Hey everybody, check out this press release...I think I'm going to go download it right now. If anyone tries it out, post your opinions here. --Craig
---------------------------------------------------------------- Press-Release - IK Multimedia announces SampleTank® Free Piano
Modena, 13 July 2001 - To give a perfect taster of SampleTank IK Multimedia is glad to announces the availability of Free Piano.
SampleTank Free Piano is a freeware version of SampleTank for MacOS® and Windows® which plays only the included instrument. The instrument is the smallest grand-piano included in SampleTank, it's a 7 MB instrument (14 MB of samples, compressed using SampleTank proprietary technology) with full notes range, full polyphony (up to 128 notes depending on the CPU), full effects (4 selectable among 20 high-quality DSP effects) and gives a true experience of SampleTank quality and revolutionary way of working.
SampleTank is the first software sound module which combines a sophisticated sampler/synth engine with hundreds of high quality multisampled sounds, into a VST® instrument.
You don't need to buy SampleTank, the piano really is free. They hope that once you check it out, you'll want all the other instruments that SampleTank offers too.
I've downloaded it, but not installed it yet. I'll keep you posted as to how it works...maybe even a comparison with the MDA piano.
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Craig Anderton *check out my podcast at www.cyberears.com
Registered: 08/11/00
Posts: 38
Loc: ,UT,UNITED STATES
Offline
Well, I downloaded and tried this piano out yesterday. Warning, mixed to negative review. Downloading and getting the correct response code to the Digital ID is easy. That's the only good part about the piano.
The sound on first hearing is what you expect; a tiny, tinny, thin but decent GM type piano. The decay on each note is almost immediate so you have to go to the sustain pedal. But once you use the sustain pedal on your keyboard it gets bad. As the sound dies away you hear audible hiss/white noise, etc. that really makes the piano unusable in all but maybe a game music situation. I used the piano in Logic as host and I compared it to EXS24 which I have. When I opened up the EXS24 piano I got no hiss/white noise at the end of the decay and it's not as tinny. I was using the built in outputs on my Mac to a decent pair of Roland computer monitors. If I'd used the outputs on my professional audio cards it would probably have been a little worse.
If they can't come up with a promotional piano that's at least as good as any GM piano on your average garden variety GM hardware module then I say they haven't come up with a very sexy product. If you're looking for your first VST instrument/piano then keep looking. But that's just me. Sorry for the bad vibes.
And if 9 foot Bosendorfers all weighed about 10 pounds so you could carry them anywhere that's what we'd be all using instead of these electronic stopgaps
This message has been edited by gchild@pblutah.com on 07-17-2001 at 11:40 AM
