SampleTank 4 Instrument/Settings Reliability

[bpeterson1123]

I'll admit, I love the variety, sample quality and sound editing capabilities of SampleTank instruments. However. I have all but stopped using ST in favor of other sampling platforms [mod redacted] due to what I will label SampleTank's "reliability", or lack therein.

You see, I use virtual instruments exclusively within a live performance VST host setting where there is no room for error or uncertainty. ST4 was one of my first sampling engines, and I used it extensively, initially within Gig Performer, then within Cantabile as the VST host application. With both products, I experienced the same reliability issue. After multiple iterations of saving songs and setlists in Gig Performer and Cantabile, the SampleTank instruments would sometimes lose or alter their sound spontaneously and without me making any changes to the SampleTank patches. Either the instrument would not produce sound at all (even though ST still showed the instrument as loaded in a slot), or the sound would be so low as barely audible (as evidenced by the ST level meter), or the instrument would be a quarter-tone or more flat. In every instance, merely selecting and reloading the same instrument patch would fix the problem. But imagine the horror of pressing a key in live performance only to hear nothing at all, or worse yet, hearing something badly out of tune...

Since this same phenomenon has occurred in two completely different VST host environments, and since I have only experienced this loss of sound/pitch issue with SampleTank (among 50 or so other VST instruments I own), the evidence points to an issue within SampleTank. I have seen others post of similar issues when using ST within a DAW, so I know that I am not the only one that has experienced this.

So my question for the SampleTank community is this: has anyone else experienced reliability issues with saved ST instrument patches within a DAW or VST host, and if so, were you able to "fix" it or does the issue persist (albeit intermittently)? I sought out IKM's assistance, but the issue is hard to reproduce on-demand, so instead I have sadly moved away from using SampleTank for anything I deem critical for live performance. I remain eternally optimistic that someday one of the bright IKM engineers will identify the flaw and fix it in some future release. Until then, I remain in exile.

[DavidR1]

Yes I have out of tune Philharmonik 2. Cubase have Hermode tuning that mathematically works out how to tune correctly. But doesn’t work with Philharmonik 2.

[Peter_IK]

OP - have you reported this to IK Support? They can diagnose and assist you with your issue. Posting here and hoping your issue will be fixed without reporting it to the IK Support team will not get issues fixed.

[DavidR1]

Posting here and hoping your issue will be fixed without reporting it to the IK Support team will not get issues fixed.

Aren’t forums for people to air problems and issues to see if anyone else has had the same issue? If they did then how did they fix it? If you submit the ticket and get a reply there is no guarantee that the person raising the ticket will post the fix here. Steinberg would expect you to go to the forum first to see if you can find the answer. Something simple as the tuning in Cubase May we’ll have been the answer as this person didn’t report back. Also on Cubase forum you will see steinberg reps who will help out and look up it is fairly easy.

Anyway my suggestion of Hermode scaling has changed in Cubase Pro 11. It looks like they are using Scaling. You tell the software you are in the key of D major. The relative minor of D major is the key of B minor. The software manual for Cubase doesn’t seem to make clear how you change this halfway through a piece. Don’t get me started of the enharmonic shift of D major (that is C# major).

But the Philharmonik 2 and CE included in the Max Samplitude 4 are out of tune. They shouldn’t be out of tune in the first place.

Could IK actually say yes it is a known issue with Cubase? If it is Hermode Tuning is the issue, I’d say that Hermode Tuning has to be one of the worst inventions ever to be applied to DAWs because it is mathematically trying to retune something that was more than likely in not out of tune in the first place. Note this doesn’t relate to 440 MHz it relates to how Major 3rds and 5ths are tuned against the first and 7th note. If the Philharmonik 2 samples are really in tune then you shouldn’t need Hermode tuning to get the samples into tune? Likewise if the samples are really in tune then Hermode Tuning could actually put notes out of tune that were already in tune. Or were they never out of tune??? Now I am confused.

[Peter_IK]

This is not a tech support forum, this is rule #1 agree to when registering for the forum and is linked at the top of each page.

As stated many times (and I believe in the guidelines that were written because people weren't understanding the rules and how the forum works) "the exact same problem" is rarely so.

IK Support is there to help fix issues. If enough people have an issue that is an actual bug, they gather the appropriate reports and information and submit it to the developers. That way any issue is fixed that affects all, and if it is not a global issue IK Support helps fix whatever is happening for the person who reported their issue.

We will not comment here if something is a known issue as that is not what any forum admin, moderator, or user can assess. IK Support will be able to identify any known issues via the ticket system and if you have any outstanding issues please reply to your ticket for any status or detailed information about what kind of issue it is and resolution. If you feel something is factually incorrect like you claim in your post you can simply report that to them and they'll take care and/or explain what is going on.

If this thread veers off further into philosophical discussions about the IK Forum it will be locked. Let's mind the rules and best of luck in getting any issues you are having taken care of expediently by the team who are specifically hired to do so. If you have any issues with your ticket(s), there are also specific ways to get further assistance detailed in the guidelines linked above.

[Peter_IK]

And we are not Steinberg, or any other audio company, any of which will have a forum (or not) which they use in ways that are appropriate for them. We don't expect users to fend for themselves with unofficial and possibly bad advice being tried before working with the team that is in place to assist you with your problems. Other companies have their support staff manning their forum, we do not. It isn't efficient for us or our users. Every company works in a way they feel is best for their customers and the company.

Anyway, back on track please.

The multiple mentions to keep this thread on track were ignored. Locking. If you have further issues please report them to IK Support who are the folks who help fix technical issues as the users, moderators, nor admins would be able to do so in any official or likely as correct a capacity.