March 26, 2015 – IK Multimedia is proud to announce that SampleTank® 3, its industry-standard sample workstation has just received a major update in the form of version 3.5. The update consists of 11 brand new sound collections, which are now also available in IK’s new SampleTank “Custom Shop”. Also introduced – by popular demand – are a spread of new features that make browsing SampleTank 3’s thousands of sounds and patterns even faster and easier than ever before.
Released in 2014, SampleTank 3 has become an indispensable tool for professional musicians due to its jaw-droppingly large 33GB library of bread-and-butter sounds (with over 4,000 instruments from every category), 55 high-quality effects, MIDI patterns, advanced groove tools and a powerfully enhanced sample engine. Now that functionality is being pushed further via the introduction of a range of downloadable sound libraries that will expand and grow alongside SampleTank 3, allowing its world of sounds to be customized to suit the needs of any creative workflow.
An expanding world of sounds
Version 3.5 marks the beginning of a massive expansion of SampleTank 3’s sound content, with new instruments, patterns and loops designed and programmed exclusively for the most powerful sound and groove workstation on the market.
11 new sound collections that cover the entire spectrum of electronic music production needs are now available for SampleTank 3 and SampleTank 3 SE. The new sounds are split between 2 different series: The Elektronika Series contains construction kit loops suited for the most popular electronic dance music genres of today. The Beats Series contains drums, percussion, special effect sounds and MIDI patterns tailored to meet the needs of modern electronic music producers.
The new Elektronika titles feature 8 genre-specific sound libraries. Each of these libraries include over 250 high-quality combinable construction loops that cover every layer of electronic dance music production: drums, grooves, basslines, melodies, stabs, effects and more. Each of these collections have been designed to take full advantage of SampleTank 3’s loop manipulation features to give musicians a new way to interact with the music they love. Genres include:
- Chillout: A laidback library of sun-drenched melodies and retro rhythms
- Deep House: An essential mix of jackin’ beats and big-room bass for sweaty dancefloors
- Drum’n’Bass: A subwoofer-rumbling assortment of bass tones and skittering breaks
- Hardcore: A brute-force assembly of powerful percussion and distorted synthesizers
- Indie Dance: A toolkit of neon synths and upbeat drums for alternative club cuts
- Minimal: A blend of funky sounds and sparse basslines for infinite grooves
- Techno: A futuristic blend of robotic riffs, industrial hits and shuffling loops
- Trance: A kit of psychedelic chords, driving bass and pads that swell into transcendence
The Beats Series titles feature 3 new libraries comprised of one-shots and construction kits – with 20 sound kits and 120 MIDI patterns, for a total of 250 MB each – that are suited for everything from the head-nodding boom-bap of hip-hop to the hands-in-the-air euphoria of stadium EDM. Specifically designed for pad controller playing, these new choices include:
- Nanotube: For avant-garde beatmakers who prefer glitches and noise to traditional percussion
- NRG: An inspiring toolkit of powerful drums and uplifting melodies for aspiring EDM producers
- Power Up: A remedy for rhythmic inspiration that provides Hip-Hop, Trap, Breaks and Electro Funk drum kits
These three new libraries join The Grid – a beatmaker-centric collection of electronic rhythms and loops released with iRig Pads – to give The Beats Series a total of 4 available titles. And, thanks to SampleTank 3’s powerful loop and pattern synchronization features, musicians can mix-and-match elements of all Beats and Elektronika libraries to create millions of different, unique and inspiring groove combinations.
With the addition of these new collections, SampleTank 3 now offers a total of 12 exciting sound libraries for electronic dance music producers and beatmakers. However, this only marks the beginning, as IK will be releasing a continuous monthly stream of new libraries, with collections geared to meet the needs of musicians and producers working in all fields of music from acoustic to electronic and beyond.
A-la-carte sounds
All the new sounds are available for purchase via the IK online store. Alternatively, they can also be directly purchased from within SampleTank 3 itself thanks to its new integration with the IK Custom Shop. First launched in 2011 for AmpliTube and then T-RackS, and with an active community of over 1,000,000 registered users, the IK Custom Shop is the most convenient way for musicians to purchase inspiring new IK Multimedia gear while using their favorite software or plug-ins.
This means that users can now browse, preview and download this world of new expansion content directly from within SampleTank 3. And since it’s a part of the Custom Shop, every new sound collection is also available for purchase via the same Gear Credits used for T-RackS and AmpliTube. And that means Gear Credits are even more convenient and valuable than ever before.
SampleTank 3’s Custom Shop sports an easy-to-use interface that makes finding new sounds a breeze. It has a visually rich categories menu that displays sound libraries as Instruments, Loops, Beats, MIDI patterns and Collections – with comprehensive audio demos for each library. Beyond this, SampleTank 3 Free users can now upgrade to SampleTank 3 SE or the full version, and SE users can upgrade to the full version seamlessly from within Custom Shop.
Play well together
These new sounds have also been designed to be experienced with IK’s growing range of companion hardware controllers. The new Beats Series is perfect for IK’s iRig Pads groove production controller, thanks to its effortlessly deep integration with SampleTank 3’s workflow. Traditional keyboard players will also find that the portability and universality of IK’s iRig Keys or iRig Keys PRO can’t be matched when it comes to playing SampleTank 3 while on the go, anytime and everywhere.
We’re listening
IK Multimedia values the feedback of its community, which is why we’ve implemented a number of features requested by producers and musicians who use SampleTank 3 to empower their daily creative lives. There is now a new favorites system, which lets musicians star and store the sounds they use most. SampleTank 3 instruments can now also be browsed using the arrow keys on any conventional computer keyboard, which makes finding that perfect sound as easy as hitting a key. In addition to these requested updates, SampleTank 3 also amps up its already gorgeous aesthetics via a new organizational system that uses banners to graphically display its libraries. Now it’s even easier to find the right sound, right when it’s needed.
More features, same price, free update
The latest update to SampleTank 3 is complimentary for current users of all existing SampleTank 3 versions. SampleTank 3 and SampleTank 3 SE users can purchase the new Beats Series and Elektronika Series sound libraries from the IK online store for $39.99* each or 50 Gear Credits in the IK Custom Shop.
The full version of SampleTank 3 is available now via the IK online store and select music instrument retailers with upgrades starting at $199.99* and for $349.99* for new users. SampleTank 3 SE, a fully functional and expandable affordable special edition with 6.5GB of sounds, is available for just $99.99*.
* All prices excluding taxes
For more information, please visit:
www.sampletank.com
SampleTank 3’s new sound libraries can be explored here:
www.ikmultimedia.com/
To watch the latest version of SampleTank 3 in action and to learn from the comprehensive set of video tutorials, please visit:
www.sampletank.com/videos
