Amplitube Group Buy

SixStringGeek · Post by **SixStringGeek** » Fri Mar 21, 2008 2:44 pm

mhschmieder wrote:Just bought the crossgrade to full-on Ampeg SVT at music123's sale last night ($173 or thereabouts after the discount was applied)

Huh, I wanted to get TRax - this seems like the cheapest way (I have CSR - its OK - I need to play with it more I think as the presets are not instantly great).

There seems to be a lot of overlap with Ampeg - looks like they include several Hendrix pedals with it - plus 8 generic Ampeg labelled stomps. OTOH, instant on bass tone is kind of attractive....

Thinking, thinking....

Meanwhile - I have to say Amplitube has really put the fun back into playing guitar in jam room. I even dragged out my Hendrix tracks and worked my way down - I had to fix several of the patches - they weren't 'exactly' right - but you could make them 'exactly' right with a little work - they were close.

Spikey Horse · Post by **Spikey Horse** » Fri Mar 21, 2008 6:02 pm

FWIW AT2 + AJH + XGear = some heavy guitar tone-age

I have only scratched the surface tweaking wise myself + had quick run through of the presets that come with X gear as well as the ones from the group buy but it's clear the possibilities are immense ..... I really do recommend them both.

Frodo · Post by **Frodo** » Fri Mar 21, 2008 6:17 pm

I opted for AJH.

Question- did anyone get a serial with the download? I guess that's what someone else might have been talking about when they said they needed info before they could proceed with the reg-auth process.

SixStringGeek · Post by **SixStringGeek** » Fri Mar 21, 2008 6:34 pm

Frodo wrote:I opted for AJH.

Question- did anyone get a serial with the download? I guess that's what someone else might have been talking about when they said they needed info before they could proceed with the reg-auth process.

If you were in the group buy - you should have got an email from allen at esoundz with two serial numbers in it.

If its the added freebie - your password is in your user folder at ikmultimedia after you pick and download your freebie. Its kind of confusing because half the goodies are at ik and the other half come from esoundz.

Then there's the additional patches at esoundz that just came out for XGear. Some nice things there, but they need organizing into subfolders.

Frodo · Post by **Frodo** » Fri Mar 21, 2008 7:13 pm

SixStringGeek wrote:
Frodo wrote:I opted for AJH.

Question- did anyone get a serial with the download? I guess that's what someone else might have been talking about when they said they needed info before they could proceed with the reg-auth process.
If you were in the group buy - you should have got an email from allen at esoundz with two serial numbers in it.

If its the added freebie - your password is in your user folder at ikmultimedia after you pick and download your freebie. Its kind of confusing because half the goodies are at ik and the other half come from esoundz.

Then there's the additional patches at esoundz that just came out for XGear. Some nice things there, but they need organizing into subfolders.

I didn't do the group buy, but I did notice X-Gear in my user download area. I think I need to get my serial from IK-- sent them an e-mail earlier, so that could take a couple of days.

Thanks, Six String.

mhschmieder · Post by **mhschmieder** » Fri Mar 21, 2008 11:43 pm

Yeah, I think X-Gear is a freebie from the two-for-one promotional as opposed to the Group Buy promotional.

I haven't loaded it yet, so didn't realise it had its own presets that take advantage of whichever effects plug-ins are installed (even CSR?).

SixStringGeek · Post by **SixStringGeek** » Fri Mar 21, 2008 11:44 pm

Frodo wrote: I did notice X-Gear in my user download area. I think I need to get my serial from IK-- sent them an e-mail earlier, so that could take a couple of days.

Then your serial number is in the 'Activations' section of your IK user area. You can just login and get it.

Frodo · Post by **Frodo** » Sat Mar 22, 2008 10:11 am

SixStringGeek wrote:
Frodo wrote: I did notice X-Gear in my user download area. I think I need to get my serial from IK-- sent them an e-mail earlier, so that could take a couple of days.
Then your serial number is in the 'Activations' section of your IK user area. You can just login and get it.

Thanks, Six.

Yeah, it was there this morning but wasn't up yesterday when I first registered. It takes a moment for the system to update, I guess.

As long as they are going to offer these first time downloads they really should post a different set of instructions that are a bit easier to nab. Also misleading, but minor, is the quote "you ONLY have x authorizations left". The first thing that goes through your mind is "what did I do wrong"? Just leaving out the word ONLY would suffice.

I'd sent them a note asking why they only showed OS 10.4.10 and 10.5 but not 10.4.11 or 10.5.1 or 10.5.2. I see they added 10.4.11 this morning, but 10.4.10 is not there any more. LOL! It's that old 10.4.1 vs 10.4.10 confusion again, I suppose. 10.5.1 and 10.5.2 are still not up yet as of now.

It's all small potatoes, but part of the user's plight is to keep track of each developer's assumptions. Fun, fun, fun!

SixStringGeek · Post by **SixStringGeek** » Sun Mar 23, 2008 4:05 am

Frodo wrote:As long as they are going to offer these first time downloads they really should post a different set of instructions that are a bit easier to nab.

I pestered Allen mercilessly by email until I got every bit and byte that was coming to me. You'd think that alone would have resulted in immediate distribution of better instructions.

mhschmieder · Post by **mhschmieder** » Sun Mar 23, 2008 6:43 pm

I just spent the entire afternoon running through all of these products and comparing quality to both Guitar Rig 3 and Tech21 SansAmp PSA-1.1 -- this thing smokes them both, in terms of depth and clarity (dimensionality and audio quality) and breadth of coverage as well as overall versatility.

Although there is some overlap in that the engine is shared, each of the amp-modeling plug-ins has significant value-added in the programming/algorithms, so one need not feel "cheated" by buying the entire suite of Amplitude products. The familiarity helps, and the new X-Gear app will make it all the easier to customise for even more coverage.

It's too bad my PSA-1.1 arrived slightly damaged as the seller didn't bother to insure it (nor to mention it was damaged, which I suspect pre-dates the shipment). That will make it harder to resell it

. I was really expecting it to beat the pants off of Amplitude due to the FET analog modeling and all-analog circuitry, but it has a bothersome noise floor and is poorly constructed.

Getting IK Multimedia products ready to roll sure is a convoluted process overall, having to register and then authorise for each one. I do not look forward to repeating this experience when I switch to a new computer, but maybe by then they will have simplified the process.

Spikey Horse · Post by **Spikey Horse** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 6:38 am

Esoundz are doing another group buy this time it's "SampleTank Rare and Vintage Bundle" ... see links for details

http://www.esoundz.com/details.php?ProductID=1975

http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=3007837

Why is it relevant to this thread ? .... well, if like me you now own AT2 and AJH but NOT Ampeg SVX (or the some variation on that) and you don't want (or have already) other plugs like T-racks etc then this might be the cheapest / best value / most products for your buck way to get your 'missing' amp sim.

Like the last group buy this one entitles you to a free IK plug via IK's 2 for 1 deal which ends end of April (I think) - however the group buy ends April 15th.

If it goes to 200 people the price is $199 for all the sampltank stuff + SVX (or whatever IK plug you choose) ...

I still haven't checked out the details of what the sampletank stuff is all about but I like my rare / world instruments - it doesn't look like a cutting edge library in terms of GB's etc but still might be tempting what with SVX and all.

Just throwing it out there!

mhschmieder · Post by **mhschmieder** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 4:18 pm

I was surprised to learn that I now own a registered and authorised copy of SampleTank

. I thought I had missed the deadline in December as my copy of Miroslav Philharmonik was ordered in late November but didn't arrive until 3 January. As I was hopelessly confused by the three-part process for registering and authorising at the time, I had never authorised SampleTank, but did so while authorising all the freebies from this latest group buy.

So I guess these two-for-one deals are quite common, as well as the group buys. My Ampeg SVT arrived yesterday and I installed it last night along with choosing and installing my free CSR. I've got this process down pat now, and while it is a bit convoluted, I somehow prefer that all the info is stored and available for reference later at my user account at IK Multimedia than being vulnerable on a USB key that might eventually break.

I wonder if Amplitude Metal will become available before the current two-for-one period ends, or if there will be a group buy for that product?

zed · Post by **zed** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 5:26 pm

Great. Now I can get CSR along with some fun new instruments to try out. I like the mention of the Beach Boys B3, and the Wurlitzer 200A.

So did everything end up being downloadable in the last Group Buy? When I have participated in these SR Group Buys in the past they have sent out stuff physically... but that seems like that would be a hardship all around. Downloading stuff saves them time and money, and saves us the waiting.

Yabba Dabba Doo!

tekarts · Post by **tekarts** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 6:30 pm

The last Sampletank Group Buy with the Expansion Tanks and Sonic capsules were all downloads and they worked flawlessly (except for one archive for Mac which was fixed). Sonik Synth was shipped.

I'm wondering if the T-RackS version is available in OSX AU. esounds sez available soon. IK Multimedia sez available now. This is the only reason I haven't joined the group buy. If I get an affirmative answer I will join.

mikebeckmotu · Post by **mikebeckmotu** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 6:58 pm

I've been using T-RackS as an AU for a long time. Works very well, and I like the results. And yes! It's Universal Binary.
As for other mentions in this thread, I highly recommend CSR.
I also got SampleTank awhile ago for a good price, and while it's got some good sounds, it's not an instrument I go to often, as I have many other sample-based VIs that I like better. My biggest complaint is that there is no aftertouch. But again, there are some good sounds if you spend the time to hunt through the huge library.
I'm fairly impressed with IK in general. Their effects are to my liking, and I don't believe I've ever had a crash or frustration with how they work. When I had a few questions about CSR when it was first released as a UB, email support was quick to respond and follow up.