# Omnisphere versus Serum



## PuerAzaelis (Jul 13, 2021)

I have the Splice Serum subscription and have begun to have fun with this synth. However I am getting GAS for Omnisphere.

Do the two synths have two different focuses (foci?!) - do each of them specialize in a certain area different from the other?


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## sostenuto (Jul 13, 2021)

Forever Omni user here, and only offer this as _starter_ comment. Omni 2.6 is surely far more broad-based .... imho

As always .... so much in the 'ear' of beholder. 
A highly capable, trusted, 3rd Pty dev, resource has commented _ Serum Pads are preferred. 🤷‍♂️


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## PuerAzaelis (Jul 13, 2021)

Ty - interested in starting to produce ambient-ish music so pads are important.


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## Soundbed (Jul 13, 2021)

PuerAzaelis said:


> I have the Splice Serum subscription and have begun to have fun with this synth. However I am getting GAS for Omnisphere.
> 
> Do the two synths have two different focuses (foci?!) - do each of them specialize in a certain area different from the other?


I still use both. I go to Serum for most of my future bass type sounds and some EDM things, hip hop, synthy brass stabs and formant stuff. Could Omni do similar stuff? Of course but Serum is an easier starting point for me. For Omni I do more cinematic sounds, some of my organic bass pulses, more textural and acoustic / processed sounds. My uses may be influenced by some of the packs I’ve purchased for each.


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## R. Soul (Jul 13, 2021)

^ same here.
I use Omnisphere for everything cinematic, but when it comes to Pop, EDM, Hip hop and similar genres, I virtually always reach for Serum. 
I find Omnisphere is the king of pads, soundscapes and textures, but for plucks, leads, supersaws etc. Serum is just much easier to deal with.


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## sostenuto (Jul 13, 2021)

R. Soul said:


> ^ same here.
> I use Omnisphere for everything cinematic, but when it comes to Pop, EDM, Hip hop and similar genres, I virtually always reach for Serum.
> I find Omnisphere is the king of pads, soundscapes and textures, but for plucks, leads, supersaws etc. Serum is just much easier to deal with.


Almost deleted Post #2 (_re. Omni Pads_) several times. It's accurate, but kinda conflicting. Came from recent YT Livestream and surprised me. Have always considered Omni Pads one of strengths. 🤷‍♂️


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## rgames (Jul 13, 2021)

Omnisphere vs. Serum is like the classic 88-key workstation synth vs. a boutique synth. One does everything but the other is better at a few things.

If you want that Prophet sound then you're going to buy a Prophet. A Yamaha Montage can kind-of do it but not really. However, if you're on stage and need some all-purpose sounds, you'll go with the Montage.

Breadth vs. depth.

For me the primary downside of Omni is that it takes longer to get to what I want: because it's so much deeper, it's more complicated. I've often gotten confused in Omni. Rarely in Serum. Serum is much more immediate.

rgames


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## PuerAzaelis (Jul 13, 2021)

interesting responses ty


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## AmbientMile (Jul 13, 2021)

All great points in this thread. I've had Omnisphere since day one (had Atmosphere before that) and the muscle memory has developed to the point that even easier to program synths slow me down because Omni is like a well broken in pair of shoes, it just feels good. I have fallen prey to GAS on many occasions and have a TON of plugin synths, but I have rarely failed to get a result I was after using Omni.


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## mscp (Jul 14, 2021)

PuerAzaelis said:


> I have the Splice Serum subscription and have begun to have fun with this synth. However I am getting GAS for Omnisphere.
> 
> Do the two synths have two different focuses (foci?!) - do each of them specialize in a certain area different from the other?


Omnisphere has more features than Serum. Omnisphere takes roughly 30 minutes to learn inside out (pending the fact you already know the lingo well).


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## GNP (Jul 14, 2021)

You can't really compare Omnisphere to Serum. Zebra VS Serum - now that's an appropriate comparison.

Omnisphere is not just a synth - it's also a sampler, with tons more function and feature.


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## vitocorleone123 (Aug 5, 2021)

If you’re interested in Serum, I’d start using Vital immediately since it's free. I, personally, like it better - but I’ve only tried Serum, not owned it. Vital can be a bit of a CPU beast, whereas Serum is more optimized (old).

I’ve never been able to get into Omni, despite having it 2 years. I think maybe it’s too much for my needs, and am just hanging on to see if there’s a v3 any time in the next year or two, or I’ll sell it. Omni does just about everything, but, also, it does just about everything.

Pigments 3 should also be in the discussion. Though, like Omni, it’s not one I really use. But it can do a LOT as of v3.


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## SNOKing (Aug 5, 2021)

PuerAzaelis said:


> I have the Splice Serum subscription and have begun to have fun with this synth. However I am getting GAS for Omnisphere.
> 
> Do the two synths have two different focuses (foci?!) - do each of them specialize in a certain area different from the other?


I'm new here. Hello.....lol As a user of both Serum is "a synthesizer" Omnisphere is a " an Arranger" if you were to compare pure use categories...which is blurry in its own right lol...... it would be like comparing the Jupiter X with a Fantom series. They both are great but they are meant for different and yet the same Musician... like sostonato said its up to you... both are great.


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## PuerAzaelis (Aug 6, 2021)

ty


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## KEM (Aug 13, 2021)

Completely different applications for both, Omnisphere is much more versatile and has endless presets, you’ll never be able to explore it fully. Serum is just a synth, pretty much the most modern synth you can get. I have both but I hardly ever touch Serum, it’s too clean and digital for me and it’s hard to blend it in with analog synths and orchestral elements, but I use Omnisphere on everything.


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## Crowe (Aug 13, 2021)

I've been doing the Rent-to-Own thing on-and-off on Splice and only recently did Serum really 'click' with me. It's my main synth now.

First off, it's nothing like Omnisphere and isn't meant to be. Omnisphere is an all-encompassing collection of sounds that probably has the sound your looking for. Serum is a Wavetable synthesizer whose flexible high-speed workflow enables one to dial in and design your own sounds amazingly fast and intuitively.

Secondly, while it indeed does do Dubstep, Future Bass and Hip Hop really well, that's my no means the extent of it.

Serum is a Wavetable synth that supports the import and building of your own wavetables. It's actually ridiculously powerful in all of its options and its customizability. It goes *deep*, while at the same time having a workflow that's so intuitive that it has enabled me to be able to dial in the sounds I'm looking for in minutes.

Finally, its Wavetable system and Noise oscillators enable one to make extremely organic sounds, turning Serum into something of a crazed Rompler.

I love it. But, I do fancy myself a bit of a Sound Designer so take that as you will.


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## DoubleTap (Aug 13, 2021)

Yeah, you can have both and get entirely different types of sound out of each of them. To me, Serum sounds shiny, almost too much so at the top end, but it's quite an intuitive synth in that you can see what it's doing, most of the time. I kind of prefer Vital but if you've got Serum and you're getting the hang of it then sticking with it makes a lot of sense. 

Omnisphere is much more versatile. If you've got willpower, you could probably buy Omnisphere and never need another synth because it can do so much: acid, 70s vintage sounds, realistic sounds from the huge sample library, and probably modern neurobass sounds too. But I find it a little harder to love because it's a little less obvious how to make it work, since lots of functionality is in different tabs.


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## jcrosby (Aug 14, 2021)

DoubleTap said:


> Yeah, you can have both and get entirely different types of sound out of each of them. To me, Serum sounds shiny, almost too much so at the top end, but it's quite an intuitive synth in that you can see what it's doing, most of the time. I kind of prefer Vital but if you've got Serum and you're getting the hang of it then sticking with it makes a lot of sense.
> 
> Omnisphere is much more versatile. If you've got willpower, you could probably buy Omnisphere and never need another synth because it can do so much: acid, 70s vintage sounds, realistic sounds from the huge sample library, and probably modern neurobass sounds too. But I find it a little harder to love because it's a little less obvious how to make it work, since lots of functionality is in different tabs.


I also own both and use them equally, usually for different preferences... (Agree that Serum ahas a polished sound - which can be great, but can also be a little over the top at times as well...) No doubt you could get by with one vs the other; but unless Ompnisphere's price of admission is a barrier, no reason not to have both as they genuinely have unique strengths...


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## DoubleTap (Aug 14, 2021)

jcrosby said:


> I also own both and use them equally, usually for different preferences... (Agree that Serum ahas a polished sound - which can be great, but can also be a little over the top at times as well...) No doubt you could get by with one vs the other; but unless Ompnisphere's price of admission is a barrier, no reason not to have both as they genuinely have unique strengths...


Yes I should have said I have both too and use them for different purposes. And Diva. And Vital. And Pigments. And etc etc etc 🤐


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## Soundbed (Aug 14, 2021)

DoubleTap said:


> Serum sounds shiny, almost too much so at the top end





KEM said:


> Serum is just a synth, pretty much the most modern synth you can get. I have both but I hardly ever touch Serum, it’s too clean and digital for me and it’s hard to blend it in with analog synths and orchestral elements


Serum can sound analog and organic.

The Strange Things patch sets from Echo Sound Works might be a good place to start if you haven’t found other ways to sound like analog synths yet.








ESW Stranger Things Synth Presets | Free Serum


Get instant access to 74 Serum sounds inpsired by the hit show, Stranger Things.




www.echosoundworks.com





vol 2








ESW Strange Things V2 Synth Presets | Free Serum


Get instant access to 45 Serum sounds inpsired by the hit show, Stranger Things.




www.echosoundworks.com





Unison will also get you some analog flavor in Serum









Unison - 60 vintage inspired presets for Serum


FREE DOWNLOAD. Unison comes with 60 analog inspired presets for Serum.




www.echosoundworks.com





Sphere might be interesting if you’re looking for organic sounds, it uses wavetables from “world instruments”

or if you want more free organic sounds the free Serum bells patches might convince you https://www.echosoundworks.com/serumbells


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## Trash Panda (Aug 14, 2021)

Are you a preset surfer or are you trying to create your own sounds from scratch? I can’t think of a better VI than Omnisphere if it’s the former.


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## Soundbed (Aug 14, 2021)

Trash Panda said:


> Are you a preset surfer or are you trying to create your own sounds from scratch? I can’t think of a better VI than Omnisphere if it’s the former.


Here’s some quick tips on how to make a simple pitch sweep in Omnisphere that might help orient folks for more sounds from scratch, maybe make it seem more approachable?


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## Crowe (Aug 14, 2021)

I am quite certain that those who can only get glossy sounds or cannot mix Serum with cinematic music have only been using the EDM presets.

I use Serum almost exclusively for dark drones and pads, organic stabs, psychotic rompling and low rhythmic textures.


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## DoubleTap (Aug 14, 2021)

Crowe said:


> I am quite certain that those who can only get glossy sounds or cannot mix Serum with cinematic music have only been using the EDM presets.
> 
> I use Serum almost exclusively for dark drones and pads, organic stabs, psychotic rompling and low rhythmic textures.


I think there's a difference between saying a synth is ideal for particular types of sound and saying that you can only get that type of sound out of it.


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## Crowe (Aug 14, 2021)

DoubleTap said:


> I think there's a difference between saying a synth is ideal for particular types of sound and saying that you can only get that type of sound out of it.


I understand that and that's definitely true. Sadly, the fact that it's exceedingly easy to shape certain specific sounds has caused the synth to widely be known as a one-trick pony, which I feel severely underrepresents what Serum actually is. It's not nearly as limited in sound as a lot of people think and say it is.


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## vitocorleone123 (Aug 14, 2021)

Crowe said:


> I understand that and that's definitely true. Sadly, the fact that it's exceedingly easy to shape certain specific sounds has caused the synth to widely be known as a one-trick pony, which I feel severely underrepresents what Serum actually is. It's not nearly as limited in sound as a lot of people think and say it is.


Sounds like me talking about the OB-6!


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## devonmyles (Aug 15, 2021)

Omnisphere, plus a few expansion packs, along with the Moog V2 expansion covers all my needs.
I have learned it pretty much inside out now and the arpeggiator must be one of the best out there with it's functions.


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## DoubleTap (Aug 15, 2021)

Crowe said:


> I understand that and that's definitely true. Sadly, the fact that it's exceedingly easy to shape certain specific sounds has caused the synth to widely be known as a one-trick pony, which I feel severely underrepresents what Serum actually is. It's not nearly as limited in sound as a lot of people think and say it is.


Anyone who thinks a synth is limited hasn't learned synthesis yet. You could easily make a full track with Ableton's drum synth alone. I still think you can do more with Omnisphere than Serum, but I'm always up for a challenge so I'll see if I can get Serum to replicate one of the choirs.


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