Omnisphere 2.5: Hardware Synth Integration and double voice architecture

[beely]

Now, its got me wondering, can you have 2 controller connected at the same time?

In Omnisphere, you choose the hardware profile you want to use for the instance.

So you'd have two instances of Omnisphere, each set to a different profile, responding to the hardware as routed by your DAW. I can't see this would be a problem. In the demo vid, all the Boutiques, the Voyager and the System 8 were all connected to one instance, with just the hardware profile setting up OS for the controller you were using.

[noiseboyuk]

Now, its got me wondering, can you have 2 controller connected at the same time?

As beely says, from the video, I'd say connected - yes, but only one can be actually used at a time.

On a semi-related thought, I wonder what happens if you select a different model from the one you have. Will controls be random nonsense, or will there be a basic logic to stuff like ADSR etc and be partially useful?

[freshalex]

I’m seriously considering one of the Roland Systems.

That's exactly what I'm thinking about...

[topaz]

Just wow !! Amazing work. Can't wait to try it

[freshalex]

I dunno really. It seems like this just limits Omnisphere to what controls are available on the HW synth. I know he showed adding some extras like the orb but really why limit yourself this way and at the same time you lose the distinct sound of the hardware. Perhaps I just don't get it

I believe that that is precisely the crucial point.

At one point in the interview Eric says that you can use any patch from Omnisphere with it.

Have I understood correctly?

[topaz]

What could possibly be more limiting than a mouse ?

I dunno really. It seems like this just limits Omnisphere to what controls are available on the HW synth. I know he showed adding some extras like the orb but really why limit yourself this way and at the same time you lose the distinct sound of the hardware. Perhaps I just don't get it

[dreamkeeper]

A very clever business move. That will provide owners of the supported hardware with a universal, versatile, huge and (compared to hw) affordable expansion unit named Omnisphere - the name just began to make more sense than ever. This should multiply Spectrasonics' customer base.

Although I don't own any hardware synth, I'm very glad for those that do. Well done, Mr. Persing!

And no, I don't think, it's about limitation - it's about focusing.

[rod_zero]

This goes to show how bad the designs of MIDI controllers have been over the years: all 8 knobs and 8 faders, surfing through pages and pages. They don't look or feel like synths at all.

Everyone gets their first generic controller expecting to bring some tactile control over their plugins, convinced by all the marketing blurb (Automap, VIP, Kontrol, and other half assed solutions) just to find out that surfing through pages of 8 parameters isn't fun at all, it is not intuitive and you end not using the controls at all or just for the required filter sweep but definitely not for programming.

I just can't understand how so many companies (novation, akai, m-audio, arturia, alesis, native instruments, ableton, nektar, roland) got it so wrong for so long time, delivering the same layout over and over again and never realising 8 knobs and 8 faders just doesn't cut it for programming synths.

And what also amazes me is that while synth dedicated controllers keep being non existent Drum machine controllers have had wide success (maschine and arturia Spark), neither Arturia or Ni could think of making a 1:1 Soft Synth-Controller combo as the successful drum machines they made.

[beely]

This goes to show how bad the designs of MIDI controllers have been over the years: all 8 knobs and 8 faders, surfing through pages and pages. They don't look or feel like synths at all.

This is precisely the point some people like myself and noisyboyuk have been banging on about for so long.

Everyone gets their first generic controller expecting to bring some tactile control over their plugins, convinced by all the marketing blurb (Automap, VIP, Kontrol, and other half assed solutions) just to find out that surfing through pages of 8 parameters isn't fun at all, it is not intuitive and you end not using the controls at all or just for the required filter sweep but definitely not for programming.

Yep.

I just can't understand how so many companies (novation, akai, m-audio, arturia, alesis, native instruments, ableton, nektar, roland) got it so wrong for so long time, delivering the same layout over and over again and never realising 8 knobs and 8 faders just doesn't cut it for programming synths.

Exactly.

And what also amazes me is that while synth dedicated controllers keep being non existent Drum machine controllers have had wide success (maschine and arturia Spark), neither Arturia or Ni could think of making a 1:1 Soft Synth-Controller combo as the successful drum machines they made.

We got mixers, we got generic controllers and knob boxes, we even got FX and channel strip dedicated controllers... still nothing purposely designed for synths...

[noiseboyuk]

This goes to show how bad the designs of MIDI controllers have been over the years: all 8 knobs and 8 faders, surfing through pages and pages. They don't look or feel like synths at all.

Everyone gets their first generic controller expecting to bring some tactile control over their plugins, convinced by all the marketing blurb (Automap, VIP, Kontrol, and other half assed solutions) just to find out that surfing through pages of 8 parameters isn't fun at all, it is not intuitive and you end not using the controls at all or just for the required filter sweep but definitely not for programming.

I just can't understand how so many companies (novation, akai, m-audio, arturia, alesis, native instruments, ableton, nektar, roland) got it so wrong for so long time, delivering the same layout over and over again and never realising 8 knobs and 8 faders just doesn't cut it for programming synths.

And what also amazes me is that while synth dedicated controllers keep being non existent Drum machine controllers have had wide success (maschine and arturia Spark), neither Arturia or Ni could think of making a 1:1 Soft Synth-Controller combo as the successful drum machines they made.

This this this this this.

So this is a fairly bizarre position to be in - looking at hardware synths and thinking I may never even plug in the audio jack. The sound isn't insignificant of course - what it sounds like will be how Omni will be broadly configured for it. But I'm 100% wedded to being ITB, so the combo of dedicated controls for a virtual synth is my holy grail.

While I don't think this is the end game, it is the most exciting development in this area for many many years.

[Touch The Universe]

This is really cool but at first I thought Spectrasonics were releasing a hardware controller themselves with full integration, which is not the case but would have been interested in seeing their take on soft/hard integration.

[freshalex]

One time in the video Eric says that only one DAW does not support control by external synthesizers.

Which DAW?

[Keith99]

What could possibly be more limiting than a mouse ?

I dunno really. It seems like this just limits Omnisphere to what controls are available on the HW synth. I know he showed adding some extras like the orb but really why limit yourself this way and at the same time you lose the distinct sound of the hardware. Perhaps I just don't get it

That was not my point - with a mouse and keyboard you can control any softsynths parameters but my understanding of this HW integration is that each nob/control on the HW can only control 1 parameter

[noiseboyuk]

That was not my point - with a mouse and keyboard you can control any softsynths parameters but my understanding of this HW integration is that each nob/control on the HW can only control 1 parameter

I'm guessing you've never programmed a hardware synth?

Those of us who are excited about this I guess all share a core understanding that having physical controls in known places is a transformative programming experience compared to any direct computer UI input. And actually I think it's very cool that this limits the sounds you'd get with Omni. Omni is so mind-bogglingly vast, its quite a sobering thing to realise that each of those demo'd synths represents just the tiniest fraction of what Omni can do. Until some enterprising company really makes a proper universal synth controller - perfectly doable imo - then this is the next best thing. Not NKS or anything similar... better to limit to one facet of Omni but do the integration really well, than be a pointless jack of all trades just controlling few basics.

[Echoes in the Attic]

This goes to show how bad the designs of MIDI controllers have been over the years: all 8 knobs and 8 faders, surfing through pages and pages. They don't look or feel like synths at all.

Everyone gets their first generic controller expecting to bring some tactile control over their plugins, convinced by all the marketing blurb (Automap, VIP, Kontrol, and other half assed solutions) just to find out that surfing through pages of 8 parameters isn't fun at all, it is not intuitive and you end not using the controls at all or just for the required filter sweep but definitely not for programming.

I just can't understand how so many companies (novation, akai, m-audio, arturia, alesis, native instruments, ableton, nektar, roland) got it so wrong for so long time, delivering the same layout over and over again and never realising 8 knobs and 8 faders just doesn't cut it for programming synths.

I agree, except for the fact that there are some exceptions, notably Nektar Panorama and Novation SL. I use the Novation SL and actually for some synths that have a hardware type layout, or that allow automation of the main sound design parameters (so they can be mapped), it actually works really well. And the reason is because there are 16 knobs and 8 sliders and 24 buttons for mapping. So this is very similar to what most hardware synths have and works quite well. I don't know why there aren't more options with this bare minimum layout. Komplete Kontrol is the one that blew me away the most as far as being completely idiotic, leaving out buttons even, so they assign buttons to encoders. The Novation mkII kind of screwed up by having only one lcd, I hope they release another one with two again.

But anyways, as much as I like this Omni hardware idea, you actually end up with a sound engine rather close to what the synth already does. so I guess it's the convenience of being ITB. But wouldn't it be nicer to be using a roland controller and get prophet type sounds or moog type sounds? I mean it's coo lthat they have the drive on the sub 37 template, but why wouldn't those of us who don't have a sub 37 want to use that same single knob drive setting? Of course we would. So I hope that possible to use different templates to customize your own configuration with a different hardware synth/controller than was intended.