but use the Edit page to choose which keys trigger which instrument. To play multiple parts at once, such as with a sequencer or DAW, assign each Part to its own MIDI channel. Now you can play each Part as though it were its own sound module.

With 5 insert effects and 4 effect sends on every Part — plus additional racks of outboard processors — it's like having 16 different sound modules to play with! SampleTank 3 gives you the power, flexibility and versatility to develop complex sounds and arrangements with an interface so effortless that even a non-musician can understand it.

The Macro Panel: Sound Editing Made Easy

Immediately take control with SampleTank 3's new Macro Panel. Now each and every instrument in SampleTank 3's 33 gigabyte sound library comes with a customized instrument-specific Macro Panel that features 8 of the most relevant controls. Now you can quickly fine-tune the sounds you want: adjust the release of your pads, the key percussion of your organ, the volume of the kick in your drum kit and much more. Now you'll spend more time playing and less time editing.

As noted, these Macro controls vary from instrument to instrument. For example, on a piano you can control its lid, its harp resonance and the amount of room reverb applied. Or, on a drum kit, you can adjust the volume of each individual drum and cymbal as well as the level of compression applied. These Macros are there to make your life easier. Now you'll always have the controls you want, right where you need them.

The FX Panel: Fast Access to Your Insert Effects

SampleTank 3 is all about keeping your workflow clean and efficient, which is why it now lets you quickly preview the the effects in a Part's 5 effects slot via the "FX" button.

Click the FX button at the lower right to change the panel’s display from the Macros to the FX. Select the Part you want in the Part Viewer above, then simply click the effect slot to view, edit or bypass the loaded effects. For maximum ease you can even load new effects right from this panel.

Mix

The Mix Page: A DAW within a DAW

The MIX tab is where SampleTank 3 gives you the familiar interface of a DAW mixer with console-style channel strips and insert FX. There are three kinds of Channels: Part Channels that contain SampleTank Instruments, Return Channels that are used for global-style effects (like delay and reverb) that can be used for several Instruments simultaneously and the Master Channel where you can perform all your final mastering processing.

The Part Channels

Channels 1-16 represent each of the 16 Parts in SampleTank 3. Each Part can contain a single SampleTank Instrument with a channel strip that gives you mixing board style controls for volume, pan, mute and solo.

Use the 4 send buttons and use the send knob to adjust the send levels from the channel to the 4 Return Channels where you'd typically put multiple instrument effects as opposed to those used on each channel. You can also use the sends to create “groups” for processing with bus processors like compressors, limiters and equalizers.

At the top of each channel strip are the 5 insert effects slots. Click to load any of SampleTank's 3 effects into any slot – there are no limitations other than that of your computer’s CPU power.

The effect slots are serial: the first slot feeds the second slot, the second slot feeds the third slot and so on. These effects process only their own channel, just the individual Part and its loaded Instrument.

Use an effect slot to view the effect in the FX Panel at the bottom of the window just like on the PLAY page.

The Return Channels

To the right of the 16 Part Channels are the 4 Return Channels. These channels do not contain Instruments but instead are fed a signal from the 4 effect sends on each of the Part Channels. This lets you send signals from any Part Channel to any Return Channel.

Typically, the Return Channels are used for effects fed from multiple instruments like reverbs and delays — for example, you can use just one ConvoRoom reverb for your piano, string pad or synth lead. But you can also use the Return Channels as “groups” to process several Instruments together with bus processors like compressors, limiters and equalizers. The Black 76, White 2A and Model 670 limiters and Tube Program EQ are exceptional for bus processing.

This technique is especially powerful with multiple drum channels. For example, put your kick drums on one channel, snare drums on the next channel and toms on another channel. First process them individually with their insert effects and then equalize and compress them as a group for a punchy and aggressive sound that's suitable for any genre. Bus processing helps you “glue” multiple elements together by using common processing on the group which adds clarity and punch to your production. The best mixing engineers have used this technique for years. Now you can use it right inside your Instrument before it even reaches the DAW. It’s like having 4 additional master channel strips!

The Master Channel

IK Multimedia made a big splash with its T-RackS mastering suite of top analog-modeled effects and precision digital processors. T-RackS provides you with the tools to “master” your final mix with global equalization, compression, limiting and even stereo width adjustments and subtle global reverb effects. Now you can do the same thing right inside SampleTank 3.

The Master Channel has 5 effect slots just like the Part Channels and Return Channels. Once you have dialed in the effects on your individual Part Channels and used the sends to apply reverbs and delays — plus any bus processing of groups of instruments — you can then master your final output with effects on the Master Channel. And we mentioned T-RackS for a reason: 4 of the best analog modeled mastering effects from T-RackS are included in SampleTank 3: the Black 76, White 2A and Model 670 limiters as well as the Tube Program EQ. All of these effects have been meticulously modeled after some of the most famous analog studio outboard gear of all time.

This is equipment that's defined the sound of some of the biggest hits in popular music, from classic rock to modern electronic music. You will not find effects of this quality included in any other virtual instrument on the market today.

Working with Effects

The MIX page makes working with effects easy. It features an FX Panel that displays the controls for the selected effect so you can quickly and easily dial in the exact sound you’re after. We’ve taken the same eye-catching design aesthetic of the instrument icons to the effects themselves: Guitar amp effects actually look like guitar amp panels. Classic studio outboard gear looks exactly like its outboard hardware equivalent and the same goes for all the included stomp boxes. SampleTank 3’s new effects follow the same beautifully designed approach. More than just a set of parameters, SampleTank 3’s effects give you the look and feel of the studio effects that have defined music from the ‘60s to the present. And with the legacy of AmpliTube and T-RackS you can trust that they sound like the real thing.

Full Amps

American Vintage T British Tube Lead 2 Jazz Amp 120

Modern Tube Lead SVT Classic Amp Combo

Amp Components

Cabinet Preamp

Tone Control

Distortion

Overscream Crusher

Distortion Overdrive

EQ and Dynamics

Black 76 White 2A Compressor EQ Comp

Model 670 Vintage EQ-1A Parametric EQ Limiter

Modulation

Chorus C1 Electric Flanger Uni-V AM Modulation Chorus Env Flanger Flanger

Opto Tremolo Rotary Speaker Small Phazer Multi Chorus Phaser Tremolo FM Modulation

Reverb and Delay

Acoustic Resonance Hall Reverb Plate Reverb Ambience Delay

Tape Echo ConvoRoom Reverb Reverb Delay