SampleTank 2.1 is the long-awaited update to the powerful SampleTank 2 sample workstation. Featuring many new enhancements, SampleTank 2 has once again raised the standard for multichannel sample based software instruments. The new synth engine of SampleTank 2.1 has greatly expanded its control and capabilities.

Enhanced Stretch engine
The Stretch (SampleTank Time Re-synthesis Technology) synth engine in SampleTank 2.1 has been greatly enhanced to allow more creative flexibility with a wider variety of samples. There are now 2 Stretch algorithms, Note and Phrase. These 2 separate Stretch modes make it possible to apply the Stretch synth engine to a wider variety of sounds.

The Note Stretch mode is used for single note instruments such as vocals, organs, flutes, and other pitched instruments that are played traditionally on a keyboard.

The Phrase Stretch mode is used for Looped or Phrase-based instruments. This mode is better suited for sounds that have changes in pitch and rhythmic patterns within an individual note.

In addition to the 2 Stretch modes, a Harm Pres (harmonic preservation grade) control has been added to the Stretch engine. This control works in both Note and Phrase modes. This feature allows you to control the preservation of the harmonic overtones of a sound when using Stretch. This makes it possible to fine-tune Stretch for different types of instruments, such as vocals or a tonewheel organ.

Improved Pitch-Shift/Time-Stretch Control
The Pitch-Shift/Time-Stretch function allows you to sync any loop to the sequencer tempo and to sync various loops together with a single click! Slow the tempo of loops down to zero without affecting the pitch or change the pitch of your loop in real time without changing its tempo. Play synchronized loop phrases with chords and run them through filters and effects for the first time in a virtual instrument. And now with grain control, there is even more flexibility with a wider range of loops and musical phrases. Only SampleTank 2 allows you to use loops as an instrument with unlimited expression.

The new GRAIN control changes the "grain-size" that the PSTS engine assigns to the audio. This makes the engine much more effective when working with different types of samples. Higher values make the algorithm more suitable to rhythmic material lower values make it more suitable to continuous sounds. The range is from 20 Hz to 800 Hz.

Now available as a standalone application
For the first time ever, SampleTank can be used as a standalone application. No need to launch your sequencer, if you just want to load SampleTank and play. Just open SampleTank and load your favorite preset!

Standalone mode contains all the features of the SampleTank 2 plug-in. So, now you can take all the power of SampleTank with you in a standalone application, making it an easy solution for playing your favorite sounds live with no worries about bogging down your computer with a sequencer and plug-in setup. The standalone mode can also be useful if you use a second computer for virtual instruments, as each PART can be triggered from an individual midi input and then routed to its own separate stereo output.

Create complex 16-part splits and layers
You can create complex splits and layers with the new Range Controls by changing each Part's key range and velocity. This makes it easy to create complex Combination Presets with splits and layers, using up to 16 instruments!

The Range Section allows you to limit and change the key and velocity range and transpose Parts by semitones. These settings are saved when saving a Combination Preset or when the sequencer session that SampleTank 2 is being used in is saved.

With the use of 4 controls: Range R, Range L, Vel Lo and Vel Hi, you can easily create both splits and layers across 16 different zones. Now complex performance setups are simpler to create and adjust than ever before.

Syncale LROs, 16 assignable stereo outputs
Editing features have been expanded with SampleTank 2. Some of these new features include syncable LFOs, semi-tone transposition, and zone level pan control, just to name a few. SampleTank 2 allows full and easy access to more than 50 synth engine parameters.

Both LFOs can be BPM synced to the host BPM. So, now creating synchronized filter sweeps, vibrato, and other LFO effects is easier than ever.

Transpose now offers adjustment of the pitch of an instrument by semitone increments. So quickly changing from a difficult key is as simple as turning a knob. You can now control the panning of individual zones, so setting up a custom drum map is easier than ever.

Expanded 6. GB sound library
There are now over 6.5 GB of sounds in SampleTank 2 and a large number of instrument categories. The original SampleTank 2 library has been re-mastered and enhanced, with over 2 gigabytes of new samples that have been added to the library. So now SampleTank 2 features more multisampled instruments, loops, phrases, and percussion than ever before!

IK Multimedia has taken great care in enhancing the existing SampleTank 2 library. Each sound has been examined and updated to make sure that it will work efficiently and effectively with the new features in SampleTank 2. So now you will have more control over your favorite SampleTank sounds with expression and all the enhancements of the new SampleTank 2 sound engine, like the Stretch engine and PS/TS.

There are over 2 gigabytes of new samples. This new material ranges from traditional instruments like pipe organs and world percussion loops to oriental woodwinds and strings. Plus, new material specifically designed to take advantage of the new Stretch engine features has been added; everything from sax riffs, trumpet riffs, resonator guitar to vocal stabs, vocal phrases, and violin licks. Now you can play these and other musical phrases as chords with the ability to change each sound's pitch, tempo, and timbre independently.

Features:

• Enhanced Stretch engine with separate algorithms for multi-sampled and phrase sounds and additional timbral control features
• Improved Pitch-Shift/Time-Stretch now includes grain control for better compatibility with a wider range of sounds
• Now available as a stand-alone application, for immediate playing, so you don't have to launch a host application when all you want to do is play SampleTank
• Can create complex 16 part splits and layers with the new Range controls
• Syncable LFOs, 16 assignable stereo outputs and more are just some of the new features implemented in the new synth engine
• Expanded 6.5 GB sound library, in every instruments' category, featuring all your SampleTank favorites, plus over 2 GB of new samples, creating a massive sound library