Is Omnisphere 2 still worth it?

[ghettosynth]

So is it settled finally?

Finally!

What did we decided?

That when you reach in with gusto using both hands, that whatever you pull out is worth it in the end. I think that's what we were talking about anyway.

[bmanic]

Still using Omnisphere quite often (and I bought it like 6 months after v1 was originally released). Lately I've been exploring the individual sound sources, usually spending an hour or so a couple of times a week. If I continue at this pace, I'll be done exploring them in about 10 years time.

I'm also considering one or two of the Sonic Expansions. Any takes on which ones are the best?

[noiseboyuk]

I'm also considering one or two of the Sonic Expansions. Any takes on which ones are the best?

I guess it depends on what sort of music you make. The one I keep going back to most is Undercurrent, and the one I use least is Nylon Sky.

[bmanic]

Yeah I don't really see a need for a Nylon guitar recording and am most interested in any of the expansions that have a lot of new sound sources. Undercurrent is definitely at the top of the list for this alone.

[LoveEnigma18]

Yeah I don't really see a need for a Nylon guitar recording and am most interested in any of the expansions that have a lot of new sound sources. Undercurrent is definitely at the top of the list for this alone.

Undercurrent is indeed great. The next best choice to it would be Unclean Machine IMO. More versatile than one would think and the only SE I have got.

[noiseboyuk]

...and to be fair Seismic Shock is great for That Sort Of Thing too, easily their best foray into aggressive dance stuff.

The disappointment of Nylon Sky is that that core guitar patch is merely okay. Because its the centrepiece it has to rival big sample libraries where every nuance has been captured and it can be playable (within the constraints of a keyboard), Nylon Sky just can't compete. Play a chord with the default patch and it sounds horrible, because there's vibrato on every key, and its literally the first thing many people will do. There are other patches where you can get rid of it, but they're a bit lifeless. As soundsources they're perfectly fine and there are good patches in there, but it doesn't have the depth of the other extensions.

And I suppose the slightly concerning thing about that is that is that the core engine itself of Omnisphere hasn't kept pace with how the rest of the industry has evolved when it comes to working with samples. Intelligent articulation switching, clever scripting for pattern engines etc. If there ever is to be an Omni 3, perhaps that is one area that might be ripe for renewal. Don't turn it into a complicated sampler, which they've always said they don't want to do, but under-the-hood stuff to allow for more real time realism and expressivity on sampled instruments.

As it is, I hope future extensions don't base themselves around solo instruments, as it doesn't play to the synth's strengths. Trilian and Keyscape both work by virtue of the instruments themselves being relatively simple to sample and play, and it can handle many velocity layers and round robins which are the core tools. TBH I've begun to wonder if Trilian only gets away with it (and it DOES get away with it) because the samples themselves are so excellent. It's pretty limited in terms of playability, but it does the basics (bassics?) so well that I still routinely turn to it.

[soulata]

I own both Undercurrent and Unclean Machine.

I like UM a little bit better.

No need for other two expansions.

[legendCNCD]

Omni 2.x is everywhere in our tracks with Diva. I personally would not change these two into anything else.

[sacer]

Still also 20 years later, yes

[rod_zero]

I still think the GUI is quite bad for a plugin as complex and full of features as Omni,so much wasted space and small controls.

[Brittlestem]

I still think the GUI is quite bad for a plugin as complex and full of features as Omni,so much wasted space and small controls.

It's an unintuitive, tab-infested wankstain of a GUI designed to stop inspiration in it's tracks as you sit and wait for the page to load.
Fecking loathe it.

[noiseboyuk]

This comes up all the time here, some people hate the GUI. Many of us old timers chip in at this point and say DON'T CHANGE A THING.

I like it not being crowded. I like the tabs. I like the way you modulate. I like it all, it makes it Omni. DON'T CHANGE A THING. (except yes make it reliably snappier).

[PieBerger]

I still think the GUI is quite bad for a plugin as complex and full of features as Omni,so much wasted space and small controls.

It's an unintuitive, tab-infested wankstain of a GUI designed to stop inspiration in it's tracks as you sit and wait for the page to load.
Fecking loathe it.

That's great, but tell us how you really feel

[Brittlestem]

DON'T CHANGE A THING. (except yes make it reliably snappier).

They're more likely to release some new drum sounds for RMX than
update the GUI.
Nothing to worry about.

[syntonica]

The original GUI is good for everyday use and minor tweaking. However, there needs to be a big, open alternative GUI for sound designers whoo want to dig in on a single screen. The current tabbing about is tedious. Very tedious.

Don't change anything, just add something new.