The many innovations include new Pattern Modes, Step Dividers, Pitch Slides and the ability to alter Chord Voicings and Chord Inversions per step.Īlso included is a new Arpeggiator Preset Library showcasing all the creative possibilities.
Omnisphere’s Arpeggiator gets a major update in v2.6 with brand new creative tools, making it one of the most flexible arpeggiators ever. Also added are 600 brand new patches and this update is completely FREE for all registered Omnisphere 2 users. The new update more than doubles the number of profiles, adding support for iconic synths including the Roland Juno-106, Super Jupiter, Alesis Andromeda and the Roland D-50.
Version 2.6 of Spectrasonics Omnisphere is available now, adding major new enhancements to the Omnisphere Arpeggiator and hugely expanding the Hardware Synth Integration feature with full support for over 65 Hardware Synths. Please note: Version 2.6 still comes in the version 2 packaging, however it is fully updated. Version 2.6 has some amazing new features that offer a vast set of possibilities to explore. Omni Potent Having developed one of the most feature-rich virtual instruments ever produced, it would be fair to say that Spectrasonics had their work cut out trying to improve on the original Omnisphere.Spectrasonic's flagship psychoacoustic virtual synth with STEAM Engine technology is back, and even better than ever. From the Arpeggiator’s new Note Transposition features, through to expanded set of Modulation options, Omnisphere 2 simply exudes creative potential!
Ultimately, there’s far more included in the Omnisphere 2 upgrade than we could possibly hope to cover, so it’s well worth looking at the new features list online to see what’s also on offer.Īlmost every part of Omnisphere has been revised, tweaked or expanded in some way, with often seemingly simple transformations having a profound impact on what Omnisphere 2 can offer.
The Innerspace works as a form of ‘textural’ impulse response processor, imposing the characteristics of a wealth of samples (like Coin Dropper, or Electric Power Tower) on the output of Omnisphere. New models include a wealth of extra distortion and amp modelling effects, some vintage phasers, flangers and a chorus unit, as well as some more contemporary offerings in the form of Quad Resonators and Innerspace. Those that like to build patches using the inbuilt DSP oscillators will be pleased to note some significant improvements in that department.
Obviously, the Audio Import feature doesn’t seek to replicate the multi-sampled dexterity of a fully-fledged software sampler, but it does offer an excellent route into the unique sonic world of Omnisphere 2 that many comparable instruments don’t offer.
There’s also plenty of fun to be had swapping existing Soundsources in the current patch for your own sample-based material, which can create plenty of interesting serendipitous results.
You can import single audio files up to 24-bit 192kHz resolution, which are then written into the STEAM folder so that they and be recalled at any point in the future.Ĭoupled with the excellent Granular Synthesis module, the Audio Import works at its best creating ambient soundscapes, where an original musical phrase is stretched, looped and mangled far beyond its original form.
The audio import is navigated through the Soundsource Browser using a new tab called User Audio. We’d also argue that the expanded DSP waveforms and their wavetable-like operation mimics the sound and operation of Native Instruments’ Massive (£169), which is a popular tool among many EDM producers. Native Instruments’ Absynth (£169) includes a granular synthesis module and imparts the same organic-like quality on many of its sounds. All existing projects will now load in Omnisphere 2, with the original Omnisphere becoming just a distant memory!Īlternatives Omnisphere 2 has a sound of its own, but there are other means of getting similar results from other software instruments.
The install merges and replaces with your existing Omnisphere, updating the STEAM folder and upgrading the instrument plug-in to version 2. As you’d expect, the Omnisphere 2 upgrade is available from Spectrasonics’ own web store, necessitating a 20GB download for the new Soundsource content included with the instrument. Although Omnisphere 2 is available as a product in its own right, most existing Omnisphere users will be keen to take advantage of the $249 upgrade.