Is Omnisphere 2 still worth it?

[Bombadil]

And there's hundreds if not thousands that are useless to me.

[Echoes in the Attic]

I think it's worth it, especially as there aren't that many synths that can layer sounds.

You can do the layering in a DAW, but it's about the worflow.

yeah - in DAW you can layer -many- synths in something as simple as "track stack" in logic.
Or you can get Unify by Plugin Guru and get the same functionality but with a similar workflow as working in Omnisphere, for 80$ or so.

I don't think that's worth 500$

omnisphere's strength is most likely in presets

Not really. It's more the combination of the dsp synth and the sound source library. The dsp synth along with it's granular functions and huge amount of effects would typically be a synth in the 150-200 dollar range without the library. However if the sample library was a kontakt package, it would easily cost the current price of Omnisphere. So the value is in those two things together. The presets are certainly part of that, but I wouldn't say it's Omni's strength.

[Ploki]

I think it's worth it, especially as there aren't that many synths that can layer sounds.

You can do the layering in a DAW, but it's about the worflow.

yeah - in DAW you can layer -many- synths in something as simple as "track stack" in logic.
Or you can get Unify by Plugin Guru and get the same functionality but with a similar workflow as working in Omnisphere, for 80$ or so.

I don't think that's worth 500$

omnisphere's strength is most likely in presets

Not really. It's more the combination of the dsp synth and the sound source library. The dsp synth along with it's granular functions and huge amount of effects would typically be a synth in the 150-200 dollar range without the library. However if the sample library was a kontakt package, it would easily cost the current price of Omnisphere. So the value is in those two things together. The presets are certainly part of that, but I wouldn't say it's Omni's strength.

Maybe, but i’d argue majority uses it as a rompler/preset surfer. Synth engine doesn’t seem like fast and agile to work with.

[Funkybot's Evil Twin]

For those looking for an Omnisphere sale in the US...I just got a Guitar Center 20% off coupon in my email. Those apply to Spectrasonics products. That's how I got both Keyscape and Omnisphere in the past. So check your email.

[noiseboyuk]

i’d argue majority uses it as a rompler/preset surfer. Synth engine doesn’t seem like fast and agile to work with.

I've literally no clue what that means.

But we're back on the rompler meme yet again I see. It's a cute variation to say that yes there is a huge synth engine but since it's, um, slow and non-agile, everyone must just use presets.

Perhaps worth highlighting that aside from that unweildy but huge synth engine, the 60gb of content is for soundsources, not presets.

[Ploki]

I've literally no clue what that means.

But we're back on the rompler meme yet again I see. It's a cute variation to say that yes there is a huge synth engine but since it's, um, slow and non-agile, everyone must just use presets.

Perhaps worth highlighting that aside from that unweildy but huge synth engine, the 60gb of content is for soundsources, not presets.

Or, samples.

by slow and non-agile i mean that it's not a synth that's easy to design with, it has gazillion tabs and convoluted interface to design sound with.
you know that with "60gb of soundsources" comment you're merely reinforcing the rompler sentiment, not countering it?

[cryophonik]

For those looking for an Omnisphere sale in the US...I just got a Guitar Center 20% off coupon in my email. Those apply to Spectrasonics products. That's how I got both Keyscape and Omnisphere in the past. So check your email.

I haven't gotten this coupon! I even registered under two new emails just to make sure, but nada. I want to buy Keyscape for my bday!!!

[Atlatnesiti]

Apple M1 full compatibility across all their software makes Spectrasonics NUMBER 1 in my hefty arsenal of plug-ins
2 thumbs up

[noiseboyuk]

by slow and non-agile i mean that it's not a synth that's easy to design with, it has gazillion tabs and convoluted interface to design sound with.
you know that with "60gb of soundsources" comment you're merely reinforcing the rompler sentiment, not countering it?

Someone should design how Omnisphere would look on one page. You could probably fit it on most living room walls I guess, it would be great fun.

I've always thought it's an incredibly elegant and quick system to work with. You start on the simple big stuff, then drill down into each section as you need. Works great, and it's very fast. Right click almost anything to modulate, automatically pops up a window to refine. Drill into any synthesis element to get to what you need.

For whatever reason, this may not work for you. That's okay, we're all different. But you should know it works just great for me and tens of thousands of others. A blanket statement like "it's slow and unwieldy" is kinda silly.

Next - I think maybe you don't know what a sound source is? You can start with a simple osc shape, a wavetable or a sound source. These latter sounds range from synth waveforms to the insanely esoteric, acoustic, psychoacoustic, unique invented instruments, you name it. Now then - the clue is in the name soundSOURCE. A sound source is one possible starting point for a patch which you then begin your sound design on. Additionally, you can import your own sound sources. A rompler (I really can't believe I'm typing this yet again only I can) is an instrument based on fixed sampled presets with mostly fixed parameters. Which this is not. At all.

So no, I'm not reinforcing the rompler sentiment. I think you may be confusing yourself with terms you don't understand. There's absolutely no shame in that - we all have to learn, I sure do every single day - it's just a tad irritating when ignorance is used to try and put down other people and make yourself look superior.

[Ploki]

Someone should design how Omnisphere would look on one page. You could probably fit it on most living room walls I guess, it would be great fun.

There's tons of wasted space on omni.
Main is just pretty graphics or some silly text that takes 60% of the screen real-estate, then some settings you generally should set and leave for the remainder of working in a single session.
You have sources tabbed and there's ginormous buttons and empty space.

And you have PLENTY of synths that can fit 2,3,4 oscillator engines on a single page - esp if control for it are as rudimentary as for omni.
You could for exampl have A+B and C+D and small FX rack at the bottom (FX rack is pointlessly huge) - while keep the main controls in a side-panel that you can drag out (seriously i don't need pitch band range taking up 20% of the main page.)

For whatever reason, this may not work for you. That's okay, we're all different. But you should know it works just great for me and tens of thousands of others. A blanket statement like "it's slow and unwieldy" is kinda silly.

I really like Alchemy - and i use it often. But it's a very similarly bloated and unwieldy UX as Omnisphere. Yes it's super powerful and its got a huge library of sound sources and a fully fledged sampler and insane amount of synthesis methods and granular and resynthesis - but it's NOT quick to work with (although i'd argue its still quicker than omni)

There's absolutely no shame in that - we all have to learn, I sure do every single day - it's just a tad irritating when ignorance is used to try and put down other people and make yourself look superior.

I didn't put ANYONE down. I was talking about omnisphere, a synth, you, however are trying to be condescending and diminish me and my knowledge, and you somehow took it as a personal offence.

I know what rompler is, but everybody always talks about Omni in the same manner as Nexus, aside a few people on KVR that have something to prove to any criticism re: omnisphere...

[Echoes in the Attic]

I really like Omni's zoom system and wish other synths did something similar, however I do think thy went to far in removing controls from the easy pages. And yes there is a lot of wasted space. They could have more on the initial easy page for less zooming. Mostly in terms of the osc functions like they did in V1. Too many sub tabs and then too much zooming for that stuff.

But no Omni definitely isn't a rompler like Nexus and I don't think many people see it that way.

[syntonica]

Omnisphere's usability would be greatly improved if there was an alternative programming view that was about 4x larger than it is now, carefully packed with all the goodies now hidden in tabs and sub-windows. It's really annoying to have to click out of one thing and drill down into another to tweak only to have to go back to the first location to tweak that one again. I like everything right in front of me as much as possible.

[noiseboyuk]

Aveneger is a synth that has a lot on one page, and it's great fun. It doesn't take long before i have to start tab clicking though for more than one envelope etc, and things are hidden from open view. In the end I find Omni as quick or quicker because its very logical and consistent. And I like that it doesn't take up tons of real estate on the screen and never looks cluttered. Everything is a trade off, I've always liked Spectrasonics' choices.

[Ploki]

But no Omni definitely isn't a rompler like Nexus and I don't think many people see it that way.

Yes, mb

V1 was tho?

[noiseboyuk]

But no Omni definitely isn't a rompler like Nexus and I don't think many people see it that way.

Yes, mb

V1 was tho?

No, it never was, although unquestionably the synthesis options have improved considerably over time.

From the word go soundsources have been building blocks, not merely presets.