Omnisphere - worth $500?

[noiseboyuk]

A tangential post, doing my bit to get to 20 pages by Wednesday.

Today, Sample Logic annouced Xosphere. It's a Kontakt library focusing on atmospheres. It has 275 presets, 350 sources and morphing functions.

My own experience of Sample Logic is hugely variable, I often don't find them of consistently high quality. It has no tag browser, while Omnisphere has a vast array of editing tools of its own, including its own "infinite possibilites" option with the Orb. It covers a tiny fraction of the ground covered by Omnisphere (with some different manipulation tools). And a box and a name that, well, seems awfully familiar.

Xosphere has an RRP of $299.

[mhog]

Good Rompler, Decent VA. Not worth 500.00 though

Calling Omnisphere like that sounds like calling a Ferrari "mmm... good car, decent engine"

[trimph1]

Good Rompler, Decent VA. Not worth 500.00 though

Calling Omnisphere like that sounds like calling a Ferrari "mmm... good car, decent engine"

And it just is...plus it has a notchy as hell transmission...

[XorXisT]

To the OP:

You see, this thread is already 12 pages long, and people will keep posting.

I'm start to feel that people are just jealous, because if Omni was bad, who will care about it?

There is some good advices here, especially about technical stuff, but sound-wise only you can decide.

Yeah, I did a joke a few pages ago, sorry about that, but this is kvr, where everything can be a joke

Now go buy it and make some music

[pdxindy]

I am curious about the sort of pricing that people accept. Sample libraries are generally accepted to cost more than synths. If Omnisphere were somehow identical in capability due to synthesis, but had no sample library, would $500 be an acceptable price to as many people?

Nope. But with 40GB of high quality samples and 5000+ (mostly amazing) presets the price is acceptable. At least to me.

Compare that to Alchemy Complete - $849 for 14GB of samples and 4000 presets.

That is a fair point... However, I prefer the synth engine be cheaper and one be able to add what one wants as far as sample libraries... Or in my case not add them.

I have Kontakt and never use it. I much prefer synthesis to samples... I own Alchemy and if you gave me all the Alchemy sample sets, I might not even try them out. Same with Omnisphere. A 40GB library is not a selling point for me. I'd be paying an extra $300+ for what I don't want.

[pdxindy]

Good Rompler, Decent VA. Not worth 500.00 though

Calling Omnisphere like that sounds like calling a Ferrari "mmm... good car, decent engine"

Naaa... It depends on samples, so it's really an audio recording of a Ferrari - not the real thing!

[zerocrossing]

I am curious about the sort of pricing that people accept. Sample libraries are generally accepted to cost more than synths. If Omnisphere were somehow identical in capability due to synthesis, but had no sample library, would $500 be an acceptable price to as many people?

Nope. But with 40GB of high quality samples and 5000+ (mostly amazing) presets the price is acceptable. At least to me.

Compare that to Alchemy Complete - $849 for 14GB of samples and 4000 presets.

Ah, that is interesting. Now, of course, in many ways Alchemy outshines Omnisphere, but... yeah, if you're looking for sample content and presets (which btw, are as good as it gets in Omnisphere, IMO) it gets pricey. Of course, you don't have to buy any of their expansions and could roll your own... a feature that is woefully absent in Omnisphere, IMO.

Tone2 stuff... hell, they sell you the synth for a decent price, but if you were to buy Electra2 complete it would run you $399. Not sure how much sample content or presets you get with that, but you'd better like trance gates. (note, I really like Electra2 and I'll end up getting it eventually even though I think it's UI is horrible.)

While I'm looking at synths brought up, Blue 2. Fantastic instrument... but I find it a bit confusing to work in, but sure, amazingly powerful. But more capable than Omnisphere... it's a bit hard to say. I like Omnisphere's effect send/master buss set up a lot. 6 oscs in Blue 2 is a lot... but not compared to 16 oscs in Omnisphere, though Omnisphere has no sub oscs. I also like how LFOs in Omnisphere are just there for you to decide what they do. Omnisphere's performance mode is also unlike anything found in Blue 2, so again, it's hard to totally compare them 1:1, but sure, in terms of synthesis types Blue 2 wins.

So, I guess if you're looking for a good synth that comes with a little sample content, a healthy amount of synthesis types that has great effects and flexibility, Blue 2 or Electra2 are great choices. I really like them. But like other's have said, when you couple Omnisphere's feature set with that sample engine and content... I don't know, I just feel like I'm playing some amazing hardware ROMpler. I'd buy Omnisphere over a Fantom or Motif any day of the week.

[zerocrossing]

Good Rompler, Decent VA. Not worth 500.00 though

Calling Omnisphere like that sounds like calling a Ferrari "mmm... good car, decent engine"

Naaa... It depends on samples, so it's really an audio recording of a Ferrari - not the real thing!

So, for $500 Eric is supposed to deliver you a piano and light it on fire in your studio?

[BBFG#]

I would definitely buy Omni over a Fantom also. (Or Integra for that matter).
Although to be fair in comparison, it would have to be the whole Spectrasonic package and then the price gap narrows between the two. And have considered HALion 5 in replacing a Motif rack I have. But then we get into that whole eLicenser controversy thing. Which I'm not as adamant in being against as I am iLok or PACE.

Bottom line is that every time I demo Omni, I've yet to find anything that just grabs me as a must. Nothing close to some of the other synths/samplers/ramplers/romplers mentioned in this thread at least. I do have enough interest in it to keep checking these threads and continuing to demo it when it's available to do so. I guess that says something for it as an instrument. Perhaps the bottom line is I really can't justify its price for what it is though. In that regard haven't been able to justify the price of most Roland products for a long time either. And Yamaha only seems worth the rack price in a discount or secondhand.

Likewise, if I could pick up Omni secondhand for a decent price without it becoming NFR and stuck with it for life, I just might.

[zerocrossing]

Also, stop for a moment to consider "worth." Gold is worth a lot... yet without some value that's assigned to it... I feel it's best use is to coat electrical connections to stop corrosion. So, it has some value to me, but it's way off base with it's assigned worth.

Same with cars. I pass exotic sports cars on the way to work all the time. Why? I'm in the HOV lane with my cheap Ford Focus Electric. So, I value my car more than a Ferrari, but a Ferrari is worth more money. So, when you say, "Well it's not worth $500 to me because I don't care about it's samples, what you mean is you don't value it. Worth is something that's set by the market. If Omnisphere didn't sell copies they would have discounted it long ago.

[BBFG#]

I would still rather have your Focus Electric over the Ferrari since I could use it more than I ever would or could the Ferrari. This car analogy only keeps it as some sort of elitist ownership rather than anything useful. Personally, if I can only have one car, it's probably going to be a truck I can get more done with.

[Synchanter]

Its not that its $500. $500 for 5000 samples may be acceptable if the samples are that good.

Its the lack of the demo for that price point. Its a huge dealbreaker for many, who otherwise may have been totally fine with spending the money if they had some chance to check it out first hand to be less worried about buyer's remorse.

If your product is $50 and no demo its one thing. $500 and no demo is totally unacceptable for many, and that is why the frustration towards the product by those shut out of trying it. They otherwise might have been strong champions of it.

[elassi]

Personally, if I can only have one car, it's probably going to be a truck I can get more done with.

Funny coincidence. When this "Ferrari"-thingy came up I've been tempted to ask if one could use it in a coal mine or for occasional logistics.

OT: It's been said that owners of Ferraris who live in Tokyo are frequent guests in the garage due to the fact that they can and do only use the first gear (probably an urban legend).

[hibidy]

I'm a make a song in omnisphere tonight, it's going to be called "because there are not enough threads"

[BBFG#]

Personally, if I can only have one car, it's probably going to be a truck I can get more done with.

Funny coincidence. When this "Ferrari"-thingy came up I've been tempted to ask if one could use it in a coal mine or for occasional logistics.

OT: It's been said that owners of Ferraris who live in Tokyo are frequent guests in the garage due to the fact that they can and do only use the first gear (probably an urban legend).

Considering they're mostly in metropolis without open road or reduced traffic, I can almost believe that. What we see often in our local news around here is Ferrari's wrapped around poles, driven off cliffs or reduced to indistinguishable piles of crushed parts.