TS 3.5 MAX-Installation process, but not in default location

[Mangocutter1]

Hi,
just bought a digital version of Total Studio 3.5 MAX. I am a new user, so I will not upgrade anything, it will be a new installation. I did some reading on the forum and the IKPM manual, but I'm still not sure if I understand the installation process. I want to do it once and for all and avoid problems with reinstallation, sound libraries, etc.
So I would be grateful for the clarification.

My PC has two drives: C (system) and D, which will fit the whole Total Studio Max (490GB). So I created IK MULTIMEDIA folder on drive D. In this folder I created 3 subfolders: "DOWNLOAD", "SOFTWARE" and "SOUNDS"

In IK Product Manager, in the "PREFERENCES" menu, I set the download folder as: D: \ IK MULTIMEDIA \ DOWNLOAD

Please clarify if my way of thinking is correct.
1. IKPM will download zipped installation files and libraries of sounds to the download folder, which can be deleted after installation or moved to an external drive as a backup copy.

2. During the Software installation process, I will point the D:\ IK MULTIMEDIA \ SOFTWARE as installation path. All applications available in Total Max Studio will be installed here. Later, using my DAW, I will select this folder to scan so that I can use both installed instruments and plugins.

3. I will install the sounds in the folder: D: \ IK MULTIMEDIA \ SOUNDS.
then I will run the previously installed Software (Sample Tank, Synktronik, Modo Bass etc.) and select the SOUNDS folder as the path to the sounds. The applications will scan what is needed. Will it work? After buying the entire Total Max bundle in the sounds tab in IKPM, I have a lot of things available and I do not know what the sound is assigned to which application (Sample Tank or Synktronik, Modo Drum etc.)

Please let me know if I understand the installation of Total Max Studio 3.5 correctly. I would be grateful for your suggestions. Or maybe there is an easier way? My goal is to download and install all from IK Multimedia in one place on the D drive (not the Windows system drive).

Regards,

[DarkStar]

A1: Yes, IKPM will download into sub-folders within the folder that you specified. After successful installation you can back-up the download files so that you do not need to download them again.

A2: I would not recommend that. I think that the installers install the stand-alone programs into sub-folders in "Program Files/IK Multimedia". Many of the programs use additional application files which are also installed on the system disk. I have always installed the VST2 plug-ins onto the system disk too. After installation of the software, select the folder containing the plug-ins in your DAW.

A3: BEFORE you install the sounds library for a product, run the stand-alone program and set the library folder in its Preference Settings;
e.g. D:\IK MULTIMEDIA\SampleTank 4, D:\IK MULTIMEDIA\Syntronik 2 and so on

In the IKPM, select one of the product libraries to install. IKPM should pick up the product's library folder that you specified above.

------------------------------------
Try this approach for one of the products with a smaller sounds library first to make sure that all is OK. If so, do the other products, one at a time, to avoid confusion.

Of course, some of the products do not have a separate sounds library and so would go completely on the system disk. Even so, the vast majority of the disk space used will be on D:

[Mangocutter1]

Thank you Dark Star! I'll follow your advice.
I still have 250 GB of space on the C drive so I will install the applications in the default locations, I hope that should be enough.

It is not clear to me according to which structure I should arrange the available IKPM sounds.
In IKPM there is no information which sound is for which instrument/application. If I understood your suggestions correctly, I should create subfolders on the D drive and arrange the sounds for specific applications, e.g. the "Sample Tank 4" folder and indicate this folder as the source of the sounds in the Sample Tank standalone application before I install the sounds. But how do I know which sounds to put in this folder? Besides, from what I've read on the forum, some sounds are common to several applications, is that true? How to do it correctly then?

Some sounds have the name of the application in their name, e.g. "Synktronik 2 Blau", so here the matter is simple and I will put this sound into the Synktronik 2 Folder. There are sounds called, for example, "Billy Cobham Drums". Are these Sample Tank sounds or maybe Modo Drum? Is there any scheme according to which I can be guided when placing sounds into different folders?

Next issue: I see in the sounds tab in IKPM large files for Sample Tank named: "Sample Tank 4 max" "180 GB, "Sample Tank 4" 80 GB, "Sample Tank CS" 3GB, Sample Tank SE 28 GB.. Should I download everything to get full functionality or is the biggest Sample Tank 4 MAX file enough?
The same applies to Synktronik (version 1 and version 2 and Synktronik 2 CS - should I install everything or if I install only version 2 will it contain everything?). Probably the CS versions of various applications are some light or trial versions, but I'm not sure.

Sorry for long questions and maybe excessive inquisitiveness, but I'd rather ask and do it right than then investigate why something doesn't work after installation.

[DarkStar]

Yes, there is so much content in the bundle that it can get a bit confusing.

250 GB on your C drive will be more than enough for the software. From memory, each product will use 1-3 GB.

i cannot recall exactly which sounds libraries are in TS3.5MAX, so some of the following may not be relevant. For what it's worth, my folder structure is:

Code: Select all

M:/IK Multimedia/
    SampleTank 3
    SampleTank 4
    SampleTron 2
    Syntronik 2

The SampleTank 3 folder includes the sounds for Miroslav Philharmonik 2 and the original Syntronik.

AFTER you have installed and authorized the software and set the relevant library folder in the Preference Settings, then when you run a sound installer from the IKPM it should pick up the correct destination folder. Billy Cobham Drums, for example is a library for SampleTank

SampleTank 4 is the only product that can load and play the sounds from the other libraries - all you need to do is add their library paths to ST4's Preference Settings / Sound Content (after you have installed all the libraries). And the ST4 software has an ST3 player built into it, to handle older sounds too.

From the "Compare versions" PDF on this page: https://www.ikmultimedia.com/products/st4/#sounds

SampleTank 4 MAX
8,000 instruments. Over 260 GB of samples.
Including:
200 GB of all-new SampleTank 4 samples.
33 GB of legacy SampleTank 3 samples (the full SampleTank 3 legacy product).
30 GB of additional content in 25 Instrument Collections:
• 3 Piano Collections (Alan Parsons Imperial Grand, Art Deco Piano, Brandenburg Piano)
• 4 Artist Drum Kits (Billy Cobham Drums, Hugh Padgham Drums, Neil Peart Drums, Terry Bozzio Drums)
• 2 Percussion Collections (Cinematic Percussion, Orchestral Percussion)
• 8 Elektronika Collections (Chillout, Deep House, Drum’n’Bass, Hardcore, Indie Dance, Minimal, Techno, Trance)
• 4 Beat Series Collections (Nanotube, NRG, Power Up, The Grid)
• American Acoustic
• Future Synths
• London Grooves
• Miroslav Philharmonik 2 CE

I have never seen or installed TS3.5MAX but I think that they would all be installed in the SampleTank 4 library folder. Can you try a couple of the Instrument Collections and let me know?

But that may not be right. Some of those Instrument Collections were originally created for SampleTank 3 but your bundle does not include the ST3 software. The sounds may get installed into a default location (somewhere on your C:/ drive). If so you can move them whole library off there to your D: drive (to D:\IK MULTIMEDIA\SampleTank 3\) and add that folder path into ST4's Preference Settings. Or, before you install those sounds you can click "More options", then "Install to" to select the desired destination.

The big "Sample Tank 4 MAX " download will include the "Sample Tank 4" and "Sample Tank CS" downloads. And "Syntronik 2" includes the "Syntronik 1" and "Syntronik 2 CS" ones. Every IK User Account gets a load of free products - these are generally named "CS" (for Custom Shop).

[DarkStar]

... any news?

[Mangocutter1]

Hi!
First of all, I wanted to thank you for the tips
I did as you suggested and everything works.
So if someone who is reading this and is in a similar situation to what I was in, i.e. after buying the whole set, you want to install it on another disk, then do as Dark Star suggests.

Install the software on the system disk (in Total Studio 3.5Max the whole thing takes about 11 GB).
After installing, run standalone versions of the application and check in the settings what is the default path for sound libraries (for me it was something like: C/Users/public/documents/ik multimedia/ folder with the name of the application. Move these folders to the drive where you want to install sounds and then indicate them in the settings of each application.
Now you can install sounds one by one through the IK Product Manager.

Sample Tank Creates two such folders: Sample Tank 3 and Sample Tank 4. Answering Dark Star's question, IKPM installed all the sounds in the Sample Tank 3 folder. There are only presets in the Sample Tank 4 folder.

Regarding the question whether it is enough to install only Syntronik 2, I wanted to say that if you do not install the first version, some presets do not work. It is likely that this principle applies to other instruments as well.

Along the way I had another problem with Miroslav Philharmonic 2 (a matter of loading the vpa file). You should then download the older version from "My products" on the IK Multimedia website. Here step by step shown: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaTO8LvDF9
Btw - the fact that this problem was reported on the forum years ago and still appears is puzzling.

Overall the installation process is tiring, IKPM asks every time if you want to install Custom Shop... it's weak. At first I was surprised what was going on and the program was installing two things at the same time, strange. I hope that all the effort will be rewarded by the quality of the plugins and sound.

Dark Star, thanks again for your support!
BR

[DarkStar]

You're welcome.

You'll be exploring those sounds for quite some time.