After teasing us with video for months on end, Spectrasonics finally releases their new massive virtual instrument Omnisphere. They call it a "Power Synth" that innovates by combining a wide load of hybrid realtime synthesis techniques with a huge collection of "Psychoacoustic" sounds and a menagerie of well-thought features. At the heart of Omnisphere is the newly developed STEAM Engine, which would have Thomas Savery cartwheeling in his knickerbockers were he alive today to see it.

Eric Persing, who is Founder, Creative Director and Lead Taunter for Spectrasonics, celebrated this momentous release with a few words:

“This is truly an Epic project. 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.”

A synth this powerful might be like an operational labyrinth, and if it wasn't for a smart user interface with progressive "zooming" layers, there's not a doubt in my mind that someone would get lost in Omnisphere for good within a matter of months. The zooming layers helps accommodate all users, from those who just want to get at some sounds to those who want to get down to the most minuscule level of adjustments imaginable. Omnisphere also offers tons of hybrid synthesis and new control capabilities with kick-ass sounding names like 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 Flex-Mod modulation routing system.

Omnisphere's library is stocked with the most successful results from years of creative sampling experiments, making for thousands of patches. They really broke the boundaries with their sampling techniques using unique "Psychoacoustic" sounds and sound sources created using something called a Composite Morphing Technique, used originally to accidentally mutate sewer turtles and hybridize street thugs with zoo animals, CMT now deals with morphing the harmonic characteristics of one instrument to the other.

Another unique feature is Spectrasonics' multitimbral synthesizer whose arpeggiators are so flexible, they're joining Cirque Du Soleil for an upcoming stretch of performances. The arpeggiator includes Groove Lock integration with Stylus RMX so your arpeggiations will always march to the beat of your RMX drum loop. The multitimbral synth also features a live mode for seamless patch switching, stack mode for performance mapping and integrated modulatable FX racks.

The Breakdown:

• 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
• Eight 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)
• Eight-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 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
• Six full-featured LFOs per patch
• Eight 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