I think you're overthinking it Wag, in broad strokes they really are VERY different, aren't they? Mostly in your "Sound Possibilities" department.wagtunes wrote:Marla, this may be the toughest synth comparison I've ever had to do.
In this case, Omni 2 vs Falcon, you're splitting hairs, literally.
As you say, Omni's Preset library blows Falcon's away, and of all Omni's features, the library is the main one. You couldn't even stick a sample into it or have more than 4 wave shapes until version 2.0, and sampling wise, pretty much *all* you can do now is stick a sample into it. You can't even do simple things like set loop points on the existing samples in the library which would be SO useful to expand the available palette and make the library SO much more useful.
Play this drinking game: read Omnisphere marketing literature and forum posts for one hour, and take a shot every time the word "deep" is used to describe the sound shaping capabilities. OK, now that you're back from the hospital after having your stomach pumped - it seems like they REALLY don't like the rompler tag, doesn't it? A little close to the bone, maybe? I *love* Omnisphere, don't get me wrong - it's fun and often rewarding 'zoom'ing into the oscillator/mod/filter screens and doing something interesting with a sound from the library. But that's what it is. A fantastic sandbox. A fantastic sandbox that you can, ummm... upload a sample into... but basically you play with the toys they give you. Which are, by all means, some really cool toys.
With Falcon however, UVI has obviously attempted to do everything possible to *completely* hand over the reigns to users and pro designers that want to build massive patches and sample libraries. Flexibility wise, these 2 synths have nothing to do with eachother. Falcon seems much more like a cross between Reaktor and Kontakt than ANYTHING to do with Omnisphere. Flexible macros, scripting, and much more choice and detailed control over sound sources.
Omnisphere is a 'deep synth' (SHOT!
) with a very big and interesting library (though it's a bit short on staples). It's a fantastic instrument, and it really does *feel* like a playground for sounds.Falcon is looking like a bonafide beast - an actual platform. It's less about being a great instrument and more about making your own instruments. Remember when Omni 2 was announced and we were all imagining hundreds of crazy libraries? Never materialized. Pro designers can't really do that much with it because the implementation doesn't let you get under the hood. But with Falcon, if you want to spend the time to learn it and RTFM and configure macros and sample layouts, you will be able to do basically whatever you want. Like - WHATEVER you want. Expect crazy libraries for real this time, as pro sound designers will be all over this.
So, so much for splitting hairs - I think it's safe to chuck them into 2 different genres altogether, haha
