SampleTank 4

IK Multimedia’s SampleTank has always been designed to function as a dependable workhorse sound module that gives you a little bit of everything. It’s the kind of thing you might reach for when you’re at the composing stage and need to find a sound quickly, and don’t want to spend ages finessing it.

Version 4 doesn’t stray too far from this path, but it looks like it might do everything a bit better. It’s been redesigned from the ground up and offers a massively expanded sample library – a whopping 250GB in the Max edition, which equates to more than 8,000 sounds – that cover all the bases (and, indeed, basses).

Usability should be helped by the redesigned interface, which is now scalable and zoomable. Behind the scenes, the sound engine has been optimised and offers efficient hard-disk streaming for better performance. There are more editing options, too.

SampleTank 4 can also help you to come up with musical phrases thanks to the addition of its dynamic groove players. These include the Arpeggiator, Strummer, Phraser and Loop Manager. There’s a new Mix window that offers comprehensive control of all 16 available tracks, also including four effects sends and a master bus, with slots for five effects for advanced routing and mixing.

Speaking of effects, the number included has been raised to 70, thanks to the addition of 13 new ones. These are derived from IK Multimedia’s acclaimed AmpliTube and T-RackS software, so should be up to snuff.

Finally, there’s tight integration with IK’s iRig Keys I/O controllers. Owners of one of these keyboards can control many of SampleTank 4’s features from the hardware.