Spectrasonics build up to Sonic Extensions....

[noiseboyuk]

But then what are you sharing here? The included sound samples? That's a big no no.

it's a preset. y'know - the kind of stuff you sell.

Indeed. You can use the core library in 3rd party presets. but as hoxclab says... it's actually just a sawtooth.

CALL THE COPS!

[syntonica]

Bought them all before I got scared and got scared. Now I don't have to second guess myself on which one I should have gotten which I know I would have done and gypped myself out of the 30% discount.

Could you tell me how big Nylon Sky is? Since Spectrasonics cannot.

nylon 2.PNG
nylon.PNG

It takes up 10Gb, but you need 10Gb to download the installer and 10b to install it, thus the 20Gb requirement.

[sinemotor]

I guess these optional expansions are a way for Spectrasonics to generate new income so they can keep releasing free major updates for Omnisphere.

[Funkybot's Evil Twin]

It sounds like they’re treating Omnisphere more and more like Kontakt. They’re creating new sample packs, doing scripting, and selling these as add-on content. If you think of Omni less as a synth and more as a sampler, this makes sense.

At least with UVI, the UVI Workstation acts as a free player and you can use the content there without owning Falcon. Otherwise this would be no different than Falcon plus UVI expansion content. Hence why Kontakt is the better analogy, where some libraries only work with the full version.

[Caine123]

yes it is really getting bigger and bigger but good to know Omnisphere can handle it, it is still a fully synth with many options. so i prefer it over kontakt any day in this regard. sure kontakt has still all the libraries etc.

if omnisphere would get customs gui macros page oh my gosh...

[hoxclab]

It sounds like they’re treating Omnisphere more and more like Kontakt. They’re creating new sample packs, doing scripting, and selling these as add-on content. If you think of Omni less as a synth and more as a sampler, this makes sense.

At least with UVI, the UVI Workstation acts as a free player and you can use the content there without owning Falcon. Otherwise this would be no different than Falcon plus UVI expansion content. Hence why Kontakt is the better analogy, where some libraries only work with the full version.

Both are poor “analogies” as both offer a free player. This is more comparable to Nexus.

[Robmobius]

I prefer making my own sounds... So I'm not really finding these all that interesting, YMMV of course. But I wish you could buy the new FX as an add on by themselves for Omni.

[noiseboyuk]

Both are poor “analogies” as both offer a free player. This is more comparable to Nexus.

...which isn't a full synth at all.

How about this. Omni isn't like anything. It shares traits here and there, but it is it's own thing.

*ducks*

[Funkybot's Evil Twin]

Both are poor “analogies” as both offer a free player. This is more comparable to Nexus.

Feel free to continue to correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm almost certain that there are Kontakt libraries that require the full version and don't work with the Kontakt Player. If true, it's a good analogy.

Also, my analogy for Falcon specifically called out that there's a free version and that's why Falcon/UVI isn't a great analogy.

[beely]

The fact that they set up a separate brand and completely different website for these expansions, rather than just offering them as further products on the Spectrasonics site, suggests that this is their new model for further expansions going forward - likely not just for Omnisphere, but eventually all their products, probably including themed expansions for RMX2. And it also means they can do more "opinionated" expansions that might be a little of the mainstream patch to put in their main content - particular music styles, particular producer/artist expansions and so on.

I'm fine with them offering commercial expansions for their instruments, which users can ignore, or pick and choose from if they like what they see. They are pricey, but Spectrasonics products generally are anyway.

At the same time, I can't help but think I'd have preferred them using the time and effort they spent working on these to be working on RMX2, but I guess they really needed to find a way to have more products to generate revenue while they get the next instrument done and out...

[Cinebient]

There is a live Q & A going you-tube right now. Maybe interesting for some.

[Stan Navi]

They are giving away all 4 sound extensions. But i noticed too late.

[BenfordLaw]

Here's my prediction: SoundPaint (which I believe comes out tomorrow), is going to be MUCH better than Spectrasonics' Sonic Extensions, and much more reasonably priced too. I like Nylon Sky but after hearing some third party demoes of it, I think it's got too many presets that are drenched in excessive delay and reverb - they sound nice, but anybody can do that with the basic guitar sounds with their DAW's effect section. I have no need personally for a guitar VST, and I didn't like the sounds in the other three extensions - none of them offer anything that my current arsenal can't already do either.
My money is on SoundPaint, and I'm really looking forward to its actual release tomorrow.

[noiseboyuk]

I have that Q&A in the background - one thing many folks will want to hear is that all the Sonic Extensions development has happened in parallel with all their other development. Not either/or.

I've now been able to spend a little more time with the Extensions. Nylon Sky is definitely my biggest disappointment of the bunch. While the basic tone is lovely, the main Expressivo patch has baked in vibrato which sounds very unrealistic on held chords. The non-vibrato patch is fine, but it's not as detailed I don't think. The human noises seem a bit unbalanced too - too much low end bashing and not enough string noise. And the articulations are limited... overall, great though the new expanded host is, it doesn't feel as appropriate a host as Kontakt. With those reservations aside, there's some great stuff in there - the harmonics and tapping patches are really good. Sky Verb is gorgeous.

It pretty much goes without saying that there's great stuff here, but if you're looking for an ultimate nylon guitar library, I don't think this is it. It feels less successful than Trilian as a guitar product.

Unclean Machine feels like a good, if unessential expansion. All the drift, noises and crackles feel gimmicky to me, 95% of the time you'll want to tame them or lose them altogether. But there's a ton of great content, all manner of lofi and retro that is really useable in contemporary stuff. A lot of rhythm and ARPs.

So for me, the two star performers are Seismic Shock and - especially - Undercurrent. These two are stellar.

[hoxclab]

They are giving away all 4 sound extensions. But i noticed too late.