# Spectrasonics introduces Omnisphere 2.5 Free Update at Superbooth



## Reid Rosefelt (May 3, 2018)

*Hardware Synth Integration

Expanded Synthesis Capabilities* - Four Layers per patch. Each patch can now utilize up to 12 envelopes, 8 LFOs and the Modulation Matrix has been doubled to 48 modulation routings. Newly designed State Variable Filters are included, which were specially created for the OB-6 hardware profile and can seamlessly blend between lowpass, notch and hipass filter modes. Over 50 New “Analog” Oscillator Wavetables are included and featured in the new hardware profiles.

*New Hardware Sound Library *- hundreds of new patches by Eric Persing. 



More info here: 

https://www.spectrasonics.net/news/news-content.php?id=111


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## elpedro (May 3, 2018)

Awesome sauce!


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## tmhuud (May 3, 2018)

Couldn’t have happened to a bettter devs software Love those guys at Spectra.


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## Shad0wLandsUK (May 3, 2018)

Excited about this


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## iobaaboi (May 3, 2018)

Holy cow, this is incredible. All of my GAS for all the hardware synth I used to own (voyager, sub 37, pro6, rev2, sh101) was just calmed. Can’t wait for the update!!!


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## Geoff Grace (May 3, 2018)

Omnisphere 2.4.2c and Keyscape 1.1.2c were released today too.

Looking forward to Omnisphere 2.5!

Best,

Geoff


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## Robo Rivard (May 3, 2018)

What would be the best hardware controller to interact with Omnisphere 2.5?


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## gtrwll (May 3, 2018)

Gotta love Eric presenting just about anything. Always gets me on a great mood.

Oh well, another reason to GAS over the Deepmind.


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## Reid Rosefelt (May 4, 2018)

Persing is 100% right about the advantages of a controller with Omnisphere. Since I started using the NKS templates from Freelance Soundlabs, it is night and day using Omnisphere. Being able to control its parameters, and change presets (and hear samples without loading them) with knobs is huge. They also offer templates for Keyscape, Trilian, Bob Moog Tribute, and most of the third party Omnisphere presets. 

The guy from Freelance Soundlabs is a one-man band. I expect he will have to do a lot of work to map all the new features in 2.5. 

Of course, it would be a LOT better if Spectrasonics added NKS. What Persing has done instead is set up Omnisphere to work within the limitations of what a specific hardware synth can do (finite numbers of knobs, switches, etc) rather than offering us the ability to use a controller to do practically everything that _Omnisphere _can do. NKS expands Omnisphere. 

You can't use a hardware synth to audition the 13,000 sounds in Omnisphere. You can't turn a knob and hear each sound without having to stop and load it. And that's a transformational thing. 

But I'm not complaining. Omnisphere 2.5 offers massive new possibilities for sound design. And free! That's such a great gift.


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## Fleer (May 4, 2018)

Come on, Persing, add NKS compatibility.


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## sostenuto (May 4, 2018)

Yeah, I know …. but geez, a _no-cost _Update for existing Omni2 Owners ?? 

I'm hangin' with EP !


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## KerrySmith (May 5, 2018)

I was looking at the list of hardware synths supported and it’s a bit confusing, because several of the Roland Boutique synths are listed. But they don’t transmit MIDI CCs from their controls. I think they might do sysex, but I’m still curious to see how this will work.


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## Shad0wLandsUK (May 5, 2018)

TigerTheFrog said:


> Persing is 100% right about the advantages of a controller with Omnisphere. Since I started using the NKS templates from Freelance Soundlabs, it is night and day using Omnisphere. Being able to control its parameters, and change presets (and hear samples without loading them) with knobs is huge. They also offer templates for Keyscape, Trilian, Bob Moog Tribute, and most of the third party Omnisphere presets.
> 
> The guy from Freelance Soundlabs is a one-man band. I expect he will have to do a lot of work to map all the new features in 2.5.
> 
> ...


Yeah I second that as I really like having my Freelance Soundlabs toolkit :D

He has released quite a few updates to the libraries too


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## chimuelo (May 7, 2018)

Robo Rivard said:


> What would be the best hardware controller to interact with Omnisphere 2.5?



I’m in hog heaven with a Physis K4.
Read part of the manual, you’ll see how this was designed to operate not only hardware racks/modules, but VST Instruments as well.
Especially sampled content.

I was starting to use Zebra2 HZ more due to 4 Oscillators.
But Omni needed 4 Osc/Soundsources per preset.
I was getting tired of having to use Dual Live Mode or stacking in Multis to get needed tones.
I can probably just use presets now and a single channel.

Its such a relief knowing Spectrasonics doesn’t sit on their laurels..


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## Reid Rosefelt (May 9, 2018)

James Bernard demos Omnisphere 2.5 for MusicRadar:


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## Reid Rosefelt (May 9, 2018)

From PluginGuru (John Lehmkuhl)

Omnisphere 2.5 Beta 1 is now available to registered Omnisphere 2 users. The below link will require you to log into your account - where you can then download the 2.5 beta version.

Personal Suggestion: Save a copy of Omnisphere from your Components/VST folder in a safe place and name the folder with the version # of Omnisphere 2 that you are using (my folder is named Omnisphere 2.4). This way, you can swap out the beta for the latest secure version if you need to do work and don't want to work with a beta version. There will be issues that need to be fixed I'm certain so I'd be hesitant to use this in critical music production situations.

https://publicbeta.spectrasonics.net/


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## Saxer (May 9, 2018)

KerrySmith said:


> I was looking at the list of hardware synths supported and it’s a bit confusing, because several of the Roland Boutique synths are listed. But they don’t transmit MIDI CCs from their controls. I think they might do sysex, but I’m still curious to see how this will work.


Got a Roland SE02 yesterday and it works great with the Omni2.5 beta. The Boutique synths send CC data (you have to switch it on first) and it's a one way connection from synth to Mac/Omni.


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## thereus (May 10, 2018)

I get that if you have a particular hardware synth you can access it’s control mapping. I am wondering though, if you can map the control mappings to just regular controllers in order to enjoy the experience of a synth without actual having to buy it.


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## Saxer (May 10, 2018)

thereus said:


> I get that if you have a particular hardware synth you can access it’s control mapping. I am wondering though, if you can map the control mappings to just regular controllers in order to enjoy the experience of a synth without actual having to buy it.


That's what you can do with Omnisphere (and a lot of other soft synths too) since day one. This hardware profiles go deeper. You can use any knob, fader and switcher on the synth and everything translates to Omnisphere like inside the synth. That includes modulation sources and targets and all scalings. Usual mapped controllers doesn't work as expected when the knobs do something else than leveling from 1 to 127 like selecting one of six waveforms or switching to different modulation targets.
Mapped midi controllers are fine to modulate a sound like filter movement over time or change some parameters. But creating sounds from scratch never really works without additional mouse work.


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## elpedro (May 11, 2018)

I think the prices on eBay for certain used synths might be going up........


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## Shad0wLandsUK (May 12, 2018)

For now I will just occupy myself with Omnisphere 2.5 beta while I wait for my working codes for the Spitfire sale


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## Shad0wLandsUK (May 12, 2018)

I wonder if this move means they have plans for official NKS support....


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## Reid Rosefelt (May 12, 2018)

Shad0wLandsUK said:


> I wonder if this move means they have plans for official NKS support....


I have no idea, but if they wanted to do that, they could have done it long ago. I think they like to follow their own path--and not be beholden to whatever NI decides to do in the future. Reading this thread, I now understand--and appreciate--Persing's approach. He wants to offer people the best way to use Omnisphere for sound design. Good controllers, including the NI ones, are not as good as synths for doing that. He'll keep adding synths, probably smaller and relatively inexpensive ones, like the Minilogue.

The problem is that, if you look at most studios, people have their controllers and computer keyboards sitting in front of them as they face the screen. Synths are usually off on right angles, even behind them, sometimes in racks. So even people who own synths may have to either: 1) turn their head sidewise while working; 2) move stuff around every time they use Omnisphere in this way, or 3) readjust how they set up their studios. If I still owned hardware synths, I'd have no issue with this, but I became solely a software synth guy a long time ago. I use my NI keyboard and one or more other controllers at the same time. But one of the supplemental controllers I currently use is a cheapie IK iRig Mini, which I use for key-switching sometimes. There's no reason why I couldn't swap that for a Minilogue in seconds. If I wanted to buy a Minilogue, that is. Which I don't. For that money, I'd rather buy a Roli Seaboard Block, as MPE is the future for expressive playing. 

It would be wonderful if Spectrasonics ever provided NKS support, but I'm starting to think they'll never do it. They are very stubborn, shall we say, about how they operate and don't feel pressured to fall into trends just because the other guys do. And it has worked brilliantly for them. Luckily there is Freelance Soundlabs to provide NKS capability, which works like a charm, and is quite inexpensive. To be honest, if Spectrasonics did add NKS, I would still use my Freelance Soundlabs templates, because they will no doubt be quite different.


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## SoNowWhat? (May 14, 2018)

...!...wait...what...?...


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