Found out SampleTank 2 is able to have multiple outputs but I’m not sure how one would go about setting up multiple outputs in a newer 64 bit version of Ableton or FL Studio, etc. and if it can receive notes from other midi channels? Want to try it in Ableton because it seems intuitive for multiple outputs and midi inputs but I’m not sure if Ableton lets you have multiple VST2 folders or supports x86 plugins.

if Ableton won’t work, how can I get multiple outs in Bitwig/FL?

 

What you’re seeing is basically a legacy workflow. Modern DAWs and SampleTank v4 already handle multi outs and MIDI routing more cleanly and with more flexiblty. There’s no real advantage in going back to v2 for that. For you, this is not even "nostalgia" of an old workflow, or trying to get old projects to load as they were originally.

Unless you have some Sampletank content you can't live without...

 

If your DAW's are all 64bit that can limit things a bit since many (though not all. reaper I believe can still use them) x64 DAW's have abandoned the 32bit plugin tech altogether.
There's a couple of options for getting x86 plugins to work;
- jBridge - will wrap the original 32bit plug in a 64bit wrapper so your x64 DAW will accept and use it as a x64 plugin.
- you can install an older version of Ableton (or whatever DAW) that still supports x86 plugs natively
- install a modern 64bit DAW that still supports x86 stuff like reaper. ableton apparently dropped x86 plugin support with v10.1.

The more all around smartest alternative would be to upgrade to the latest version of Sampletank 4.
You can find it on sisite - IK Multimedia SampleTank 4 v4.2.6 Incl Keygen-R2R along with a ton of content packs.

 

Last edited: Jun 28, 2026 at 11:44 PM

Not using that, I like the 2000s era interface of 2 and it keeps me from having even more gigabytes of sample libraries in my hard drive, maybe one day when I have substantially more storage available I’ll add the newest version available

 

Nope, just a fan of the interface and the smaller library, it feels like its own little standalone library bubble separate from anything that might snowball into hundreds of gigabytes! Want to see how well older plugins of the past will integrate with modern workstations… plus SampleTank barely uses cpu so these older plugins will get you more simultaneous instances than more recent ones like Kontakt 8 or Falcon

 

At some point you figure out that you don't neeed every single released library for whatever sampler you are using. Falcon is absolutely not a big resources using pig, barely even a piglet. On Apple Silicon, it's awesome, like "what cpu?" awesome; but I could use lots of instances of it, or a single multi-out instance of it even on my Mac Pro from 2010.

You're describing why I do not use Kontakt all that often, aside from not using traditional "instruments", but it was even worse on the computers we all had when SampleTank was still at v2. At that time, I acquired Halion and ST was probably gone for good in a week (and this is being generous). For an old "never-expanding" sampler library, you might find Ueberschall Elastik 3 interesting. I haven't tried getting it to work on Apple Silicon yet, but I probably wont, so I can't say other than ymmv. The point is, there are way better options.

If you are going to move forward with a decision many, or most; people will say is a time drain, you should just ask GPT.

Spoiler

this is exactly where old “multi-timbral VST2 era” expectations collide with modern 64-bit DAWs.

I’ll break it down cleanly because there are three separate issues in what you asked:

1) First reality check: SampleTank 2 in modern systems
IK Multimedia SampleTank (v2 specifically) is the problem, not Ableton/FL/Bitwig.

• SampleTank 2 = 32-bit VST2-era plugin
• Modern DAWs (Ableton Live 10+ / FL Studio 20+ / Bitwig) = 64-bit only
• macOS (especially Apple Silicon / modern Intel macOS) = no 32-bit plugin support at all

So:

• ❌ Ableton Live cannot load 32-bit plugins (no bridge anymore)
• ❌ Bitwig cannot load 32-bit plugins
• ❌ FL Studio can on Windows only via jBridge (not macOS)

Bottom line: SampleTank 2 is basically legacy unless you’re on an old Windows setup with bridging

If you want this workflow today, the realistic fix is:

• upgrade to SampleTank 4 (64-bit) or
• replace with any modern multi-out sampler (Kontakt, Falcon, etc.)

2) “Multiple outputs” (audio routing) in modern DAWs
This part is still totally doable—but only if the plugin supports multi-outs in its 64-bit version.

Ableton Live
Ableton absolutely supports multi-out instruments.

Setup (Ableton Live)

1. Load a multi-output instrument
2. On the plugin slot click:
   • “Configure” (or “+” outputs depending version)
3. Enable additional outputs (Out 2/3/4/etc.)
4. Create Audio Tracks
5. Set:
   • “Audio From” → your instrument track
   • Choose “Ext. Out” 2/3/4/etc.

That’s it. Ableton treats multi-outs as separate audio return streams

FL Studio
FL Studio is actually the easiest for this.

Setup (FL Studio)

1. Load plugin in Channel Rack
2. Open plugin wrapper
3. Go to:
   • Wrench / Plugin settings → “Processing”
4. Click:
   • “Enable multiple outputs”
5. In Mixer:
   • FL auto-creates insert tracks for each output

FL is very “auto-routed” compared to Ableton

Bitwig Studio
Bitwig is the most flexible but slightly more modular.

Setup (Bitwig)

1. Load instrument
2. Add HW Instrument / Note FX / Audio FX chain
3. Open device panel
4. Enable extra outputs
5. Bitwig creates separate audio pins automatically

OR:

• Use “Audio Receiver” devices per output

Bitwig = modular routing model, closest to hardware mindset

3) MIDI multi-timbral behavior (your other question)
This is actually separate from audio outs.

What you’re asking:

“can it receive notes from other MIDI channels?”

Yes—IF the plugin is multi-timbral (SampleTank is/was).

How it works conceptually:

• One plugin instance
• Multiple parts (1–16)
• Each part listens on a MIDI channel

Ableton method (important limitation)
Ableton does NOT natively expose true multi-channel routing inside one track, but you can fake it cleanly:

Method A (most common)

• Create multiple MIDI tracks
• Set each track:

MIDI To → SampleTank track
Channel → 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 etc.

Each track triggers a different part inside SampleTank.

Method B (rack approach)

• Put plugin in Instrument Rack
• Chain split (less elegant for MIDI channel separation)

FL Studio method (best for this use case)
FL is the most “classic workstation” here:

• One plugin instance
• Multiple MIDI channels routed internally
• Or multiple channels in Piano Roll per port

FL is basically built for this exact 2005-era workflow.

Bitwig method (clean modern version)
Bitwig does this better than Ableton:

• Multiple note chains
• Channel filters per chain
• You can route:
  • Chain 1 → MIDI channel 1
  • Chain 2 → MIDI channel 2

Very controllable and visual.

Straight answer to your core question
Can you do this in Ableton?
Yes—but:

• only with 64-bit multi-out plugin
• MIDI multitimbral = multiple MIDI tracks workaround

Can you do it in FL Studio?
Yes—easiest overall for this workflow.

Can you do it in Bitwig?
Yes—most flexible routing, best modern design.

The real bottleneck (important)
Your blocker is not the DAW.

It’s this:

SampleTank 2 is too old for modern 64-bit workflows.

If you want this exact “multi-out + multi-MIDI channel workstation sampler” experience in 2026, you’ll get it far better from:

• SampleTank 4
• Kontakt
• Falcon
• HALion