# Recommended Omnisphere add-on libraries - POLL ADDED



## Garry (Feb 23, 2019)

I have to admit, I wasn't aware that add-on libraries can be bought for Omnisphere, until recently, when I saw the thread here from @TheUnfinished regarding The Amara - this looks incredible, and completely changes my view of Omnisphere. I had mistakenly thought that Omnisphere was a stand-alone soft synth for sound design. Although I understand it's great for that purpose, personally, that's not my interest, and I much prefer just using presets that have already been created, so I didn't think Omnisphere was for me, and I'd previously overlooked it. With this new library though, I realize my oversight, and the huge and expandable potential it has.

So, 3 questions:

Do the presets in Omnisphere make worth it themselves, if you're not interested in using it to create new sounds?
Is there anywhere a list of Omnisphere add-on libraries, so that I can find out how Omnisphere could be expanded with 3rd party presets?
What are your favorite 3rd party Omnisphere libraries/developers, similar to the Unfinished here?
Thanks for your input.

EDIT: Based on members' helpful feedback to these questions, I've added a list of recommended 3rd party developers' links to this first post, that I'll update if there are any further suggestions. Also, added a poll to see which ones the community as a whole recommends.

Rocky Mountains Complete Omnisphere Library Database
The Unfinished
MIDIssonance
Ilio
Plughugger
PluginGuru and his YouTube Channel
http://dulcitone1884.virb.com/omnisphere (Sound Dust)
Luftrum
Triple Spiral Audio
Hollo Sound
Audiority
https://www.stringaudio.com/omnisphere (String Audio)
SubsonicArtz
PulseSetter
Sonic Underworld
Man Makes Noise
The Sample Co
Vintage Synth Pads
That Worship Sound


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## Ben H (Feb 23, 2019)

1. I think it's worth it for the presets on their own. Plenty of useful included sounds.
2. There are literally 100s of add-on libraries for Omnisphere. It's like asking for a list of every Kontakt library.


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## keepitsimple (Feb 23, 2019)

1- Yes


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## Saxer (Feb 23, 2019)

Omnisphere has sooo many presets in the factory library that you will probably never ever play all of them. The search function helps a lot.
Adding third party libraries to these thousands of factory presets is mainly to add 'chapters' of sound families or get the flavor of the programmers work.
I'd recommend using Omni for a while before adding new sounds. It's overwhelming anyway.


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## tehreal (Feb 23, 2019)

Garry said:


> Do the presets in Omnisphere make worth it themselves, if you're not interested in using it to create new sounds?



The presets are a good jumping off point. I tweak them to fit my needs.



Garry said:


> What are your favorite 3rd party Omnisphere libraries/developers, similar to the Unfinished here?



I rarely design sounds from complete scratch. It's fun and important to learn but I just don't have the talent that other folks have. That's why I like to buy wonderful palettes from very talented folks (like the @TheUnfinished) and then tweak those.


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## webs (Feb 23, 2019)

Garry said:


> So, 3 questions:
> 
> Do the presets in Omnisphere make worth it themselves, if you're not interested in using it to create new sounds?
> Is there anywhere a list of Omnisphere add-on libraries, so that I can find out how Omnisphere could be expanded with 3rd party presets?
> What are your favorite 3rd party Omnisphere libraries/developers, similar to the Unfinished here?



1. My first experience with Omnisphere was regret. It was probably just the sounds I first auditioned, but a lot of them sounded thin and cheesy and not very useful to me. So I went to 3rd party libs, which instantly improved things (for what I was seeking.) However... as others here have well noted... there are a TON of sounds in the factory set, and given enough time and digging (made easier by the search and SoundMatch features), there are a lot of really great presets that hold their own. We will quickly get into an area not yet in my expertise, but I believe over time Spectrasonics has added more to their oscillators, filters, etc. that has made later/newer presets sound more to my liking (though there are a few areas of the early presets that are fantastic.)

2. I bet this is no where near all of them, but here's a pretty good start for you... https://www.rockymountainsounds.com/cold

3. Unfinished, Midissonance, Ilio, Plughugger, PluginGuru, SoundDust


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## Garry (Feb 23, 2019)

webs said:


> 1. My first experience with Omnisphere was regret. It was probably just the sounds I first auditioned, but a lot of them sounded thin and cheesy and not very useful to me. So I went to 3rd party libs, which instantly improved things (for what I was seeking.) However... as others here have well noted... there are a TON of sounds in the factory set, and given enough time and digging (made easier by the search and SoundMatch features), there are a lot of really great presets that hold their own. We will quickly get into an area not yet in my expertise, but I believe over time Spectrasonics has added more to their oscillators, filters, etc. that has made later/newer presets sound more to my liking (though there are a few areas of the early presets that are fantastic.)
> 
> 2. I bet this is no where near all of them, but here's a pretty good start for you... https://www.rockymountainsounds.com/cold
> 
> 3. Unfinished, Midissonance, Ilio, Plughugger, PluginGuru, SoundDust


Wow, I scrolled and scrolled and scrolled through developer after developer, only to reach “Load More”!!

I feel naive at not realizing the depth of Omnisphere, and thinking it was a standalone product, but this feels like pushing at a door and finding it’s a portal to another world I had no idea existed!


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## Garry (Feb 23, 2019)

Ben H said:


> 1. It's like asking for a list of every Kontakt library.


Good point, I hadn’t appreciated the vastness. Ok, so a more refined question: any recommendations for Omnisphere libraries/developers along the line of cinematic, orchestral, drama genre, for which Amara seems such a good example? Or is that too referencing a vast swath of potential options I’m equally ignorant of?


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## webs (Feb 23, 2019)

Garry said:


> ...this feels like pushing at a door and finding it’s a portal to another world I had no idea existed!



You've perfectly summed up how I feel on this forum most every day. 

(not to mention the sheer number of things available to purchase.)

The nice thing is... there's so much in the "stock" Omni, that it's a great place to start, explore, and add to later as desired.


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## Garry (Feb 23, 2019)

Hmm... I'm still a bit undecided: I watched a video here covering a lot of the Omnisphere presets, and as is of course the case with this, or any general purpose sound library, there are some sounds that are in line with what I'm looking for, and a LOT that is not. Unavoidable with a general library, and I guess most people buying Omnisphere are buying it for its sound design capabilities, not as a means to access samples.

That's the reason I was so impressed with Amara for Omnisphere - the sounds are exactly what I was looking for (along with several other libraries from Unfinished). However, I'm not sure I would buy Omnisphere for the presets alone, based on what I'm hearing, so it's the equivalent of buying Kontakt so that I can run 3rd party libraries (not for the sounds within Kontakt itself), but in this case, it will cost 500 bucks for the privilege! I wish there was a way to get The Unfinished's sounds, but without having to buy Omnisphere. I'm guessing there isn't a free version of Omnisphere, as with Kontakt, which would allow me to access libraries like Amara is there?


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## Saxer (Feb 23, 2019)

Forget the video and get Omni. No joke. You won't regret it. Nobody did.


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## jneebz (Feb 23, 2019)

Saxer said:


> Forget the video and get Omni. No joke. You won't regret it. Nobody did.


This. 1000x this.


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## Sopranos (Feb 23, 2019)

All of The Unfinished stuff is right up your alley. And (while there is a lot of "fluff" as you stated in Omnisphere presets) there are also tons of usable cinematic presets, too. 

Ilio and Luftrum also has some great cinematic banks.


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## whiskers (Feb 23, 2019)

Garry said:


> I have to admit, I wasn't aware that add-on libraries can be bought for Omnisphere, until recently, when I saw the thread here from @TheUnfinished regarding The Amara - this looks incredible, and completely changes my view of Omnisphere. I had mistakenly thought that Omnisphere was a soft synth for sound design. I understand it's great for that purpose, personally, that's not my interest, and I much prefer just using presets that have already been created, so I didn't think Omnisphere was for me, and I'd previously overlooked it. With this new library though, I realize my oversight, and the huge and expandable potential it has.
> 
> So, 3 questions:
> 
> ...



1. Yes, tons of presets by default even without add on packs. Like 400+ I think

2. Way too many to list or keep track of

3. My personal favorites: The Unfinished, Luftrum, Triple Spiral Audio, Hollosound, a lot of people like PluginGuru too.


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## sostenuto (Feb 23, 2019)

Garry said:


> ***************** So, 3 questions:
> 
> Do the presets in Omnisphere make worth it themselves, if you're not interested in using it to create new sounds?
> Is there anywhere a list of Omnisphere add-on libraries, so that I can find out how Omnisphere could be expanded with 3rd party presets?
> ...



Omni User since early days … now v2.5 and anxiously awaiting 'free', amazing 2.6.
Have many 3rd PTY libs and learn from their Settings to accomplish desired sounds, capabilities.
A very strong kudos though ….. to *pluginguru.com* _ John (Skippy) Lehmkuhl _ for his huge video library of walkthroughs AND recorded Livestreams. The amount, and depth, of learning Omni is staggering. The YT Livestreams continue most Saturdays starting at noon, USA _PST. Audience is global and accompanying Chat adds cool detail.
Maybe check a few of last Livestreams; YT, or his site, to get some sense of what is available.
Check out John's strong background, including years at Korg. His recent visit at NAMM shows strong connections with top industry talents …. Eric Persing, Diego Stocco, Jordan Rudess, …………. 
Regards


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## Sopranos (Feb 23, 2019)

whiskers said:


> 1. Yes, tons of presets by default even without add on packs. Like 400+ I think
> 
> 2. Way too many to list or keep track of
> 
> 3. My personal favorites: The Unfinished, Luftrum, Triple Spiral Audio, Hollosound, a lot of people like PluginGuru too.


I think this is a typo  more like 4000+ presets.


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## Sopranos (Feb 23, 2019)

sostenuto said:


> Omni User since early days … now v2.5 and anxiously awaiting 'free', amazing 2.6.
> Have many 3rd PTY libs and learn from their Settings to accomplish desired sounds, capabilities.
> A very strong kudos though ….. to *pluginguru.com* _ John (Skippy) Lehmkuhl _ for his huge video library of walkthroughs AND recorded Livestreams. The amount, and depth, of learning Omni is staggering. The YT Livestreams continue most Saturdays starting at noon, USA _PST. The audience is global and accompanying Chat adds cool detail.
> Maybe check a few of last Livestreams; YT, or his site, to get some sense of what is available.
> Regards


Interested to check out the YT.... is there a link or name for the channel? 

Cheers!


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## sostenuto (Feb 23, 2019)

https://www.youtube.com/user/thepluginguru


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## whiskers (Feb 23, 2019)

Saxer said:


> Forget the video and get Omni. No joke. You won't regret it. Nobody did.


Yep.
You can pry it out of my cold, dead hands


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## Ben E (Feb 23, 2019)

Saxer said:


> Forget the video and get Omni. No joke. You won't regret it. Nobody did.



+1


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## damcry (Feb 23, 2019)

Have tried stupidly - for years - to find cheapest substituted synths.

What a waste a money when you consider that .... I finally bought Omnisphere .


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## AmbientMile (Feb 23, 2019)

I just skimmed the posts here so forgive me if someone else mentioned it, but Audiority has great cinematic sets for Omnisphere. My other favs are Plughugger, Plugin Guru, Unfinished. And one that I've never seen mentioned is That Worship Sound. They have a pad set called Majestica that is one of my favorites (and I've bought A LOT of 3rd party libs for Omni).


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## jtnyc (Feb 23, 2019)

I second sticking to the factory library for starters. It's vast. There are some third party presets that I have and like, but a lot of it just gets redundant. Many third party sets use the factory sound sources only, while some others are now importing their own samples. With the repetition I've experienced with certain developers, I been weary of buying new sets. I love what I've heard from Midissonanse and will definitely pick up that bundle next time it's on sale. His stuff sounds top notch to me and he does import his own samples for some of his sound sets. To my ears, his stuff stands out from the factory library the most. 

Check em out - https://midissonance.com


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## sylent01 (Feb 23, 2019)

I’m considering Omni for my purchases this year, is there a good time to pick it up? Spectrasonics doesn’t seem to run many sales.


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## Kuusniemi (Feb 23, 2019)

sylent01 said:


> I’m considering Omni for my purchases this year, is there a good time to pick it up? Spectrasonics doesn’t seem to run many sales.


Do check out different retailers, they might have sales independent from Spectrasonics. I got my copy from a retailer in Finland for quite a lot less than normal price...


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## Sopranos (Feb 23, 2019)

sylent01 said:


> I’m considering Omni for my purchases this year, is there a good time to pick it up? Spectrasonics doesn’t seem to run many sales.


Best time for this one is always NOW. They don't run sales.


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## webs (Feb 23, 2019)

Something I found helpful to turn stock sounds into more interesting cinematic sounds... use the orb feature/OmniTR app (included with omnisphere) and an ipad as the control surface for it (can also use mouse). 

Instant seemingly endless textures to the stock libs.
And with third party libs... Orb + Midissonance = Bliss. Orb + Unfinished = Bliss. 

https://www.spectrasonics.net/video...rumentID=all&q=orb&Search+Video+Button=Search

https://www.spectrasonics.net/omni_tr_app/orb/index.html


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## webs (Feb 23, 2019)

Sopranos said:


> Best time for this one is always NOW. They don't run sales.



Sales are rare I agree. Occasionally, the Guitar Center runs 15% or 20% promos that include Spectrasonics products. Musicians Friend too, I think? 

And as a cool variation I seem to recall someone on this forum was able to do one of the Guitar Center trade-in promotions where they sold back used gear and got the trade-in credit, plus 20% off applied to the new purchase. They're doing a trade in plus 15% right now, but I think the 20% version only happens leading up to Black Friday (presumably so they have lots of used inventory for the holiday season)


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## PaulBrimstone (Feb 23, 2019)

Of course, you can always buy an Omni licence in the “for sale” section, here or elsewhere. A tiny bit of a faff doing the transfer, but you save quite a bit and it worked a treat for me and others I know.


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## Maiestic9 (Feb 23, 2019)

Can’t agree more with anyone saying Omni is great. After the 2.5 update the stock presets are over 10 thousand ! That’s insane and one will never get through them all ( and by chance you do ..there will be another update like the impending 2.6 that will add a bunch more ) 

Honestly, Omnisphere is in the top tier of “desert island plug ins “ and worth every penny of its full price. 

When you throw in the abundance of amazing third party content from the likes of The Unfinished , Luftrum , Hollo Sound , and pluginguru ( to name a few ) it becomes a cornucopia of musical bliss that can find its way into any style .

Buckle up and enjoy the ride ..oh and save a bit for Keyscape down the road ...


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## whiskers (Feb 23, 2019)

PaulBrimstone said:


> Of course, you can always buy an Omni licence in the “for sale” section, here or elsewhere. A tiny bit of a faff doing the transfer, but you save quite a bit and it worked a treat for me and others I know.


This guy knows what's up.

Caveat Emptor I believe it becomes NFR after 1 resell, but again, not an issue for me, because you can pry it out of my cold, dead paws.


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## Ben H (Feb 23, 2019)

Garry said:


> Ok, so a more refined question: any recommendations for Omnisphere libraries/developers along the line of cinematic, orchestral, drama genre, for which Amara seems such a good example? Or is that too referencing a vast swath of potential options I’m equally ignorant of?



I would recommend taking a look at  Triple Spiral Audio for that sort of thing. His new Discovery - Crime Omnisphere sound set is especially along the (drama) lines of what you are looking for.


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## lp59burst (Feb 23, 2019)

whiskers said:


> <snip>
> 3. My personal favorites: The Unfinished, Luftrum, Triple Spiral Audio, Hollosound, a lot of people like PluginGuru too.


Well said - your list has many of my all time favorite O2 patch architects too...


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## holywilly (Feb 23, 2019)

String Audio has 2 phenomenal libraries for Omnisphere: Darkless & Lightless, they become my workhorse for all my TV and film scores.

https://www.stringaudio.com/omnisphere


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## whiskers (Feb 23, 2019)

holywilly said:


> String Audio has 2 phenomenal libraries for Omnisphere: Darkless & Lightless, they become my workhorse for all my TV and film scores.
> 
> https://www.stringaudio.com/omnisphere


Do they ever do sales on these libs?


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## Dandezebra (Feb 23, 2019)

whiskers said:


> Do they ever do sales on these libs?




I was wondering the same.


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## keepitsimple (Feb 23, 2019)

holywilly said:


> String Audio has 2 phenomenal libraries for Omnisphere: Darkless & Lightless, they become my workhorse for all my TV and film scores.
> 
> https://www.stringaudio.com/omnisphere


And this is exactly why I love omnisphere, it’s because of libraries like that. I could hear some BDT tones towards the end of their video demo, very freakin cool.


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## Garry (Feb 24, 2019)

Some great replies on this thread, thanks all for the input - very helpful.


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## Garry (Feb 24, 2019)

In gratitude for everyone's input, here's a collation of the 3rd party developers for Omnisphere recommended on this thread, for everyone's convenience. This isn't intended to be comprehensive (it's clearly far from that!), but just those recommended by VI-C members. Please feel free to add additional links (EDIT: I've moved them to the first post in this thread to make them easier to find).


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## Jaap (Feb 24, 2019)

SubsonicArtz has 2 great Omni libraries (and we work together on a new one as well, Fred is so extremely talented, amazing creative mind) - https://www.subsonicartz.com/products.html

Also don't forget Disruptor from Pulsesetter, those guys rock! - https://pulsesetter-sounds.com/product/disruptor-omnisphere2-soundset/

Sonic Underworld by Stephan Baer (extremely talented sound designer and composer) also got a few - https://sonicunderworld.com/store/

Great newcommer is Man Makes Noise - https://www.manmakesnoise.com/products


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## Garry (Feb 24, 2019)

Sounds like it's time for a poll....

Ok, so I've added a poll based on those that have been currently recommended. You can vote for as many as you'd like, and I'll add any that get recommended after this post.


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## X-Bassist (Feb 24, 2019)

PaulBrimstone said:


> Of course, you can always buy an Omni licence in the “for sale” section, here or elsewhere. A tiny bit of a faff doing the transfer, but you save quite a bit and it worked a treat for me and others I know.


Keep in mind Omni can only be resold once, so if you buy used you won’t be able to resell it (not that you would want to).


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## X-Bassist (Feb 24, 2019)

Garry said:


> so it's the equivalent of buying Kontakt so that I can run 3rd party libraries (not for the sounds within Kontakt itself), but in this case, it will cost 500 bucks for the privilege!



Nobody buys Kontakt for the factory sounds- though not bad, it’s really to get some of the thrid party stuff that is inexpensive but for full kontakt only. Omni is the same, only the entry price is more, but with better factory sounds (currently at around 13,000 presets) AND a beautiful sounding engine and effects that can make great sounds with basic samples. Well worth the price IMHO.


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## Garry (Feb 24, 2019)

X-Bassist said:


> Nobody buys Kontakt for the factory sounds- though not bad, it’s really to get some of the thrid party stuff that is inexpensive but for full kontakt only. Omni is the same, only the entry price is more, but with better factory sounds (currently at around 13,000 presets) AND a beautiful sounding engine and effects that can make great sounds with basic samples. Well worth the price IMHO.


Yes, I know what you mean, but I was trying to make the analogy that if you were only interested in a specific 3rd party Omnisphere library, having to buy the whole Omnisphere engine in order to access it is a pain. Just as if you were having to buy Kontakt, only because it was a requirement to access certain libraries. That said, this thread has convinced me that in response to my first question the included presets are themselves reason enough to buy it, even if that wasn't my initial reason for being interested in it. 

I must admit I'm still hesitating though: of those 13,000 sounds, they may be amazing for particular genres, but potentially not really applicable to my interests (cinematic, orchestral, drama, atmospheric) - I'm coming to realize that's probably not the case, as there's seemingly near universal approval for Omnisphere, but again, that was the purpose of asking the questions. 

I'm still intrigued by the 3rd party developers as well though, hence the poll. I'm blown away by libraries from The Unfinished, so was wondering which other developers I may have been unaware of until now. 

Lots of good information on this thread for anyone, like me, who hadn't really understood the potential of Omnisphere.


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## Jaap (Feb 24, 2019)

Another good thing about Omnisphere, beside all the great 3rd party sets is that you get a lot of new things with the updates and they are always free. It was recently updated to version 2.5, which added 2 more layers to the synth and a thing called hardware integration (you can control Omnisphere with certain synths). At NAMM they also announced a new update with 2.6 with even more hardware synths and their corresponding sounds added and as well a nice overhaul of the ARP.
To get an idea check this video: 

And though they don't do sales and maybe not all the patch content is up to all it's liking, you get a lot of options back.
The developer Pluginguru hosts a lot of good video's about Omnisphere - https://www.youtube.com/user/thepluginguru
Watching some videos should also give you good starting points if you want to create your own or tweak existing sounds up to your liking and you can go really far with Omnisphere.

There are tons of other synths out there and a lot can do certain things better, but the great thing about Omnisphere is that it is a really good alrounder and hence it's also the reason why it's so popular.


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## Sopranos (Feb 24, 2019)

Garry said:


> Yes, I know what you mean, but I was trying to make the analogy that if you were only interested in a specific 3rd party Omnisphere library, having to buy the whole Omnisphere engine in order to access it is a pain. Just as if you were having to buy Kontakt, only because it was a requirement to access certain libraries. That said, this thread has convinced me that in response to my first question the included presets are themselves reason enough to buy it, even if that wasn't my initial reason for being interested in it.
> 
> I must admit I'm still hesitating though: of those 13,000 sounds, they may be amazing for particular genres, but potentially not really applicable to my interests (cinematic, orchestral, drama, atmospheric) - I'm coming to realize that's probably not the case, as there's seemingly near universal approval for Omnisphere, but again, that was the purpose of asking the questions.
> 
> ...


If you're still hesitating after everything that's been said, I got nothing for you. 

You mention your interests (cinematic, atmospheric, drama, etc) and Omnisphere is precisely that.... so if you want to hold out it's really your loss.


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## Mystic (Feb 24, 2019)

Here's my problem lately. I buy a lot of preset packs to save time and be inspired. There are a few really great designers out there: The Unfinished being my favourite followed by PluginGuru (though I know he wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea on this particular forum since he focuses more on EDM style synths rather than scoring) and a few others who I constantly buy from, but there are also a lot of newer and even some older designers who I'm finding don't have near the quality yet are asking quite the price on their packs. I'd go as far as to call it a new fad where people say to themselves "I can sell presets too!" after seeing good designers making money without actually having the skill to justify charging for them. The problem is a lot of these people are hard to find out until after you've bought their product. Many of them don't even add descriptions or proper tagging to their sounds. This is one of the reasons I love detailed walkthroughs now.


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## Mystic (Feb 24, 2019)

Garry said:


> Yes, I know what you mean, but I was trying to make the analogy that if you were only interested in a specific 3rd party Omnisphere library, having to buy the whole Omnisphere engine in order to access it is a pain. Just as if you were having to buy Kontakt, only because it was a requirement to access certain libraries. That said, this thread has convinced me that in response to my first question the included presets are themselves reason enough to buy it, even if that wasn't my initial reason for being interested in it.


Many of the third party libraries are using soundsources included in Omnisphere as the base. With Omnisphere, you're paying mostly for the engine. It's a synth, not a sampler like Kontakt so everything you hear is crafted through the engine and a few wavetables which are usually part of the Omnisphere package though there are a few who include their own wavetables, it's not common.


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## Andrew0568 (Feb 24, 2019)

I just picked up The Unfinished's Amara and it's fantastic. Maybe a little off-topic, but what's everyone's other favorites libraries by him?


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## whiskers (Feb 24, 2019)

Andrew0568 said:


> I just picked up The Unfinished's Amara and it's fantastic. Maybe a little off-topic, but what's everyone's other favorites libraries by him?


Ferox is great. As is Pangea, for two libs at either end of the spectrum.


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## whiskers (Feb 24, 2019)

Dandezebra said:


> I was wondering the same.


Looks like they were 79$ over a summer sale this last year


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## holywilly (Feb 24, 2019)

I also came across this great 3rd party omnisphere soundbank by https://www.tomwolfe.co.uk/
Purchased and used in my current project, great stuff!


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## whiskers (Feb 24, 2019)

holywilly said:


> I also came across this great 3rd party omnisphere soundbank by https://www.tomwolfe.co.uk/
> Purchased and used in my current project, great stuff!


was pleasantly surprised by this one too, especially for the intro price.


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## sostenuto (Feb 24, 2019)

whiskers said:


> was pleasantly surprised by this one too, especially for the intro price.



Link takes me to Bundle, (4) Libs, did not see any Intro. ????


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## whiskers (Feb 24, 2019)

sostenuto said:


> Link takes me to Bundle, (4) Libs, did not see any Intro. ????


Sorry, should have specified. https://www.tomwolfe.co.uk/oblivion-for-omnisphere (Oblivion) was 10 quid on intro sale


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## Fleer (Feb 25, 2019)

PlugInGuru’s my absolute favorite. The guy’s so dedicated and such a musical mind. I’m particularly fond of his MegaMagic series.


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## Kuusniemi (Feb 26, 2019)

Need to mention this here. Not original samples and only two libraries in the bundle, but I do love the textures The Sample Co. has created: https://thesample.co/products/bowed-textures-bundle/


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## Garry (Feb 26, 2019)

Kuusniemi said:


> Need to mention this here. Not original samples and only two libraries in the bundle, but I do love the textures The Sample Co. has created: https://thesample.co/products/bowed-textures-bundle/


Thanks, I added it to the list in the first post and to the poll.

Wow, The Unfinished is proving to be a popular chap in this poll! Current leader at 77% with 54 votes.


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## Midihead (Feb 26, 2019)

Mystic said:


> Many of the third party libraries are using soundsources included in Omnisphere as the base. With Omnisphere, you're paying mostly for the engine.


 Not so with my patch collections. It's rare that I use the internal sound sources (they ARE amazing soundsources, let's be clear on that!). Most of what I do is either waveform based or my own imported samples (particularly in Robotica, which is a patch library like no other). For the film score guys, I recommend that one and, of course Ascension was one of the first ever patch libraries for Omnisphere and still very relevant today. 

Cool to see ILIO on the list! Thanks guys! Oh, and you can download my free patch sampler here:
https://www.ilio.com/freepatches.html

Check out each collection, here:
www.ilio.com/patches


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## Ben H (Feb 27, 2019)

Andrew0568 said:


> I just picked up The Unfinished's Amara and it's fantastic. Maybe a little off-topic, but what's everyone's other favorites libraries by him?



Pangea


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## Ben H (Feb 27, 2019)

Since we're going all-in on favourite Omnisphere libraries now, rather than just answering the OPs original requirements, I would like to also throw Vintage Synth Pads and That Worship Sound into the ring as two of my favourite 3rd party Omni library developers.


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## Garry (Feb 27, 2019)

Ben H said:


> Since we're going all-in on favourite Omnisphere libraries now, rather than just answering the OPs original requirements, I would like to also throw Vintage Synth Pads and That Worship Sound into the ring as two of my favourite 3rd party Omni library developers.


Actually, 'who are your favorite 3rd party developers' was question 3/3, so these are welcome (and have now been added to the poll and list in the first post). Question 2/3 was also addressed (comprehensive list of developers here), and question 1/3 (whether the presets are worth it alone for Omnisphere, without the sound design features) is very subjective, though I think almost everyone who commented on this agreed they are. It's the one question I'm still uncertain of, since it will depend entirely on what you're using Omnisphere for, and how you feel about the quality and quantity of the relevant presets. Since I haven't yet heard the presets that would suit my style, I remain undecided about this one, but the consensus here is compelling. But that's ok, since this is a library that I can go into a store and check out in person, and I certainly plan to do so soon, based on the feedback here.


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## oxo (Feb 27, 2019)

Garry said:


> ...I must admit I'm still hesitating though: of those 13,000 sounds, they may be amazing for particular genres, but potentially not really applicable to my interests (cinematic, orchestral, drama, atmospheric) - I'm coming to realize that's probably not the case, as there's seemingly near universal approval for Omnisphere, but again, that was the purpose of asking the questions....



i use omnisphere since version 1.0 and i'm one of those who listened and analyzed all of the thousands of factory presets and sound sources (samples, waveforms) over the years. you fear that the factory presets do not cover the genre that interests you? well, omnisphere was created just for this genre (as an evolution of the older product "atmosphere"). i would say that more than two-thirds of all factory presets cover your area of interest. if you are still skeptical, then ask yourself why omnisphere has been used for all of these soundtracks:
https://www.spectrasonics.net/company/filmtv.php

and keep in mind, the unfinished created all his omnisphere soundsets (amara, colossus, horizon, etc.) without additional imported samples. he almost always uses only the original sound sources from omnisphere and the engine. this clearly shows the potential of omnisphere and the factory soundsources.
when you buy omnisphere, your problem will not be to find good factory sounds for your genre, but your problem will be that you will need weeks to listen and play all the sounds you like


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## Garry (Feb 27, 2019)

oxo said:


> i use omnisphere since version 1.0 and i'm one of those who listened and analyzed all of the thousands of factory presets and sound sources (samples, waveforms) over the years. you fear that the factory presets do not cover the genre that interests you? well, omnisphere was created just for this genre (as an evolution of the older product "atmosphere"). i would say that more than two-thirds of all factory presets cover your area of interest. if you are still skeptical, then ask yourself why omnisphere has been used for all of these soundtracks:
> https://www.spectrasonics.net/company/filmtv.php
> 
> and keep in mind, the unfinished created all his omnisphere soundsets (amara, colossus, horizon, etc.) without additional imported samples. he almost always uses only the original sound sources from omnisphere and the engine. this clearly shows the potential of omnisphere and the factory soundsources.
> when you buy omnisphere, your problem will not be to find good factory sounds for your genre, but your problem will be that you will need weeks to listen and play all the sounds you like


Great info, thanks


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## SoNowWhat? (Feb 27, 2019)

whiskers said:


> Do they ever do sales on these libs?





Dandezebra said:


> I was wondering the same.



In case you didn’t get an answer on this (still reading the thread), yes! String Audio had a sale on everything last year. I know because I was watching but couldn’t swing it at the time. Was a “needs vs wants” thing. It was in the latter half of the year and iirc was around Black Friday but wasn’t specifically for BF. No idea if/when it will happen again.


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## Midihead (Feb 27, 2019)

RE: Sales on patch libraries, ILIO just had one that went for 3 months where each patch library was $25 (normally $35) and the bundle of 7 was $99 (normally $245). However, due to this thread I'd be willing to do ONE patch library for $25 for anyone who mentions this VI Control thread. 

Just put that in the "Special Instructions" on checkout: http://www.ilio.com/patches 

You will be credited back the difference after your order has been processed. 

Expires after March 8, 2019!


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## whiskers (Feb 27, 2019)

Midihead said:


> RE: Sales on patch libraries, ILIO just had one that went for 3 months where each patch library was $25 (normally $35) and the bundle of 7 was $99 (normally $245). However, due to this thread I'd be willing to do ONE patch library for $25 for anyone who mentions this VI Control thread.
> 
> Just put that in the "Special Instructions" on checkout: http://www.ilio.com/patches
> 
> ...


You're awesome. Also, you have the best walkthrough narration voice . You used to be in radio, right?


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## Midihead (Feb 27, 2019)

whiskers said:


> You're awesome. Also, you have the best walkthrough narration voice . You used to be in radio, right?


 Aww, thanks! Yep, I was in radio until a commercial radio DJ convinced me at a young age that it was not a good career choice.


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## whiskers (Feb 27, 2019)

Midihead said:


> Aww, thanks! Yep, I was in radio until a commercial radio DJ convinced me at a young age that it was not a good career choice.


Really nice on the DJ's part


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## SoNowWhat? (Feb 27, 2019)

Omni2 is simply one of my favourite music making tools. It is vast and the third party presets provide inspiration and direction that I probably wouldn’t find on my own.

And re Plugin Guru, his sample sets are more EDM focused but he’s just so giving with his time and knowledge. I’ve learned so much and have barely scratched the surface with his videos. I have picked up a few of his more retro themed libraries. 

Love Joseph (Hollo), Matt (The Unfinished), Vin (Midissonance), Jaap (Triple Spiral) and Luftrum. If you’re unsure what will work for you all of these, except Luftrum (I think) have free sample sets to trial. Always very grateful for that, but with any of these I would have no doubts about jumping on any new release. It’s just down to budget and storage space available.


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## Luftrum (Mar 4, 2019)

I am humbled and glad to see my name on the list, thanks for the add. Matt ranking 1st is so well deserved, he is truly in a league of his own when it comes to Omnisphere.


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## sostenuto (Mar 4, 2019)

Luftrum right up there for many needs !!  Luftrum14, Ambient 2 very cool 

Luftrum 20 may push me to new Hive as well …….


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## whiskers (Mar 4, 2019)

Luftrum said:


> I am humbled and glad to see my name on the list, thanks for the add. Matt ranking 1st is so well deserved, he is truly in a league of his own when it comes to Omnisphere.


Your stuff is awesome .


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## Maiestic9 (Mar 4, 2019)

Luftrum said:


> I am humbled and glad to see my name on the list, thanks for the add. Matt ranking 1st is so well deserved, he is truly in a league of his own when it comes to Omnisphere.



Your omni and other soundsets are amazing and quite honestly Lunaris is one of the best sounding ambient kontakt librairies there is period not to mention deeply under rated in my humble opinion. Keep up the great work and thank you for what you do


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## jtnyc (Mar 4, 2019)

Also, Pendle at Sound Dust has a couple of very original sets for Omni. Really great stuff. There's also the Lost and Found set that he did with the Unfinished. Lost and Found is for sure one of my favorites.


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## TheUnfinished (Mar 5, 2019)

Well, this is all rather charming and embarrassing in equal measure.

There are lots of people in that poll who deserve far more votes than they currently have. Hopefully you'll all come to your senses, and I'll make do with my lovely memories of being at 71%.


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## Mystic (Mar 5, 2019)

@TheUnfinished while I agree others may deserve more than they have, I don't agree that you deserve any less than the 71% you have. I've been using your libraries in most of my recent work because it just fits. Everything you've been putting out is pure gold.


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## Claud9 (May 27, 2019)

I have recently bought https://www.stringaudio.com/unhuman (Unhuman) by String Audio and It's great.


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## I like music (Jun 19, 2019)

Thanks @Garry for pointing me to this thread. Very very useful. Can anyone tell me if I can have this running on two machines, or is the licensing restrictive to the point that it can only be on a single computer?

I have a main computer + a laptop, and depending on travel/work etc I need to be able to use my libraries across both machines.

Any help hugely appreciated!


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## Jaap (Jun 19, 2019)

I like music said:


> Thanks @Garry for pointing me to this thread. Very very useful. Can anyone tell me if I can have this running on two machines, or is the licensing restrictive to the point that it can only be on a single computer?
> 
> I have a main computer + a laptop, and depending on travel/work etc I need to be able to use my libraries across both machines.
> 
> Any help hugely appreciated!



Spectrasonics has a single user/multiple computer policy, meaning as sole user you can run it from different computers, so that would not be a problem with your setup! It can be read here - https://www.spectrasonics.net/support/knowledgebase_view_topic.php?id=437&categoryID=78


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## I like music (Jun 19, 2019)

Jaap said:


> Spectrasonics has a single user/multiple computer policy, meaning as sole user you can run it from different computers, so that would not be a problem with your setup! It can be read here - https://www.spectrasonics.net/support/knowledgebase_view_topic.php?id=437&categoryID=78



Amazing! Thank you so much @Jaap 

It seems like Omnisphere is going for around £100 cheaper on a few websites than it normally is. Have I understood this correctly? Is this quite unusual for them?


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## Jaap (Jun 19, 2019)

I like music said:


> Amazing! Thank you so much @Jaap
> 
> It seems like Omnisphere is going for around £100 cheaper on a few websites than it normally is. Have I understood this correctly? Is this quite unusual for them?



Anytime! And yes, that is quite unusual to be honest as they normally don't have sales and from official resellers you see now and then around 10, maybe 20% off during sales like Black Friday, so this is great moment to go on a Omnisphere 2 hunt


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## I like music (Jun 19, 2019)

Jaap said:


> Anytime! And yes, that is quite unusual to be honest as they normally don't have sales and from official resellers you see now and then around 10, maybe 20% off during sales like Black Friday, so this is great moment to go on a Omnisphere 2 hunt



Shit, just bought it.


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## Jaap (Jun 19, 2019)

I like music said:


> Shit, just bought it.



I see my post might be confusing, I said "Anytime" in responce to your thank you to me 

If you bought it now with a 100 pounds off, you got a good deal to be honest.


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## I like music (Jun 19, 2019)

Jaap said:


> I see my post might be confusing, I said "Anytime" in responce to your thank you to me
> 
> If you bought it now with a 100 pounds off, you got a good deal to be honest.



Hah! At work so not sure if I got a digital copy or a boxed one (I ordered a box copy because that was the only option available, yet I got a Continuata link ... might mean I can install it tonight!)

Looking forward to digging in. Thanks for clarifying lots of things for me!


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## Jaap (Jun 19, 2019)

I like music said:


> Hah! At work so not sure if I got a digital copy or a boxed one (I ordered a box copy because that was the only option available, yet I got a Continuata link ... might mean I can install it tonight!)
> 
> Looking forward to digging in. Thanks for clarifying lots of things for me!



Happy I could help a bit and great that you can install it already right away. Enjoy it!


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## Claud9 (Aug 29, 2019)

whiskers said:


> Do they ever do sales on these libs?


String Audio has a sale on now. 30% OFF All Libraries (bundles included)
coupon: *30offlimit*


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## whiskers (Aug 29, 2019)

holywilly said:


> String Audio has 2 phenomenal libraries for Omnisphere: Darkless & Lightless, they become my workhorse for all my TV and film scores.
> 
> https://www.stringaudio.com/omnisphere





Claud9 said:


> String Audio has a sale on now. 30% OFF All Libraries (bundles included)
> coupon: *30offlimit*




Thanks! Is this about as cheap as it gets? Is 60$ per lib worth it in your opinion?


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## chimuelo (Aug 31, 2019)

I checked Unfinished but it obviously got clicked off by mistake as my iPad doesn’t like my big greasy fingers.

GuRu and Hollo are great at Zebra2 also.
But still my favorite Library is the included Hardware with 2.6.

Especially the D50 sounds.
Staccato Heaven left me astonished.


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## Claud9 (Sep 1, 2019)

whiskers said:


> Thanks! Is this about as cheap as it gets? Is 60$ per lib worth it in your opinion?


Yes


whiskers said:


> Thanks! Is this about as cheap as it gets? Is 60$ per lib worth it in your opinion?


Yes, libraries are great and sound amazing. Keep also in mind that they use only their own samples for the patches and multis, every library is about 2GB or more...


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## chillbot (Sep 1, 2019)

I voted for all of them.

Hope that helps.


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## leeverb (Aug 23, 2020)

Hey, just wanted to add CL-Projects Realm of Omnisphere 1 and 2 to this great list if possible. I got the bundle of 1 and 2 recently and it is really superb. Also, the Tom Wolfe omni collection is really great as well.


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## Ben H (Aug 23, 2020)

leeverb said:


> Hey, just wanted to add CL-Projects [and] Tom Wolfe



Indeed. Another 2 great omni sound designers there.


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## GMusic (Aug 23, 2020)

Luftrum's stuff is amazing. Very diverse sounds in there. From soft, peaceful sounds to some suspenseful, full patches.

While I use to watch all of the Unfinished's release walkthroughs, they started to get a bit redundant for my purposes. Great patch creator and great sounding patches, but there's only so many suspenseful and dramatic cinematic pads and leads that I can take on top of Omnisphere's existing cinematic/trailer heavy default library. 

ILIO's patches are nice, I own nearly all of them, but I don't really get around to using them much. From what I recall, many were quite, harsh/aggressive sounding? 

I own several more of those listed, but again, Luftrum just comes to mind first. And not to mention, he's a very responsive and understanding developer.


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## R. Soul (Aug 24, 2020)

I'd highly recommend Reverb machine's libraries. They cover stuff that I haven't found anywhere else, such as Indie Pop, Modern Pop and 80s Pop. Simple sounds but often unique and fits well into a mix.


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## mrfuzztone (Dec 18, 2020)

Luftrum has done a couple with Sonic Underworld. That says something.
Echo Season has good sounds. https://echoseason.com/sound-shop/
I like the pads in these presets:
Planet Omnisphere Vol.2 Sound Bank - Spectrasonics Omnisphere ( Synthcloud Library )


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## Mystic (Dec 18, 2020)

mrfuzztone said:


> I like the pads in these presets:
> Planet Omnisphere Vol.2 Sound Bank - Spectrasonics Omnisphere


Planet Omnisphere is one of my favorites. Davide is a fantastic designer. He told me a new one would be out soon but that was a couple years back now so not sure if he's still working on it or not.


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## peladio (Dec 18, 2020)

For scoring MIDIssonance and Unfinished stuff is unbeatable imo..you get a wide variety of top quality samples and patches..

For ambient I'd look into Luftrum and Triple Spiral..

For experimental Sound Dust and pluginguru are pretty good


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## peladio (Dec 18, 2020)

chillbot said:


> I voted for all of them.
> 
> Hope that helps.



What are some of your favorites tho  Always looking for more ideas and fresh inspiration for Omni..


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## LoveEnigma (May 17, 2021)

What are your favorite Omnisphere 2 libraries that are *not *ambient/soundscapes/atmospheric/cinematic/pads? 

The ILIO Fame Series Bundle sounds great to me. Any opinion on that?

Any other similar libraries?


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## R. Soul (May 17, 2021)

LoveEnigma said:


> What are your favorite Omnisphere 2 libraries that are *not *ambient/soundscapes/atmospheric/cinematic/pads?
> 
> The ILIO Fame Series Bundle sounds great to me. Any opinion on that?
> 
> Any other similar libraries?


Heh... You're the guy who contacted me on KVR (where I go as Armadillo) 

I've got 2 of the Fame soundsets - Indie Pop and Modern Pop. I think they're great. Basic patches that just works.... just noticed that I've written the same thing above lol.
Unfortunately I haven't seen many similar soundsets for Omni. Serum and Avenger are much better for those kind of sounds.

Sound Dusts soundsets are quite different and out there. I wouldn't call them cinematic, but they sure aren't Pop either. Great if you want something different though.


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## LoveEnigma (May 17, 2021)

R. Soul said:


> Heh... You're the guy who contacted me on KVR (where I go as Armadillo)
> 
> I've got 2 of the Fame soundsets - Indie Pop and Modern Pop. I think they're great. Basic patches that just works.... just noticed that I've written the same thing above lol.
> Unfortunately I haven't seen many similar soundsets for Omni. Serum and Avenger are much better for those kind of sounds.
> ...



Hey yes, how are you doing? 

I finally picked up Omnisphere 2. I don't want to go for too far with 3rd party libraries, but the Fame Series sounds really awesome to me, as well. Something really different than the conventional Omnisphere soundsets.

The 3-pack bundle is available for $79 on Time+Space. I can get it for $45 with my loyalty points, which seems like a no-brainer. About 230 patches in total. Perhaps this is the best price I can get it for. Do you wholeheartedly recommend jumping on it?

I will check out Sound Dust, thank you.

I did like this one in particular from Vintage Synth Pads. Sounds different and excellent. I haven't checked others, but I believe they should be good.






Rhythmical for Omnisphere 2


"Rhythmical" for Omnisphere 2.6 is not your average soundset. It contains highly complex rhythms not possible with any other version of Omnisphere. These rhythms can be used in place of drums, can sync with tons of other plugins (drum machines




vintagesynthpads.com


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## R. Soul (May 17, 2021)

LoveEnigma said:


> Hey yes, how are you doing?
> 
> I finally picked up Omnisphere 2. I don't want to go for too far with 3rd party libraries, but the Fame Series sounds really awesome to me, as well. Something really different than the conventional Omnisphere soundsets.
> 
> ...


Yeah, $45 for all 3 is a great price if you want all 3.

If you want something like Rhythmical, you might like this one.








Omni-X: Analog BPM for Omnisphere 2|Unify - PluginGuru.com


170 Patches that are ONLY rhythic and many of a killer retro analog 80's vibe!




www.pluginguru.com


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## LoveEnigma (May 17, 2021)

R. Soul said:


> Yeah, $45 for all 3 is a great price if you want all 3.



Yeah, I will probably go for all 3. 



R. Soul said:


> If you want something like Rhythmical, you might like this one.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Thanks, I will check it out.


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## mrfuzztone (May 17, 2021)

I have add-on libraries from almost all in the list.
Also have Planet Omnisphere stuff (great), Rocky Mountain Sounds, RDH-Human Voices, Sonic Atoms, Echo Season
Good sounds in all the libraries.
Vintage Synth Pads should be rated higher. I have lots of their presets for lots of synths.


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## Mystic (May 18, 2021)

mrfuzztone said:


> I have add-on libraries from almost all in the list.
> Also have Planet Omnisphere stuff (great), Rocky Mountain Sounds, RDH-Human Voices, Sonic Atoms, Echo Season
> Good sounds in all the libraries.
> Vintage Synth Pads should be rated higher. I have lots of their presets for lots of synths.


The Planet Omnisphere stuff is incredible. He mentioned a new one coming out a couple months ago but went silent again after.


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## leo007 (Jun 8, 2021)

LoveEnigma said:


> Hey yes, how are you doing?
> 
> I finally picked up Omnisphere 2


congrats my friend 
that's serious but yet worth investment )


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## LoveEnigma (Jun 8, 2021)

leo007 said:


> congrats my friend
> that's serious but yet worth investment )



Thanks my friend.  Yes, it absolutely seems to be. Hopefully it will get a lot of use.


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## leo007 (Jun 8, 2021)

if I'm not mistaken they released current omnisphere 2 on late 2015. 
wonder when they plan to release new version


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## LoveEnigma (Jun 8, 2021)

leo007 said:


> if I'm not mistaken they released current omnisphere 2 on late 2015.
> wonder when they plan to release new version


Yeah, a major version might be due, or not. Spectrasonics are simply unpredictable.

But instead of Omnisphere 3, I would love to see Stylus RMX Xpanded *2*. Looooong due!


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## mrfuzztone (Jun 8, 2021)

There have been big updates to Omnisphere since v2 in 2015.
Last big release was probably 2.6 in 2019
And when you think Omnisphere has too many sounds, you find all the great 3rd party preset libraries. I have lots of extra preset products. And then there are all the other software synths and my pile of hardware synths.
I use PluginGuru Unify to keep track of sounds I find in all the synths and sound libraries.


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## Fleer (Jun 8, 2021)

Yeah, Unify is the best.


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