Log InCreate An Account
  1. Plugins
  2. »
  3. Spectrasonics
  4. »
  5. Omnisphere 1
  6. »
  7. Details

Omnisphere 1

Synth (Hybrid) Plugin by Spectrasonics
MyKVRFAVORITE228WANT50
Newer Version:
Omnisphere 2
Omnisphere 1 has been replaced by: Omnisphere 2
Omnisphere
Omnisphere 1 by Spectrasonics is a Virtual Instrument Audio Plugin for macOS and Windows. It functions as a VST Plugin, an Audio Units Plugin and an AAX Plugin.
My KVR - Groups, Versions, & More
453 KVR members have added Omnisphere 1 to 17 My KVR groups 562 times.
Not In Your MY KVR Groups
(or group limitation prevents versioning)
+17 in private groups

KVR Rank

Overall: 497   388   493

30-Day: 2126; 7-Day: 3402; Yesterday: 5435

Omnisphere combines a wide variety of hybrid realtime synthesis techniques, an epic library of 'Psychoacoustic' sounds, and many innovative features that have never been seen before in any hardware or software synthesizer.

Omnisphere is designed with a unique user interface containing progressive layers of 'zooming' to accommodate the complete range of users - from musicians who just want to be inspired by the sounds and customize them in an easy way, to expert synthesists and the most advanced sound designers. Users can go deeper and deeper into the software and progress in their synthesis knowledge by simply exploring additional levels of sound manipulation options. To make sure that all users get the most out of the new capabilities, Omnisphere includes an extensive set of video tutorials and synthesis lessons taught by the Spectrasonics sound design team.

Omnisphere offers a host of hybrid synthesis and new control capabilities including Variable Waveshaping DSP synthesis, Granular synthesis, Timbre Shifting, FM, polyphonic Ring Modulation, high-resolution streaming Sample Playback, Harmonia, Dual Multimode Filter structure, Chaos Envelopes, an advanced Unison mode, and the innovative Flex-Mod modulation routing system - to name a few.

The huge core library of Omnisphere is filled with years of creative sampling experiments and thousands of inspiring patches. Spectrasonics has pioneered several brand-new types of sampling for the core library of this instrument, including unique "Psychoacoustic" sounds and soundsources created with a new Composite Morphing Technique (CMT) - which morphs the harmonic characteristics of one instrument to another. As a bonus, a section of the core library is also devoted to representing the best of Spectrasonics sample libraries. When all of these organic core library soundsources are combined with the synthesis power of the STEAM engine, the sounds become "alive" in a truly dynamic and expressive way.

Among the many unique features this new multi-timbral synth offers are its flexible arpeggiators with the world's first Groove Lock integration with Stylus RMX - allowing the arpeggiator's pattern to instantly groove with the feel of the RMX drum loop; Live Mode for transitionless patch switching and layering, Stack Mode for powerful performance mapping; and integrated modulatable FX Racks.

Omnisphere is also the successor to Spectrasonics' popular Atmosphere instrument, and contains enhanced versions of all the classic Atmosphere sounds. However, the brand new core library in Omnisphere is 10-times the size of Atmosphere and features thousands of completely new and different sounds.

System Features:

  • Powerfully simple interface design makes key features accessible to every user.
  • Advanced users can "zoom" into deeper and deeper synthesis capabilities.
  • Sophisticated Browser with searching, sound attributes, descriptions and images.
  • 8 independent Arpeggiators.
  • World's first Arpeggiator with Groove Lock - which allows the Arpeggiators to match the feel of Stylus RMX and MIDI Files.
  • Special performance-oriented Live Mode interface allows for seamless, interactive creative patch switching and layering on the fly.
  • Stack Mode interface allows for complex patch layering, splits, and crossfades (velocity/positional/controller).
  • 8-part multi-timbral with built-in Mixer, Aux FX and Mastering FX racks.
  • Advanced MIDI Learn and Automation parameter handling.
  • Comprehensive integrated Reference Guide.
  • Hours of free Tutorial Videos available online to registered users.

Synthesis Features:

  • Oscillators can be sample-based or synth-based.
  • Up to 10 oscillators per patch with new Harmonia feature.
  • Flex-Mod modulation system allows powerful modular-style routing.
  • Dual Layer architecture.
  • High-definition streaming engine.
  • Variable DSP Oscillator Waveshapes.
  • Sophisticated Unison Detuning.
  • Variable Analog Feel.
  • Modulatable Hard Sync.
  • Granular Synthesis.
  • Innovative Chaos Envelopes.
  • Polyphonic Timbre Shifting.
  • Polyphonic Timbre Crushing.
  • Polyphonic Waveshaper.
  • Polyphonic Ring Modulation.
  • Polyphonic Glide.
  • FM Oscillators.
  • Dual Filter architecture per Layer.
  • Create filter combinations in series or parallel.
  • Arrange and blend more than 17 Filter algorithms.
  • Fully modulatable FX racks.
  • Alternate tuning scales supported.
  • 6 full-featured LFOs per patch.
  • 8 Advanced Multi-breakpoint looping Envelopes per patch.
  • Unique Dual Envelope interface - Simple ADSR-style or Advanced Graphic-style.
  • Sampled soundsources can be processed with synthesis features.

Sound Library:

  • Vast Core Library - over 40GB with thousands of sounds.
  • Cutting-edge sounds from the renowned Spectrasonics sound design team.
  • Innovative "Psychoacoustic" soundsources for organic synthesis.
  • Unique multisampled "Composite Morphing soundsources.
  • Integrates the award-winning, original Atmosphere core library.
  • Integrates best of Spectrasonics highly-acclaimed sample libraries.
  • Massive variety of inspiring sounds for all types of music production.
  • Searchable by sound attributes (Timbre, Genre, Mood, Tonality, Source, etc).
  • Expandable sound architecture.

Effects Features:

  • Integrated, full-featured FX Racks.
  • Up to 12 simultaneous FX per patch.
  • Layer FX modulatable from any mod source.
  • Hundreds of FX presets included.
  • Over 32 original FX Processors covering the full spectrum of signal processing.

Latest User Reviews

Average user rating of 4.40 from 21 reviews
Omnisphere 1

Reviewed By Introspective [all]
June 20th, 2012
Version reviewed: 1.5.6d on Mac

Yes, I'm giving this a 10. Not because I'm a fanboy, but because it honestly deserves it. Read the bloody review before you say "not helpful" just because I gave it a 10.

Omnisphere is, in my opinion, one of the five best synthesizers ever created. Ever. Hard or soft. It's that good. I have owned it for about five years now, if memory serves, and I use it on pretty much every track I write (and, for the record, I tend to write Berlin School and IDM).

...Now, having said that, do you need it? It depends on what kind of music you write, really. It tends to have a very particular sound that, honestly, can get a little redundant. More accurately, it has a few sounds, and it definitely gravitates toward those sounds.

Hmmmn, this is actually a little hard to express. Obviously, Omnisphere is a very flexible synth! The collection of sounds Is decidedly diverse, and of extremely high quality. Of course, some sounds are "better" than others and some are certainly one-trick ponies... and the presets make use of those one tricks well enough, so you'll never use them yourself. And the modulation matrix is probably the best mod matrix you'll ever use: everything connects to everything (including, VERY usefully, the effects), and you get an incredible number of slots to work with (I have never run out), AND it's usefully visual, allowing you to alter param values right from the matrix: great touch

There are a few gravity wells of sound that you'll find yourself falling into with Omnisphere. ...Or, more accurately, that I find myself falling into: YMMV. One is a Virus-like arpy sound, created by modulating the start-time of a ROM setting. Omnisphere has a lot of superlative synth sounds, and they lend themselves to arps. ...And of course the built-in arpeggiator is (again) the best you'll ever have used. Omnisphere handles trance and Berlin School with finesse and style: if you write this type of music, you'll want to buy it, period. However, when you start applying delays and autofilters and built-in reverb to them, they will start to "sound like Omnisphere". The ability to modulate the attack to add noisy perks also ends up steering you toward a very Omnisphere-sounding noisy attack. There's something about it that is unique. It's great! Don't get me wrong... but it's identifiable and you may get sick of it (a little) eventually.

A word on these sounds, though: I own and use ElectraX, Largo, and Diva: they sound better at the sounds they make. Omnisphere has some great old synths, but Diva sounds fuller and richer because of it's exceptional filter. Omnisphere has GREAT digital bells and attack sounds, but ElextraX is edgier and more versatile with them. If Omnisphere has a comb filter (off the top of my head, I don't think it does), it can't compare to Largo's ability to sound metalic or plastic (which, sometimes, you want). I find that Omnisphere supersedes the other synths when you want something--bear with me, here--either milder or harsher than the other synths. For example, if I want a gentle arp sitting in the background, I'll reach for Omnisphere and dial up, say, a Farfisa sound and turn it into a pluck (which I highly recommend, BTW). Sounds great, doesn't hit the CPU too hard, easy to modulate with the Orb for variation over time. ...Or if I need a sound that's going to tear open the mix and rip it to shreds, I'll reach for Omnisphere again. Yes, the other three can do this, but IMO Omnisphere has a more compelling, rich capability of noise. There's just something that sits right about it. [shrug]

The second type of sound is, obviously, evolving pads. It's full of them, having grown out of Atmosphere. They're all incredibly usable, and--honestly--with all of the mod routings, you'll never run out of variations if you're a bold programmer. When I need a pad, the first synth I reach for is Omnisphere. Period. If you write pad-heavy ambient or the like, buy Omnisphere. You'll love it.

That said... :D ...I own and use both Absynth and Massive. I don't understand WHY (because of Omni's great mods, this shouldn't be the case), but Absynth is STILL better at "weird shit" that evolves dramatically over long periods of time. That said, Absynth lacks the ability to make you say "whoa" at the width and power of the sound being played. THAT said, the two of them stack very very well. ...And Massive has better real-time control, period. Being able to set real-time knobs to MULTIPLE destinations with custom depths makes it a keeper. It sounds very digital to my ear, but in a good way. The pads from massive are still some of my favorite pads ever, particularly when performed with the knobs.

Also, the IN-ability for Omnisphere to layer (easily) more than two oscs for a pad is a mark against it. Yes, you can set up a multi to get four or six or sixteen oscs... but that's a PITA and will devour CPU. I prefer Absynth and Massive's three (plus) oscs for layering up some complex pads.

The third kind of sound Omnisphere gravitates toward is those LUSCIOUS bells. You'll hear them all over the place, once you own Omnisphere, because THEY ARE AWESOME, and it's very, very hard not to use them. :) I'm addicted.

The fourth kind of sound is harder to pin down... but it's those "weird samples" that are characteristic of the synth, like the burning piano or the choirs or Tesla Coil or...or... well, when/if you own it, you'll see: they stand out. And like the bells, they are very cool... but also they are VERY characteristic. Painfully so... so much that I'm disinclined to use them, because they're the kind of sound really stands out, and everyone will be either saying "Whoa! Cool!" or "Totally copied from _this other song they heard that used the same sound_." [shrug] They're nice to have, but I feel like I would never actually use them, so it's a bit wasted. ...Does this make sense?

...Anyway, I stick by my original statement: Omnisphere is a top-five, all-time synth. If you're jazzed about synths for the sake of synths, you really need to own this. But if you're looking for a particular type of sound... listen to the demos. Repeatedly. ...Because you're going to end up sounding a lot like them. ...Don't get me wrong! These are world-class, top-notch sounds. Some of the best ever. ...but they are very... Omnisphere. I think "Omnisphere" is likely to be an adjective that sees more and more use over the years. :D ...Or perhaps "Spectrasonic", since Trilian tends to sound quite similar, too. ...Which leads me to believe (I don't own Trilian and haven't tried it) that it must have a lot to do with the effects. [shrug] ...The effects, BTW, are very, very good. It's like having Guitar Rig attached to your synth.

A few additional specific notes...

The filters on Omnisphere are really, really excellent. Lots (!) of variety and very good sound. "Juicy" in particular is wonderful (I think this is the impOSCar filter, honestly). They are not as good as the filter on Diva... but that's not saying much; nothing comes close. :D

The envelopes on Omnisphere are... good, but a little frustrating. I wish I could get a snappier attack, sometimes, and they seem to jump quickly from short to VERY VERY long... wish there were a little more control on the sliders, there. That said, the complex envelopes are better than (easier to use than) Absynth. Also, as I'm sure others have noted, many sounds come with slow attacks in the sample. This is, of course, easy enough to fix by moving the start time along the sample. Do it.

The "granular" aspect of Omnisphere is weak. I mean, it's useful! And it sounds nice... but it's not *really* granular and it's not very flexible. Ignore this as a feature, really: it's just a way to add a little motion to a pad, mostly.

The "Orb" feature of Omnisphere is INCREDIBLY AWESOME. Watch a video to see what I mean. This really is very, very useful; they cannot oversell it. ;)

Patch-management in Omnisphere is the best I have ever seen, hands-down. No contest. You will grow increasingly frustrated trying to use other synths because they can't handle patches this well. (Native Instruments, are you listening, you bastards?) It's insanely good. Don't underestimate the awesomeness of this feature.

The multi feature of Omnisphere is one of my favorite things about it. I load up one Omnisphere in a song and just patch the channels to other MIDI inputs... I actually don't think I've ever had two instances of Omnisphere in a single song, now that I think of it.

And, of course, Omnisphere is... heavy. It loads slowly, it changes patches slowly, and it has such a HUGE collection that it will take you a while to find what you want (and you will waste at least a week of your life simply going through the patches and rating them, I promise you).


In summary, Omnisphere would be my desert-island synth: I wound't hesitate to choose it. ...But if I were writing music on a desert island (inexplicably wired), my music would definitely smell of Omnisphere. That's probably not a bad thing, but depending on your situation and attitude, it may be something to consider. It is well worth the price tag: no three other VSTs are better-sounding or more capable, over-all.

Read Review
Omnisphere 1

Reviewed By Bladerunner1962 [all]
November 28th, 2011
Version reviewed: 1.5 on Windows

This is for me the best, outstanding VSTi in comparison to all the other VSTi I have.
It comes very near to my expectations only loading a VSTi and directly playing/improvise live.
Also I'm very thankful for the presets switch midi learning.
Around 20% of the soundsets/patches are really great. What I'm missing are Piano/E-Piano/Strings/Orchestra/BrassGuitar sounds in the quality compared to the great Choir/Voice soundsets of Omnisphere. I don't need all this atmosphere/scene sounds for live playing.

The handling is in general very easy and intuitive.
In comparison to all the other VSTi the explorer functions are the very best. Here you have a lot of opportunities to select and sort your favourite sounds.
Improvement wishes to that: It's not possible to store in a DAW a specific soundset with a project. If you reopen a project Omnisphere starts with the start screen. You have always click each time manually through the explorer. This should be solved with the next update.

Absolutly great is the addtional Ipad App. The idea with the automatic circling arp/sound modification is outstanding!

The Multi Presets (incl. i.e. Arp, Voice) are very easy handling.
You can very easy experiment with the soundsets and genereate new Multis.
But: cause I'm a live player (improvising) I wish more Multis in the future from Spectrasonics according to Soul, Funk, Soul-Jazz, Jazz-Rock.
All these Techno-/Atmosphere Multis I don't need.

Omnisphere is a lot of fun for playing!
But, you have invest also more money in it in comparison to other VSTi.
I bought until now only Omnisphere. I know, the full fun and wishes I only receive, if I would buy also Stylus and Trilian. Then the package is complete. But that would causes another 600€ investment. So if you have invested for all 3 packages your very near to a hardware/synthesizer investment. In the future I'm sure, that I would do further invests in Spectrasonics, cause the principle/concept for me is great!
Read Review
Omnisphere 1

Reviewed By muLperi [all]
December 17th, 2008
Version reviewed: newest on Mac

Edit 8.9.2014.

Omnisphere is still one of my favourite synths (maybe favourite). Having used almost all the synths out there. Omnisphere hasn't aged single bit. It doesn't use CPU as much as many other synths out there now. Great 3rd party libraries. I have also started to appreciate more and more the easiness of building your own sounds. Very stable and good work horse.

EDIT 16.3.2011
Spectrasonics has released several updates that include hundreds of new presets and has dramativally improved Omnisphere. Also they offer control apps for iPhone and iPad for free! Really great service in my opinion.
And who knows what's still to come.

------------------------------

PROS
+ Lots of new and unique sounds
Well yes it does have 50 gigabytes of samples.
From that alone you should find many usable sounds.
Include very capable manipulation tools and you will definately have unique sounds.

+ Rich in features
Multi has 1-8 Parts
Multi has it's own "global" effects.
You can play Multi in several different ways.
Stack mode (split and layer parts), Live mode or just normal Multi
where every Part is assigned to it's own MIDI channel and you play one part at a time.

Part has 1-2 Layers
Every Part has it's own arpeggiator, effects, portamento control etc.

Layer has a Soundsource
Every Layer has 6 LFOs, envelopes, filters and stuff like that.
Soundsource can either be a sample file or virtual analog waveform.
So it has analog modelling synth also.

You can save your own Multis and Patches and share them easily.

+ Simple
Very simple to use and makes you want to craft your own sounds and really
get into the synthesis world also.



CONS
- Sample library almost too big (but not)
Installation took literally hours, about 6 of them. So be prepared. Hope I don't need to do that often.
Some ppl using laptops have to use external drives.
But nowadays I don't think it's such a big deal. Better lots than few.
Dunno if it could have been possible to fit them all in a smaller package.

- CPU intensive, long loading times
I have a Acer TravelMate 5720G laptop running Windows XP. Core2Duo at 2GHz and 2GB RAM.
I have been using Omni about month now, I think it has never crashed.
Many people have complained about it being unstable but not to me.
Only sometimes there has been strange peaks in sound.
Takes about 8 seconds to load the plugin. A bit slow startup and
loading big Multis can take up to about 10 seconds or so.
But I think this is acceptable considering the size of the samples and the whole plugin.

- It may be hard to find something really specific sound
I would love to have some kind of favourite-feature for sounds.
I think the browser is a bit over hyped, I almost never use those descriptive search parameters.
If I want to find kick drum, I will search "kick" and for some reason I don't find any.
Because ppl who made the search tags, were thinking differently.
Luckily you can also add your own tags and edit existing.

- No sample import
You cannot import your own samples at the time.
But Spectrasonics has said that they will not "rule that feature out" in the future updates.
And with all this content, it's not the first thing you'll probably miss.

- Bread and butter sounds
Doesn't have that many "normal" sounds like basic dry piano sound.
Some good guitars but then again, it's for new and unique sounds...



CONCLUSION
It's my "go-to-synth" at the time.
Omnisphere is definately not all-around, and not here to replace every other synths.
It's to get new and inspirational sounds, good making atmospheres
and ambient sounds. It does have good guitar samples and classic synth sounds also
and good analog modelling synth inside.
It's very simple and easy to use and good for live performances.
It has great amount of potential and with those tools and features,
I think factory Multis doesn't even show all what it can do.
I recommend if you have money to spend, if not, check also Camelaudio Alchemy.

Read Review
Omnisphere 1

Reviewed By erstwhile [all]
October 28th, 2008
Version reviewed: 1.0.2 on Mac

HISTORY: Omnisphere is developed by Spectrasonics, which is owned by Eric Persing, who produced Trilogy, Atmosphere, and Stylus RMX. The software is by the same guy that did the Crystal free synth. Omnisphere replaces Atmosphere, and is supported on Mac and Windows (VST, AU, RTAS, etc).

SOUND: The sound quality is outstanding. The company is owned by sound designers, not software geeks. They tried to cover virtually every kind of sound, so it includes pads, dance, noises, textures, cinematic, classic synth sounds, voices, etc. You cannot put your own sampled sounds into the instrument, but patches can be freely shared and added.

GUI: The Omnisphere GUI supports novice, intermediate, and advanced users. Users that are not too familiar with the instrument use the Main window. The Edit window reveals lots of detail for tweaking LFOs, Filters, and Envelopes. Finally, there are Zoom windows which go into super-detail about each audio component (Envelopes, Filters, Modulation Matrix).

LIVE PERFORMANCE: Before performing, you can load up to 8 patches, then while you are performing live you can instantly switch between the 8 parts with key switching. The Stack window is also unique: you can load 8 patches and gradually fade from one to another or to many at once.

SYNTHESIZER FEATURES: Ominsphere has all the standard features of a quality soft synth: LFOs, envelopes, modulation-routing, filters, arpeggiator. Tremendous care went into the GUI layout for these features. The modulation could be a very confusing feature, but in Omnisphere it is presented in a user-friendly way, with dynamic indication of the values. The envelope GUI lets the user choose between the traditional ADSR or a modern curve-segment based approach.0 And there is a Chaos feature, obviously inspired by RMX, to randomly modify the envelope in real time.

SEARCHING: Omnisphere solves the problem of: "How do I find one sound from thousands of sounds"? by using multiple-keyword searches, which are a quick way to find sounds with queries like "classic retro analog synth" or "human voice female gospel".

PHOTOGRAPHS: The photographs that illustrate each of the soundsources are very cool, and it fun to see what pictures will pop up for when you select sounds like "Pensive" or "Static Rainbow".

DOCS: The DVDs come with only a small pamphlet that focuses on the installation process. After you buy Omnisphere you can download an HTML manual. Most useful is the dozen video tutorials which are great (a picture is worth 1,000 words).

PATCHES and PRESETS: There are patches and multis. The multis are simply 8 patches or parts, just like in RMX. Each patch contains two layers. In each layer you can put a synth waveform (sine, saw, etc) or a sampled soundsource. Each layer has its own individual filters, oscilators, envelopes, effects. The number of patches are around 2,000 now, and Spectrasonics is building more continually. You must download from their website to get all the newest ones. if you take the combination of 2,000 patches times 2,000 soundsources, that is a total of 4,000,000 sounds you can quickly generate without touching a knob. Plus, every individual audio component (Osc, Filters, Arpegiators, Envelopes) has their own individual presets.

DEMOS: Spectrasonics does not have any demos for download, so you have to hunt around for user demos.

VALUE-FOR-MONEY: Omnisphere retails for $499, although if you already own Trilogy, Atmosphere, and RMX, then they discount the price to $149.

INSTALLATION: It comes on 6 DVDs, and installation took me about 2 hours total. It was a simple installation. It takes about 48 GB of disk space.

STABILITY: The software is very, very robust. I have not seen a single crash, and even finding small aesthetic glitches is very hard to do (I cannot think of one I have yet seen). It has clearly been through a lot of beta testing before sale.

STARTUP TIME: The initial version of Omnisphere (on the DVD) had some issues with startup times (ranging from 10 to 15 seconds) seconds, but that has been fixed in the latest software update (downloadable from the Spectrasonics website) reduced my load time to 4 seconds.

CPU REQUIREMENT: Some features in Omnisphere are CPU hogs: harmonics, unison, heavy effects (by the way, Omnisphere has the full complement of Effects that RMX had, plus a couple of new ones). This CPU usage issue is no different than other soft synths. If your CPU is substandard, you may have to avoid certain advanced features. The bottom line is that Omnisphere is state-of-the-art, and it demands a state-of-the-art computer.

CONCLUSION: A very powerful, high-quality instrument that combines the best of additive synths with sampled sounds. Easy to use for novices. The variety of sounds is nearly infinite. A good value.
Read Review
Omnisphere 1

Reviewed By Novata [all]
October 17th, 2008
Version reviewed: 1.0.1e on Windows

Ok, so I get the privelage to review this synth first.

I will break this down into it's various components and then give my opinion on the whole synth.

1. Installation - When you get to install this beast, you will probably need to set aside a good four hours, depending on your DAW. It has a near 50GB library. It is easy to install, though I would recommend using internal storage preferably on a SATA drive. Once installed I recommend getting the update from Spectrasonics. There is an update button on the GUI. There are also the Atmosphere patches to install too.

2. Start up - This is quite a CPU intensive plugin, so it takes longer than your average synth to launch. Depending on your CPU, this could take up to 20 seconds, not good IMO. Hopefully this will be fixed. First launch requires the challenge/response licensing method.

3. Patches - There are 1000+ patches for instant use. These do not include the whole 50GB library either. So there are still a whole load of sounds that aren't used but are there for your own use. The patches are hugely diverse and range from a single layer synth to a dual layer sample based sound source. The categories are set into a perculiar hierarchy and not all patches are avaliable through this method. Not the most friendly function for patch searching even though you can do a manual search by typing in what you want. Though, this doesn't always get you the sounds you may be after. This could be better.

4. Sound quality - Overall, this is where Omnisphere wins. The sound that this synth can generate is very good indeed. Just load up the 'Tear your head off' patch (the first one) and play, then as you hold down the key, turn the Mod-wheel. Even without loading a sample into a layer, you can use the onboard oscillators to generate some fantastic analogue sounding patches.

5. Edit page - Beyond the simple view page and the visualiser there is the main edit page. This is the nuts and bolts of your patch creation. It has two layers, A and B. You can load a sample from the sound source library or you can use the synth mode whereby your sound is generated with the onboard oscillators. You can manipulate both in the same way and there are many ways to manipulate the sound. The modulation capabilities are extensive and can be assigned in many ways, up to 48 assignable mod settings per patch. For example, you can assign up to six LFO's to modulate the amp, filter, samplestart etc.. you can assign an LFO to another LFO if you want to vary it's speed or depth. You can change the velocity curve, the filter type and curve. Two filters per patch, HPF/LPF/BPF at different resolutions.
You then have the envelope section for which you can zoom into. This goes into the ADSR, Filter and four modulation envelopes for which you can draw your own curves or use the onboard selections. This is very easy to edit and very useful to change the whole shape of your sound. These are also assignable from the Modulation window.
There is graintable synthesis for sample sounds only, plus FM synthesis ring modulator wave shaping and multi. The multi has a unison mode or a fantastic harmonia mode whereby you can have an extra four oscillators per layer. Overall, the edit page is huge, deep and very user friendly. Amazing. 10/10.

6. Arpeggiator - This is very easy to use and has up to 32 steps for which the length, velocity, on/off on each can be set. The arpeggiator affects the entire patch, not just a layer. The speed can be set to only whole depths, for instance, 1/8 or 1/16th, you cannot set the speed to 1/8t or 1/16 .dot . The really amazing thing about the arp on this synth is the groove lock mode. Basically, if you have a midi file that runs over a bar or two, the arp will trigger on each note within that midi file, therefore it will change the style and feel of the arp to suit the rhythm of your song. This has been designed to work well with Stylus RMX. 9/10.

7. Multi mode - So, all the above can be applied to one patch for which you can have up to 8 in one Omnisphere instrument. This is where you realise the incredible power this synth has. You can have a basic stack mode whereby you play a note and 1 to 8 patches play at the same time. You can assign each patch to a different midi channel which is not stack mode.
In stack mode you can split the patches over the keyboard, or use a velocity crossfade or the modwheel crossfade. So, you can change the sound completely through the turn of your modwheel. Then you have live mode for which you can assign program changes to midi and then flick between patches on the fly or select multiple patches. 10/10

8. Effects - Each layer 1-4 fx, so each patch can have 1 to 12 fx. Plus multi has 4 aux*4fx and master out x 4fx. The effects are brilliant, ranging from chorus, delay, reverb, compressors distortion etc. Options are limitless. 10

Overall, this synth is incredible and takes a lifetime to explore. You won't be disappointed.
Read Review

Products similar to Omnisphere 1...

Comments & Discussion for Spectrasonics Omnisphere 1

Discussion
Discussion: Active
slowdazzzle
slowdazzzle
19 December 2013 at 1:59am

@Introspective,.

You've owned Omnisphere for 5 years and don't know if it has a comb filter.??? And yet you claim to know all this other stuff about it???

THIS POST HAS BEEN REMOVED

adam2410
adam2410
25 January 2014 at 8:24am
JavaJ
JavaJ
10 February 2015 at 11:43pm

It shocking how little free patches there are for Omnisphere. So I will try uploading free ones I have been offering outside of my paid collection offerings. Also, check out www.worshipmusicians.org and the archive section for more free patches and resources. The Hillsong Omnisphere Sounds facebook group is also huge and growing- filled with lots of Omnisphere love so check it it out.

outofspace
outofspace
21 February 2015 at 5:28pm

thank you Omnisphere.

FLPhantom
FLPhantom
22 May 2016 at 12:40pm

I bought the Spectrasonics Omnisphere Software not long after it came out. We purchased several pieces of software around the same time and registered most of them (some of them, not at that time.) Here is the problem. I have the 6 DVD discs and the box and Serial Number, all intact almost brand new as the day I bought it. The serial number is directly printed on the Instruction Booklet.

Here is the problem. I do not remember registering this product. If we did, it was when I had 3 Studio Engineers working for us. One of them might have done so. However, there is no doubt I own the software. When I recently found this software, I went to install and register it. I tried registering the software, and the prompt says: "This Software is already Registered." So, then I try my 3 - 4 various emails that could have possibly been used, and all of those are "Unrecognized". The Registration will not go through, as it says the "Registration Email on File" is not on file. So, I tried to register it based on the Serial Number. It then tells me that the Registration Email has been notified and to go into that email to follow the Activation Process. Well, none of the 4 accounts that I could have / would have registered it on shows the email to activate the software.

I call in to Spectrasonics. I tell them the story. They will not tell me the email that is is "registered under". And, I assure them that I am the sole owner of this software product. And, if it WAS originally registered, it was done so in MY own studio where there were others working in my employment. The Support Person I am given could have not been more rude / accusatory.

She then tells me that I would need to go to prove my "ownership" via the original Purchase Receipt. That was in 2011! I go back through my records and find it from Thoroughbred Music. It was purchased for $479.00. But, when I called the store to get a reprint, they tell me they only keep records back from 2 years. And, they can not give me a printed record, only a Receipt Number. I called Spectrasonics back and offer the Receipt Number, but the girl tells me that will not do. My credit card receipt from that date, does not list the item I purchased, but only the PLACE from which I purchased.

Can anyone tell me HOW I can set up and USE this software AS THE OWNER of it, with the original BOX, ORIGINAL DVDS, INSTRUCTION MANUAL WITH the ACTUAL / ORIGINAL REGISTRATION NUMBER intact??? I am really disappointed in Spectrasonics. I spent almost $500 on this software and cannot even USE IT!

Thanks in advance.

Please log in to join the discussion