Topic: Quirky Sampletank 1 Bug

There’s no automation at all for those tracks. If you like, I can make a video of it in a little while and email it to you. Just let me know where to email it to; file will be 1.5 to 2 Megs in size. The only other multi-timbral VSTI I have is Hyper Canvas, that I leave on my laptop for throwing song ideas together. Also, have the RMIV which is really a multi-timbral drum machine, so maybe I could try a drum track with that too. I’m guessing it’s probably Sampkletank specific. Switch looping on and 2 instruments go bye bye for some odd reason. The only odd part is that with looping switched off, Sampletank runs like a champ! They’re the good kind of bugs, the ones you can work around…lol! I was just wondering what the correlation between looping and instruments dropping out could be. 🙂

Hope that little video example helps. Frits, on a side note, I see a lot of people “kicking the tires”, a little afraid to jump in because Podium is so new and they’re so used to getting burned on audio software, they are gun shy. I own Sonar, Cubase, Samplitude, Acid, etc… All serve their purpose for now, but see very little use for them as you develop Podium.

I’ve also looked at Tracktion, EnergyXT, and n-Track. Was very leary of Tracktion since Mackie took it over. Also, seen some bugs and quirky things that I’d consider fairly critical, unaddressed for long stretches of time. Played with EnergyXT and liked it. But the current 16 bit limit on cutting audio was a barrier. EnergyXT’s power is running it as a VST plugin IMO. I had n-Track locking up so much with just doing basic things, such as importing a MIDI file, adding 2 instances of a plugin, ect… While I found those critical problems fairly alarming, I found it more alarming to post on the message board, 3 times, and get absolutely no response! By the way, I know it will happen, but I haven’t had Podium crash on me yet! In addition to having a kick ass product to build upon, your attentiveness and feedback is what sold me. I know it may be a hassle and time consuming responding to so many requests, but it will serve the purpose of selling others who are used to shooting an e-mail to a software behemoth, waiting 5 days, and then getting a response that is of absolutely no help! The features I’d stress and what I believe will equate it with the Sonar and Cubase are:

1. The ability to cut at bit rates of 24 and 32, something a lot of other smaller software developers still seem to be strugling with, or just haven’t gotten around to dealing with. Being able to cut at rates abouve 16 bit is a necessity to professionals!

2. Also, the controller layout is phenomenal. I feel like I’m back on the “Neve” console with “moving fader automation”! Compared to Podium, working with controller data in Cubase and Sonar sucks, and mixing with them is painful ro say the least! I like being able to see the entire arrangement in front of me and then do volume rides with the faders as the track rolls.

3. Though the VST implementation needs refining, what a pleasure it is to have multi-output VSTIs actually import with all of their outputs available! Something Sonar doesn’t do at all for VSTIs. I drop Sampletank and my RMIV into Podium, and boom, my 16 individual outputs are sitting there for me. Would be nice to see you implement an “FX bussing system” so those multi-outputs, and your audio tracks can be bussed to specific effects, instead of loading a buch of VST effects for each individual track. This is something that no one out there has done well. You are right there with Podium!

In my opinion, and what will differentiate Podium from anything out there is the development of this FX bussing system! By having a bussing system in place, it allows you to process each one of your numerous individaul outputs separately, along with your audio tracks (while sharing VST effects). Exactly what a Professional Recording Engineer does in a multi-million dolllar studio. In my opinion, it’s the appeal to many of EnergyXT, because it is acting as crutch for the well know sequencers that struggle with this implementation. Sampletank and RMIV are useless in Sonar because all they give you are stereo outputs. Get these big things right and the rest is trivial and really icing on the cake. 🙂