Is Omnisphere 2 still worth it?

[zvenx]

Not the right topic, but thought it is worth mentioning: Stylus RMX finally has a resizable GUI.

Get the free update from your account.

Say WHAT!!
Thanks.
What I wish they would add too, is a search field.
I hadn't used it in awhile and used it a week ago in a project that I knew I had appropriate loops for but couldn't for the life of me remember which of my banks/packs had them.
rsp

[LoveEnigma18]

Not the right topic, but thought it is worth mentioning: Stylus RMX finally has a resizable GUI.

Get the free update from your account.

Say WHAT!!
Thanks.
What I wish they would add too, is a search field.
I hadn't used it in awhile and used it a week ago in a project that I knew I had appropriate loops for but couldn't for the life of me remember which of my banks/packs had them.
rsp

I agree. I am having a conversation with Spectrasonics regarding Stylus RMX, so I will just mention this to them as a suggestion from a friend.

Also, I am going to request the ability to use up and down arrows on keyboard to browse the Suites and Elements.

[noiseboyuk]

(snipped)

What I wish they would add too, is a search field.
I hadn't used it in awhile and used it a week ago in a project that I knew I had appropriate loops for but couldn't for the life of me remember which of my banks/packs had them.
rsp

I agree. I am having a conversation with Spectrasonics regarding Stylus RMX, so I will just mention this to them as a suggestion from a friend.

I'd love a search box too, but it's such an obvious request to bring it into line with the rest of their range I highly doubt we'll see anything in RMX. It's good they've kept Stylus current in terms of OS support and now an ability to resize the gui, but we've not had actual new functionality for over a decade. I think it's pretty obvious that - given that they "haven't forgotten about rhythm" - all the development is going into the mystery successor, which had better come with a free puppy and a cure for cancer if it is to meet expectations when it finally arrives in 2037.

[LoveEnigma18]

I am really impressed with Spectrasonics. They could easily delayed the scalable GUI of Stylus RMX, a long pending and possible huge task along with the OS updates, for the successor but they did not. Even if they release a successor in near future at least we won't be forced to upgrade for a scalable GUI, which is very appreciable of them. That's why I still went ahead with sending the search box request. Let's see what they say.

At this point, a successor anytime soon looks pretty unexpected, so it is possible they will honor our request. But who knows.

[LoveEnigma18]

Update: The support replied saying these are great requests and he will forward it to the team.

Looking at the recent, significant updates for Stylus RMX in particular (1.9.9 to 1.10.2; VST3, Latest OS Support, Resizable GUI, etc.) I am getting a feeling that their might not be Stylus RMX 2, but instead, Stylus RMX will get a major update at some point, which I hope would be free. Well, you could say that my expectations for free updates have increased.

[noiseboyuk]

Update: The support replied saying these are great requests and he will forward it to the team.

Looking at the recent, significant updates for Stylus RMX in particular (1.9.9 to 1.10.2; VST3, Latest OS Support, Resizable GUI, etc.) I am getting a feeling that their might not be Stylus RMX 2, but instead, Stylus RMX will get a major update at some point, which I hope would be free. Well, you could say that my expectations for free updates have increased.

Um.....

In the nicest way and not wanting to rain on any parade, but that's the same reply from support you'd have got on any day in the past 15 years. The idea that they've been sitting around scratching their heads about what to do with an update before this search box request came in... well...

Also disagree that there will be a free feature update to RMX. It's a much loved plugin, but it is archaic. It's not just the lack of search box, there's no tag browser at all. It needs a total overhaul, which I'd guess is what they started working on likely somewhere around 2009. They've updated plenty, but it's been fixes and some functionality like the resize window, OS support, built in RMX conversion.

It's a very clear line of travel. They're keeping RMX up to date with OSs and ticking over nicely, but after 12 years without a new operational feature it's obvious that they've been planning a successor. This also backs up their public statements that their product development cycles are on geological time scales, one product apparently over 20 years in development at this point. Who knows if it will be called Stylus RMX 2 or Beatscape (oh hold on... already taken...). Personally I think it will be a totally new product when it hits in 2037.

[LoveEnigma18]

I don't take anything for granted, not with Spectrasonics for sure. The most important thing for me (or everyone I guess) about Stylus RMX was a resizable GUI, which we have got now.

And I don't think it will need an overhaul to add the things I have just requested, so while I am not waiting in hope, chances are it could happen unless they release a successor soon enough. They are still doing maintenance updates and adding some nice and useful things along with it. It needs an overhaul, but give me these two features and I will forget about the potential successor. Stylus RMX or whatever it is would surely be interesting, but not something I am desperate about. With their decades-long release cycles it wouldn't make sense either.

[pierb]

I wish Spectrasonics sold an Omni version without presets or samples. Like a Sound Designer edition or something.

I'm interested on it as a synth, but just can't bring myself to pay its price knowing a good chunk of that is for the content.

[Echoes in the Attic]

I wish Spectrasonics sold an Omni version without presets or samples. Like a Sound Designer edition or something.

I'm interested on it as a synth, but just can't bring myself to pay its price knowing a good chunk of that is for the content.

Not only do they not ell a version without the content library, you can't even use the full license that you own if you do not install the full content library! I installed Omnisphere on my surface pro, which has limited space, with only a couple omnisphere libraries, and couldn't even open it. Support said you need the whole thing installed. So this really annoys me. I can't use the product on a computer that doesn't have the space. But why? Makes no sense.

[noiseboyuk]

Not only do they not ell a version without the content library, you can't even use the full license that you own if you do not install the full content library! I installed Omnisphere on my surface pro, which has limited space, with only a couple omnisphere libraries, and couldn't even open it. Support said you need the whole thing installed. So this really annoys me. I can't use the product on a computer that doesn't have the space. But why? Makes no sense.

I suppose it would get very complicated with the factory patches - a lot of them wouldn't work - and that would mean endless support queries. Of course they could if they wanted handle that and have an install version that knew what patches would work, but it would likely require a fair bit of effort on their part.

But I get the impression that ideologically they don't want it. Omni is a package deal - take it or leave it - that's their philosophy it seems.

Keyscape, on the other hand, does have a lite install option. However, I really think they missed a trick there. A lite install of Keyscape means only a fraction of the instruments. IMO a better compromise would have been to have it the same Lite Version as the browser can do when loading samples - it just loads a small subset, so you miss the depth, reducing velocity layers, stretching the samples more, less round robins etc. I just checked the RAM use here:

Keyscape C7 Lite Version: 0.5gb
Keyscape C7 Full Version: 1.7gb

If (and it is a big if) that translates to the sample pool, then it's about 30% of the size required. Would be a nice option if all patches loaded up happily on either install. And - in theory - that might apply to a lite version of Omni as well.

Doubt it would ever happen though.

[Echoes in the Attic]

Not only do they not ell a version without the content library, you can't even use the full license that you own if you do not install the full content library! I installed Omnisphere on my surface pro, which has limited space, with only a couple omnisphere libraries, and couldn't even open it. Support said you need the whole thing installed. So this really annoys me. I can't use the product on a computer that doesn't have the space. But why? Makes no sense.

I suppose it would get very complicated with the factory patches - a lot of them wouldn't work - and that would mean endless support queries. Of course they could if they wanted handle that and have an install version that knew what patches would work, but it would likely require a fair bit of effort on their part.

But I get the impression that ideologically they don't want it. Omni is a package deal - take it or leave it - that's their philosophy it seems.

Keyscape, on the other hand, does have a lite install option. However, I really think they missed a trick there. A lite install of Keyscape means only a fraction of the instruments. IMO a better compromise would have been to have it the same Lite Version as the browser can do when loading samples - it just loads a small subset, so you miss the depth, reducing velocity layers, stretching the samples more, less round robins etc. I just checked the RAM use here:

Keyscape C7 Lite Version: 0.5gb
Keyscape C7 Full Version: 1.7gb

If (and it is a big if) that translates to the sample pool, then it's about 30% of the size required. Would be a nice option if all patches loaded up happily on either install. And - in theory - that might apply to a lite version of Omni as well.

Doubt it would ever happen though.

Yeah I find it strange that they have, what do they call it, thinned sample versions of instruments, but don' thave the option to only install the thinned sampled versions of the whole package.

I don't think it would be a lot of work to install only presets that used the sample packs that are installed. I mean it's a database, each preset stores references to the spectrasonics content files. Should be able to just leave out presets. Could even scan the presets to check for which ones could see the content and disable the rest. Much more difficult things are in every update I'm sure.

[Nevel]

After Omnisphere 2, I am possibly interested in getting Trilian or Keyscape. Which one would you recommend first in general?

Did you end up taking Trilian?

[LoveEnigma18]

After Omnisphere 2, I am possibly interested in getting Trilian or Keyscape. Which one would you recommend first in general?

Did you end up taking Trilian?

No, I did not. I couldn't decide if I really need it. Do you have it?

[Nevel]

After Omnisphere 2, I am possibly interested in getting Trilian or Keyscape. Which one would you recommend first in general?

Did you end up taking Trilian?

No, I did not. I couldn't decide if I really need it. Do you have it?

I am in the same boat actually, since I have Omnisphere and u-he synths so I was wondering if Trilian would add something special. I love basslines grooves and sequences, and I can't find out if Trilian is perfect for that or would be better for acoustic bass

[ChiTown24]

Considering there are lots of great instruments available these days
(synths: Massive X, Pigments 3, Equator 2, V Collection, etc. and tons of Kontakt libraries as part of Komplete or 3rd party libraries), what makes Omnisphere 2 special?

In that context - nothing.