IK Multimedia has released an update of its SampleTank music creation app.
SampleTank, a “sound-and-groove-module” app for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, is now fully optimized to support the larger screen of the iPhone 5 and the new iPod touch, while taking advantage of the enhanced graphics capabilities of the Retina display.
SampleTank features 16 instrument categories and includes over 500 sounds, from drums to pianos to basses to synths to guitars and many more. Users can customize the sounds through editable parameters such as volume, attack, and filter; and with insert effects and a master reverb. Additional instruments, patterns and grooves are available in instrument-specific expansion sound packs.
SampleTank now also is capable of increased polyphony: up to 64 simultaneous voices are now available.
Pricing and Availability
SampleTank is available for $19.99/€17.99 from the App Store on iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. A free version of the app, SampleTank FREE, is also available, which includes 20 instrument sounds and can also be expanded with the optional sound packs via In-App Purchase.
Still no audiobus support. I’d really like to see all synth apps support tabletop, jack and audio bus.
Wouldn’t it be easier if Apple would integrate a true pasteboard and internal audio routing system instead of forcing every app developers to be compatible with every 3rd party conduits on IOS just like they did with CoreMidi?
** Available on IOS! Now compatible with Audiobus, Jack, WIST, MIDI, ACP, Tabletop, IOLibrary, and whatnot **
You may want Apple to decide what options you have – but we’re better off with developers competing to bring us the best technologies.
Look at Jack and Audiobus – does any other platform have two very well designed options for routing audio between applications?
The same was said about Midi before Apple implemented CoreMidi as a standard. The problem now with Audiobus/Jack/Whowillbenext audio routing system is in how apps have to be specifically coded to support one of these platform. It would be much simpler if IOS has some kind of universal audio routing conduit which would work with every app. Then you could have different apps that lets you connect things any ways you like, much like MIDI and OSC right now.
I think Jack looks much more flexible than Audiobus, but how many apps will support it alongside Audiobus? Will it goes the same ways as the other ACP competitors? (I hope not)
“The same was said about MIDI”?
I don’t remember anyone saying this about MIDI, ever, and I’ve been into iOS music apps from day one. Everybody wanted Apple to bring MIDI to it, except for the naysayers who are always saying mobile devices are toys.
Audio routing is different, obviously, because there isn’t an audio routing standard equivalent to MIDI for Apple to implement.
There are audio routing standards, they are called DAW’s and Plugins, Audio Units (AU) and Virtual Studio Technology (VST).
I think it would be perfectly feasible to run any audio app within a master app. Auria and Tabletop are some examples of how it could be implemented, but Apple don’t want to go that route with IOS, … yet.. I’m still hoping someday.
Your not making any sense – Plugins and daws are not standards for routing audio betwn apps, like Audiobus or Jack.
And the fact that developers have to support 3 or 4 plugin ‘standards’ on Mac and Windows is one of the reasons desktop soft synths cost 10 times as much as ones for iOS.
iOS audio is evolving to be much more powerful than on OS X – soon you’ll be able to connect anything to anything. So don’t ask Apple to go backwards, ask them to go forwards!
“Plugins and daws are not standards for routing audio betwn apps, like Audiobus or Jack.”
Really? Could you explain to me why an AU or a VST plugin works in pretty much every DAW’s? How is that not a standard for routing audio between apps?
“soon you’ll be able to connect anything to anything.”
Oh yeah, … the “soon” argument, I have been hearing about this for 5 years now, it still haven’t happened, but good luck with that. In the meantime, we have been able to connect onnect anything to anything on OSX and Windows since the beggining of computing times, but this is mostly because these platform don’t enforce sandboxing like IOS does.
“Could you explain to me why an AU or a VST plugin works in pretty much every DAW’s? How is that not a standard for routing audio between apps?”
Sure – AU, VST, RE and other options are standards for running software within a DAW, not for routing audio between any apps. Audiobus and Jack are for connecting audio from ANY app to any other app, which is WAY more powerful. They make your iOS virtual studio completely modular.
“we have been able to connect onnect anything to anything on OSX and Windows since the beggining of computing times,”
Do tell us how you’ve been routing audio between your music apps ‘since the beginning of computing time’, using VSTi, AU, RTAS, AAS or RE. You haven’t – because none of those options are designed to do what AudioBus or Jack do.
Now, could you explain to me why you think it makes sense to pay for four or five different formats of a plug-in, like you do now on Windows or OS X? I actually like being able to get inexpensive soft synth on iOS!
Also, why do you want your soft synths to be able to crash your DAW, like they can on your desktop?
“a DAW, not for routing audio between any apps”
Yes its true, but you have forgot about Virtual Audio Cables (which works with absolutely every apps), and Rewire.
“They make your iOS virtual studio completely modular.”
Eh no they don’t, a few apps maybe, but on my ipad I have at most 5% of apps supporting ACP/Audiobus/whatever,.. The majority of music apps on iTunes is not compatible with ACP/Audiobus/whatever. To me that is not completely modular.
“You haven’t – because none of those options are designed to do what AudioBus or Jack do.”
Again, don’t forget about Virtual Audio Cables (which I used to transport audio from DOS Fast Tracker do my DAW for example), and don’t call me a liar if you have never heard of it. And also don’t forget about Jack for OSX, which has been there for quite some time too before appearing on IOS.
“Now, could you explain to me why you think it makes sense to pay for four or five different formats of a plug-in, like you do now on Windows or OS X?”
I don’t know where you buy your plugins, but the one I have purchased contained every plugin versions, both for Windows and OSX.
“Also, why do you want your soft synths to be able to crash your DAW, like they can on
your desktop?”
Yeah, because no IOS apps ever crashes ever ?.. and besides, what kind of plugins and computers do you use as they seem very prone to crashing, that never happens to me, even with over 1000 plugins loaded up in my DAW. I also like how you are implying that even OSX must be crashing all the time as opposed to IOS, which is just not true. I guess some people really are not good with computers.
You can deny it any ways you want, but everybody would wet their pants if Apple were to release an IOS version of Logic with the possibility to use AU/VST plugins, or let other people do it.
If you think having all these competing standards for audio in one OS is great then you should really be into using Linux for audio. I mean Linux has so many different competing standards and frameworks that it takes hours to get anything to work with anything. Not sure why Apple wants to see the “Linuxification” of it’s audio apps but if you enjoy spending hours tweaking crap until it sort of works like on Linux then the future is bright for iOS. Otherwise not so much.
I love Macs but I think Apple is just losing it these days. They are always slow and behind schedule on everything, It started with taking 5 years to update Logic but now 5 years for Mac Pros, still haven’t resolved audio on iOS even though it could work just as well as OS X, I don’t care about Apple TV but they aren’t exactly blazing into the future with that either,they could have made a 4k game console out of it instead of nothing … and the vaporware watch? pfft, that’s probably 10 years out. Apple just gives off a vibe of a company that can’t keep anything on schedule anymore. Worst of all it’s certainly not for lack of resources since they have billions of cash. I mean they can’t just throw 20 mil at a team of Stanford Phds to slam together a new Mac Pro without losing time from other projects? If Windows didn’t suck so much I’d think about switching but Windows 8 is ridiculous. Sadly when seeing the Apple brand my mind is no longer seeing “Think Different” but “Chronically Late” (and if you’re gonna be late you don’t get to be overpriced too…)
“I love Macs but I think Apple is just losing it these days. ”
I’m pretty sure that every other company in the computer industry would not mind ‘losing it’ like Apple is.
They will never be as innovative as we imagine that they ought to be, though. Their most revolutionary devices (iMac, iPad, iPhone, iPad) tend to come 3-4 years apart, so I’m thinking that they should have something that shakes things up pretty soon. In the meantime, though, they’re stacking paper to the tunes of billions every quarter.
I contacted IK and they told me that they intend to add Audiobus to Sample Tank.
Patience eager one….. patience! 😉
Thanks for sharing that!
I imagine that everybody is going to add it pretty soon, what with Apple throwing their weight behind the standard and there being 100+ apps supporting it already.
I’m deeply impressed with IKM, especially since I saw the first video of a person playing a nice piano piece with just a keyboard and an iPhone sporting SampleTank. When the most problematic aspect of playing anywhere but at home is hauling a controller that works for you, that’s beyond magical. I agree that Audiobus or a similar system should become the standard for routing. That will still take a while, as we’re still on a big shakedown cruise with all of the iCrap, but for sound quality, we’re there.
Goode
“I don’t know where you buy your plugins, but the one I have purchased contained every plugin versions, both for Windows and OSX.”
Which means you paid for your plugin to be coded at least times. Why do you think soft synths cost $100 on Windows & Mac instead of $10-20 on iOS?
PS: I liked the part where you dissed my computer skills and then said you run with 1000 plugins at the same time. You definitely know your stuff!
“Why do you think soft synths cost $100 on Windows & Mac instead of $10-20 on iOS?”
Why Photoshop costs over 1000$ for Windows/OSX and costs 10$ on IOS? Do you believe its because it has a different plugin architecture? No, its because IOS apps are usually much simpler and less capable than their desktop counterpart, and thus require less coding and testing, or they are old software repackaged as an app, much like the new Arturia Mini.
Using your logic, why do you believe Garage Band is free for OSX and costs 5$ on IOS (even though the IOS version is a limited version of the OSX Garageband)? Crystal XT is also free for desktops, yet costs 5$ for IOS. There are many more free apps for Windows/OSX, just like the Arturia Mini which was given for free last year and are now selling it for 20$ on IOS.
Seriously where did you got the belief that supporting different plugins format does makes the prices go higher,? Its like saying an app has to be completely reprogrammed for Audiobus or ACP, which is not true, you just need to add the approprate module/code to your app. Does apps costs more because they are compatible with a 3rd party conduit? No. Its the same with plugins.
Why has none of the 100$+ plugins your are talking about have not been released for IOS? Where is Massive? Where are the Native Instruments and Arturia synths collection? Where is U-he Diva? Where is D16 and Gforce? Where is Reason? Why do you believe Maschine on IOS is a severely limited version of its desktop counterpart?
Haven`t you noticed how Apple does not want pricy apps in their store? And how people complains when an app is 10$ or more?
“I liked the part where you dissed my computer skills and then said you run with 1000 plugins at the same time.”
Guess why I dissed your computer skills? You don`t even know the difference between “loading up” and “running”. “Loaded up” means : they are available in the DAW, but they are not actually running all at once. This is basic stuff you would know if you had computer skills. But I do have some projects where there’s over 50 plugins involved and I have never seen a single crash. If your DAW is crashing all the time on Windows or OSX, you must be doing something wrong.