What can be said that hasn't been said already re: Omnisphere?

The answer is: 'I don't know'. All I can really say is why it's my go-to soft synth of choice. OK, the depth of this behemoth is unbelievable, it's like a fractal of deep-diving and synthesis, easy to navigate (after a while) and the sounds you can either utilise, buy or produce yourself are amazing. Installation and licencing is fairly simple, but I would advise watching a couple of You Tube videos that cover the process properly before you get started, just to familiarise yourself with some new jargon and to know where exactly you are putting the mammoth libraries involved here. The shining light of the software, for me, is the user connectivity you can link with your hardware hardware- so human/organic sounding performances are achievable with a few clicks of the mouse. Another thing I would say that makes Spectrasonics a fantastic developer is the product support- available: I had a few questions regarding re-installation on a different system and how the licencing works across multiple machines, and I have to say the response was fast, and friendly and very helpful, something that I have found very refreshing after trying to deal with another major developer. I have used Omnisphere constantly across every project I have worked on since buying it, and although it isn't exactly cheap, it does prove that the old adage of 'you get what you pay for' is very much realism in this world of synths.

From Gear Setup

A huge library of awsome sounds and a very tweakable synth plugin with great hardware integration.

This is not a complete description of all Omnisphere can do. If you want a complete review you better head over to the Sound on Sound website and make sure you read the manual! This is also just a very personal opinion on Omnisphere and the reasons why, for me, it's a great product.

Omnisphere is a rompler. There's an extremely large amount of sampled "soundsources" available plus a very decent amount of modeled analog waveforms. All go through a subtractive synthesis engine that allows you to sculpt the sound to your liking. A big bunch of effects really put the icing on the cake. I'd don't think I'd buy these effects to mix with, but as a complement to the sound engine I think they're fine.

Omnisphere is not a sampler, meaning you can't use your own samples and create complicated keymaps, switches or round robin setups. I'm fine with that as I never use my own samples to create realistic instruments anyway. You can however import your samples and use them for granular synthesis and that I really love. You can create whole soundscapes from a short field recording or a sample from a record.

Usually I'm not a fan of multi timbral VST's. I'd rather open new instances on new tracks, because that way every instrument has it's own track in my DAW and I can easily sculpt the sound further with other plugins. Spectrasonics warns us that using multiple instances will cause extra overhead, so I was glad to find that setting up a multi in Omnisphere is really very easy. I'm having no trouble at all.

Omnisphere does one thing very well that not many VST's offer nowadays. I've always loved the sound of the Roland D-50 and Korg Wavestations. They offered kinda realistic recreations of real instruments, but really excelled at creating hybrid sounds: subtractive synthesis based on samples. Apart from Absynth I don't know any plugin that does this well, and in fact, Omnisphere does this a lot better, I think, because it's synthesis engine is so much simpler to use.

Omnisphere's huge sound library and synthesis engine becomes even more powerful if you have one of the supported hardware synths. My Nordlead has really gotten a new lease of life with Omnisphere. With the Nordlead acting as a fully integrated controller I'm tweaking away on sounds the Nordlead could never do. Software has suddenly become more hands-on then it has ever been for me.

Omnisphere is definitely the most expensive VST I have. It cost me more than many of the DAW's I've used. But the alternative to buying Omnisphere for me was not another VST. It was buying a hardware synth, because I really need that hands-on control to stay inspired. Suddenly, with the hardware integration and a Nordlead sitting next to me the price made sense. Great sonic possibilities, hands-on control, total recall from within the DAW, it's hard to beat.

If you have something like a Bassstation2 or a Miniloque and are looking for different sounds to complement these instruments Omnisphere is a unique proposition.

I do wish some user interface elements were just a little bigger. The ability to switch on or off layers, effects and the arpeggiator right from the main page is awesome, but why are these LED-like switches so damned tiny? The magnifying glasses that open the detailpages are also a bit too small to my liking. The whole interface of Omnisphere can be scaled, but only 1x will fit my 15" laptop so that does not help me much.

There's one more thing: the arpeggiator is great. It's very flexible and, yes, it's also very easy to use. You can do old fashioned arpeggiated chords and basslines, but it's also possible to choose any of the percussive patches and use the arpeggiator as a stepsequencer to create beats. I've had lot's of fun with it.

A cinematic sound beast!

Happiest mis-buyings ever, as I bought it for pianos. :P A massive library for creating ambient and cinematic soundscapes.

Softsynth perfection

Anything I say about Omnisphere is just repeating what others have said - it does everything you could want it to short of some very generic sounds like basic pianos. Other worldly soundscapes? Check. Rocking guitars? Check. Synth sounds an analog could only dream of? Check. Pads? Check. It goes above and beyond with what's available, and that's not even mentioning you get all of the content of Spectrasonics Atmosphere and loads of content derived from their amazing sample CDs like Distorted Reality and Bizarre Guitars.

What to say when it has everything!

I originally picked this one up to do strings and pads, as it excels in that. But once I began diving more under the hood, it is an extremely deep synth. The sound sources are fantastic, If I can envision a certain sound, I can more than likely find it in omnisphere. The amount of modulation and routings you can do in it gives even more possibilities. I feel like I learn something new each time I open it.

Summary of Spectrasonics Omnisphere 2.

This is the mothership of synthesizers. The massive library, advanced synthesis parameters, FX, etc. make this product a powerhouse and a must-have for every serious music producer. I've used it on all my solo albums and other music productions as well. The sounds are to die for. Rich, detailed, pristine. The price tag is quite high but this synth is absolutely worth it. This is top of the line audio software.

AMAZING

Super easy to instantly find good atmospheres and interesting sounds. I love exploring the possibilities of this plugin, it's such a fun experience! I highly recommend it if you can afford :)

Spectrasonics Omnisphere 2

This is the first version 2.0 of any Spectrasonics instrument, and it's a big one. Omnisphere is among the elite virtual synthesizer programs for producers, composers, and sound designers; and if you think this monster power synth couldn™t get any better, you™ve just been proven wrong. Introducing Omnisphere 2.0, the first v2.0 of any Spectrasonics instrument and it is truly gigantic! With Omnisphere 2.0 comes a massive variety of new synthesis options, a staggering audio library with over 10,000 sounds, a new interface with an enhanced sound browsing capability, a new and enhanced arpeggiator, 25 new effects units with flexible attributes, as well as other improvements and specialized features that make Omnipshere 2.0 a very worthy upgrade.

Dream machine

Over the past few years, I've stopped using a lot of soft-synths and have focused more on hardware. But Omnisphere remains a favorite, since it makes amazing, lush sounds that just won't come from an analog synth. It's a bit pricey, but is incredibly useful. I especially like the patch randomize button, which is a great way to hear sounds you might not have experienced otherwise. More developers should use this!

Amazing

Amazing program and a must have if you're looking to create amazing sounding productions. Great for background elements or intro leads but not the go to for drop synths