Omnisphere 2.5: Hardware Synth Integration and double voice architecture

[noiseboyuk]

Gadzooks that video is phenomenally impressive. Dammit yes, I'm gonna say it - game changing.

Looks great but of course the big question is whether these profiles can be used with generic midi controllers in some kind of emulation mode.

Echoes - I don't think that would work, never mind technically but in terms of the effect of it. The psychology of it all is what is really fascinating me, and also how a fixed UI imposes a sound on a synth. A generic controller has no fixed parameters, while each synth of course has its own fixed set of controls, and its just that fact that leads to all these different sounding synths from the same one synth.

So in a sense the NKS standard - or any other generic standard - is useless here. That's based around a notion of controls that are most likely to be tweaked, and has never been any use in actual programming. Here, each synth imposes its will on Omnisphere as a fixed set of parameters, and that's the really cool bit. With a generic controller, it just wouldn't work. I 100% get it now.

That Persing... he's a clever bugger (and yes how cool that he loads up a JX-3P sound he himself designed in hardware decades ago, and does these new tricks with it). What he's managed to do is turn what until now has always been a negative in synth controlling software - the fixed nature of the controls - and made THAT the very thing that can be so powerful.

I'm putting hats on here, just so I can take them off to him.

[Cinebient]

I wonder what would happen if i now use an analog emulation now as controller for Omnisphere

[bmrzycki]

Updates like these remind me that Eric has a passion for synths and doesn't just sell them to make money. I'm quite pleased with this update and look forward to it in May/June.

[Ben H]

My Prophet 6 is ready

My body is ready.

[beely]

It seems to work well, and if you have one or more supported synths, it's probably a no-brainer.

However, the downside is that, say you have a Moog Voyager - in HW mode, Omnisphere becomes essentially a software Moog Voyager (ish) in term of architecture and possibilities - so you can use your hardware Voyager to make... well, *Voyager patches*. Which seems not that useful, you might as well just use the Voyager for real!

Yes, I know there is polyphony an FX etc. My point being, Omnisphere kind of "becomes" a synth that *you already own* when used like this. I'd like Omnisphere to keep being Omnisphere, really. If I can't choose a different oscillator waveform from the library when in "Voyager mode", it seems less than optimal.

But I still like to see them exploring this area, and obviously different synths are going to offer different possibilities. If buying a boutique JP08 will turn Omnisphere into a 32-voice poly JP with hardware controls, that's... more interesting to me...

[Keith99]

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

[el-bo (formerly ebow)]

The psychology of it all is what is really fascinating me

Yup! Like how a Prophet front-end makes Omnisphere sound better

[noiseboyuk]

For me the excitement is in programming seamlessly and chreating sounds with a certain synth’s character but also different and expanded. Also, everyone gets the fruits of these labours - you’ll get sounds this way that you wouldn’t using a mouse, and legitimately get the flavour of a huge variety of synths in the resultant patches to tweak to taste. Lovely.

[SLiC]

Seems like a really great FREE update- I look forward to trying the beta!!

[aumordia]

There's an xzibit meme to be had here, somewhere.

[Echoes in the Attic]

Gadzooks that video is phenomenally impressive. Dammit yes, I'm gonna say it - game changing.

Looks great but of course the big question is whether these profiles can be used with generic midi controllers in some kind of emulation mode.

Echoes - I don't think that would work, never mind technically but in terms of the effect of it. The psychology of it all is what is really fascinating me, and also how a fixed UI imposes a sound on a synth. A generic controller has no fixed parameters, while each synth of course has its own fixed set of controls, and its just that fact that leads to all these different sounding synths from the same one synth.

So in a sense the NKS standard - or any other generic standard - is useless here. That's based around a notion of controls that are most likely to be tweaked, and has never been any use in actual programming. Here, each synth imposes its will on Omnisphere as a fixed set of parameters, and that's the really cool bit. With a generic controller, it just wouldn't work. I 100% get it now.

I disagree that it wouldn't work. Provided it was technically possible. It may or may not be 1 to 1 depending on what hardware is being emulated and what controller you have. For example a Novatin SL Zero or one of SL the keyboards has quite a few controls and an LCD readout. If you were to set up those controls with th same parameters as on say a sub 37 or sh-01a or whatever, then it would be almost the same experience.Maybe you might have a second page for some of the bigger synth layouts but that's probably it. I think it woul dbe great and also allow you to use different templates on one controller. Now I know that an 8 knob controller like Konplete Kontrol would not be so good, obviously, but somethin glike Novation with 16 knobs, 8 sliders and 24 buttons, shuold be able to replicate the experience fairly closely. I already do it with lots of vintage style synths like the 101, Oddyssey, Repro-1/5 andplenty more like Sylenth1, Poly-Ana etc. which are 100% hardware controllable. I've always wanted to do the same with Omnisphere even if it meant a reduced feature set using the hardware

[beely]

No matter how good the mapping, a generic controller vs a dedicated synth control surface with properly labelled knobs and switches in a good layout is *not* the same thing, or the same experience.

(It doesn't mean it's not useful, but it's not the same, or even "almost" the same.)

I've been banging on about this for well over a decade now!

[noiseboyuk]

Yes, agreed beely. I think there's hope for controllers, but there's nothing I've yet seen on the market that looks and feels like a synth I'd ever want to program. The Novation looks like and is configured as a cheap mixer, with rows of anonymous faders and knobs, not grouped purposefully as a real synth. I'm not saying you couldn't make it do something with Omni, but I don't think you'd get the same kinds of results. Omni 2.5 has thrown the cat among the pigeons though. I'd hope it renews interest in a really serious dedicated controller.

It's interesting to look around at the compatible synths, you see them all with new eyes now. Problems and limitations may well not apply when using as a controller. But some of those boutique synths (esp the Jupiter 8 one) are so fiddly that they lack appeal from that point of view. I don't have much physical space, but thinking the System 1m might be a sweet spot here, looks clear and logically laid out, a controller bigger than the boutiques, but can still sit on a master keyboard. The sane thing to do would be to go through all the presets in their new hardware category, and see what inspires, or doesn't, then explore getting the hardware.

Wonder if they'll make the open beta possible to work alongside 2.4. They've never allowed 2 versions to co-exist before, but there again they've never done a public beta. Hope so, I can imagine the first beta might have all sorts of issues.

[perpetual3]

I’m seriously considering one of the Roland Systems.

[Sjefke]

So now, software has me buying hardware?
Well, for starters, i dont have to, being a hardware nerd..

Just my. Sub 37, prophet 6 module above/behind/top and a touchcreem with omnisphere.. will now have a blue omnisphere screen above them..

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