

So, if you're a newbie like me, take note of this. I should also mention that this was my first experience with a virtual sampler and I've since found out they need tons of RAM allotted to their host application as the samples are stored in RAM. I should mention that SampleTank 2 worked fine in MacOS X right off the bat, as did MachFive. I wouldn't have thought to increase it this much (I had it set to 437 MB, up from the suggested allotment of 137 MB), but it seemed to solve the problem as SampleTank 2 seems rock solid now.

(Thanks Derek!) The fix in this case was to increase Pro Tools memory allotment in the Finder to 700 MB. But the next day, I called IK Multimedia's tech support, and they were very responsive and friendly, and they quickly solved the problem. I wish that I could say that I found some help in the manual, but this was not the case, as the manual was a bit on the skimpy side (65 pages) and not the easiest to navigate. This was the first time in over eighteen months that Pro Tools was seriously unstable on my system. However, with my initial installation of SampleTank 2 in MacOS 9, I was unable to keep the plug-in from crashing, even with only one voice activated. If you want a review that's based on maxing out the software with hundreds of voices, samples and MIDI channels-and subsequently hosing the computer-this isn't it. And with both of these plug-ins, you can open as many instances as your computer will support! I suppose hardcore MIDI users and electronic musicians may use up all available voices, but I'll never come close I tend to reserve sampled sounds for layering additional textures under real instruments and musicians. Both can supply sixteen multi-timbral parts, with SampleTank 2 capable of 256- note polyphony per instance, and MachFive 128-note polyphony per part, which is 2048 notes polyphony per instance. Both of these samplers have far more power than the average small studio or project recordist will ever need.

Last December, both SampleTank 2 XL and MachFive showed up at the Tape Op offices. While the LE version had some good sounds, it was obviously a lightweight version, which left me wanting a more powerful sampler and sound library. I've been looking for a good RTAS sampler plug-in since I played around with SampleTank SE, which was bundled with my Digi 002.
