Omnisphere 3

[aMUSEd]

Everything I've read suggests Omnisphere 3 still does not support surround (I wish it did) but when I look in settings it seems to be making use of all the surround speakers in my display so I'm a bit confused.

Screenshot 2026-01-06 at 08.45.56.png

[HOTF]

How are the new patches in V3? I never really liked programming in Omnisphere. I much prefer other multi engines synths on the market on that front. So for me the value is really in the library. Is the asking price worth the library update. they added something like 25k patches wich sounds like a lot but are they mostly useable ?

[zvenx]

As others have mentioned that some patches are counted more than once (they are in more than one category).
Useable depends on the user...
Personally I think Eric Persing (and his team especially Ignacio) are the best sound designers on the planet so I am biased that way...

For me it still remains my desert island synth and I am not a person who creates my own patches often.
rsp

[HOTF]

As others have mentioned that some patches are counted more than once (they are in more than one category).
Useable depends on the user...
Personally I think Eric Persing (and his team especially Ignacio) are the best sound designers on the planet so I am biased that way...

For me it still remains my desert island synth and I am not a person who creates my own patches often.
rsp

Def some very talented sound designer, sometimes too much . When I load a patch press C3 and the preset spits out almost a full track that's a bit much for me. But yeah I really don't need this but probably will upgrade anyways sometime in the future

Edit : I have 0 self control and I did indeed upgrade

[Funky40]

The sounds of Omni3 might be good.
But i personally can´t operate the sound browser ! (I´m new to OmniS )
so first, find the good sounds...........


(hope it´s true and they´re working on doing some changes there)

(not interested in programming my own ones)

[enCiphered]

Everything I've read suggests Omnisphere 3 still does not support surround (I wish it did) but when I look in settings it seems to be making use of all the surround speakers in my display so I'm a bit confused.

Screenshot 2026-01-06 at 08.45.56.png

I can’t find any documented support for true surround formats (5.1 / 7.1 / quad).

Omni 3 is documented as a stereo instrument (with multi-part / multi-out routing), but nowhere in the manual or official Spectrasonics feature list are surround channel formats mentioned. Though I might be missing something.

I think what we are seeing in your screenshot is host-side routing. Expanded multi-out channels that the DAW maps to a surround bus, not native surround output from Omnisphere.

[aMUSEd]

Everything I've read suggests Omnisphere 3 still does not support surround (I wish it did) but when I look in settings it seems to be making use of all the surround speakers in my display so I'm a bit confused.

Screenshot 2026-01-06 at 08.45.56.png

I can’t find any documented support for true surround formats (5.1 / 7.1 / quad).

Omni 3 is documented as a stereo instrument (with multi-part / multi-out routing), but nowhere in the manual or official Spectrasonics feature list are surround channel formats mentioned. Though I might be missing something.

I think what we are seeing in your screenshot is host-side routing. Expanded multi-out channels that the DAW maps to a surround bus, not native surround output from Omnisphere.

This is with the standalone though

Yeah it’s not documented which is why I thought it strange - I would love it if it did support surround though, you would think it would be an ideal synth for surround

[noiseboyuk]

This is with the standalone though

Omni standalone will see all the audio destinations available to it on your system. AFAIK you can't route the individual outs to separate destinations. By default mine sends everything to everything which isn't very helpful (and is bloody loud).

[HOTF]

I was also wondering if any of you use the FX rack plugin at all ? How do they hold up outside of the context of the synth ?

[IvyBirds]

I was also wondering if any of you use the FX rack plugin at all ? How do they hold up outside of the context of the synth ?

I do quite often, many of them are not produced by Spectrasonics but are just repackaged plugins developed by other companies that sell them individually

I especially like the new compressors. They are worth the $199 upgrade price by themselves

I also REALLY dig the following

"Super Channel" it's especially good on vocals. It's models a preamp from a variety of classic gear from API, NEVE, and PULTEC. Followed by the EQ section from those devices. Then you get a spot on Emulation of the Dolby A noise reduction unit configured for the Dolby A trick used by many engineers since the 1970s that enhances the frequencies often associated with vocals but also sounds awesome on acoustic guitar and piano that you bright and crisp

Note that this is basically a combination of the Neve, API, Pultec and Dolby effects in the package and I would but iy and it's individual plugins for $199 in a heart beat

"Analog Studio Tape+Console" is a very good tape emulation of a high quality studio grade reel to reel that feeds into a modeled preamp section of an SSL 4000G, Trident 88, or Neve 80 console. It's not a lowfi tape sim, but an amazing sounding thing that adds all kinds of vintage warmth and saturation

"Imager" this one is especially handy and useful. It's just a simple way to place things in a stereo image and control the width, it will also sync to your DAW and autopan

All of those are amazing on just about anything, any instrument, vocals, anything. Even if all you got were those it's an amazing value

Beyond that there are many other things that are awesome to many times list. If I didn't already have way to many awesome reverbs I would most certainly use the ones included in Omnisphere more. They hold up amazingly well with the best if the best

The Amp Models are really good but can't be used on everything

I could go on but have probably written to much already

[HOTF]

I was also wondering if any of you use the FX rack plugin at all ? How do they hold up outside of the context of the synth ?

I do quite often, many of them are not produced by Spectrasonics but are just repackaged plugins developed by other companies that sell them individually

I especially like the new compressors. They are worth the $199 upgrade price by themselves

I also REALLY dig the following

"Super Channel" it's especially good on vocals. It's models a preamp from a variety of classic gear from API, NEVE, and PULTEC. Followed by the EQ section from those devices. Then you get a spot on Emulation of the Dolby A noise reduction unit configured for the Dolby A trick used by many engineers since the 1970s that enhances the frequencies often associated with vocals but also sounds awesome on acoustic guitar and piano that you bright and crisp

Note that this is basically a combination of the Neve, API, Pultec and Dolby effects in the package and I would but iy and it's individual plugins for $199 in a heart beat

"Analog Studio Tape+Console" is a very good tape emulation of a high quality studio grade reel to reel that feeds into a modeled preamp section of an SSL 4000G, Trident 88, or Neve 80 console. It's not a lowfi tape sim, but an amazing sounding thing that adds all kinds of vintage warmth and saturation

"Imager" this one is especially handy and useful. It's just a simple way to place things in a stereo image and control the width, it will also sync to your DAW and autopan

All of those are amazing on just about anything, any instrument, vocals, anything. Even if all you got were those it's an amazing value

Beyond that there are many other things that are awesome to many times list. If I didn't already have way to many awesome reverbs I would most certainly use the ones included in Omnisphere more. They hold up amazingly well with the best if the best

The Amp Models are really good but can't be used on everything

I could go on but have probably written to much already

Thank you for the detailed response . As I have metionned above in my edit, I have bought the upgrade anyways because I have no self control . I will try to use the effects on other sound sources to get to know them better. I bet you can browse through some effect rack presets on other sound sources for some quick and dirty inspiration.

[Ben.juodvalkis]

I extracted all the FX-Omnisphere presets into .aupreset format in case anyone is interested.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/12K5Dor ... sp=sharing

I did it for all Omnisphere presets too but that's a way bigger file.

[HOTF]

Is there really no one to tell appart new patches from presets of previous versions ? It shouldn't matter that much but it's bugging me for some reason. They claim 26,421 new Patches in marketing blurb but I feel like that's misleading. Seems to be a lot of patches that are in multiple collections. Am I missing something?

[Echoes in the Attic]

Is there really no one to tell appart new patches from presets of previous versions ? It shouldn't matter that much but it's bugging me for some reason. They claim 26,421 new Patches in marketing blurb but I feel like that's misleading. Seems to be a lot of patches that are in multiple collections. Am I missing something?

Yeah would be good to have version tags like “V2 Remastered” or “V1 Remastered”. Not sure if there’s anything like that.

[IvyBirds]

Is there really no one to tell appart new patches from presets of previous versions ? It shouldn't matter that much but it's bugging me for some reason. They claim 26,421 new Patches in marketing blurb but I feel like that's misleading. Seems to be a lot of patches that are in multiple collections. Am I missing something?

The old presets from previous versions are in the Legacy Library. If they are not in the Legacy Library they are new and use new features that are in Omnisphere 3 but not previous versions

As far as patches being in multiple collections each one is completely different from the perspective of Spectrasonics/Omnisphere itself.

The collections are intended to be totally separate from each other, basically individual instruments inside of Omnisphere. Load a preset in one rate it, modify it, and save it. Those changes will not translate to the others

You can argue all day with 100 people if this is awesome, if it sucks , if it's misleading, or if it's perfect and get 100 different answers. Bottom line however is that you are getting an incredible amount of presets if that's your thing. I also don't know how in the hell you can possibly name tens of thousands of synth presets either and have the names have any kind of meaningful information. So what's the alternative? Have Pad 1, Pad 2, Pad 3, all the way to Pad 5,764? Will we than have discussions about which is better Pad 3658, or pad 1487?

They are supposedly working on some optional alternative methods for the browser based on user requests, so maybe something will change