Would agree, if the download released so far has bugs, would seem sensible to hold the box sets until bugs eradicated (if they can of course, these box sets might have already been produced)

rtucker55
Hopefully IK can confirm or deny this but I read somewhere that it could now be 2nd half of Aug. for the boxed sets. I have no real data to back this up so I do hope IK will stop in and give us a better idea. Makes no difference either way, I would rather have it right than rushed.

Sorry, didn't realize we didn't publicize this enough.  Since this news posted on July 24th, it has been stated as quoted below http://www.ikmultimedia.com/news/?item_id=4464

The boxed version will be shipping in the second half of August 2014.

Thanks for the confirmation!

UPDATE:  SampleTank 3.0.1 update is available in your IK User Area now!  Release notes specify what changes are included.

Bajan Blue
Ok Guys, after a slightly longer period of assessment  any more thoughts on Sampletank 3 - good, bad, indifferent?????
 

To me it's not ground breaking or earth shattering, but I think it does what it's intended to. Compared to Kontakt, my view is Kontakt is big and DEEP and you can do pretty much anything down to a minute degree if you want to dive in, whereas the word I'd use for ST3 is streamlined - there are basically 3 main screens (Play which is the browser, Mix for mixing multis and adding send FX, and Edit) and basically everything you can do to a sound is on the Edit screen.
 
Personally I never really used ST2.x much because I completely hated and despised the GUI to the highest possible degree. ST3 has a much better GUI, even though it's not perfect - for instance it doesn't allow for navigating the patch browser with the computer keyboard. But IK seems to be at least paying attention to the many requests for this and other features, so perhaps there is hope (listening to requests doesn't always lead to results, but when a company doesn't even listen there isn't much hope).
 
I'm not going to review the library (that's subjective and it really depends on what you already have to compare it to), but can say that when I browsed through patches and tried new patches vs. the included ST2.x library, I mostly gave up bothering to audition the old stuff.
 
I should mention that AFAIK the big problems with Sonar are VST3 only and the VST2 plug pretty much works fine. And I'm not sure of any compelling reason to use VST3 in the first place, so just don't even bother with VST3 until there's a fix.
 
I don't worry much about the installation and import issues, because even though it's not always as straightforward or as quick and easy as it could be, once it's done it's done and it seems silly to whine about something like that.
 
I can say my favorite ST3 feature is changing the sampling mode to "Stretch Note" where you can make changes to the timbre that works fantastically on some sounds. I mess with it all the time and this to me exemplifies the difference between ST3 and Kontakt: Kontakt has similar sampling modes, but they're buried and you aren't ever going to mess with them if you don't specifically go looking, whereas ST you just push the button to switch mode, wait a few seconds for it to analyze the sound (only for the stretch modes and only the first time you switch to it), and twist the appropriate knobs.
 
Unfortunately, except for volume, pan and the preassigned () macros for each of the 16 parts, automation of everything else only seems to be available via Midi. And not only are the macros preassigned, they aren't always consistent from patch to patch - sometimes filter cutoff and resonance are on these knobs, sometimes they're on those knobs. 
 
And ST3 is lacking some things (no control of key tracking for the filter!), there are limits to what you can edit, and the instruments aren't going to have the depth and size of big modern dedicated libraries. But I don't think it's the thing you'd buy if you want every individual instrument to be measured in GB's. And it doesn't mean they sound bad, just that you don't get a 6GB drum kit or whatever.
 
Overall, though there are things missing that I'd really like, it addresses the biggest problems I had with ST2.x and it does what it does nicely enough.

drew
thanks for your thoughts - very helpful
Nigel
 
 

Drew,
 
Thanks for your post. BTW, I don't know why I *still* do not get notificatoins of your posts. I've never block you or anything.

I do not yet have ST3 (waiting on the box version from Sweetwater), but I thought those who have it might want to see what is in the ST3.0.1 update.  Hopefully, those who have it can report if the fix helps with the troubles with ST3 and Sonar.   Here is the list of changes

Changes from version 3.0:

▪ Fixed issue with Big Pig pedal
▪ Fixed possible crash opening Settings Dialog in StandAlone version with a non-available Device selected
▪ Fixed possible crash opening Settings Dialog in StandAlone version with a non-available Device selected
▪ Fixed possible crash on startup with some ASIO Drivers
▪ Fixed crash on drive missing for ST3 Disk Path
▪ Effects Presets folder moved inside the Disk Path
▪ All content folders are now created automatically if they do not exist
▪ Fixed a bug that made MIDI CC assigned to element and zone parameters to not save and restore correctly
▪ Fixed a bug that when importing samples, made data from editable fields not reflecting the latest user input
▪ Fixed possible "boost::filesystem::remove" error while importing legacy instruments
▪ Fixed a possible mismatch between macros description in the info panel and macros enabled/disabled in the macro panel after loading legacy instruments
▪ Fixed Import of modulations from legacy instruments contained in the Xpansion Tank Vocal library
▪ Fixed possible BPM SYNC issues with certain hosts
▪ Fixed a bug when importing some kind of WAV files
▪ Fixed a possible issue when writing automation parameters on certain hosts

Well I wanted this so I now haz :). Silly probably, but I'm a sucker for ROMpler type samplers and I own a ton (including a real soundcanvas).
 
All in all it is pretty decent. I'd say it competes well with Halion Sonic 2 (which I also have). The sounds aren't knocking my socks off, but I haven't found any bad ones so far. It strikes me as a good go to if you don't have a bespoke sample for a given thing, or the one you do have doesn't work in that situation.
 
The drums were surprisingly good. I probably will never use them again, since they don't hold a candle to BFD3, but they aren't the weak, thin, aluminum foil sounding things you seem to get out of many of these all-in-ones. Standard mappings on the kits so you could drop them in for other stuff that is also standard.
 
The electric guitars were also pretty good. Not going to replace EEG Strawberry + Amplitube in most cases but I was surprised that their basic distorted guitar patch sounded, well, like a distorted guitar. Seems like that is something that is never sampled right to me, hence why I switched to direct guitar samples and an amp sim a long time ago.
 
Orchestral stuff is all ok. The string ensemble is a bit weak, sounding kinda synthetic on fast runs but alright for sustained stuff. The woodwinds and brasswinds are all fairly good. I'm used to brass sounding really honky and fake (maybe because I used to play brass) but these sound fine. They don't have the nice sound of the Kirk Hunter stuff, but they are not bad and sound like an actual brasswind, if a bit sedate and unvaried.
 
The choirs are crap but I am apparently very hard to satisfy in that area (or maybe I am just too particular in the sound I like). I like Soundiron Olympus, for reference.
 
Interface is pretty easy to use. It does like Halion where you have a row of knobs for each instrument you can tweak with the most important settings. Makes it easy to mess with the sound. The overall layout is pretty good. It would be nice if you could make it scale to be larger, but then I say that about most VSTs.
 
Load times are reasonable. Takes a couple seconds at most on my system. Of course that is off a dedicated SSD. Still, I imagine it isn't bad off a HDD. You can get stuff loaded fast enough to do A/B comparisons pretty easy. It doesn't mind if you load something while its playing, it just keeps going.
 
In terms of if to get it... Well depends on what you have, what you want, and what it costs. For the full $300 price, I dunno. I'd get it at that price probably only as an alternative to something like Halion 2 (which costs just as much after their crap dongle). If you can get it for less, then it is more worth looking at. I got it for $150 and I'm pleased with it at that price.
 
If you have far too many instruments, as I do, I can't imagine it'll be your go-to for much. However I can see it being the thing you try either because your normal sounds aren't correct, or because you want to quickly try out different instruments and sound styles for a bit.
 
I'm pleased with it.

Bajan Blue
Ok Guys, after a slightly longer period of assessment  any more thoughts on Sampletank 3 - good, bad, indifferent?????
 

Although I have not spent as much time with this as I wanted to ( Ironically I have been spending time showing youth how to use sampletank 2), I have as basic feel and can share.
 
The sounds:  I was going to do a section by section comprehensive review, but it would be pointless because I have never thought  it fair or prudent to compare instruments designed to be multitimbral to solo sounds.  I will go over sections briefly though.  As already mentioned, the choirs suck...if used in a choral section of an orchestral piece.  Comparing to dedicated choral libraries is total no-contest. I find the vocal section more functional for genres that can utilize the min non-tradional ways like hip-hop or EDM.  I think I already stated that pianos won't replace your dedicated piano vsti or sample library but they are quite functional and odds are they will sit better in the mix out the box than something like the True Pianos Amber module included with Sonar. Guitars are par for the rompler course guitars.  the included fx make the distorted electric guitars sound decent.  I'm sure if i were a better keyboard player they would sound even better.  Actually, as I write, I realize I am saying a lot of stuff that has likely been said.  I will add that the guitars, like vocals are more useful in electronic based non-traditional productions thn actual guitar emulation.  I did not care too much about the loops but the patterns are actually very good and implemented in a fairly logical manner.  The fact that you can drag midi patterns into composition and edit them makes them even more useful.  I think SSD drive really helps for some of the sounds like the grand pianbo
 
I like the idea of the mixer, but the short throw kind of throws me off and I found myself just routing every channel out separately  It is laid out nicely just wish faders were longer.  I will probably adjust.In the meantime the most useful ways I have used mixer so far is  1) to create layered single instruments out of multiple instruments and 2) creating custom drum kits that I can send into Sonar .  The drumkits are good but I like the control of having separate control over components. Setting up a trap kit wit ha basic 808 kit combined with multiple tuned snares and hi-hats was a breeze. Outisde of that, the mixer is better in theory than practice.
 
I love the fx section.  one of the better ones you will find on a synth/rompler.  For those familiar with IK's fx, the content speaks for itself.  No surprises.
 
I guess my summation is that it won't make any hardcore Kontakt user abandon it and despite inevitable comparisons, it seems very obvious it's not.  People who would benefit?  I think electronic based producers who need occasional sample based instruments  to use as small elemental building blocks or stacks. The type of producer not likely to do much solo work.  Another type of user that would benefit will be people using midi tracks for backing. I think the quality of sounds stacks up better than most general midi modules and storing sets is fairly easy. The included sounds cover a lot of ground from different eras and genres without having to add additional sounds. The singer-songwriter can probably make great use by being able to create a very comprehensive bed and possibly be able to keep some of the sounds in final mix.