8 Reasons Why IKMultimedia Products are JANKY!! (Amplitube 4, Tracks 5, Sampletank 3)

[@stuperprohero]

They just got rid of the 180 day expiry on the sound files. So hopefully this will make some things easier on ppl not having to redownload them.

[@starsandguitars2050]

I've used 1K for many years. They aren't cheap. You are absolutely correct. They should provide a better customer experience when it comes to installation and operation of the tools.

[@kenzgbr]

You just summed up my past 20 years of using IK products. “…. But they sound great” is absolutely true but I bet many people lose patience before they get that far. The 180 day expiry and 2 full days babysitting my laptop downloading and installing all the files for ST4 were the kickers for me. Compared to Arturia’s or Native Instruments’ licence management it’s like a trip back to the 90s.

[@davidharrison365]

I love their products. I have everything they offer. I absolutely agree about the whole install process. It was just awful. On top of that, their customer service was top of the line hot GARBAGE and completely unhelpful during the multiple day ordeal. I gained some gray hairs to say the least.

[@StudioSooner]

LOL i'm crying over here because EVERYTHING you said is spot on!!!!!! IK is or needs some serious upgrading!!!!! So glad you posted this for people to know they are not alone!

[@AdamSpade]

It is unfortunate, but IK is well known for their lack of care for their customers. If you can get the product to work, you are fortunate, because they do make great stuff. If you can’t, we’ll, they don’t give a shit. And their upgrades are ridiculous.

[@thrawy4305]

I am really hating myself for giving my money to this company, at least it is a bit relieving to know I am alone.

[@aaronraghav3580]

@@thrawy4305 thanks I was going to buy the MP2CE... I can change my mind....

[@thrawy4305]

@@aaronraghav3580I bet that you can find a similar product but from a reputable and professional company.

[@jameseverett4976]

Hey what's not to like, when you get to buy the software again and again? Personally, I love buying downgraded stuff to replace programs that used to work OK, so I can still mess around with my computer without having to actually do the hard work of composing music. Man, you guys just don't get it, do you. Making music is for old-timer workaholics, who just want to bypass the wonderful complexity of Billy Gates genius bloatware and virus havens, designed to keep you swallowed in the tantalizing mystery of error messages and blue screens.

[@jeffclark1164]

I can agree with this. Good plugins, poorly run company, goofy ass interfaces.

[@idesel]

I got their compressor for free. After installing what I thought was only a compressor trial versions of 52 other plugins got installed. When I went to my applications folders to uninstall them I coulnd't find any of the plugins there. I had to go to the C drive and manually remove the vst files of this 52 plugins.

[@fredmanteghian5913]

Welcome to IK hell.

[@davonata]

You are so right..... !!! That company is a mess when it comes to accessibility

[@dulistanheman]

Thanks for saving me the hustle. I cancelled buying Sampletank 3 because of the installation process and stuff is NOT user friendly.

[@TalkingLeafMedia]

Glad I could help!

[@danielmconnolly7]

It is user friendly, it just takes about 2 years to get it that way... 😄

[@RahulSimaro]

Same issues I faced. Moreover, if you forgot to download the huge sound libraries, you have to pay extra €9.99 to get what you have already paid for. Then they will give credits to download those files. Why don't they let users to decide when to download their files instead!

[@wahmeister666]

This shit drives me crazy. If you pay hundreds for something you should be able to fuckin download it whenever the fuck you want

[@Dang...]

Unfortunately your criticisms are 100% valid. I like the sounds of their amp sims but download, install, storage, 180 day access, and incompatibility wit Reaper are huge issues.

[@rautshsale1948]

what do you mean incompatibility with reaper?

[@Dang...]

@@rautshsale1948 I mean the AT5 window does not fit well in Reaper and you can't resize it. There were some other issues that seem to have been fixed with AT5 updates. don't get me wrong, I use and like AT4 and AT5, but the whole way it's set up for downloading, storage etc is a pain in the ass.

[@RÅNÇIÐ]

Long time IK user. Love AmpliTube and T-Racks but I agree.

[@TalkingLeafMedia]

👍

[@---4385]

I agree on some points too, disagree on others. Especially the option to click on plugins that you don't own and get to decide wether you want to try it out (which works instantly.. no further installation or anything needed), buy it (same thing) or cancel. I love MODO BASS, T-RackS, SunsetStudio (Reverb), SpaceDelay, Amplitude and the Tape-Emulations.. don't really love Syntronik and SampleTank (although I use them here and there), Miroslav Philharmonics is allright (I've used it excessively in the past, now not so much).

[@RÅNÇIÐ]

@@---4385 ☝ this comment exactly. AmpliTube, T-Racks etc, ModoBass = Good, Miroslav = Meh, Syntronics/SampleTank = Nope (Also, ModoDrums = straight ass)

[@redconfetti]

There is an IK Multimedia product manager that will install those things for you. I recommend configuring it to download everything to an external drive though if you bought the Total Studio bundle

[@williambastidas4842]

who does it?

[@redconfetti]

@@williambastidas4842 Who does what?

[@cherisecarvermusic6658]

We have used some IK plug-ins for a few years (T-Racks) and they have sounded great. We scored a whole suite of stuff for a little over $100, which was an insane sale at the time, included a bunch of Tracks processors, amplitude, sample tank, etc. I do recall the install process to be major pain in the ass, which I was reminded of when our studio computer melted down a few months ago and we had to reinstall everything on a new machine. You make great points about all the other "janky" issues as well. Now let's talk about that janky 1970s sofa you have there in the background.... :)

[@markntexas8265]

True

[@gurubuzzzz]

Not having a Cloned Hard drive of your studio computer is inexcusable....These days takes under 1 hour to clone a drive and less time to restore a drive, Look at Macrium reflect.

[@benirodriguez9516]

@@gurubuzzzz It is crucial, yes, but I can see how somebody hasn't managed to have that setup yet. (cost one of them). Myself, I'm dreading it every time something happens, cause before I knew about cloning drives, I had all files in one hard drive, thinking that at least they are safe. I just forgot the installation process! Then now I have one m2.SSD (1 TB) with the system and applications, another m2.ssd with some installations of plugins (some sounds that got installed there), 2 external usb3 HDs (8 GB each) with samples, and a backup of sessions. So... Even though I have a couple of other drives ready with some backups... last time I did a restore, the keys of each product didn't work, so I had to put them on, one after the other... taking a day! Oh.. once, I managed to reinstall my system from a backup, it did only put the OS, but a folder or two were missing. Guess which one! the plugins folder! So now, even though I had all my vst's installed, I had to delete them and add them again, so that the vst/au files got installed properly. I mean... a pain in the ass. My next conception will be to have 20 TB of working drives + 20 TB backup drives... and find out a way to just click a key and voila'... but I'm sure something will be wrong then too. :P

[@gurubuzzzz]

@@benirodriguez9516 Have you tried Macrium reflect?. It really is a wonderful application. Truly does a full easily restore-able image or clone. It's free...It also has a great resizing tool if you need to restore your image to a different size drive.

[@benirodriguez9516]

@@gurubuzzzz Hi there. No I haven't checked that application yet. I did however go to their website but it looked only for Windows? I run Mac. There are good mac software for cloning also, I'll have to do some research, for sure. :)

[@nsp932]

I couldn't agree more with everything you said. IK multimedia is ass backwards still almost a year after you made this video, so much to the point where I just deleted everything have from them and moved on.

[@espedale]

Same.... almost. Their MODO Bass is unmatchable. Can find substitutes for everything else, without the download and "You don't own this so you should buy it" B.S..

[@StephanAinley]

Has it gotten better over the last couple of years? I'm seeing total studio 3.5 max for $199 for black Friday.

[@billbradleymusic]

All true. Every bit of it. Fantastic products but you're right. And I was skeptical by your title. 💯

[@peternigelproduction]

I went through IK Multimedia hell too! This video made me feel a little better about myself, I thought that it was just me and that I must just be really dumb. I don't care how great their products sound, I'll just stick with Native Instruments. I once had a boss who owned a Porsche and his brother owned a Ferrari. I asked him why he didn't buy a Ferrari like his brother and he said "when I start my car in the morning I like to know that it's actually going to work". Italian engineering is janky!

[@gurubuzzzz]

I heard that Bugati made the claim that his cars were the best in the world and he refused to accept any challenges to prove it. His attitude was that he would not lower himself to petty critics....Sounds very Italian to me.

[@sekritskworl-sekrit_studios]

You are ALWAYS saving me from MYSELF!!!! Thank you!!!

[@Fezzler61]

Long time IK user. 1,000% agree. I will say, I needed access to old sounds I purchased and it cost $8. But VERY Janky!

[@stevenscott9639]

Also good to know. I was dreading having no other option but to re-purchase if I lose my backups.

[@YaniPhoto]

Sample Tank 3 has an Edit tab on the top left near the name (PLAY - MIX - EDIT) where the sound controls are. You should take a closer look at the interface!

[@cainogang2353]

I ended up buying the physical software (Total Studio Max 2) and it took me all in 1 hour to get everything installed and ready to go. It might not be an option for everyone but if there's a sale on Sweetwater I would definitely recommend it for $250. My only complaint is just like you I was lead to believe I was getting everything from them in 1 bundle but then sure enough there are plug ins I don't own in my daw.

[@williambastidas4842]

¿Como cuáles?

[@cainogang2353]

@@williambastidas4842 Leslie Cabinet. All the Tape Machine Plug ins. Sunset Studio Reverb. I believe that’s all

[@RonZabrocki]

This package has been deemed Janky! I thank you. I almost bought Total 3. Sounds like a pain in the ass to use. Great video. Gonna watch that next vid about the song creation. And yes I subbed.

[@craign8ca]

I have Amplitube 4 and I think it sounds great. It even rivals my Helix. But you're right, the user interface sucks. It seems like I have to wade through stuff I don't own to find what I do have. I also have Sampletank 3 but don't use it. It's too much hassle.

[@Jason75913]

and for that '90s ROMpler box sound Sampletank os all about, the Korg Triton VST is more practical 🤣🤣🤣

[@MM-ig1iv]

So if I bought sample tank 3 and Neil Peart's drums Vol.1 or 2 I can't actually map each drum sample individually to my Edrums? a Roland TD-25 like you can with Steven slate drums or Superior Drummer?

[@unrealone1]

Has this been updated. so it is like Native Instruments?

[@subramaniamchandrasekar1397]

User must buy 10 Euro token to download again after expiry time. I stopped my upgrade. Another one is Disco DSP. From version 4.1 to 4.3 you have to pay for upgrade

[@claycollinsmusic]

Hmm I download everything using the. My download have never expired even after 10 years. My number of authorizations and that number goes up every year. I’m not sure why your experience is so different

[@Vallosick]

Hello! Totally agree with you on everything! Could you please tell me how to blocklist plugins in Cubase?

[@howardklein2450]

I am glad I am seeing this, I am thinking of getting Total Studio Max 3.5 as it is on sale, but am wondering is the installation still like this? What if I need to reinstall on a future computer?

[@jmac2050]

Appreciate it, if they would fix the EQP-1 plugin, paid good money for it.. can't go pass 5 on the low boost before the audio tears apart. Don't have that problem on the mix bus version.

[@RoboticusMusic]

My worst software experiences are always from VST products. I spend about 20% of my time troubleshooting instead of making music. IK is one of the worst. Half of my general audio production projects have crashed partway through making music since I started making music 13 years ago, and it doesn't get better with time or upgrades or revisions. I don't experience this with most other softwares.

[@jameseverett4976]

Wow, only 20%? If only..... I don't have much free time, but it all seems to get used up by software issues, and then some. Making music has become a thing of the past. Just downloading stuff now takes days, not hours. Then Kontakt, every damn time it get's "upgraded", cannot then find my sample files anymore. And it's no longer a program you can live without if you invested in sample libraries. I would be willing to just stop buying anything new and stay limited to what I have, but you really can't do that for long either, because your hardware doesn't last forever, and they keep changing the authorization process, so you HAVE to 'upgrade' to a shittier OS or nothing "works" anymore. It's ALWAYS a trade off: want more RAM, to run bigger, better libraries? OK then, leave the better OS behind for good. Oh wait, now that you upgraded, you gotta upgrade this too. And that. And since you upgraded that, well...hehe...gotta 'upgrade' this one too. And, yea...that one, as well. Ah dang, yea... so because you upgraded that [even though you really didn't want to] you'll need to install this here, and buy a new ___, so it will run. And to make that new gadget run, you'll need one of these__, and a newer version of that__. It never ends. Give me a dime for every time I've wished we could have a computer system, OS and all, designed from the ground up for music only..... no viruses, no bloat, just like the old sequencer hardware we got hooked on, before being forced to buy microsoft's convoluted scheming, to keep us upgrading until they literally own our computers - and I could quit working and maybe get some music-making time in.

[@johnnymorell4974]

@@jameseverett4976 Agreed on all points. I already replied with similar information but I had my first IK experience. All I can say is that I'll be uninstalling everything IK related. What a mess. I wanted to comment here because I've also thought, many times, about a music only piece of kit (hardware/software) that can be trusted to do simply that. Anyway, good luck with the creating!

[@gennaroseverino8344]

Thanks for the Vid IK is Janky AF!!! Nailed it . I got Amplitude 5 and the shit keeps crashing my projects and won't load while version 4 works absolutely fine .

[@howlerbike]

That squares with my experience. I tried some of their stuff a few years ago in a stripped down offering they had to set the hook and get you to buy in. It was arse pain city and I uninstalled it all after about a month. My friend likes their B3 Hammond plugin, but I have NI vintage organs so it doesn't impress me at all.

[@bennettdrew]

Bang on brother!! I am going through it right now...they should watch your video.

[@therealrussellsmyth]

Great video , critique is well deserved from past experience and present. Bought amplitube Leslie yesterday and after 2 hours trying I still couldn’t activate the vst, absolute joke !! 🤣🤷‍♂️

[@Fezzler61]

Agree 100% For me, SampleTank 4 was so bad I went back to 3. Then, they made me re-pay for sounds I already paid for.

[@jameseverett4976]

Same here. It was $10 to download stuff I already bought. And I don't even need to download it since I have it on a disk, [and already installed] but their new authorization scheme won't accept it. I don't like nickle-&-diming just "because they can" so I said "f_ it." And I don't like the new Philharmonik 2 I was forced to buy, just to use a 64 bit version of the old one. They "re-organized" it to be a pain-in-the-acse finding anything, and removed alot of patches. The 'new' material they added is not great either, lacks crucial/standard modern features [no legato in this library], and includes lots of unbelievably useless patches.

[@jmel23515]

I have several of their products. I love the sounds I can get with AT 3 and 4. However, I get a lot of hissing and other artifact that gets worse over time and I have to change my input and change the input back to get it to go away and then it's a matter of time before it returns. Luckily it doesn't seem to get recorded. I initially had AT and TR on a desktop, but both times I installed sampletank 3 on my desktop it wouldn't boot the next day. It was down for a few months between attempts and I had to reinstall everything and did some hardware upgrades the second time. It's been dead for several years now since my second attempt at ST3 installation. I run AT 4 and TR5 on a laptop now and will not install ST3 or MP2 even though I previously purchased both. Not worth the risk until I have another option if the laptop goes down. Might try ST4. Unfortunately I probably have to pay to re-activate everything whenever I resurrect the desktop (which exceeded the requirements several times over). Trying to get support was of no benefit at all. I literally had a month of of work and asked them to call, nope. They tend to do a really good job answering basic questions regarding sales and promos on their forum and in several others, but not so much on the tech support. I also bought a samsung phone and a laptop with the pro audio to run their stuff, only for than endeavor to seemingly disappear. Not sure if the hardware wasn't up to it or what, but they just stopped making things for android. Nowhere near the selection of OS or PC

[@---4385]

whenever I run into this problem I save what I've done in the plugin as a preset. remove the plugin, load it up again, click on the preset.. and the hissing is gone and stays gone. I don't know why it occurs, but it occurs and it is a mistake, however it does not always occur.. in fact it occurs not often for me.

[@rabizzle254]

I use T-Racks on Mac for Logic Pro, I've never had any problem installing and authorizing, and they run smoothly without any crashes. Use them exclusively now together with Mixbox for my mixes..

[@LaidbackSounds]

same !!!! Mixbox is great

[@commonsense4993]

I've had to repurchase IK media pedals that I already own because they renamed a bundle. When upgrading my computer, I have not been able to reinstall what i have paid for. They have put software limitations on hardware like my blueboard that I cannot now access. The company seems so set on preventing piracy or something that they steal from their own paying customers. After wasting my money on otherwise reasonably good products, I have convinced myself never to buy from them again. That was a few years back, so apparently they haven't yet learned to value their customer base. They are their own worst enemy in terms of growth.

[@JS-qw9zi]

You are dead on right! I have more problems with IKMultimedia than all my other software combined. I have gotten to the point that I very very rarely use it. When your trying to be creative the last thing you want is to have to fight to get your software to work. Not to mention the fact that there is a ton of better sounding stuff out there.

[@AdamSpade]

Yup. IK makes some nice stuff that I like, but I dont like giving them my time and money because they come across as greedy and are well known for being buggy. Their products aren’t the problem in my opinion. I like them. It’s their attitude behind their products and the time they spend making things clear. In conclusion... it appears they are not thoughtful of their customers. So I have a hard time taking their products seriously.

[@madness8556]

IK Multimedia doesn't give a shit about their customers once they have their money!

[@DJScribbles-q3i]

Question PLEASE , Is it going to be hard and a long period of time to Install and setup SampleTank 4 MAX v2 In 2024… Can U PLEASE give Me the Time That It Took U Too Install and Setup…??? I Am TRULY Hearing Some Horrible Stories On The Installation Process…

[@secretelitemusic]

I had endless issues with installed Syntronik synths mysteriously vanishing, the absence of clarity about whether they were Syntronik instruments, or Sample Tank add-ons. Then there's the fact that nothing worked at all after upgrading to V2, because the reference directory defaults magically changed, and no mention of this minor detail was made in their lightweight literature. It's an almighty pita, just because they didn't create a decent bombproof installation guide, with advice on moving the installed synths to said new location.. I ended up uninstalling all IK products from my machine because I'd rather make music than have to repeatedly delve into the arcane mysteries of undocumented processes, simply because IK are too lazy or cheap to employ someone to process map their install and debug routines.. In contrast to the clusterf**k provided by IK, Installing UVI, Spectrasonics, Arturia, EastWest, U-he, Cherry Audio, Rob Papen, and Ujam synths and fx has always been a breeze, with clear, detailed instructions for noobs, and consistent install locations.

[@johnnymorell4974]

I had my first experience with IK today. Never again. Confusing as to what to do first and then having tons of files I don't want and countless issues this video addresses. During the process, I was regretting starting it. I've decided tomorrow morning to uninstall everything IK related because it's just not worth the hassle. A shame, maybe, since their products are, apparently, pretty good but I can't be wasting any more time with it.

[@anievestor]

Unfortunately you did not use the manager which avoids what you said about the double downloading

[@CalvinLimuel]

I don't understand the download time limit either, and I found that out when I bought a new computer. Thank goodness now we have the product manager to download and authorize the products now.

[@RahulNoelMassey-jj3bm]

Hi I have a question which many cubase user are looking for and that is How to pan the middi notes ? I searched all over the internet but i coudnt find the answer...Please help

[@ericblair5458]

I hear ya brother! I feel the exact same and have the same frustrations. Nice sounds but woeful user experience.

[@jetblackdovemusic]

I've got no hot take and no hate for your opinions here, just different priorities, and more people ought to post about what can be done to improve products. So thanks for your time and effort. I've owned Sampletank since version 2 and the original Miroslav Philharmonik the CSR reverbs and Amplitube for over 20 years (according to my account). I never found myself wanting for customer support in that time. I have absolutely loved their sales!! I paid $180 Dollars for the big Total Studio Max 2 bundle and the upgrade price rn is just a hundred bucks to version 3.5!! ( Black Friday 2022) Better yet I can even use my jam points to buy the upgrade on my sale price and save another 30 percent. THAT'S AMAZING. idk of any other company doing that. As much as i also like having Komplete Ultimate, i can wait to upgrade that. I truly wish more businesses valued their customers like IKM does. Looking at you, Reason Studios and NI and Waves. My number one priority is sound quality, then value,and then ease of use. Like you, I do hate the 6 months of downloads only, but in fairness, they do have a workaround and it's pay them ten bucks for another 6 months. ( idk if you can use Jam Points for that though and knock off another 30 percent) To me. this sounds pretty fair compared to Native instruments offering Komplete at over twice the price or the Bullshoot way Waves has you use a back alley subscription model after you bought their overpriced bundles. I do take issue with the way some of the preset selection works in T-Racks and Sampletank. Not a fan of navigating the interface and selecting options in Syntronik. We are ONE HUNDRED PERCENT in agreement on that. Oh and I'd love it if Syntronik's modules weren't sample based, but i get the results i want out of all of them, so that's fine, in the end. I'd def say that IK Product Manager is a downloaad client and lean and easy to follow along to, but yes i can see why you might want auto install , of course that comes at a cost i believe, if a person loses network connection it can tank the whole ship. I use an RME Multiface on my Windows and Apogee Ensemble on my Macbook, and have not had any sound card oddities with either. Thank you again for the great video and your thoughts on how they could improve.

[@va941]

Hey, its been two years, am about to buy the ik multimedia 3.5 max bundle, anybody knows I their stuff have gotten better considering the user experience of dowloading and installing products, or customer service?

[@StratsRUs]

IK Multimedia is a cold experience. I loved the way you vented , it was funny and accurate.Some of it reminded me of Spinal Tap.

[@mikecampbell3174]

Your right my friend I love the sounds but the install is rediculist. Hope the make it more like native instruments . They must know they have a problem, but are they working on it.

[@madness8556]

Thankyou so much for having the intestinal fortitude to post this video as it makes me feel much better about myself and that I'm not alone when dealing with IK Multimedia and it's shananigans! The IK Multimedia Product Manager is an absolute nightmare when it comes to a download and instillation program. It's the pitts and their customer support is terrible! You wait days for a response which is usually a system generated response and they couldn't organise flies around crap when sorting out my many issues when I upgraded to Total Studio Max 4. The program settings is supposed to allow you to set a file download path to an external library but it still downloaded those huge files onto my system drive, causing it to quickly fill up! The sounds might be good but everything else about IK Multimedia gives me a very severe case of anxiety and anger! The 180 day download period after which you have to pay to download files of products that YOU'VE ALREADY PAID FOR is truly despicable and I'll never purchase anything from IK again despite having been a loyal user of their products since 2004! Even a rep from IK Multimedias Australian distributor who was absolutely fantastic with his assistance mentioned that dealing with the company is less than pleasant and that they have a very sanctimonious approach to communication and customer service. The arrogance of IK Multimedia when I've dealt with them has been truly breath taking and I don't remember them behaving this way when I dealt with them back in the early 2000s. I finally decided to reinstall the IK Product Manager because I was having so many issues with JavaScript errors and the like and then the sounds page said that none of my files were downloaded and installed! I finally managed to get all the sound library files and file paths downloaded and working but only after days of frustration, anger and anxiety and through a lot of trial and error, gnashing of teeth and much swearing! As a matter of fact, their reprehensible 'customer service' gave me no correct answers and suitable solutions and their IK Multimedia Product Manager makes it feel like that we're back in 2003! They've certainly lost me. It's such a great shame really as their products are actually fabulous once their set up correctly. I'll stick with Native Instruments, Arturia, Fxpansion and Izotope, all of whom have product installers that do all the hard work of downloading, installing and authorising their products for you with the minimum of fuss! BYE BYE IK MULTIMEDIA!!!! 🤬🤬

[@CestLaVie73]

Ik Multimedia download system is from stone age compared Melda, Kilohearts, Native Instruments, Plugin Alliance or any other

[@gatherstudio5219]

I have the studio max and yes installation was well ... A unpleasant experience , But I have been very pleased with the products . I do sometimes get a high CPU Spike when I use sampletank for some reason it is a bit on the janky side I guess it's a shame because some of the piano samples such as brandenburg piano are really good they should really think about making a solid piano program without the whole sampletank thingy

[@yinoveryang4246]

Thanks for having the courage to post this video, I also believe this company is shaky, and amazingly - I just discovered it hasn't changed its business and sales tactics in the last 8 years. There's something fundamentally rotten at the core of IK Multimedia.

[@WarrenPostma]

Agreed, but there are signs they are improving. They do have a unified installer, and the "180 days and your downloads go away" messages appear to have been removed. Most of the rest of it the issues he mentions in the video remain.

[@madness8556]

IK Multimedia doesn't give a shit about customer service after they've taken their money! They're a very dodgy and arrogant company to deal with!

[@trevorclover]

Duuuuude, thank you for this video. I'm experiencing something similar with IK's products right now: I went for a free gain clipper but made me download 3GB worth of storage space and now I got a huge list of unusable vst's that can't be used. Also, I paid some years ago for THE sample tank pack (on a now decommissioned iPad), and discovered that I can use it on my mac too, but now that I just installed it it's acting just weird, I don't understand how to get the electric piano sounds that I used to like a lot, it's a nightmare. There's no uninstaller, contact support is impossible: you have to rule out from a list of FAQs that are completely irrelevant to your query and can't find a way to reaaaaaally contact a human from the company. It's awful to hate, but I already HATE this company.

[@mlwsf]

Ya, the T-Rak deal was bullshit. Why do I need all of this shit on my computer when I can't use them just to get the one to use. Had to hide them all manually. Also have had to repeatedly reinstall Amplitude and getting the sounds for Sample tank was a nightmare

[@oldskoolfunkandsoul1]

i got sample tank 4se from buying their small midi controller..so you think its not worth it?/..i may need help in reinsyalling.. :(

[@glenshort5123]

All valid points about the 8 Janky issues, but I kept getting discouraged to continue to watch with interruptions of the 8 Janky commercials. lol

[@da-el8547]

Great and unbiased video. On another matter, didn't realize that people still use Windows. Quite surreal !

[@humansrants1694]

??

[@gillihansmobilewelding]

Not everyone likes getting their products slowed down with every upgrade. Some people also like upgrading their own equipment instead of having to replace it when it gets too slow.. from the upgrades. Quite for real.

[@wasdwasd12321]

The trail version of amplitude sucks hard, everything is unavailable until individually selected from custom Shop then it won't let you trial that piece of gear anyway wth

[@MegaBadgeman]

The only issue I have with IK Multimedia is when they updated Syntronik nothing new was added, another Oberheim, another roland another moog along with some bland synths I barely remember. What I would've like to have seen an example or two of early eighties electronic percussion.

[@danielmconnolly7]

The sounds are great, but IK folder paths and sound file downloads are a freaking nightmare.. 😵

[@jmac2050]

just buy the box set, comes with everything on a thumb drive, installs all the gigs in minutes. but don't like the shopping-cart icon image on software i own... don't know how they come up with their crazy prices for extra individual plugins

[@davidolivas192]

I definitely like my IKMultimedia plugin software, but it was a pain downloading and installing everything. And there was a learning curve to using everything, but I’m pretty happy with the results of the music. I’ve only scratched the surface T Racks 5 (Thank God for KZbin), but so far impressed.

[@johnhill762]

Yeah the installation process is absolutely terrible. But once you get it set up, it’s great stuff.

[@davidolivas192]

@@johnhill762 I like ikmultimedia plugins even more after hearing about recent problems with Slate Digital and the iLok not working. Several had to cancel or postpone their sessions.

[@johnhill762]

@@davidolivas192 Wow. Yeah I have a few plugins that require iLok that were acting up recently. Not fun at all.

[@cgsmithinnola]

100%. I got a bunch of stuff from them during this recent 25x1 sale, but can’t get anything to work... the 180 days is worse than the WUP by Waves. Thanks for calling IK out.

[@Gogies777]

the download path files are kind of tricky.Had to place altogether on the same drive otherwise its acting up.GB 25 for the price of one is awesome tho,in my eyes they gained a bit of credit and made up since this video.Glad i gave them a chance.

[@cgsmithinnola]

@@Gogies777 I am slowly figuring it out... are you able to delete the zip folders after extraction? What about moving these mysterious C drive files that are stacking up the GB?

[@thesouringgentleman]

I just downloaded a bunch of stuff that I bought about 8 years ago. I registered it, but it came with all this garbage I won’t ever buy, and it makes it a pain to try and find the stuff I own when every ik plugin is clogging my effects list. I’m uninstalling everything from their company, and I’ll never install another thing from them.

[@EquanelleEquanelle]

Absolutely agree. I'm in the process of reinstalling my plugins on a new Mac Seriously thinking of not bothering with the IK stuff - because of the install process. No guidance - so many separate bits and pieces. I might just go as far as the T-Racks 5 Max - I got on well with that - but everything else was a complete muddle.

[@dezinerAhmad]

Ohhh can't agree more... I wasted my money for Philaharmonik Orchestra... Ot is too stressful... Ni is buttery SMOOTHHHHHHHH. They have excellent Effects section but th company is not paying ATTENTION in terms of improvement

[@thrawy4305]

Man I wish so bad that I had watched your video when it was released. In february I bought amplitube 5 SE edition and honestly the program works fine but I hate myself for giving money to such an unprofessional company. I was caught by surprise when I realized that all their software is not digitally signed, i mean, it is unacceptable because it let the software opened to external manipulation. I asked on their forum about why are their products unsigned and an admin reply that they are working on it, fast forward to a week ago, I emailed ik asking if they have solved the problem and the reply I got was clueless, like they literally don’t know what a digital signature is, it is absurd, even indie developers make sure their software is signed in order to demonstrate their software is safe and professional. It seems that there are a lot of people with problems with this company and sadly we have no voice in the official forum because they delete our posts or comments so I would advice people to post their problems on the ikmultimedia subreddit, i think it is not as censored as the official forum, people need to know that this company only cares about the money.

[@thrawy4305]

Update: here is the reply I got from IK about their software being unsigned. “Both Microsoft and Apple have made a number of changes to their operating system and almost all third party applications may present this message; especially as security measures are updated while our software may not require this digital signature to be functional; you as the end user will have to adjust your computer's security preference when you add software to your computer.” This is absurd, not only they don’t want to acknowledge the problem but also they lie about it, their reply makes no sense. This is scary, why are they so afraid of signing their software?.

[@Jason75913]

@@thrawy4305 penny-pinching is why, they don't want to spend time and resources on that

[@SergeFlashMan]

Most of these words are not actual in 2023. They have an installer manager. They have new versions of products with more ergonomic workflow. And you can download your sounds from the installer manager 24/7. And last but not least they have very friendly sales. Right now IK Multimedia is closer to musicians. And it's 100% better that discrediting themselves Waves or Plugin Alliance.

[@lurker1973]

Most but not all issues are solved. Their sample based synthesizers take more than 200 GB disk space and their applications are confusing. Installation files remain on disk. And many more janky stuff exists.

[@exitthelemming145]

Their installer manager is a pile of dysfunctional junk that forces the end user as a last resort to install many of the products and sound content manually. Of course 'Sales' are going to be friendly: they want you to buy stuff. 'Support' are indifferent at best and downright belligerent at worst and don't even acknowledge they are shipping noughties software with pre millennium installers. Great sounding products but utterly clueless support or after sales service. I can't think of any other music software company that charges you an additional download fee for content you have already purchased if > 180 days have elapsed since you originally downloaded.

[@WibblyWobblyBob]

It's taken me 3 weeks and 10 emails to get my original copy of Miroslav philharmonik reauthorised on my current pc. Finally got it only to find Reaper won't recognise it. Arrrrggghh! Oh yeah I had to pay $10 to access the expired sounds.

[@TerenceKearns]

Excellent video. All very valid criticism. They make great products, it's a same to see that they dropped the ball so badly on these issues but it's encouraging to see how much they have improved since you made this video. I absolutely HATE being ambushed by a "do you want to buy this?" prompt when I've got my flow on and I am trying to create. I will not stand advertising inside my workspace. Seriously WHAT THE FUCK WERE THEY THINKING! Also I think that it's retarded that you cannot access the main performance page of an instrument when it is in sample tank. That's just crippleware at work. Cripplewear makes me sad.

[@wstntime2]

AMEN! This was the worst setup experience I have ever had. It took my 3 days and multiple hours to investigate setup wizard issues with their download manager. I actually had to abandon the download of the free version because it was such a gong show and would not download. I had to move to the SE version and pay for it (which is fine because I was going to purchase later anyway), which was still a complicated process but at least it finally worked. Guitar rig was very close to having a customer, put it that way.

[@sekritskworl-sekrit_studios]

WHAT is their USB for?

[@AppAxis]

They finally released a Software Manager earlier this month

[@AppAxis]

Steven Hernandez late, but welcome. Although there were a few hiccups, Im glad IK is moving in the right direction.

[@xp50player]

My MODOdrum keeps trying to update, even tho my version is the newest version.

[@AppAxis]

@@xp50player ik multimedia has an antiquated help/contact us system. U may have to make noise on social media to actually get a response. #unfortunately

[@---4385]

indeed and it's a thing of beauty!

[@therealrussellsmyth]

Still no help to me currently. Bought leslie yesterday and after hours of trying I still couldn’t get it to activate. Ordinarily I never have these kind of issues with other software producers

[@Virtual-Media]

Almost impulse purchased this on a black friday sale. Thanks for the warning!

[@blossbeats8035]

Thanks for the info I was just about to buy because of a sale. I don't know if its worth all the headache to be honest. My money feels like it would be better spent somewhere else at this point. Not knocking the product but I am all about ease of flow. Hopefully they listen to their customers more!

[@edinatl2008]

I just got a few things from IK and it went super smooth for me, but I'm basically an IT expert with around 25 years or experience dealing with software issues and quirks. Would trade it for some music knowledge at this point.

[@jameseverett4976]

I'm not IT level, and had to ask for support to install Philharmonic 2, but now that it's running, I'm having a hard time believing there are no legato patches, BUT they have a bunch of 2 note patches, where you get a set tempo of legato from 1 note 1 other note. I can't for the life of me think of how anyone would or COULD use such patches. They don't change tempo with your DAW, so the only way I can see using them is to make your song match the tempo they use, which is going to be slightly different for each patch. Then you'd have to load..., oh around 40 patches.... and switch constantly to play 1 melody, IF your melody accommodates the tempo of each patch. So no long [or short] notes allowed if you want legato on those notes. This feels like something from the ancient first days of sampled instruments. And these are RE-Recorded samples for a "NEWER modern" version. WHAT???? I've since realized the best use of this product is just to replace the older 32 bit version, so you can run it on Windows 7+, but the new organization of patches is a Royal PAIN. I'd love to talk to "brain" behind this "upgrade". It's retail is $400, and man I feel bad for anyone who paid that much [unless they're "trust fund babies"].

[@gillihansmobilewelding]

So, did you actually have to use your IT expertise and 25 years of experience to download plugins?

[@frankymino8773]

IK have been around for more than 2 decades and still sell the same crap from back then using the same old assets reskinned and remarketed. It's funny how marketing can make something sound so good to the ears when in fact it's just a placebo. Never purchased anything from them and never will. Dodgy developers. 180 day expiry on downloads then having to pay for them?? LoL... Red flag right there.

[@anievestor]

You crashes are due to the 3 version of this software. In version 4 most of the crashes stopped

[@larsdahl6594]

I was just about to pull the trigger on Amplitube 5 Max when I came across this review, and now I'm not so sure. Have any of these issues been addressed in the latest iteration?

[@TalkingLeafMedia]

Yeah. They have an installation assistant now. I haven't tried Amplitube 5. I like some of the sounds in 4 though.

[@bestjuly13]

THanks for the Video. Each time you stress the jAnkEyneSS, I feel a bit better about myself, deep in the night not getting their (now existent) product mangaer to install amplitube 5. F this s't. Maybe Ill skip this and just use the HD-X Interface - which actually works with lower latency than my focusrite and more stable too, so I'm also kinda in luv with the jankyness :) CHeers

[@edouardphilippe5271]

That's really a shame because I've been installing plugin from almost every plugin developer for years in a matter of second, but after 2 hours I'm still not getting through with IK...

[@andrew-5077]

I tried uninstalling after it took up nearly 300gb on my SSD. All the programs have been uninstalled, yet the storage space still shows that it’s being used up. Spent several hours dealing with it. Anyone got any ideas?

[@TalkingLeafMedia]

Delete the sample files?

[@kennynyc15153]

thanks was thinking of getting on sweetwater Jan sale for 129.00 but naaa 2 Jankay! Subscribed :)~

[@bubblepipemedia3414]

I’m very used to unsigned executables. In fact, I’m not sure the last time I’ve loaded a signed one was with audio plugins lol (to be fair, I use mac, maybe it’s harder?). For windows a lot of stuff is unsigned too, but I’m also downloading weirder game development stuff there. Surprised this is considered an issue. Spectrasonics used to do the limited download window thing, it was the first time I saw that kind of thing. Not entirely sure they still do. I thought it was weird then. And it’s weird to see another company do it.

[@CyberTechOfficial-h7n]

Thank you for this video. However, With the new Software Manager IK doing better.

[@mycosys]

Thank you for your review, confirms Arturia V was a great choice ;) Black friday isnt far off , normally about $200

[@kunfajarudinwibowo]

Distracted with Nirvana poster 👍

[@MrTupeloFlash]

Interested in your comments in 2022 ?

[@dennis288]

Totally agree. Be prepared to spend a long time in front of computer installing their programs. And then prepare yourself to be frustrated when half the things you want to use is locked and not available. If you contact customer service it will take several days to get a reply. And there is no guarantee it will be revolve the first time.

[@ArchangelCrusader-he3gg]

I haven't tried their DAW software yet but I thought I'd mention their Amplitube guitar amp software. I have most of the guitar amp emulation software from just about every other company. Amplitube is hands down the BEST sounding amp emulation software out there. 💯 percent facts. I'm an old tube amplifier player. To be honest I don't even use my tube amps anymore because of how great Amplitube is.

[@paws-h8p]

They are one of the Old Skool companies for sure, but if this is how they are distributing their products then you can count me out on purchasing Amplitude. I would rather go with Guitar rig seen as I have the Native Access client already.

[@LordTheeProducer]

Guitar rig is amazing

[@weakbruteforce]

100! Thank you for saying it! Their add-on/plug-in operation was so BAD I didn't end up downloading all of it! Not because I didn't want to, rather because I didn't realize I missed a ton of sample packages. They now have a Product Manager but it's still halfassed... Their speakers are good, software "meh" and customer care BS....

[@setvice]

Agreed. I’ve had sample tank and miraslov for 9 months and still haven’t used it because it can’t find my libraries. I don’t have time to mess around with it. Frustrating.

[@AdamSpade]

@iKalamaZoo well, better to pay $10 than to have them say “sorry. You will have to re purchase the product. We won’t let you just download it if we can charge you for it again.”

[@Ronbo765]

Amplitube 5 has an easy way to filter out all unowned products. The interface has been redesigned, too. Its great. It also has IR capability.

[@espedale]

Totally agree. If you really want to bang your head against the wall, order any product through a third party. On top the other obstacles you listed, there is the joy of entering very long serial numbers for each and every product in the suite. And, like you said... there is no indication as to what order to download each component... which I got completely wrong by guessing. They need to reallocate some money from their marketing department to their UI/UX developers!!! I'm surprised there aren't more complaints voiced about this in IK Multimedia product reviews.

[@DeangerSmith]

What does janky mean?

[@frankschwartz7405]

>>What does “janky” mean?