# Omnisphere - I finally took the plunge. Here are my thoughts, two days in.



## c0nsilience (Jun 30, 2022)

Backstory for context

After many years of thinking about it, I was finally in a position to be able to purchase Omnisphere. At first blush, all I can think is, "Wow, why did I wait so long to do this?"

Over the last 10-15 years, I've built up my plugin library to have 800+ VST synths, effects, audio utilities. These range across the spectrum and include some heavyweights (Falcon, HALion, Phaseplant, Avenger, Nexus, most NI synths, Serum, Vital, Pigments, Arturia V Collection, Korg, most Rob Papen synths, a few u-he synths, Spire, Dune, Largo, Thorn, etc.) as well as some more niche instruments and sample players (Abyss, Novum, Cube, Soundpaint, Hyperion, Waverazor, StarWaves, MetaSynth, Granite, etc.). So, I'm well pretty well-versed in what's out there.

That being said, why on earth would I choose to get Omnisphere? Well, there are a number of reasons, but here are a few:

- I had Stylus RMX for years until I sold it last fall, so I'm familiar with Spectrasonics. 
- I've been curious about Omnisphere because it's one of the bigger workstation VSTs
- Time is precious and so anytime I can enhance my creative workflow, I do it.
- Option paralysis is a real thing, so I've begun scaling down my plugins to the essentials (This also makes my wife very happy!).
- I grew up on hardware synths and Omnisphere has this workflow and plays nicely with some hardware that I have.

What my thoughts are being a complete neophyte to Omnisphere

This synth (or environment) is truly remarkable. Whether it's getting lost in a preset for 20-30 mins at a clip, or quickly building a multi from scratch, what I've found most appealing about Omnisphere so far is the workflow: it's simply super efficient to use. I've gotten deep into Falcon and HALion over the past three years and Omnisphere is much, much easier to get from idea to execution as efficiently as possible, which frees up my time for creative exploration. 

I'm not a purist, sometimes I build my patches from scratch, use factory patches as a launch point, or fire up Nexus for a quick piano sound that is "the sound". I love all types of synthesis and sampling and I find good in just about every tool out there. Some tools are better than others, depending on what I'm trying to achieve. So far, Omnisphere has not disappointed. I've read all of the usual arguments against it, and most of the arguments for it. It is one of the few VSTs that reminds me of hardware, both in sound and application, which has pros and cons.

I have plenty of synths that have a great sound, but the workflow isn't appealing to me. I also have plenty of synths that have a great UI but the sound takes quite a bit of tweaking to achieve really unique results.

Omnisphere is the perfect marriage, to me, of function and form. Sure, it doesn't have the most updated UI, but the UI workflow is there and it's nice having nearly every available type of synthesis under the hood in an easily navigable way, which makes it quite a bit different than Falcon and HALion, for example. It is also incredibly inspiring, in a way that is different than single-focus instruments, but they are also inspiring in their own way. Novum is a great example of this - incredible UI, super unique, unlike anything else.

It's my contention that there is a place for VSTs that cannot be replicated in hardware, but there is also very much a place for VSTs that do "hardware" incredibly well. Omnisphere does hardware incredibly well and it's also very easy to use, no matter how deep you want to dive.

All in all, I'm glad that I finally took the plunge and I will be getting rid of some other synths via Knobcloud in short order as Omnisphere is likely to become my meat and potatoes workstation. 🙂


----------



## el-bo (Jun 30, 2022)

c0nsilience said:


> - Option paralysis is a real thing, so I've begun scaling down my plugins to the essentials



Of all the proposed solutions to "option paralysis" I've seen, buying another instrument - especially one that comes with 15,000? presets - is probably the best


----------



## sostenuto (Jun 30, 2022)

c0nsilience said:


> Backstory for context
> 
> After many years of thinking about it, I was finally in a position to be able to purchase Omnisphere. At first blush, all I can think is, "Wow, why did I wait so long to do this?"
> 
> ...


Cool to read through your detailed background, and impressions ! 

Omni user for very long time + Trilian, StyluxRMX.
Huge list of fine 3rd Pty Expansions. Several more niche softsynths, but have long hesitated to commit 'serious' resources for another '_mainstream_' _ mainly Zebra2, Falcon, HALion 6.

Well into HALion 6 trial now, and soooo very different. Also, tough (personally) to begin to sort what incremental benefits will flow. Will complete trial period before lurching to final conclusion.

Most likely scenario will be recommitment to truly 'deep-dive' into Omni v2.8 _ typical usage has fostered laziness, and much more required, to fully understand.

Congrats on your notable step to broaden awareness !


----------



## maestro2be (Jun 30, 2022)

I just picked up omnisphere myself and can’t wait to get into it. Enjoy your new purchase!


----------



## Double Helix (Jun 30, 2022)

Obviously, out of the box Omnisphere includes many thousands of patches. But you'll probably want to check out Spectrasonics' Bob Moog Tribute Library, too

Also, this seems like a good spot to post @JasonSchoepfer's comprehensive site for all 3rd party Omnisphere collections: World of Omnisphere


----------



## David Kudell (Jun 30, 2022)

Omnisphere is so huge it’s almost overwhelming. I was browsing through the endless number of sound sources and realized that many of the single instruments that you find sold as sample libraries are actually already in Omnisphere. So it’s actually a great value.

Just as an example I almost picked up the Cinesamples Kalimba before it’s discontinued, but did a search in Omnisphere and there are seemingly dozens of Kalimbas in all shapes and sizes, processed and made into arps and sound design stuff too.


----------



## Bee_Abney (Jun 30, 2022)

David Kudell said:


> Omnisphere is so huge it’s almost overwhelming. I was browsing through the endless number of sound sources and realized that many of the single instruments that you find sold as sample libraries are actually already in Omnisphere. So it’s actually a great value.
> 
> Just as an example I almost picked up the Cinesamples Kalimba before it’s discontinued, but did a search in Omnisphere and there are seemingly dozens of Kalimbas in all shapes and sizes, processed and made into arps and sound design stuff too.


The Omnisphere kalimbas are actually pretty good. That's an understatement; but I'm comparing them to fully sampled Kontakt kalimbas. The factory library presets are often much closer to sample instruments than third-party presets.


----------



## Bee_Abney (Jun 30, 2022)

Congratulations @c0nsilience ! May you and Omnisphere have many happy, productive years together. It is a wonderful instrument.

Other than for preset browsing - which is a big deal for the third-party presets market - I don't think it is easier to use than Falcon. I'm not up to speed with Halion yet. But Omnisphere certainly is not a difficult synth to program once you get over the enormity of it. And it very definitely has a distinctive sound across all of the different kinds of synthesis. It has character. And that character has weight and physicality that few vsts or sample libraries can match.

I may not be the biggest lover of Omnisphere, but I'm certainly a huge admirer of it.

By the grace of God, I'm not affected by option paralysis when it comes to selecting sounds and tools for music. In other ways, yes; but not there. But if I only had a guitar, a multitrack recorder of some kind, Omnisphere and a couple of saturation plugins that work for my tastes, I could pretty much do everything most important to me in music. Except playing with other musicians - I'd still need humans for that. Huh; I guess humans have their uses. At least until I can teach dogs to play instruments.


----------



## pinki (Jun 30, 2022)

c0nsilience said:


> Backstory for context
> 
> After many years of thinking about it, I was finally in a position to be able to purchase Omnisphere. At first blush, all I can think is, "Wow, why did I wait so long to do this?"
> 
> ...


I've avoided it for years mainly because of the thing you talk about- option paralysis. I owned Atmosphere and it never really gelled so didn't go down the Omni route. But you make a strong and persuasive case for it!


----------



## jcrosby (Jun 30, 2022)

c0nsilience said:


> Backstory for context
> 
> After many years of thinking about it, I was finally in a position to be able to purchase Omnisphere. At first blush, all I can think is, "Wow, why did I wait so long to do this?"
> 
> ...


Congrats. Omnisphere's one of my favorites as well.

One thing I'd suggest is scooping up Omnitag before it's no longer available. 3rd party presets can make Omnisphere's browser become cluttered and cumbersome, Omnitag solves this. Unfortunately the developer's sunk way more time into the product than they've recouped so they've announced it won't be available after July 15th.

The final version's stable and it does what it says on the tin... Assuming you'll eventually buy some 3rd party presets Omnitag makes life in Omnisphere easier... The developer's also selling it at its original intro price of $30... Well worth it if you think you'll be buying 3rd party presets in the future. Here's a link to the thread... 

Enjoy Omnisphere! 







OmniTag - Tagging Engine for Third Party Omnisphere Libraries [50% off through end of year]


I purchased today (didn’t even know this existed), and it ran just fine on my M1 Max MBP! I assume Marcus was just saying that if there were to be issues in the future, it would likely be with Apple silicon since it’s going through such rapid development. Cool, and thanks. I have an M1 Max on...




vi-control.net


----------



## tmhuud (Jun 30, 2022)

c0nsilience said:


> All in all, I'm glad that I finally took the plunge and I will be getting rid of some other synths via Knobcloud in short order as Omnisphere is likely to become my meat and potatoes workstation. 🙂


Well done sir! You’ll keep going back to Omni again and again.


----------



## Marsen (Jun 30, 2022)

David Kudell said:


> Just as an example I almost picked up the Cinesamples Kalimba before it’s discontinued, but did a search in Omnisphere and there are seemingly dozens of Kalimbas in all shapes and sizes, processed and made into arps and sound design stuff too.


I‘m sorry to say David, but I think the Cinesamples Kalimba may be the deepest sampled Kalimba (8 GB compressed) out there, and you actually hear this.
I mean 8 GB for a Kalimba, this is crazy.
I may have 10 Kalimbas, but the Cinesample is the one.
With this price now, it’s a steal.
I have no clue, why this doesn’t meet their standards anymore.
Just buy, and enjoy.


----------



## c0nsilience (Jun 30, 2022)

@el-bo @sostenuto @maestro2be @David Kudell @Bee_Abney @pinki @jcrosby @tmhuud @Marsen this is what I love about VI Control. An amazing amount of support and positivity. There is no other forum like this, for music or otherwise, that I've ever found.

Thank you all for taking time out of your day for ideas, links, and just good vibes. I really appreciate it!

Yeah, I'm happy I took the plunge with Omnisphere. Maybe it's not perfect, but it's the perfect tool for me right now and I didn't even know I was missing it or looking for it! 🙂


----------



## David Kudell (Jun 30, 2022)

Marsen said:


> I‘m sorry to say David, but I think the Cinesamples Kalimba may be the deepest sampled Kalimba (8 GB compressed) out there, and you actually hear this.
> I mean 8 GB for a Kalimba, this is crazy.
> I may have 10 Kalimbas, but the Cinesample is the one.
> With this price now, it’s a steal.
> ...


Oh great, just when I thought I was gonna save that $13 you had to post this!


----------



## JasonSchoepfer (Jun 30, 2022)

Double Helix said:


> Obviously, out of the box Omnisphere includes many thousands of patches. But you'll probably want to check out Spectrasonics' Bob Moog Tribute Library, too
> 
> Also, this seems like a good spot to post @JasonSchoepfer's comprehensive site for all 3rd party Omnisphere collections: World of Omnisphere


Thanks for the shoutout! I am a super fan when it comes to Omnisphere obviously. Love to support all the serious developers who are constantly coming up with new places to take Omnisphere.


----------



## Rudianos (Jun 30, 2022)

Just took the plunge too. Paid full retail. I almost never do that. In hindsight ... umm FYI WWBW has 20% now. Might do it for Keyscape and Trillian.

Anyways I think this is such a comprehensive product. All I can say is that it is going to take me quite a bit of time to understand it. I will start with a SINE wave and go from there.


----------



## Nico5 (Jun 30, 2022)

Bee_Abney said:


> The factory library presets are often much closer to sample instruments than third-party presets.


If my memory doesn't fail me, that's because many Omnisphere factory patches are multi-samples, but the multi-sample creation is only available to Spectrasonics and not to users or 3rd party developers.


----------



## kgdrum (Jun 30, 2022)

jcrosby said:


> Congrats. Omnisphere's one of my favorites as well.
> 
> One thing I'd suggest is scooping up Omnitag before it's no longer available. 3rd party presets can make Omnisphere's browser become cluttered and cumbersome, Omnitag solves this. Unfortunately the developer's sunk way more time into the product than they've recouped so they've announced it won't be available after July 15th.
> 
> ...




+1 
I love Omnisphere and I recently purchased OMNITAG & it is a great piece of software to use if you use 3rd party presets. I installed it a couple of days ago and let it do it’s thing and within minutes my presets (50+ soundsets) were all sorted. 
Omnisphere + OmniTag = 🎶😘🎶


----------



## Nico5 (Jun 30, 2022)

Has anyone had the guts to apply OmniTag to their PluginGuru libraries for Omnisphere? And was that more of a good thing or a bad thing?

I'm asking, since PluginGuru effectively developed his own tagging standard, and it's quite consistent in itself, and arguably has some advantages, but it's also a little annoying to be caught between two different philosophies in the same instrument.


----------



## kgdrum (Jun 30, 2022)

Nico5 said:


> Has anyone had the guts to apply OmniTag to their PluginGuru libraries for Omnisphere? And was that more of a good thing or a bad thing?
> 
> I'm asking, since PluginGuru effectively developed his own tagging standard, and it's quite consistent in itself, and arguably has some advantages, but it's also a little annoying to be caught between two different philosophies in the same instrument.




One exception I received after I used OmniTag was for Skippy’s Kreaturesque soundset,OmniTag didn’t modify it but other than that I think OmniTag updated 50+ other soundsets without a hitch.


----------



## Nico5 (Jun 30, 2022)

kgdrum said:


> I think OmniTag updated 50+ other soundsets without a hitch.


thanks for your observation - much appreciated! 

I assume numerous of the 50, were also PluginGuru libraries? And you didn't feel a sense of loss when the tags switched from PluginGuru's tagging system to the Omnisphere tagging system?


----------



## jcrosby (Jun 30, 2022)

Nico5 said:


> thanks for your observation - much appreciated!
> 
> I assume numerous of the 50, were also PluginGuru libraries? And you didn't feel a sense of loss when the tags switched from PluginGuru's tagging system to the Omnisphere tagging system?


You can have it modify libraries one at a time. It also creates an automatic backup. If it can't confirm a library nothing catastrophic happens at all... (Although see the note below about prefixes as this is a setting that may or may not matter to you... But again, auto-backups ...) You can also have it only conform libraries of your choice; i.e. you could tell it to ignore all PG libraries.

One setting you should be aware of is "Remove prefixes used for categorization...." This basically means that if a developer uses a prefix of "PAD", or "PD" for pads you can tell Omnitag to remove it, **OR** leave it in tact. Leave it unchecked if you want to have it *keep the filename prefixes. You'll also see he uses it with some PG libraries as part of the list.

Watch the video below, it covers everything and you'll have a very clear idea of how it works:


----------



## GtrString (Jul 1, 2022)

el-bo said:


> Of all the proposed solutions to "option paralysis" I've seen, buying another instrument - especially one that comes with 15,000? presets - is probably the best


Actually, this is true. Only by increasing complexity, you can reduce complexity. Basic systems theory, but counterintuitive for sure..


----------



## Bee_Abney (Jul 1, 2022)

GtrString said:


> Actually, this is true. Only by increasing complexity, you can reduce complexity. Basic systems theory, but counterintuitive for sure..


Or, put another way:

Just one more vst, just one; this vst will be The One then I won't need anymore. I won't even need my others - I can sell them: it's like I'm saving money!

Just one more vst!

And repeat. Ad infinitum.


----------



## Marsen (Jul 1, 2022)

Rudianos said:


> FYI WWBW has 20% now.


What does WWBW means?


----------



## Bee_Abney (Jul 1, 2022)

Marsen said:


> What does WWBW means?


I assumed it meant World Wide Bear Watch. I'm not into hairy gay men, so I just moved on.

ICHA (I can't handle acronyms.)


----------



## jcrosby (Jul 1, 2022)

Bee_Abney said:


> I assumed it meant World Wide Bear Watch. I'm not into hairy gay men, so I just moved on.
> 
> ICHA (I can't handle acronyms.)


----------



## kgdrum (Jul 1, 2022)

Bee_Abney said:


> I assumed it meant World Wide Bear Watch. I'm not into hairy gay men, so I just moved on.
> 
> ICHA (I can't handle acronyms.)



Beetrice,
Why do you keep referring to me as your lovable hairy gay man?


----------



## Bee_Abney (Jul 1, 2022)

jcrosby said:


>



That video is unavailable where I am. I can only assume that it was _really_ graphic. A home movie?


----------



## Bee_Abney (Jul 1, 2022)

I believe you missed out the reference to yourself. And I'm not going to out you.

Oops.

Edit to add: Oi! You corrected your post! You trying to make me look like a proper numpty? You are a lovable husky little hairball, though!


----------



## c0nsilience (Jul 1, 2022)

Bee_Abney said:


> Or, put another way:
> 
> Just one more vst, just one; this vst will be The One then I won't need anymore. I won't even need my others - I can sell them: it's like I'm saving money!
> 
> ...


That's been the story of my life for quite awhile now, sadly enough! Humans are insatiable and, I'e found, that when we desire something and attain it, that desire is quickly replaced with another desire, ad infinitum, ad nauseam.

This keeps the synth makers in business, but brings us no closer to contentment or joy.


----------



## rrichard63 (Jul 1, 2022)

Marsen said:


> What does WWBW means?








Music Software - Woodwind & Brasswind


Get the lowest price on our huge selection of Music Software at Woodwind & Brasswind - Your band and orchestra authority.




www.wwbw.com


----------



## Rudianos (Jul 1, 2022)

Marsen said:


> What does WWBW means?


Woodwind and Brasswind ... But I can also see how Worldwide Bear Watch could work too


----------



## Marsen (Jul 1, 2022)

rrichard63 said:


> Music Software - Woodwind & Brasswind
> 
> 
> Get the lowest price on our huge selection of Music Software at Woodwind & Brasswind - Your band and orchestra authority.
> ...





Rudianos said:


> Woodwind and Brasswind ... But I can also see how Worldwide Bear Watch could work too


Thanks, never heard of them before.


----------



## el-bo (Jul 1, 2022)

GtrString said:


> Actually, this is true. Only by increasing complexity, you can reduce complexity. Basic systems theory, but counterintuitive for sure..


Ok...But how is this increasing complexity?


----------



## jules (Jul 1, 2022)

Old story...


----------



## sostenuto (Jul 1, 2022)

c0nsilience said:


> That's been the story of my life for quite awhile now, sadly enough! Humans are insatiable and, I'e found, that when we desire something and attain it, that desire is quickly replaced with another desire, ad infinitum, ad nauseam.
> 
> This keeps the synth makers in business, but brings us no closer to contentment or joy.


Omni V2 Update is worth a quick review as you acclimate. I found the new 'PHR' content particularly cool and useful.


----------



## Bee_Abney (Jul 1, 2022)

el-bo said:


> Ok...But how is this increasing complexity?


I'd guess by introducing a new function. A function which operates initially in the context of the pre-existing system is an addition - an extra level of complexity - until the simplifying function reduces the complexity to a lower level.


----------



## sostenuto (Jul 1, 2022)

Bee_Abney said:


> I'd guess by introducing a new function. A function which operates initially in the context of the pre-existing system is an addition - an extra level of complexity - until the simplifying function reduces the complexity to a lower level.


English is native language here ! Plz consider translation Link for the few of us ? 😵


----------



## Pier (Jul 1, 2022)

Bee_Abney said:


> That video is unavailable where I am. I can only assume that it was _really_ graphic. A home movie?


The Adult Swim stuff is amazing. They have some classic stuff like this one with Vader 😂


----------



## kgdrum (Jul 1, 2022)

Bee_Abney said:


> I believe you missed out the reference to yourself. And I'm not going to out you.
> 
> Oops.
> 
> Edit to add: Oi! You corrected your post! You trying to make me look like a proper numpty? You are a lovable husky little hairball, though!




Lets be clear there’s nothing proper about Beeyonce but at least I can still make you gag multiple ways!
OK we will say it was a hairball so you can cling to the last shred of dignity you somehow imagine you still have………


----------



## el-bo (Jul 1, 2022)

Bee_Abney said:


> I'd guess by introducing a new function. A function which operates initially in the context of the pre-existing system is an addition - an extra level of complexity - until the simplifying function reduces the complexity to a lower level.


But the simplifying function is instant, in this case…no?


----------



## Bee_Abney (Jul 1, 2022)

Pier said:


> The Adult Swim stuff is amazing. They have some classic stuff like this one with Vader 😂



I can't see that either! I can only assume that you all are posting _really_ saucy videos.


----------



## Bee_Abney (Jul 1, 2022)

el-bo said:


> But the simplifying function is instant, in this case…no?


Very definitely not in this case! In this case, there is activity involved; which is temporally extended. Even if we ignore the length of time taken to simplify the system, we still have the event S + C. System plus change; which is more complex than S alone.

At a guess. I don't know anything about systems theory!


----------



## JasonSchoepfer (Jul 1, 2022)

Nico5 said:


> Has anyone had the guts to apply OmniTag to their PluginGuru libraries for Omnisphere? And was that more of a good thing or a bad thing?
> 
> I'm asking, since PluginGuru effectively developed his own tagging standard, and it's quite consistent in itself, and arguably has some advantages, but it's also a little annoying to be caught between two different philosophies in the same instrument.


It’s tough- that system makes sense when you want to quickly grab sounds to work on a project. It’s also a bit of an eyesore plus removes a lot of creative freedom with how I can name patches as I want to keep my naming inside the limits of the various Omnisphere browser views. There is also a lack of standardized prefixes- like TEX- or TEXT-.
Now what I will say that is an advantage is that a prefix can expand on the limited category offerings. I am a big pad and bell pad maker- and simply calling a pad a pad is actually limiting. I am devising orb pads, bell pads, pluck pads, evolving pads, retro pads, distorted pads, and so many other new ideas. The prefix let’s me setup the expectation of the type of pad it is and then get creative with the final patch name.


----------



## c0nsilience (Jul 1, 2022)

It will probably be a little while before I start delving into the third-party patch libraries for Omnisphere as I believe I have quite enough to keep me occupied for now (spent an hour on two patches this morning!). @JasonSchoepfer I will be taking a look at RMS as I'm all about the pads and textures!

With that being said, are there any good sources for user created patch exchanges using the factory content?

I wasn't able to locate a dedicated Spectrasonics/Omnisphere Discord server or a dedicated subreddit.


----------



## GtrString (Jul 1, 2022)

el-bo said:


> Ok...But how is this increasing complexity?


You don’t own Omnisphere do you?


----------



## Bee_Abney (Jul 1, 2022)

c0nsilience said:


> It will probably be a little while before I start delving into the third-party patch libraries for Omnisphere as I believe I have quite enough to keep me occupied for now (spent an hour on two patches this morning!). @JasonSchoepfer I will be taking a look at RMS as I'm all about the pads and textures!
> 
> With that being said, are there any good sources for user created patch exchanges using the factory content?
> 
> I wasn't able to locate a dedicated Spectrasonics/Omnisphere Discord server or a dedicated subreddit.


That's a good question. I don't know of any patch sharing site. There's a thread here someone started for Falcon. I still use it occasionally, but there isn't much action there anymore. You could start one of Omnisphere - there are a lot more users here.


----------



## Nico5 (Jul 1, 2022)

c0nsilience said:


> With that being said, are there any good sources for user created patch exchanges using the factory content?





Bee_Abney said:


> That's a good question. I don't know of any patch sharing site.



Many years ago, there were a Yahoo group as well as a forum at northernsounds.com They are even still mentioned in an Omnisphere online user manual

But when those disappeared, nothing ever took their place.

For some of us, a Stylus RMX forum might also be cool. While RMX is clearly getting very long in the tooth, I find myself still reaching for it somewhat regularly. Its collection of sounds and the myriads of ways to mangle rhythmic loops is still hard to beat.  And you can get your own loops in there, too. (And yes, over the years, I've also "over-collected" drum and rhythm boxes and software. 

Since I've been running websites for fun (and occasionally for profit) since the mid 90s, I've often thought about creating forums for some of the musical gear that doesn't seem to have one. But I suspect, that the market has spoken and that these kinds of very specialized forums just aren't in high enough demand to make it worth the investment of time and effort. As the author of OmniTag has found out, the really hard-core enthusiast market is rather tiny.

And the most problematic part of the investment is arguably not the technical part of keeping servers running, but the moderation of such public gathering places. Keeping out spam, malware and ass-hat behavior is a significant effort. And just for that, you'd really need to make some money, because that's no fun.


----------



## Bee_Abney (Jul 1, 2022)

Nico5 said:


> Many years ago, there were a Yahoo group as well as a forum at northernsounds.com They are even still mentioned in an Omnisphere online user manual
> 
> But when those disappeared nothing ever took their place.
> 
> ...


I'm sure keeping a forum running is pretty tough business! But a thread on this here forum... It's not a bad idea. Myself, I don't make enough Omnisphere presets to have much to share. And a lot of people could be using samples in Omnisphere that they don't have the rights to share. There might be enough interest, though.


----------



## Nico5 (Jul 1, 2022)

JasonSchoepfer said:


> Now what I will say that is an advantage is that a prefix can expand on the limited category offerings. I am a big pad and bell pad maker- and simply calling a pad a pad is actually limiting. I am devising orb pads, bell pads, pluck pads, evolving pads, retro pads, distorted pads, and so many other new ideas. The prefix let’s me setup the expectation of the type of pad it is and then get creative with the final patch name.


I think what you're describing has long been an unsolved problem in the world of patch/library creation and collection: A global taxonomy. At best, there's some consistency within a manufacturer's offerings, but once they get over a certain number, even that gets dodgy, because of simple mistakes creeping in and/or evolving ways of thinking about the taxonomy. 

There have been some machine learning based attempts at achieving that at least for samples. But with a high percentage of my sample content being encrypted, that machine learning classification system doesn't catch much of the stuff I've bought. And of course, it doesn't even start to address patches that are created via modifying samples and/or other forms of synthesis. Those would actually have to be each played back in their software - and that might take years of elapsed time. So you'd probably need a crazy server farm to do that as a massively parallel process.

And maybe it's that fundamental difficulty to get to a universal musical taxonomy that makes efforts like OmniTag not worth the commercial effort.


----------



## jcrosby (Jul 1, 2022)

Bee_Abney said:


> That video is unavailable where I am. I can only assume that it was _really_ graphic. A home movie?


Nope. It's a silly adult swim bit with John C Reilly playing a fictitious public access TV doctor who thinks the bears are a motorcycle club. I shall say no more! But paste another link! (That hopefully isn't region-blocked. For you to witness the glory that is Dr Steve Brule).


----------



## Bee_Abney (Jul 1, 2022)

jcrosby said:


> Nope. It's a silly adult swim bit with John C Reilly playing a fictitious public access TV doctor who thinks the bears are a motorcycle club. I shall say no more! But paste another link! (That hopefully isn't region-blocked. For you to witness the glory that is Dr Steve Brule).



This one I can watch!


----------



## Pier (Jul 1, 2022)

Bee_Abney said:


> This one I can watch!


This one is for the UK


----------



## Bee_Abney (Jul 1, 2022)

jcrosby said:


> Nope. It's a silly adult swim bit with John C Reilly playing a fictitious public access TV doctor who thinks the bears are a motorcycle club. I shall say no more! But paste another link! (That hopefully isn't region-blocked. For you to witness the glory that is Dr Steve Brule).





Pier said:


> This one is for the UK



Comedy. It does not compute.

But I like it!


----------



## jcrosby (Jul 1, 2022)

Bee_Abney said:


> Comedy. It does not compute.
> 
> But I like it!


Sounds like your funny bone is broken!


----------



## Bee_Abney (Jul 1, 2022)

jcrosby said:


> Sounds like your funny bone is broken!


Oh, absolutely! More like shattered into many thousands of chuckling fragments!

There is a (very long) short story by a favourite writer of mine, Algernon Blackwood, called 'A Psychical Invasion'. It is about a satirist who is afflicted by a supernatural possession ('obsession' in Edwardian speak) and loses his sense of humour. Every attempt at writing something amusing turns into something worryingly wrong and awful.

That's my sense of humour, I'm afraid!


----------



## Pier (Jul 1, 2022)

Bee_Abney said:


> Oh, absolutely! More like shattered into many thousands of chuckling fragments!
> 
> There is a (very long) short story by a favourite writer of mine, Algernon Blackwood, called 'A Psychical Invasion'. It is about a satirist who is afflicted by a supernatural possession ('obsession' in Edwardian speak) and loses his sense of humour. Every attempt at writing something amusing turns into something worryingly wrong and awful.
> 
> That's my sense of humour, I'm afraid!


Sounds like something Monty Python would write


----------



## Double Helix (Jul 1, 2022)

Pier said:


> Sounds like something Monty Python would write


. . . or O. Henry
(William Sydney Porter)


----------



## tressie5 (Jul 1, 2022)

When it comes to synths, unfortunately, Omnisphere dwells in the deep end of the swimming pool, a place I can't venture right now. Weighing in at $499 & 100GB, it's just too deep and powerful for my blood. Anyway, I have a couple of empty soup cans and spaghetti sauce jars from the food bank, so I think I'm set for sounds.


----------



## JasonSchoepfer (Jul 1, 2022)

c0nsilience said:


> It will probably be a little while before I start delving into the third-party patch libraries for Omnisphere as I believe I have quite enough to keep me occupied for now (spent an hour on two patches this morning!). @JasonSchoepfer I will be taking a look at RMS as I'm all about the pads and textures!
> 
> With that being said, are there any good sources for user created patch exchanges using the factory content?
> 
> I wasn't able to locate a dedicated Spectrasonics/Omnisphere Discord server or a dedicated subreddit.


I have thought about hosting such a group at my site but see Tom Wolfe has launched a Synth Vault group so I bet there could be something there for community patch building.


----------



## c0nsilience (Jul 1, 2022)

JasonSchoepfer said:


> I have thought about hosting such a group at my site but see Tom Wolfe has launched a Synth Vault group so I bet there could be something there for community patch building.





Bee_Abney said:


> That's a good question. I don't know of any patch sharing site. There's a thread here someone started for Falcon. I still use it occasionally, but there isn't much action there anymore. You could start one of Omnisphere - there are a lot more users here.


Bee, have you checked out Falcontinuum?


----------



## tomwolfe (Jul 2, 2022)

JasonSchoepfer said:


> I have thought about hosting such a group at my site but see Tom Wolfe has launched a Synth Vault group so I bet there could be something there for community patch building.


That would be great if the Synth Vault community nurtured something like this! But don’t let that stop you 🙂 if you want, though, it would be great to see you in the community. It’s going to take a while to build properly, but I think it could be something very special.


----------



## Bee_Abney (Jul 2, 2022)

c0nsilience said:


> Bee, have you checked out Falcontinuum?


Not lately; but when I did it was very quiet. I'll have to look again.


----------



## Bee_Abney (Jul 2, 2022)

tomwolfe said:


> That would be great if the Synth Vault community nurtured something like this! But don’t let that stop you 🙂 if you want, though, it would be great to see you in the community. It’s going to take a while to build properly, but I think it could be something very special.


It's a pretty exciting prospect! I hope you are ready for those moments of friction between creative voices. By which I mean, people being mean to each other out of a desire to appear to themselves as being clever and right. (Sorry, I've been reading a rather moody thread elsewhere!) But it could turn out to be a great way of sharing enthusiasm and experience. It's a great way to develop the educational aspects of your great Synth Vault videos.

And hopefully it will help spread awareness of your products as well so that you can continue to eat and maybe - just maybe - buy petrol occasionally. Well, I don't know if you are _that_ rich!


----------



## elucid (Jul 2, 2022)

I don’t own any modern hardware synths (the most recent is a JD-800) but with Omnisphere I feel like I do.

Obviously it’s not hardware but something about the sound just feels more, I don’t know, ‘solid’ than any soft synth I have (and I have way too many).

I know this makes no sense. Maybe it’s the unusual GUI that gives me that feel. I don’t know.

And I‘m never sure if I should have bought it either. It can sound gorgeous in its own right but in a mix I honestly could use any other synth I have and it would sound just fine. In fact, if I’m going for ‘gorgeous synth’ in a mix I’ll use a U-he product.


----------



## tomwolfe (Jul 2, 2022)

Bee_Abney said:


> It's a pretty exciting prospect! I hope you are ready for those moments of friction between creative voices. By which I mean, people being mean to each other out of a desire to appear to themselves as being clever and right. (Sorry, I've been reading a rather moody thread elsewhere!) But it could turn out to be a great way of sharing enthusiasm and experience. It's a great way to develop the educational aspects of your great Synth Vault videos.


Usually I feel like I’m that person with a desire to appear clever and right, so it will be nice to watch others do it 😂 anyway, hope to see you over there!



> And hopefully it will help spread awareness of your products as well so that you can continue to eat and maybe - just maybe - buy petrol occasionally. Well, I don't know if you are _that_ rich!


Fortunately, being a hermit who sits at home 24/7 and makes sounds, I require very little in the way of petrol 😉


----------



## el-bo (Jul 2, 2022)

GtrString said:


> You don’t own Omnisphere do you?


Actually, I do  Bought a boxed copy of Atmosphere, from Turnkey (circa 2006), then upgraded to Omnisphere when it first dropped. I'm still using version 1.5.8, though.


----------



## Bee_Abney (Jul 2, 2022)

el-bo said:


> Actually, I do  Bought a boxed copy of Atmosphere, from Turnkey (circa 2006), then upgraded to Omnisphere when it first dropped. I'm still using version 1.5.8, though.


If it ain't broke, it still makes music!


----------



## el-bo (Jul 2, 2022)

Bee_Abney said:


> If it ain't broke, it still makes music!


Well, it does for the moment. I fear I might lose it in my imminent transition to Apple Silicon, but I'm hoping to sneak it in 'by the back door' via Immigration Assistant'. It's not ever going to have native compatibility, but hopefully I can keep it running under Rosetta until Omnisphere 3 shows up...which by my calculations should be any day day now.






















It's been "any day now" for the last 3 years  



-


----------



## Bee_Abney (Jul 2, 2022)

el-bo said:


> Well, it does for the moment. I fear I might lose it in my imminent transition to Apple Silicon, but I'm hoping to sneak it in 'by the back door' via Immigration Assistant'. It's not ever going to have native compatibility, but hopefully I can keep it running under Rosetta until Omnisphere 3 shows up...which by my calculations should be any day day now.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Any minute..




...almost...



...almost there...


...not now.


----------



## David Kudell (Jul 2, 2022)

The best thing I’ve learned about Omnisphere is to just skip past those first patches at the top that have so much going on. They’re a way for Spectrasonics to show what Omnisphere can do, but they’re way too busy to fit into any mix.

There’s a lot of patches in there that are more simple and useful, especially with the volume turned down and maybe a low pass filter to roll off the highs. Also the Unfinished’s patches are very useful.


----------



## richmwhitfield (Jul 2, 2022)

I actually went through all 14k of presets and marked them using the 5 star system. Took a while and I am sure I will probably have missed some, but definitely a help when looking for sounds now.


----------



## Rudianos (Jul 2, 2022)

Ended up getting Keyscape Trillian from WWBW.com. Still 20% off. Just have to wait! $580 taxes and overnight shipping seems good?

Every day before I sleep my plan... 2 nights now so far ... Make a new patch and give a name.

I am asking myself now when is a patch done? Ready? I am content now to measure it my emotion being evoked... That I can lose myself in it and a melody created. Is that normal?

I like the UI. Seems easier to use than Falcon. The latter really needs tutorials to get started. For me anyways.

The samples are nice... Sort of unique textural things. Drenched in the FX and synths not sure they need to be deeply sampled. I may have already imported some sounds from elsewhere.


----------



## Double Helix (Jul 2, 2022)

Rudianos said:


> Ended up getting Keyscape Trillian from WWBW.com. Still 20% off. Just have to wait! $580 taxes and overnight shipping seems good?


It was $580 for both? Yeah, I'd say you came out smelling like a rose for that price.


----------



## Rudianos (Jul 2, 2022)

Double Helix said:


> It was $580 for both? Yeah, I'd say you came out smelling like a rose for that price.


Yes! Sweet feel better about yet another investment. Thanks


----------



## David Kudell (Jul 2, 2022)

Rudianos said:


> Ended up getting Keyscape Trillian from WWBW.com. Still 20% off. Just have to wait! $580 taxes and overnight shipping seems good?
> 
> Every day before I sleep my plan... 2 nights now so far ... Make a new patch and give a name.
> 
> ...


Make sure to check out the Keyscape Creative patches and Trillian Creative, both within Omnisphere. Some cool stuff there.


----------



## kgdrum (Jul 2, 2022)

David Kudell said:


> Make sure to check out the Keyscape Creative patches and Trillian Creative, both within Omnisphere. Some cool stuff there.




Absolutely don’t overlook the MOOG Tribute library which is also worh checking out.


----------



## sostenuto (Jul 2, 2022)

Would luv to see 'extraordinary' Spectrasonics offer for Keyscape @ current $$ _ and include MOOG Tribute _ ( obviously providing $$ to MOOG Foundation ). 
Mostly interested in 'Creative' Patches for existing Omni 2.8 / Trilian.


----------



## kgdrum (Jul 2, 2022)

What many people overlook before they enter the Omnisphere universe is the numerous free updates which Spectrasonics does quite regularly.
excluding Stylus RMX @Spectrasonics ❤️ wtf!
The difference between Omni 2 and Omni 2.8 is astounding! Not to mention free soundsets like the Creative series etc…….
I chuckle when people complain about Spectrasonics pricing,seeing the level of support,the enhancements & capabilities and overall quality of anything Spectrasonics releases,I consider their products bargains.


----------



## c0nsilience (Jul 2, 2022)

I ponder what I’ve spent on soft synths over the years, not too mention hardware. Omnisphere is priced just right, imho. 🙂

Comparison is the thief of joy, but Spectrasonics could offer the “free engine” model and/or a subscription, both of which would end up costing a lot more than $500.


----------



## vitocorleone123 (Jul 2, 2022)

Congratulations!

If found all the presets in Omni to be overwhelming. So I'm almost completely ignoring them and making my own. I sometimes use/look at the hardware preset library, and that's it.

EDIT: to clarify, I'm focused on synth sounds, not orchestral or samples of rocks banging together or a toilet being flushed, etc.  

I have a thread about how I so far have figured out how to sample something and load it into Omni with the loop points if you search/look in this subforum.

Side note: I'm also on my way to cutting down the total number of synths and FX I use - down to ~125 plugins, including the DAW plugins (from around 500+). Focusing on having focus. It'll take me a couple more years to work out what I really use and love (and need) - alongside my hardware.


----------



## Rudianos (Jul 7, 2022)

In the era of digital... Nice to have grounding in a real physical product.... Have not purchased physical media software in well... Baldurs Gate 2 ... Ehh 22 years.

Anyways very well packaged products very elegant materials all around.


----------



## Henu (Jul 7, 2022)

Rudianos said:


> Baldurs Gate 2


----------



## vitocorleone123 (Jul 7, 2022)

Rudianos said:


> In the era of digital... Nice to have grounding in a real physical product.... Have not purchased physical media software in well... Baldurs Gate 2 ... Ehh 22 years.
> 
> Anyways very well packaged products very elegant materials all around.


Go for the keys, Boo! Go for the keys!


----------



## Pier (Jul 7, 2022)

Rudianos said:


> In the era of digital... Nice to have grounding in a real physical product.... Have not purchased physical media software in well... Baldurs Gate 2 ... Ehh 22 years.
> 
> Anyways very well packaged products very elegant materials all around.


I wouldn't know what to do with optical media. None of my computers have an optical reader anymore.

I do have a 4K Bluray player... but with so much content being released in 4K HDR on streaming it gets used less and less.


----------



## Bee_Abney (Jul 7, 2022)

Pier said:


> I wouldn't know what to do with optical media. None of my computers have an optical reader anymore.
> 
> I do have a 4K Bluray player... but with so much content being released in 4K HDR on streaming it gets used less and less.


My brother was telling me for years to use e-readers and stream films; but as his tastes have developed, he's found, just I already had, that a huge amount of what I want to read and watch just isn't available that way.

Even more so than when television channels stopped showing silent films, we are going to have a wealth of culture lost to us as people come to rely on content provided via the internet. I've seen lots of students getting lower grades than they could by becoming over-reliant on only those sources that are available online.

Omnisphere comes on a USB drive - though it can't be written to or used as an external drive. Or, you can just download it from their site.


----------



## SupremeFist (Jul 7, 2022)

David Kudell said:


> There’s a lot of patches in there that are more simple and useful, especially with the volume turned down


So... Omnisphere sounds great if you can't really hear it?


----------



## David Kudell (Jul 7, 2022)

SupremeFist said:


> So... Omnisphere sounds great if you can't really hear it?


Of course! Another great tip is to add both a low pass and high pass filter and set both to 2000Hz.


----------



## vitocorleone123 (Jul 7, 2022)

David Kudell said:


> Of course! Another great tip is to add both a low pass and high pass filter and set both to 2000Hz.


Amateur hour!

I prefer to record what I play, make a copy and invert it, and then play them both back at the same time!  







(little did we know that an early version of Omnisphere was used to produce this song!)


----------



## David Kudell (Jul 7, 2022)

vitocorleone123 said:


> Amateur hour!
> 
> I prefer to record what I play, make a copy and invert it, and then play them both back at the same time!
> 
> ...


Sure that’d work. But it’s cooler if you take it into iZotope RX, capture the entire track as the noise print, and apply noise reduction to itself.


----------



## vitocorleone123 (Jul 7, 2022)

David Kudell said:


> Sure that’d work. But it’s cooler if you take it into iZotope RX, capture the entire track as the noise print, and apply noise reduction to itself.


Whoah! And here I thought I knew what I was doing. Definitely next level mastering skills. I clearly have lots still to learn.


----------



## Bee_Abney (Jul 7, 2022)

David Kudell said:


> Sure that’d work. But it’s cooler if you take it into iZotope RX, capture the entire track as the noise print, and apply noise reduction to itself.


We have all been schooled!


----------



## c0nsilience (Jul 18, 2022)

I'm giving serious consideration to reformatting an SSD for Omnisphere's library, since exFAT is a no go. Before I do this, is the speed increase worth the effort?


----------



## jblongz (Jul 18, 2022)

c0nsilience said:


> I'm giving serious consideration to reformatting an SSD for Omnisphere's library, since exFAT is a no go. Before I do this, is the speed increase worth the effort?


Even though I use SSDs now for sound libraries, I never had an issue with Omnisphere on a 7200rpm drive. That changed when I bought Keyscape - there’s a significant speed difference when loading pianos and even some bass patches in Trilian. I think even the cheapest SATA SSD is a good investment for reading samples.


----------



## Bee_Abney (Jul 18, 2022)

For Omnisphere presets I'm using an HDD as each patch, or even multi, doesn't use many samples compared to a deep-sampled instrument. But good pianos tend to have a lot of samples.

But even loading a single sample, you can notice that an SSD is faster.


----------



## sostenuto (Jul 18, 2022)

Bee_Abney said:


> For Omnisphere presets I'm using an HDD as each patch, or even multi, doesn't use many samples compared to a deep-sampled instrument. But good pianos tend to have a lot of samples.
> 
> But even loading a single sample, you can notice that an SSD is faster.


Yep ! One SSD _ 2TB reserved for only Piano VI(s). Not enough for VSL, but lotsa other nice ones !


----------



## Double Helix (Jul 18, 2022)

STEAM & SAGE folders (including umpteen 3rd party sets + Nylon Sky) live on their own 1TB SSD--always quick loads* (except for)


jblongz said:


> . . .*That changed when I bought Keyscape* - there’s a significant speed difference when loading pianos and even some bass patches in Trilian. . .


*Keyscape & Nylon Sky, however, are, indeed, kinda pokey
("Patience, Grasshopper")


----------



## c0nsilience (Jul 18, 2022)

Many thanks for insight everyone! I'm in the process of moving folders back over to my 1 TB SSD as I type. 🙂


----------



## c0nsilience (Jul 19, 2022)

So the SSD is noticeably faster and I went ahead and added a few libraries from Luftrum, as Bioscape and Lunaris are (almost) the only reason I use Kontakt these days. I was able to free up a considerable amount of room by clearing out some Soundpaint libraries. Given the recent AWS debacle, I'm unsure whether or not I'll elect to reinstall SP any time soon. 

Omnisphere is fantastic, btw! I'm pleased to have taken the plunge after all these years. I've gotten an opportunity to dig into it almost daily and it is a beautiful beast of a synth. 🙂


----------



## Bee_Abney (Jul 19, 2022)

c0nsilience said:


> So the SSD is noticeably faster and I went ahead and added a few libraries from Luftrum, as Bioscape and Lunaris are (almost) the only reason I use Kontakt these days. I was able to free up a considerable amount of room by clearing out some Soundpaint libraries. Given the recent AWS debacle, I'm unsure whether or not I'll elect to reinstall SP any time soon.
> 
> Omnisphere is fantastic, btw! I'm pleased to have taken the plunge after all these years. I've gotten an opportunity to dig into it almost daily and it is a beautiful beast of a synth. 🙂


Bioscape, Lunaris and Omnisphere - you have a world of possibilities there; and none them need to phone home for authorisation. That's a nice set up!


----------



## c0nsilience (Jul 19, 2022)

Bee_Abney said:


> Bioscape, Lunaris and Omnisphere - you have a world of possibilities there; and none them need to phone home for authorisation. That's a nice set up!


Thanks, Bee! I'm in ambient/pad/atmosphere heaven and truly grateful for these tools for creative self-expression.


----------

