Omnisphere 1.5 - Music Tech - April 2011
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Having produced such a defining virtual instrument as Omnisphere, you could forgive Spectrasonics for resting on its laurels somewhat. Not so for Eric Persing’s innovative company, which was quick off the mark in offering 64-bit updates as well as some 7,000+ new patches since Omnisphere was first released.
Version 1.5, though, is a more significant update for Omnisphere, bringing a wealth of new features and an interesting iPad-based user interface, all of which help the instrument to maintain its rightful position as one of the most creative and inspiring music tools available in the modern-day studio. So let’s take a closer look at the new features that this latest version has to offer – the most important of which is the intriguingly named Orb.
Before we deal with Orb, though, we should look at the various minor (or not-so-minor) improvements that have occurred across the existing components. One welcome addition is the new five-column Browser, which despite being slightly less eye-catching than the standard Browser is a far more functional way of browsing through the 8,000+sounds included giving you an elongated view of the Category, Type, Genre and Complexity sub-sections. The original Browser screen is still available if you prefer, allowing you to work as before.
Other improvements seem to focus on ‘Zoom’ screens for Omnisphere’s powerful STEAM sound engine. A particularly good example of this is the new Granular Zoom page.
In the original Omnisphere, granular processing was available, although you could be forgiven for overlooking it given the few small controls used to edit a patch’s granularity. Now, with its own Zoom page, users see a detailed overview of a layer’s granularity, with both a handy visual aid and additional Speed and Position modes. Thanks to the new Granular Zoom page, the experience feels much closer to editing tangible parameters rather than tweaking a few obscure controls.
The Orb
As we’ve already said, though, the big new addition to Omnisphere is Orb. This is nothing less than a modern-day reimagining of vector synthesis, complete with hands-on control. In essence, the Orb page – which can be controlled either using the mouse or by using Spectrasonics’ new Omni TR iPad app – is a form of intelligent ‘sound warping’ feature, with a series of intelligent patch variations mapped to the edges of a circular controller. By moving the Orb, therefore, you can transform a patch in any number of dynamic and evolving ways – and all without having to go anywhere near an edit page!
More than just a means of editing a patch, though, the Orb actually adds a whole new layer of dynamic movement and iterest to your work in Omnisphere. Rather neatly, the Orb has its own form of inertia (something that particularly comes to life on the Omni TR iPad app), so that once the Orb is set in motion it appears to bounce around the vector control much like a ball. In addition to this you can also press the Dice button to create a new set of ‘sound modifications’ on the Orb’s outer edges, as well as recording in your own Orb movements, much like a Vector envelope on something like Logic Pro’s ES2.
Omni present
Given the wealth of new features on offer in Omnisphere 1.5 – not to mention the new Omni TR ipad app – we think that Spectrasonics would have been more than justified in charging an upgrade fee and re-titling the update as Omnisphere 2.00. By choosing to keep the update free, however, it’s clear Spectrasonics wants to support both existing users and the continued development of the Omnisphere concept.
More than being just a gimmick, the combination of Orb and the Omni TR iPad represents a desire to make Omnisphere a cutting-edge, hands-on musical tool rather than just a collection of usable presets. Having been in our studio for almost two years, Omnisphere has already proved to be an indispensable part of our sound design palette. Now, as Omnisphere’s patch list grows and new features – such as the extremely useful Granular and Harmonia Zoom pages – are added to its powerful STEAM sound engine, it continues to be an inspiring and creative musical tool that never disappoints.
Verdict: With the addition of the Orb and the new Zoom screens, Omnisphere gets a new lease of life. It thus retains its title as one of the finest virtual instruments money can buy.
Rating: 10/10 plus Excellence and Choice awards
Click here for more information about Omnisphere
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