Hi,

If you had to choose one : Roland Interga 7 or Sample Tank 3

Which one would you choose (mainly for Studio Production, not live performance) ?

Sample Tank 3 is a software Rompler, costs $299. as a download, and offers 33 GB of diverse sample content.

Roland Integra 7 is a HW Sound Module, that costs $1999. It offers a diverse set of ROM based samples, Synth Engine, and high-quality effects, plus a VST Editor.

Your feedback, thoughts, and opinions on this would be very interesting.

Thanks,
Muziksculp

This should be epic.

What's with all these '?'s popping up all over the post !

I dunno, I figured it was my browser. Glad you mentioned it, as I'm not having trouble on other sites.

VERY BIZARRE.

I am seeing the question marks as well.

If the Sampletank 3 library was anywhere near as gorgeous as the sounds in the Integra, I would buy it in a heartbeat. But from what I have heard, the ST3 sounds don't come close to what's in the Integra, or what the Integra can do.

I reported this to the forum moderators.

It is only in this thread for me.

Hmmm....

I blame The Riddler

I was seeing the question marks as well but now it's fixed.

That was super weird

Back to topic.

I use ST3, but do not have an Integra although I have considered buying one. I am very interested in this discussion for that reason. I'm inclined to believe from what I've heard from the Integra that is that is is superior. I'd love to see someone with access to both do a shootout and produce comparative clips.

Funniest thread of 2014 so far!!!!!!

I don't know about Sampletank 3 but I always found v2 to be... lackluster. So... this doesn't mean Sampletank 3 is a dud, but I just went though it's demo tracks and... they did nothing for me. Switched to the Integra 7 demo tracks... definitely sounds better to me. There's no doubt about it. I will admit that I'm a fan of the Roland ROMpler sound though.

However, as I said earlier this week in another Roland ROMpler thread, ROMplers shed value very quickly. Soon there will be an Integra 8 and we'll see 7s going for $800 on eBay. When the 9 is released they'll be selling for $500. Seems like you can already buy used ones $500 less than retail on eBay... which is still as much as it would cost you to buy a computer, MIDI controller and Sampletank, or the ROMpler software of your choice.

What ROMpler should that be? Good question. I think the best is Kontakt, though to be fair you can import any of your own samples so it's not quite the same as saying it's a ROMpler but it does comes with a pretty big content library. More ROMpler like, Cakewalk's Dimension Pro is cheap as chips and I always thought it reminded me of the Roland ROMplers. Omnisphere is amazing too, but it's not focused on natural acoustic instruments. But do a search and listen to a lot of demos.

Let's face it - these rompler companies - Yamaha, Roland, Korg - they are much larger organizations, with lots of resources, and a tremendous amount of experience in sound design. They have created dozens of instruments over the years, and sold hundreds of thousands of instruments worldwide. The Motifs and Fantoms and Kronoses of the world are the industry standard, and used by the top pros everywhere from studio albums, to Broadway shows, to film soundtracks and big network television productions. And keep in mind that I believe Eric Persing, who created Omnisphere, used to be a sound designer at Roland. He may have created a lot of the sounds that are in the 5080, and subsequently the Integra. Anyhow, they have very talented people at these companies.

I have Dimension Pro, as well as MOTU's MachFive 2, and the sounds are generally woefully flat (not in pitch, but in character) vs what I find in my Yamaha, Roland, and Korg keyboards. From what I've heard of the ST3 demos, I think it could be a practical instrument for someone who perhaps 1) mostly uses synthesizers in their music, but wants to mix in a bit of real instrument samples, and/or 2) has no experience with Motifs and whatnot and can approach ST3 without the prejudice that I may be inclined to have in my ears. I have been playing the Yamaha Motif sounds for more than 12 years now, and have grown attached to a number of their presets.

I, for one, would LOVE to have a spectacular sounding software instrument like ST3, priced at $299. I wish that I were reading reviews from people proclaiming that it is the next great thing - a Motif- and Kronos-killer in software form. But if those reviews exist, I haven't seen them yet.

You get what you pay for. Nuff said.

How about an XV5080?

You can pick one up for close to the price of Sample tank 3

Hi,

I used to have an XV5080 over a decade ago

I would rather get something that sounds better, has more sounds, and offers a VST editor.

That's one of the reasons I am still considering the Intergra 7. I wish there were more options as far as more recently developed HW Sound modules that can offer better sample based sounds than the Integra 7, but that has not happened yet.

Thanks for the suggestion.

Muziksculp

It would be helpful if some Sample Tank 3 users can provide some feedback on this topic. and tell us how they like Sample Tank 3, and if they can compare it to the Integra 7, that would be another helpful bonus.

Thanks,
Muziksculp

So.. what's stopping you..? lol

FYI, there are several threads about Sample Tank 3 over at the KVR Instruments Forum. Poke around, there's also a ST3 Poll thread in there.

Hi,

I'm just making sure the Integra 7 is the best option as far as Module Romplers go, before clicking on the buy button.

Since I'm not in a big rush, I thought it will be wise to look at the alternatives, just in case I'm missing something.

Cheers,
Muziksculp

An alternative would be the Yamaha Motif Rack XS.

The Yamaha is only one rack space, and "only" has 1,000+ sounds, which is significantly fewer than the Integra. But there ARE people who prefer the Motif sound library.

Hi keybdwizrd,

I have a Motif XF7. So, the Motif XS Rack is not on my list.

I would love to see Yamaha make a new sound module, that offers better, and more sounds than the Integra 7, but I kind of lost hope in Yamaha making anything exciting after the XF.

Thanks,
Muziksculp

Ahhh..... I am so envious. I would LOVE to have one of those.

I have an MOX6, which has most of the same sounds, but I really would like to have the 76-key action of the XF, the extra insert effects, the larger color screen, etc.

Yes, The Motif XF7 is a great Workstation Which I bought 4 years ago.

But.. Yamaha needs to move forward, and introduce their next generation Workstation, or a new awesome synth/romplers sound module. For now ... Yamaha has been

I used to own the mox 6 and the motif xf 88 and although the piano sounds were great all of the rest of the library was stale and it definitely needs an enema.
The Kronos on the other hand has a fantastic library and synths with years of exploration.

The Integra and Jupiter are also very deep with modern sounds and great editing capabilities with either PC / MAC / .ipad editing.
The Integra acts as a 16 track sequencer whereas the Jupiter is top notch and u surpassed as a live performance instrument.

At 299 the sample tank may be good value as a rompler but you will be permantly tied to your computer and a mouse.

Cheers

Hi nicknack,

Well... I have other HW synths, and still feel I'm permanently tied to my computer and mouse Sequencing on HW is not the most comfortable thing to deal with. I'm a studio musician, and my DAW is always in front of me.

Going back to SampleTank 3, which is a software based ROMpler, vs Integra 7 which a HW ROMpler, and costs close to seven folds the prices of Sample Tank 3. This kind of shows how much more economic software can be, and still deliver a good quality sound, with lots of content to choose from, and edit. imho. HW Romplers still have their limitations when compared to software ROMplers.

I'm not sure how flexible ST3 is as far as editing, but the demos I heard sound pretty good, and if I end up getting the Integra 7, I will be using it via a VST editor, so it will feel like using a VST Instrument via Computer & Mouse anyways.

I feel if ROLAND shipped the Integra 7 with a totally fresh/new ROM expansion, (nothing from the older SRX Expansions), but offered a totally new and improved ROM Sample base, I would have less of an issue with it,

Plus.... that's not the only thing that's holding me back from buying it, a product like ST3 is making me cautious about buying the Integra 7, i.e. let's say I had both, and ended up liking and using ST3 more than the Integra 7, I'm just imagining this as a scenario, I won't be too happy with the Integra 7, but I could be totally wrong, and end up buying, liking, and using the Integra 7 a lot.

So far It has been difficult to compare, and evaluate these two options side by side. Since it seems there are not that many users who have both to provide the feedback that would be a more accurate evaluation, of these two options.

Cheers,
Muziksculp

Never a bigger bunch of BS has been spoken on this forum. First of all, the last Roland rack rompler came out like 12 years ago so I doubt you have any worry of an "Integra 8" anytime soon. Second, software is worthless IMMEDIATELY, how that for value? Third, if you can build a computer with DAW, midi controller and sample tank that will run 16 tracks OF sample tank with zero latency at 24/96 (as the Integra does) well GOOD LUCK! It's such a lame comparison anyway - the dude already has a computer...so who cares about this dumb ass scenario? Also, again, you wanna talk value? A computer is worthless as soon as you build it unless it's a Mac since the fanbois will buy anything Mac even used - so I'd assume Macs have a decent resale value. But, wow! He didn't say hes looking SELL anything did he? He's looking to MAKE MUSIC.

Anyway, anyone knows that a dedicated PC library CAN be better than any hardware rompler simply because of the sheer file size that is possible. but anyone also knows that you can have issues running that many tracks on a computer with 40 GB samples loaded up. You would need a TOP 6 core xeon computer with 64GB of RAM costing closer to 4K with all SSDs and all that to properly reproduce with the Integra does - and even then you cannot because you still wouldnt have access to the XV-5080 and all of it's cards. Also, getting all the best sample libraries for a computer will cost you a ton - and again be completely worthless once you buy them.

I just got the Integra and I promise it will blow you away. The fact that you can get it 500 below retail (USED) is even better! I got mine new for 1640.

Plus, this is GEARSLUTZ - the piece is sexy! "Good morning, baby"

.

The SuperNatural patches are new. The SRX stuff is a bonus. A very nice, hefty bonus. Also, there's no hit to your computer with the Integra. You also get the very nice Jupiter 80 VA engine, which sounds great. Comparing this to SampleTank isn't even a contest, unless you're talking about price.