Spectrasonics Omnisphere Software Synth (Mac and Windows)

Spectrasonics Omnisphere starts and ends with its Steam Engine. If you're constructing sound on a computer you want to know that your software synth can run the gamut from creating ultra-realistic sounds to unheard of unique creations. Steam is the years in the making engine Spectrasonics uses in Omnisphere to achieve this variety.

Synthesis Reimagined

Creating sounds out of the ether requires at most a basic understanding of synthesis structure. Steam makes things such as creating your own sounds waves (through variable waveshaping) as straightforward as possible. Want to create a stinging bass lead? you will in short time with the easy to navigate and understand layout Steam uses in Spectrasonics Omnisphere. The Steam Engine lets you stay structured as it is or go all out and detailed with a modular base. You get DSP and granular synthesis plus much more wave altering technology to dial in that tone you are looking for.

Sample-or-Hold

Spectrasonics Omnisphere provides over 40GB of core sounds to start with. Those core sounds can be used as the basis to mangle or refine a specific sound you were looking for. Spectrasonics uses a pioneering Composite Morphing Techniques to generate harmonic resonances that you normally lose from traditional sampling instruments. Out of the work found in the Atmosphere the Omnisphere has updated its samples and has refined them plus added tons of new ones which sound 10-times as good. Spectrasonics Omnisphere is both Mac and Windows compatible and is a fitting culmination of years of research and development. zZounds is an authorized dealer of Spectrasonics products.

System Requirements

- 2GB or more of RAM
- Dual Layer compatible DVD-ROM drive
- 50GB of free hard drive space

Mac Recommendations

- 2.0 GHz or higher processor
- G5 PowerPC compatible - Intel Core2Duo or higher recommended
- OSX 10.4.9 or higher
- AudioUnit, VST 2.4 or RTAS capable host software
- Native Universal Binary for Intel Macs

Windows Recommendations

- Pentium 3.0 GHz or higher (Intel Core2Duo recommended)
- VST 2.4 or RTAS capable host software
- Microsoft XP SP2 or later
- Microsoft Vista compatible

Dimensions and Weight in Packaging

Shipping Weight: 1 lbs

Shipping Dimensions: 10 x 8 x 3 in

Product Description

After many years of development, Spectrasonics is proud to release the brand new flagship virtual instrument Omnisphere. This epic 'Power Synth' breaks completely new sonic ground by combining a wide variety of hybrid realtime synthesis techniques, an epic library of remarkable 'Psychoacoustic' sounds, and many innovative features that have never been seen before in any hardware or software synthesizer. The new instrument is the first to be based on Spectrasonics newly developed Steam Engine.

"This is truly an Epic project," said Eric Persing, Founder and Creative Director of Spectrasonics. "We have been working for many, many years; sampling unique sounds, experimenting, specifying the synthesis features and building the Steam Engine to run it all. It's been a very exciting process involving our team of software engineers, sound designers, musicians, and graphic artists from all over the world. We've been very deliberate in making it easy to use, and yet extremely powerful. Omnisphere is our new flagship synthesizer, and points the way to all our future virtual instruments. We are thrilled to offer a new product that will have a host of expansion capabilities in the future."

Although this new synth is extremely powerful, 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 renown 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(tm), Dual Multimode Filter structure, Chaos Envelopes(TM), an advanced Unison mode, and the innovative Flex-Mod(tm) 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 award-winning 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 multitimbral synth offers are its flexible arpeggiators with the innovative Groove Lock(tm) 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.

The culmination of many years of development, Omnisphere is an instrument of extraordinary power and versatility. Omnisphere brings many different types of synthesis together into one amazing-sounding instrument that will inspire a lifetime of exploration.

Omnisphere is cross-platform compatible with Apple Macintosh OS X 10.4 and higher as a native Universal Binary and also with Microsoft Windows XP/Vista. Audio Units, VST, and RTAS plug-in formats are supported for compatibility with all major host software.

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(tm) - 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 multitimbral 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(TM) 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(tm) 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