Arturia V Collection 6

[wagtunes]

Oh good grief. 10 years on, and still with the "omnisphere is basically a rompler" crap. It is possible in Omni to have 10 oscillators (no, not samples) in one patch in a total virtual-analogue signal chain.

But KVR suits our post-fact world I guess.

How many presets do you have in Omnisphere that just use the oscillators? And how many do you have that use 10 oscillators? And what is the CPU consumption when it is using 10 oscillators?

I don't think anybody's denying that Omnisphere can be a bit of a CPU pig. At least I'm not.

Yet, there are people here complaning about DX7 V, and giving Omnisphere as an example

Just out of curiosity - how much CPU (average) would be taken by eight instances of Omnisphere, when playing synthesis presets?

Don't use me as a guide. I have a beefy computer. When I did this demo, I had 50 (yes, 50) instances of Omnisphere running at the same time. This was Omni 1. With Omni 2, I can run 35 before my CPU craps out. That's still pretty darn good.

https://soundcloud.com/steven-wagenheim/omnisphere-demo

[fmr]

Don't use me as a guide. I have a beefy computer. When I did this demo, I had 50 (yes, 50) instances of Omnisphere running at the same time. This was Omni 1. With Omni 2, I can run 35 before my CPU craps out. That's still pretty darn good.

https://soundcloud.com/steven-wagenheim/omnisphere-demo

That was pretty good. I guess those 35 instances you are mentioning are mainly sample based, right?

[Stefken]

Very disappointed with the cpu usage DX7 is putting out... Can’t even play a mock up Tx816 setup live on my MBP...

What are the specifications of your MBP? Here (an Intel i7 3770 @ 3.4 GHz), I can play eight instances of DX7 V (I tried that exactly to play the TX816 presets) with around 50% CPU taxing.

I think this is still ridiculous. Thats why i keep off to upgrade. The cpu optimization is a joke for such a company. Even omnisphere is better even it sucks much CPU for high quality

It might be interesting to know whether you have these results with all the patches or specific ones. The DX7 V is quite complex and a patch can have 6 oscillators each with their own filter, complex modulation settings, ... That's pretty wacky for an FM synth . Regular subtractive synths have 1 or sometimes 2 filters overall.

[wagtunes]

Don't use me as a guide. I have a beefy computer. When I did this demo, I had 50 (yes, 50) instances of Omnisphere running at the same time. This was Omni 1. With Omni 2, I can run 35 before my CPU craps out. That's still pretty darn good.

https://soundcloud.com/steven-wagenheim/omnisphere-demo

That was pretty good. I guees those 35 instances you are mentioning are mainly sample based, right?

Pretty much. I don't do a lot of programming with just the raw oscillators. They're okay but they're nothing to write home about. That isn't where Omni shines. If you're buying Omni to be a simple VA synth, you're throwing $500 down the drain. You buy Omni for the things it does better than anybody else hands down.

[noiseboyuk]

How many presets do you have in Omnisphere that just use the oscillators? And how many do you have that use 10 oscillators? And what is the CPU consumption when it is using 10 oscillators (in a single instance)?

I must be bored - looks like it's around 1,500 factory Spectrasonics patches that are purely VA (you can search for synth or samples in the browser). Then there's plenty of 3rd party on top of course. Not that any of this has any bearing on whether or not it is a ROMpler (spoiler - it isn't). Also - I did say I was bored - for fun I did just try a simple saw x10 on my MBP, and CPU hits between 5-10%. I've no idea what the point of that is either. It's a meaningless stat really because CPU depends on a lot more than just the oscillator, but there we go.

As to how many of those 1,500 patches also have 10 oscillators going, well fun has its limits. So that wonderfully pointless question will have to go unanswered. What a terrible shame.

I'd put the odds of "ok, fair enough, I was misinformed and I was wrong to call Omnisphere a ROMpler" fmr reply at around 2%.

Well, terrific fun though that was, that concludes my bi-monthly naive Omnisphere-isn't-a-rompler-you-can-choose-your-own-opinions-but-not-your-own-facts post. Now, how about that Arturia V Collection 6, eh?

[Stefken]

I have got a gift voucher to use on an online shop and I am looking for advice on Arturia products.

I have an i7 3ghz macbook pro 13" and I have Diva, Repro, Zebra, Bazille (which I want to get rid of), Madrona Aalto, Serum and Komplete Select. I use software instruments mainly for film scoring and sound design and I use Logic Pro X. I don't have FM8.

I am able to get only 1 plugin and I was thinking one of the following:

- Arturia CMI VI
- Arturia DX7
- Arturia Buchla (but I guess I am covered with the wonderful Aalto, which I absolutely adore)
- Arturia Analog Lab 3 (for the value of presets when hunting for an idea)

I am attracted by the CMI VI, but perhaps in the long run it might get under-utilised once the "novelty" period has passed (and also because of its very characteristic sonic-signature). Also from some tests the CMI VI seems more CPU consuming than DX7.

I have demoed the stuff, just I am a bit undecided regarding the long-term value.
Do you have any advice? CPU usage is important too.

Thanks

Hard to decide for another person. As you mentioned film scoring and cpu friendly, out of these 4, I would pick Analog Lab 3 which give you access to a huge library with still quite some control over the sounds.
But nobody says you have to pick one of the recent synths. For film scoring you might go for the CS-80 which might not be a perfect emulation but is a nice instrument in its own right.
My 2 cents ....

[noiseboyuk]

(though, as a PS, I think Wags - bless him - has Omni entirely wrong. Not that the 60gb of samples aren't a huge draw - of course they are - but there's so much you can do with the synth engine, the wavetables, the many filters, the terrific effects, the boundless modulation possibilities etc that it's a great and immensely versatile VA. On its own worth $500? Well maybe not quite, but worth about half? Easily. It might be a cheap shot to suggest that you spend a little more time with the synths you own and a little less time buying 50 new ones Wags, but there it is in all its tawdry cheapness.)

(Ok, that really is it for my input on the Omnisphere diversion).

(Really).

(Honestly).

[fmr]

I'd put the odds of "ok, fair enough, I was misinformed and I was wrong to call Omnisphere a ROMpler" fmr reply at around 2%.

OK, fair enough, I was misinformed. Omnisphere isn't "just" a ROMpler. What it isn't also, though, is an FM synth, much less an FM synth with the complexity of DX7 V, I think (I don't have Omnisphere 2, nor do I have any interest in it). So, any comparison between the two is absurd. As I said, if something, Omnisphere could be compared with HALion and Falcon (although I don't believe it will be up to these two).

Actually, DX7 V has no other synth currently with which he can be compared. [/quote]

[wagtunes]

(though, as a PS, I think Wags - bless him - has Omni entirely wrong. Not that the 60gb of samples aren't a huge draw - of course they are - but there's so much you can do with the synth engine, the wavetables, the many filters, the terrific effects, the boundless modulation possibilities etc that it's a great and immensely versatile VA. On its own worth $500? Well maybe not quite, but worth about half? Easily. It might be a cheap shot to suggest that you spend a little more time with the synths you own and a little less time buying 50 new ones Wags, but there it is in all its tawdry cheapness.)

(Ok, that really is it for my input on the Omnisphere diversion).

(Really).

(Honestly).

Actually, I've spent TONS of time with Omni. It's on almost every song I make. But I know its limitations. It's granular engine, you have to admit, is pitiful in comparison to HALion 6, Mangle and even Falcon. Yeah, it has tons of envelopes and mod routings. So do lots of other synths. Its ARP is so-so at best. Its FX are excellent. Probably some of the best of any built in FX of any synth I own. But then you go to its WT synthesis and, again, its bare bones.

Omni tries to shove too much stuff into one package. It only does a few things great and does way too much so-so. And yes, that may just be my opinion, but I think it's one shared by a lot of people who own it.

Still, I love Omni. It is easily one of my top 10 synths. But if I want to do audio rate modulation and modular based stuff, I don't even consider Omni. Again, I use it for what it does best. And yes, when you have 100 synths, you can do that. You can go to the synth that will pull off what you want to do better than all your other synths. As great as Omni is as an all around synth, it can not do everything. At least not excellently. Some stuff it does so-so. And I don't think that's being unfair or inaccurate.

[12deadpixels]

I have got a gift voucher to use on an online shop and I am looking for advice on Arturia products.

I have an i7 3ghz macbook pro 13" and I have Diva, Repro, Zebra, Bazille (which I want to get rid of), Madrona Aalto, Serum and Komplete Select. I use software instruments mainly for film scoring and sound design and I use Logic Pro X. I don't have FM8.

I am able to get only 1 plugin and I was thinking one of the following:

- Arturia CMI VI
- Arturia DX7
- Arturia Buchla (but I guess I am covered with the wonderful Aalto, which I absolutely adore)
- Arturia Analog Lab 3 (for the value of presets when hunting for an idea)

I am attracted by the CMI VI, but perhaps in the long run it might get under-utilised once the "novelty" period has passed (and also because of its very characteristic sonic-signature). Also from some tests the CMI VI seems more CPU consuming than DX7.

I have demoed the stuff, just I am a bit undecided regarding the long-term value.
Do you have any advice? CPU usage is important too.

Thanks

Hard to decide for another person. As you mentioned film scoring and cpu friendly, out of these 4, I would pick Analog Lab 3 which give you access to a huge library with still quite some control over the sounds.
But nobody says you have to pick one of the recent synths. For film scoring you might go for the CS-80 which might not be a perfect emulation but is a nice instrument in its own right.
My 2 cents ....

Hi Stefken,
Indeed it's difficult to decide for another person, so additional thanks for finding some time to reply to this post.

Analog Lab 3 seems a valid option. I can only spend less than $100, so that's why my choice is limited to those, also Diva+Repro covers me on the cs-80ish sound. Actually, I am looking for something that sounds "light", rather than "beefy" (i know it may sounds strange, but basically i am covered on this regard with the other plugins). I was also looking for ML Kaivo, but I cannot use the voucher for that one as they don't sell it.

[noiseboyuk]

I'd put the odds of "ok, fair enough, I was misinformed and I was wrong to call Omnisphere a ROMpler" fmr reply at around 2%.

OK, fair enough, I was misinformed. Omnisphere isn't "just" a ROMpler. What it isn't also, though, is an FM synth, much less an FM synth with the complexity of DX7 V. So, any comparison between the two is absurd.

I agree it is absurd, and that's not the point with which I had any issue. If I may remind you, this is what you wrote:

Omnisphere is playing samples. DX7 V is synthesizing sound in real time. If you want to compare the performance of Omnisphere, you have to compare it with Kontakt for example, or CMI V. Even HALion and Falcon, that are essentially samplers, have more synthesis capabilities than Omnisphere. So, if Omnisphere is taxing the CPU, being essentially a ROMpler, I can't understand why are you complaining about DX7 V.

...and that was - with the best will in the world - all nonsense.

And that is my last post on etc etc etczzzzzzzzzzzzz

[fmr]

I agree it is absurd, and that's not the point with which I had any issue. If I may remind you, this is what you wrote:

Omnisphere is playing samples. DX7 V is synthesizing sound in real time. If you want to compare the performance of Omnisphere, you have to compare it with Kontakt for example, or CMI V. Even HALion and Falcon, that are essentially samplers, have more synthesis capabilities than Omnisphere. So, if Omnisphere is taxing the CPU, being essentially a ROMpler, I can't understand why are you complaining about DX7 V.

...and that was - with the best will in the world - all nonsense.

Not "all nonsense" though. The part about HALion and Falcon makes sense, I guess. But enough of Omnisphere.

[Stefken]

Actually, I am looking for something that sounds "light", rather than "beefy".

You might also go for the angelic sounds of the Solina?
It won't give you the scope of Analog Lab but it is quite an iconic sound, that fits right into film music.

[Stefken]

Never mind, Solina sounds nice but does not fit in 100 dollar.

[12deadpixels]

Never mind, Solina sounds nice but does not fit in 100 dollar.

Unfortunately it doesn't. I was demoing it through Analog Lab 3 and there are some useful presets. Perhaps I will go with Analog Lab 3.

(although CMI VI is really superfun)