Buy Omnisphere 2

[ghettosynth]

I suspect any examples I give, like sample
Logic libraries or NI Evolve or Kinetic Metal etc, you will just say are a rip off.

Yes, Kinetic Metal is a great example. $99 is stupidly overpriced, and I use and like the library. But, it comes with Komplete which is about $300 on sale and includes 45 products so without doing any other valuation gymnastics a simple per/product cost is $6.67.

And that’s fine, but my point was just that the Omni library alone was better value than many other kontakt libraries. That was a single minor point and I’ve never changed the goal posts on that. The claim has always been the same but you keep talking about kontakt as a product in addition to any library for it. But then you’re talking about the cost of kontakt plus some libraries. Again it won’t take much to equal the cost of Omnisphere. However I fully agree the komplete or komplete ultimate are better deals, even at full price!

Sure, if you want to compare Spectrasonics overpriced bloat with other firms overpriced bloat then, yes, you can pay too much for either.

I have also never moved the goalposts here. My claim is that the Omni library isn't good value and I stand by that. Komplete and Komplete Ultimate represent good value. Small indie devs like Rhythmic Robot and HGSounds, as well as larger devs like SonicCouture (can) represent good value.

It's also true that many expensive kontakt libraries regularly go on sale so for the hobbyist, waiting can net you much better value than a product that never goes on any significant sale.

I should also acknowledge and point out that when my needs are on the "need" side of things that I have no problem paying what other's consider is too much for certain types of products and my own value equation will be very different than what I present here. If Omnisphere helps you get your job done, then it's probably a bargain for you, but, don't mince words, your job is not one that demands high quality DSP modeling. I think that Wag's customer who produces The Young and the Restless exemplifies this. That's NOT a critical audience.

When people ask here they are frequently comparing it to other synthesis products and it's fair to say that similar samples and technology can be had for much less money and that there are better products for most of the things that Omni does, if, better is defined by technical excellence. For almost anyone making music at home, there are better ways to spend $500.

[vurt]

what if you specifically need the sound of a burning piano, as a musician recording at home, not only would that be expensive, it could be dangerous too.

[noiseboyuk]

When people ask here they are frequently comparing it to other synthesis products and it's fair to say that similar samples and technology can be had for much less money and that there are better products for most of the things that Omni does, if, better is defined by technical excellence. For almost anyone making music at home, there are better ways to spend $500.

I think its more specific even than that - I think at times the debate comes down to "U-he model analog better, and they're cheaper". As if that negates Omni's value.

Bedroom producers likely don't need Omni, I'll agree.

[ghettosynth]

what if you specifically need the sound of a burning piano, as a musician recording at home, not only would that be expensive, it could be dangerous too.

Oh cmon, grandma has one and she can't hear her own farts anymore, just burn that. If she objects she'll be dead soon anyway and your sister won't be able to sell the thing. Craigslist is more dangerous, just set it on fire while it's on the sidewalk so the city can just come by and pick it up when you're done.

[Captain]

I have been using Omnisphere since the days it was a genuine rompler and still called Atmosphere (since 2002? has it really been that long?!). I have no idea how much I have paid for it, since I have always only paid for upgrades, but I have a feeling none of them have been outrageously expensive (not to mention the numerous free updates). And anyway, if you divide any amount of money by 16, it's not going to be that much per year.

So, obviously I have bit of a history with Omnisphere. It used to be kind of a 1st choice for me when I needed any specific sound, although nowadays there are so many great plugins to choose from that I often end up using something else. But I still know it better than probably any other plugin. I have used it on pop/rock songs, soundtracks, EDM, you name it. And it's still my #1 choice in many situations. If I'm not sure what I want exactly, the Sound Match feature in Omnisphere is really useful and something I use all the time. And something I haven't seen in any other instruments (let me know if something similar exists?). One reason it works so well is that Omnisphere's core library is already so huge. Add some excellent 3rd party libraries (like the ones from The Unfinished, as mentioned), and Sound Match is a great way to find the perfect patch.

And talking about real instruments, Trillian & KeyScape have some of the best bass & keyboard sounds I have. Nowadays I also use MODO for bass and PianoTeq for piano, but there's still some extra oomph in Trillian & KeyScape that sometimes makes me choose them over the much more resource-friendly modeling alternatives.

Comparing Omnisphere to Kontakt or Kontakt libraries is just... well, it just feels so strange and far-fetched to me. We are talking about completely different things. I own dozens of Kontakt libraries, and I use them all the time (and have coded a lot of custom scripts in KSP), and there is a definitely a place for them, just like there is for Omnisphere. If I think a song needs a specific type of sound, I often see what I have available in Kontakt & Omnisphere (and other plugins), compare them all in the context of the song, and choose the one that works best. I don't care which plugin it is. Sometimes it's Kontakt, sometimes it's Omnisphere, sometimes it's something else, you never know until you try. It's good to have options.

The point is, Omnisphere (or Kontakt or whatever) is not inherently somehow worse than something else. It's a plugin that produces sound, and as long as it has enough sonic possibilities, it's always possible to create something interesting & useful with it.

I personally feel I still haven't explored nearly half the possibilities of Omnisphere, and one of my favourite leisure activities is to just open an init patch, choose a random sample from the huge library, turn on the granular engine, and see where it takes me from there. Sometimes I end up with nothing useful, sometimes I end up with an interesting patch I might use later.

So there. I'm not a fanboi of anything, but after doing this for almost 25 years for a living, certain tools just end up being used again and again. I don't need to endorse them or love them, and I don't need to hate everything else. But if I like using something, I'll keep using it.

[noiseboyuk]

I'm not a fanboi of anything, but after doing this for almost 25 years for a living, certain tools just end up being used again and again. I don't need to endorse them or love them, and I don't need to hate everything else. But if I like using something, I'll keep using it.

Very nicely put. That, of course, is the bottom line, and essentially my experience also. Their re-tagging of presets in 2.0 was imo the most bone-headed and poorly executed thing that Spectrasonics has ever done, yet despite my daily griping Omni remains used on a daily basis.

[PatchAdamz]

what if you specifically need the sound of a burning piano, as a musician recording at home, not only would that be expensive, it could be dangerous too.

Burning Pianos Give You So Much More

[Cinebient]

what if you specifically need the sound of a burning piano, as a musician recording at home, not only would that be expensive, it could be dangerous too.

Burning Pianos Give You So Much More

But i prefer frozen strings.

[polarsky]

Time and Space are mailing out 20% off store wide vouchers if you have signed up to their loyalty points scheme which should work on Omni. Shipping may be limited to UK though if I remember right. Prices are likely to go up after Brexit if the exchange rate falls.

[Elektronisch]

Potato

[dune_rave]

Omnisphere is not just a "library". For example that has the sound lock feature, or what they call it. A feature that is quite cool, and can't find another synth that does this well (for example u-he makes parameter lock - not the same - u have to lock params one by one). one random video bout this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ln8JIVGPEGg
However I've never owned Omni, I have to admit it has a great concept.

[mrfreezzzz]

hi,

and sorry to revive a dead horse, but i've come across this thread, while looking for info about Omni, wondering whether i should re-buy it or not. and here's my 2 cents : the mere fact that almost 10 years after its first release (and almost 20 if you consider Atmosphere to be the first instance) people are still using it, or such as yourself, consider to buy it despite all the latest and more trendy synths (Sylenth, Hive...), shows how amazingly good Omni is, while being focused on creativity and sound design.
that being said, it's also pretty expensive. and then comes in consideration the tech support, which doesn't always have a good rep.

but then again, it's probably the best synth i've ever had my virtual hands on, in terms of fun, creativity and spontaneity. and is it not what music should be all about? so if you can afford it, don't hesitate any longer: go for it!