Sampletank 4 SE (Mac) Instrument Browser Blank! Help!

[babz]

I just downloaded and installed Total Studio Max 2, which includes ST3 and ST4 SE, plus many libraries. I installed all the software and sound content in the default location for macOS. ST3 seems to work. But in Sampletank 4, the Instrument browser comes up blank!

You can see Libraries in the Library column, but there are no visible instruments. The CATEGORIES column is blank, the FILTERS column contains only Timbre, Style, Music Genre, Mood, and User. The INSTRUMENTS column is blank! I have no way to load Instruments!

When I click on Settings -> Sound Content it shows that the content is there in its default macOS location:

/Users/Shared/IK Multimedia/Sampletank 4.

I tried Remove, Add, Rescan All. It made no difference. I redownloaded the Sampletank 4 SE installer and reinstalled the app, and it rebuilt the library on next launch, but STILL NO CONTENT IN THE INSTRUMENT BROWSER!

I’ve written to IK support, but apparently it will be several days before I can expect an answer.

Any ideas anyone? Anyone had this problem? I can’t think of anything else to try.

Thx

[babz]

OK, here goes. Answering my own post.

So after pulling my hair out till the wee hours last night, and a good night’s rest, I decided to get back up on the horse this morning and try some aggressive tactics.

I uninstalled and reinstalled both ST3 and ST4 a couple of times, and reinstalled a few of the libraries. I even, with get regrets, installed the Sampletank “Custom Shop” bloatware that I was trying hard to avoid, since that was the only part of the sound content I had not previously installed, thinking that perhaps Custom Shop was required in order to get ST4 to function properly. None of that worked. Still no joy.

Then I decided one more time, with feeling… I uninstalled ST4 a third time and shut the computer down completely. Then I restarted the computer from a cold start, installed ST4 again, and FINALLY this time after rebuilding the database on launch, IT WORKED!

So, definitely one of the most unpleasant install experiences ever , but at least we have a happy ending and I can get on to exploring the GBs and GBs of Total Studio Max 2 content!

I sorta wish I could figure out a way to uninstall the nearly 3 GBs of Custom Shop bloatware, but for now I’m happy just to be able to have things working at all!

[garfy]

Hey babz

Good news that you've got the installation working, but...

I sorta wish I could figure out a way to uninstall the nearly 3 GBs of Custom Shop bloatware

Which 3GB are you referring to here? If you mean the sound content that comes with ST4 Custom Shop version, then this is all new content not included in the original installation of ST3SE.

[babz]

I sorta wish I could figure out a way to uninstall the nearly 3 GBs of Custom Shop bloatware

Which 3GB are you referring to here? If you mean the sound content that comes with ST4 Custom Shop version, then this is all new content not included in the original installation of ST3SE.

I’m talking about the file in the list of Sampletank 4 SE Sound Content downloads called:

“SampleTank 4 CS Sound Content.”

When I was initially downloading and installing the list of Sound Content files, I didn't install that one, because I wanted to avoid the Custom Shop.

Perhaps I’m mistaken about how the Custom Shop works. I thought that it installs a big chunk of data, but only a fraction of it is unlocked (essetinally a few trial presets) but that the rest of it appears within your preset lists (with no way of knowing it is "Custom Shop" content), but when you try to load it it informs you that you need to make a purchase from the “shop” to unlock it. At least, that’s how Custom Shop seems to work in Amplitube. That experience has kind of made me somewhat phobic about the whole "Custom Shop" concept. It seems like bloatware/trailware. This is my first experience with Sampletank, so maybe it works differently there.

[garfy]

Perhaps I’m mistaken about how the Custom Shop works. I thought that it installs a big chunk of data, but only a fraction of it is unlocked (essetinally a few trial presets) but that the rest of it appears within your preset lists (with no way of knowing it is "Custom Shop" content)

Yep, understandable. That is how the AT4CS version works as it's based on algorithms rather than samples and so has a smaller footprint.

The Sound Content with the CS version of SampleTank 4 is new content not available previously and unlocked for unlimited use.

Hope that helps.

[babz]

Perhaps I’m mistaken about how the Custom Shop works. I thought that it installs a big chunk of data, but only a fraction of it is unlocked (essetinally a few trial presets) but that the rest of it appears within your preset lists (with no way of knowing it is "Custom Shop" content)

Yep, understandable. That is how the AT4CS version works as it's based on algorithms rather than samples and so has a smaller footprint.

The Sound Content with the CS version of SampleTank 4 is new content not available previously and unlocked for unlimited use.

Hope that helps.

Cool! Thx! So I guess there are two different things: SampleTank 4 CS, the application; and the CS sound content that comes with ST. And as long as I don't install the application, I can avoid the bloat and "store" experience?

It wouldn't be so bad if they made the store content more obvious and isolated. But in Amplitube, ever since I installed the CS, I go to load a certain preset and I get some message saying it uses parameters or settings that require a purchase from the store (or something like that). Ouch! Gotcha! I'd rather just not have the preset in my list at all. When you're in the creative moment and searching for a sound, who wants to interrupt the flow and think about shopping and marketing? Wish IK would rethink/rework this state of affairs.

Now I need to see if there is a way I can uninstall the Amplitube store application...

[garfy]

Cool! Thx! So I guess there are two different things: SampleTank 4 CS, the application; and the CS sound content that comes with ST. And as long as I don't install the application, I can avoid the bloat and "store" experience?

ST4 is essentially the same app whichever version you have, it's the serial number and Sound Content that makes the difference in this instance. There is no need to install the ST4CS app as, basically, you already have when you installed ST4SE.

As ST4 is based on samples, you will not have presets that you don't have sound content for.

I go to load a certain preset and I get some message saying it uses parameters or settings that require a purchase from the store (or something like that). Ouch! Gotcha! I'd rather just not have the preset in my list at all.

This has been raised many times before, is understandable and the developers have been made aware of some user's comments.

Now I need to see if there is a way I can uninstall the Amplitube store application...

There is an official uninstaller that comes with the original download should you wish to uninstall AT4CS. If you have deleted your original download, you can just grab AT4CS from your User Area again.

Hope that helps.

[babz]

This has been raised many times before, is understandable and the developers have been made aware of some user's comments.

Now I need to see if there is a way I can uninstall the Amplitube store application...

There is an official uninstaller that comes with the original download should you wish to uninstall AT4CS. If you have deleted your original download, you can just grab AT4CS from your User Area again.

Hope that helps.

Thanks! What is confusing for me about Amplitube is that I go to the My Products section on the website and I see all the different packages I’ve purchased/downloaded over the years. These include, for example:

AmpliTube Custom Shop
Fender™ Collection
AmpliTube 4 Total Studio MAX 2


But no matter which installer/uninstaller you select for download, it downloads the same AmpliTube_4_macOS_(4.9.1).dmg file.

However, in hopes of getting rid of the Custom Shop, I downloaded the installer from "AmpliTube Custom Shop" section in the list under My Products.

I ran it and it uninstalled, but then I wanted to make sure it didn't uninstall the stuff I want to keep, so I downloaded and installed from both the Fender Collection and AmpliTube 4 Total Studio MAX 2 section of My Products. Again, in each case it seemed to download the same AmpliTube_4_macOS_(4.9.1).dmg installer, but I ran it anyway just to be sure.

Now when I launch Amplitube, the Custom Shop is still there among my presets (however, it is separated into its own submenu; so that's nice). And actually, I tried loading some presets from that submenu and didn't get any warning messages.

But it's under the Collections menu where you have problems. For example, I don't own Brian May, but it's still there in the menus, and if I try to load from it, I get the warning messages. So it seems the Collections menu (not the Custom Shop menu) is where the issue lies.

Thus, it seems there is no way to have a preset menu that only includes products that you own. The trick, I suppose, is to try to remember which products you do and do not own. Fortunately, now that I have AmpliTube 4 Total Studio MAX 2, I think I own the majority of it (Brian May being a notable exception), so this will be less of a problem than it was for me in the past.