CONCEPTSIntroduction

Omnispherehasbeendesignedtoaccommodateawiderangeofoperations,frombasicinteractionwithFactoryPatchestocomprehensiveandcomplexsounddesign.TheOmnisphereinterfaceprovidesanintuitiveworkflowwhichoffersallthedepthandflexibilityyouneed.

STEAMEngine

TheSTEAMEngineisthecoretechnologycreatedbytheSpectrasonicsinhousedevelopmentteam,andisusedasthebasisofallSpectrasonicsperformanceinstruments.LikeourcoreS.A.G.E.technology,usedforgroovebasedinstrumentslikeStylusRMX,STEAMcompletesthetechnologytransitionfromearlierperformancevirtualinstrumentsthatwerebasedonthelicensedUVIEngine.

VirtualinstrumentsbuiltwiththemultitimbralSTEAMEngineofferawidevarietyofdevelopmentpossibilitiesinhybridsynthesisandcontrolcapabilities.TheseincludehighresolutionStreamingSamplePlayback,IntegratedFX,VariableWaveshapingsynthesis,Granularsynthesis,FMsynthesis,polyphonicRingModulation,TimbreShifting,andacomprehensiveFlexModmodulationroutingsystem.

TheSTEAMEngineenablesustorespondquicklytochangesintechnology.Ourinstrumentsarefullysupportedacrossindustrychangesandthisflexiblesoftwarepermitsmoreinnovationsandfastertransitionsinthefuture.JustasStylusRMX,basedonS.A.G.E.technology,madeearlycompatibilitywithApple'sIntelMacspossible,newinstrumentsbasedonSTEAMtechnologywillmakefuturetransitionsmucheasierforourcustomers.

UsingSTEAM,newproductsarebeingcreatedfromthegroundupthatsupportSpectrasonics'longtermvisionofthehighestqualitysoundsandthemostmusicallyintuitiveuserexperience.

VirtualinstrumentspoweredbySTEAMhaveunlimitedexpansionpossibilities.Thecoresoftwareisflexibleandopen,allowingsoundstobesharedacrosshostsandcomputerplatforms.NewsoundscanbeaddedtotheCoreLibraryviaPatchandSoundsourceupdates,UserAudioimport,aswellasaSatelliteInstrumentlikeTrilian.Inaddition,allSpectrasonicsvirtualinstrumentsbasedonS.A.G.E.andSTEAMtechnologiescaninteractinmusicallyusefulandinnovativewaysforasmoothercreativeflow.

CONCEPTSTheMULTI

TheMULTIisatthetopofOmnisphereshierarchyandconsistsofuptoeightParts,togetherwithfourAuxFXRacksandaMasterFXRack.

TheMultiSectioncontainsfourpages:MIXER,FX,LIVEandSTACK.TheseallowaccesstoafullfeaturedMIXER,theMultiFX,andtwoflexibleperformancemodes:LIVEMODEandSTACKMODE,whichprovideinteractiveenvironmentsforbothcompositionandliveperformance.ThesesectionsarecoveredindetailintheirrespectivesectionsoftheReferenceGuide.

SavingaMULTIislikesavingtheentirestateofthepluginforfuturerecall.AMULTIstoresallofthesettingsfromtheMIXERpage,theMultiFX,theLIVEMODEandSTACKMODEpages,allMIDILearnassignments,andallofthesettings(includinganyunsavededits)foreachoftheeightParts.

AllofOmnispheressettingsaresavedandrecalledwithaprojectinyourpluginhostsoftware.

SavinganindividualMULTIletsyourecalltheentiresavedstateofthepluginandloaditatalatertimeintonewinstancesofOmnisphere(ornewprojects)byloadingtheMULTIfromtheMULTIBrowser.

CONCEPTSParts&Patches

Omnisphereisamultitimbralinstrument,allowinguptoeightdifferentPartstobeplayedatthesametimewithinasingleinstanceoftheplugin.

EachoftheeightPartscanbethoughtofasanentiresynthesizer,completewithitsownoscillators,modulationroutings,andFX,andeachPartcanbeplayedonadifferentMIDIchannel.

ThesettingsofalleightPartsaresavedwithaMULTI,orwithyourproject.EverythingwillberecalledbyloadingthatspecificMULTIorproject.ThesettingsofaPartcanalsobeindividuallysavedasaPatch.

APatchcontainsallthesettingsthatmakeupasound,andcanbeindividuallyloadedintoanyoftheeightParts.

CONCEPTSLayers&Oscillators

EachParthastwoLayers(AandB),andeachLayerhasasetofsynthesiscontrols.

EachLayerhasitsownpolyphonicPrimaryOscillator,whichcanbesettoeitherSampleMode(usingSoundsources)orSynthMode(usingDSPWaveforms).BecauseeachLayerhasitsownindependentPrimaryOscillator,youcanmixandmatchthemodesbyusingtwoLayers.

UsingOmnispheresuniqueHarmoniafeature,eachLayercanaddupto4additionaloscillators,givingasinglePartasmanyas10separateoscillators!

Tolearnmore,pleaserefertotheextensiveOscillatorsectionoftheReferenceGuide.

NOTE:ItisntnecessarytousebothLayerswhencreatingsounds.Infact,verycomplexsoundscanbeachievedusingonlyoneLayer.

CONCEPTSSoundsources

SoundsourcesallowOmnisphere'ssynthesistobeginwithsampledsoundsinsteadofDSPwaveforms.TheyareaccessedbyselectingSampleModeintheOscillator.

Soundsourcesarebasedona'map'ofaudiosamplesstoredintheCoreLibraryofOmnisphereinSpectrasonics'proprietarySTEAMformat.ASoundsourcecanbeassimpleasasinglesamplestretchedacrossthekeyboardrangeorascomplexashundredsofchromaticallysampled,velocityswitchedmultisampleslikeyou'dfindinamodernsamplelibrary.

Omnisphere'sCoreLibrarySoundsourcesvarydramaticallyinsizefromafewkilobytestooveragigabyte.EachSoundsourcewascarefullypreparedandoptimizedbytheSpectrasonicsSoundDevelopmentteam.

LargerandmorecomplexSoundsourcestakealongertoload,butstillloadrelativelyquickly,sincetheSTEAMEngineincludesstreamingtechnologytoallowforplaybackofverylargemultisamples.Streamingallowsforthesamplestobufferoffofthecomputer'sharddriveinrealtime,insteadofallofthesampleshavingtobeloadedintothecomputer'sRAM.Inaddition,Omnisphere'ssophisticatedProgressiveLoadingallowssoundswiththousandsofsamplestobeplayedandauditionedwhiletheyarestillbeingloaded.

SoundsourcesinOmnispherearesimilartousing"programs"inasampler,buttherearesomekeydifferences:

ASoundsourcecontainsnotonlyalloftherawsamples,mappinginformation,suchaspitch,velocity,zones,andlooppointsbutalsoSoundsourceimages,notesandtags.

Soundsourcesdonotincludeenvelopes,filters,LFOs,FXoranymodulationsettings(thosearestoredinthePatch).

settings(thosearestoredinthePatch).

Forthisreason,youcanloadanewSoundsourceintoaLayer,withoutchanginganyoftheLayer'ssynthesissettings.ThisallowsyoutotakeanypatchyoulikeandcreatethousandsofvariationsbysimplychangingtheSoundsource.

Mostimportantly,theconceptofOmnisphereiscompletelydifferentthanatypicalsampler.OmnisphereisanincrediblydeepsynthesizerwithamassiveCoreLibrarythatwilltakealifetimetoexplore.

TheFactoryCoreLibraryofOmnisphereisalmost60Gbandincludesmorethan4800SoundsourcesspecificallydesignedforcompatibilitywithSTEAMenginesynthesis.Thismassivelibrarycoversawidespectrumofsounds,fromsimplerawwaveformstopsychoacousticsamples,morphingtextures,andabestofselectionfromourawardwinningsamplelibraries.TheSTEAMenginearchitectureallowsSpectrasonicstoexpandOmnispherewithnewSoundsourcesviaaSatelliteInstrumentlikeTrilian.TheUserAudioimportfeatureallowsuserstoaddtheirownaudioandmanipulateitbytakingadvantageofOmnisphere'spowerfulsynthesiscapabilities.

SpectrasonicsisconstantlyimprovingandaddingtotheFactorySoundsourceLibrary,somakesureyoustayuptodatewiththeCheckforUpdatesfeature.

CONCEPTSCommonParameters

EachLayerhasanindependentsetofsynthesiscontrols,andtherearemanyparametersthatwillonlyaffecttheindividualLayer.However,therearealsoanumberofCommonparametersthataresharedbybothLayersinaPart.MostoftheseCommonParametersareaccessiblefromtheMainPage.

Ifaparameterisnumbered,thenit'saCommonparameterthatcanbeusedbybothLayers(ex:LFO1~6,ModEnv.1~4).Ifitisn'tnumbered,thenit'sspecifictotheLayer(ex:AmpEnv.,FilterEnv.)

CommonparametersincludethesixLFOs(LFO1~LFO6),theMasterFilter,andthefourModulationEnvelopes(MOD1~MOD4).

Inaddition,eachParthasfourFXRacks:aCommonFXRack,anAuxFXRack,andanFXRackforeachLayer.Foradditionaldetail,refertoFXArchitecture

CONCEPTSTheHeader

ThetopareaoftheOmnisphereinterfaceistheHeader.TheHeaderisvisiblefromanypageinOmnisphere(exceptwhenanyFullBrowserisopen)andistheprimarynavigationareaoftheinterface.

TheHeadercontainstheUtilityMenu,MultiInformationincludingtheMultiNameDisplayandaccesstotheMULTIBrowser,indicatorsforwhenLIVEMODEorSTACKMODEareenabled,andNavigationButtonsforselectinganyofthe8Parts,theMULTISectionortheSYSTEMPage.Finally,thereisaMasterVolumeControlforadjustingtheoveralloutputlevel..

CONCEPTSUtilityMenu

TheUtilityMenuhasfoursections.ThefirstisaMIDILearnandAutomationsubmenu.ThesecondprovidesvariousInitialize,Clear,Save,Copy,&PastefunctionsforMultis,Patches,Parts,andLayers.Thethirdsectionisforaddingsoundsanduseraudio.Thefourthsectionprovidesa"factoryreset"option,theabilitytosaveasadefaultMultianddirectaccesstotheOmnisphereReferenceGuideandTutorials.

CONCEPTSMIDILearn

TheUtilityMenuprovidestheMIDILearnandAutomationoptionsthatapplytothewholeplugin.TheseincludeMIDILearnTemplates,UnlearnAll,andaccesstoaCurrentAssignmentsReport.SeetheMIDILearn&Automationsectionfordetails.

CONCEPTSClear,Save,Copy&Paste

TheUtilityMenuprovidesoptionstoInitializeorClearMultis,PatchesandLayers,andtoSaveMultisandPatches.TherearealsofunctionsthatallowPartandLayersettingstobecopiedandpasted.

InitializevsClear(Multi,Patch&Layer)

WhenyouselectInitialize(InitializeMulti,InitializePatchorInitializeLayer),allsynthesisparametersfortheMulti,PatchorLayer,willberestoredtoanunedited'default'state,includingadefaultSoundsource,loadedasastartingpoint.

WhenyouselectClear(ClearMulti,ClearPatchorClearLayer),allexistingparametersfortheMulti,PatchorLayerwillbecompletelycleared,usingnosoundsormemory.Inallcases,theMixersettingsareretained

NOTE:WhenusingtheClearfunction,nosoundsareloaded,sonosoundwillbeheardfromtheMulti,PatchorLayeruntilaSoundsourceisloaded.

InitializeMultiInitializesallcurrentMultisettings,includingallPartsandFX.TheMultiisreturnedtoanunediteddefaultstate,includingdefaultsounds.

ClearMulti

ClearsallcurrentMultisettings,includingallSoundsources,PartsandFX.ThiswillresultinacompletelyemptyMulti.

SaveMulti

SelectingtheSaveMultioptionwillopenaFileSavedialogue.AfternamingandsavingtheMULTI,theEDITTAGSinterfacewillopen,allowingyoutoassignvariousAttributeTypesandAssignments,addcustomAssignments,andaddyourownKeywordsandNotestotheMULTI.

Onceyouhavefinishededitingthetags,clicktheSAVEbuttontofinishsavingtheMULTI.YoumayalsocancelthesaveprocessbyclickingtheCANCELbutton.

WhensavingaMULTI,theentirestateofthepluginissaved.ThisincludestheMIXER,LIVEMODEandSTACKMODEsettings,MultiFX,MIDILearnassignments,aswellasallPartsettings.EvenifaParthasbeenmodifiedbutnotyetsavedasanindividualPatch,itssettingswillalsobesavedwiththeMULTI.

InitializePatch

InitializesallcurrentPatchsettings,includingallModulationroutingandFX.ThePatchisreturnedtoanunediteddefaultstate,includingthedefaultsound

SavePatch

SelectingtheSavePatchoptionwillopenaFileSavedialogue.AfternamingandsavingthePatch,theEDITTAGSinterfacewillopen,allowingyoutoassignvariousAttributeTypesandAssignments,addcustomAssignments,andaddyourownKeywordsandNotestothePatch.

NOTE:PatchesmustbesavedintoaCategoryfolderintheSTEAMfolder.Thiscanbeeitheranexistingfolder,orausercreatedfolderinsidethePatchesfolder

Onceyouhavefinishededitingthetags,clicktheSAVEbuttontofinishsavingthePatch.YoumayalsocancelthesaveprocessbyclickingtheCANCELbutton.

SavePatchQuick

WheneditinganalreadysavedPatch,thenewchangescanbesavedwithouthavingtobringupthesavedialogueandTagEditor.SavePatchQuickwillsimplyoverwritethepreviousversion.Aconfirmationdialoguewillpopuptoconfirmthesave.

ReverttoSavedPatch

RevertsthePatchtothesavedparameters.

CopyPart

ThiscommandisusedtocopythesettingsfromasinglePart.ThesesettingscanthenbepastedtoanotherPartusingthePastePartcommand.TocopyaPart,selectthePartusingtheNavigationButtonsintheHeader,andthenselecttheCopyPartcommandfromtheUtilityMenu.

PastePart

AfteraParthasbeencopiedusingtheCopyPartcommand,itcanbepastedtoanotherPart.TopasteacopiedPart,selectthedestinationPartusingtheNavigationButtonsintheHeader,andthenselectthePastePartcommandfromtheUtilityMenu.

ClonePart1

SelectingClonePart1copiesPart1toParts28.ThisallowsformakingeditsinPart1,andtheneasilycopyingittotheotherpartssoallpartshavethesamePatch.

ClonePart1facilitatestheuseofOmnispherewithadvancedMIDIcontrollerslikeaMIDIguitar,HakenContinuum,EigenHarp,MorphWhizMIDI,etc.,whichhavetheabilitytosendMIDImessagesinnontraditionalways.Forexample,onaMIDIguitar,eachstringisusuallysettoitsownchannel,andontheHakenContinuumandtheEigenharp,anewchannelispickedforeachsuccessivenotethatisplayed.

UsingthisfeaturewithadvancedcontrollerssuchastheseexpandstheperformancecapabilitiesofOmnispherebyallowingpitchbendandotherContinuousControllerMIDImessagesonindividualnotes.ThisismadepossiblebysendingoutconsecutivenotesondifferentMIDIchannels.

NOTE:BesuretochecktheClonePart1MIDILearns&MakeOmnisection

InitializeLayer

InitializesallsettingsfortheselectedLayer,restoringallsynthesisparameterstoanunediteddefaultstate,andincludesthedefaultsound.

defaultstate,andincludesthedefaultsound.

NOTE:Becausemodulationroutingscantranscendasinglelayer,theModMatrixisapropertyofthePart,nottheLayer.Forthisreason,initializingaLayerdoesnotaffectexistingmodulationroutings.

ClearLayer

ClearsallsettingsfortheselectedLayer,includingallSoundsources,ModulationroutingandFX.ThiswillresultinacompletelyemptyLayer.

CopyLayer

ThiscommandisusedtocopythesettingsfromasingleLayer.ThesesettingscanthenbepastedtoanotherLayerusingthePasteLayercommand.TocopyaLayer,selectitusingtheLayertabsintheEditPage,andthenselecttheCopyLayercommandfromtheUtilityMenu.

PasteLayer

AfteraLayerhasbeencopiedusingtheCopyLayercommand,itcanbepastedtoanotherLayer.TopasteacopiedLayer,selectthedestinationLayerusingtheLayertabsintheEditPage,andthenselectthePasteLayercommandfromtheUtilityMenu.

NOTE:ModulationRoutingsarenotincludedwiththesettingsthatarecopiedandpastedusingtheCopy/PasteLayercommands.

CONCEPTSAddSounds&UserAudio

AddSounds

AddingsoundstoyourlibrarythathavebeensharedbyotherOmnisphereusersissimple!

OmnispheresoundssharedusingtheSharingfeatureareconvenientlycollectedintoasingle.omnispherefile.Fileswiththeextension.omnipsherecanbeaddedtoyourlibraryinasingleoperation,whichautomaticallyimportsallthenecessarycomponents(Multis,PatchesandUserSoundsources)toplaythosesoundsintoyourOmnispherelibrary.

Thisfeaturehandlesthefilemanagementforyou,withoutleavingOmnisphere.

Onceyouhavereceivedtheshared.omnispherefile,select"AddSounds"intheUtilityMenuandfollowtheinstructions.

Oncetheprocessisdone,theaddedPatcheswillbefoundinthe"Sharing"DirectoryofthePatchBrowser,Multiswillbefoundinthe"Sharing"DirectoryoftheMultiBrowser,andSoundsourceswillbefoundinthe"User"DirectoryoftheSoundsourceBrowser.

UserAudio

OmnisphereallowsyoutoimportyourownaudiotouseasSoundsourcesandtocreateyourownPatchesandMultis.YoucanprocessandmanipulateyourownaudioincreativewaysusingOmnisphere'spowerfulsynthesiscapabilities.EachimportedaudiofilewillbecomeaUserSoundsourceinOmnisphere.

Select"UserAudio"fromtheUtilityMenuandfollowtheinstructions.Aftertheimportprocessiscomplete,theSoundsourceBrowserwillbedisplayedandyouraudio(nowanOmnisphereUserSoundsource),willbeautomaticallyselectedandplayedbackatthenoteanddurationsetbytheAuditionNotesettings.

Todeletetheaudioyouimported,youcandosobylocatingititinyourharddriveinthe

followingdirectory:

STEAM/Omnipshere/Soundsources/User/

Afterdeletingit,youmustclickthe"Refresh"buttoninyourSoundsourceBrowsertoreflectthechanges.

NOTE:EachimportedaudiofilewillbecomeaUserSoundsourceinOmnisphere.TheUserAudioimportfunctiondoesnotsupportzonemaps,roundrobins,multiplevelocities,etc.Remember,Omnisphereisnotasampler,isasynthesizer.Theobjectiveisnottoplaymultisampledinstrumentslikeasampler,buttobecreativeintransformingyourownaudio.

CONCEPTSSaveAsDefaultMulti

SavingaMultiislikesavingtheentirestateofthepluginforfuturerecall.AMultistoresallofthesettingsfromtheMIXERpage,theMultiFX,theLIVEMODEandSTACKMODEpages,allMIDILearnassignmentsandAutomation,aswellasallofthesettings(includinganyunsavededits)foreachoftheeightParts.

BysavingaDefaultMulti,youcancustomizeOmnispheretoloadallofyourpreferredsettingseachtimeyouopenanewinstance.

CONCEPTSReferenceGuide

SelectingthisoptionfromtheUtilityMenuwillopentheonlineOmnisphereReferenceGuide.TheReferenceGuidewillbedisplayedusingyourdefaultWebBrowser.

TheReferenceGuideisindexed,soyoucansearchtheGuide,printchapters(clickthePrintIconnexttoanychaptertoloadprintablepages),orsaveitasaPDF.RefertoyoursystemguideforhowtocreatePDFs.

CONCEPTSResetDefaultsandPreferences

TheUtilityMenuprovidestheabilitydoafactoryresetbyselectingResetDefaultsandPreferences.

Afterselectingthisoption,amessagewillbedisplayed,warningyouthatthisactionwilloverwriteyourdefaultMultianduserpreferences.

AconfirmationdialogwillbedisplayedafterthedefaultMultiandpreferencesarereset.

CONCEPTSLIVE/STACKMODEIndicators

WheneitherLIVEMODEorSTACKMODEisenabled,youllseeLIVEMODEorSTACKMODEdisplayedontheleftsideoftheOmnisphereheader.

CONCEPTSMultiDisplay

ThispartoftheHeadercontainstheMultiNameDisplay,MultiSteppers,andaFoldericonforaccesstotheMultiBrowser.

SelectingtheFoldericon,oranywhereinsidetheMultiNameDisplay,willopentheMultiBrowser.AfteraMULTIhasbeenloaded,thenameoftheMULTIwillbedisplayedintheMultiNameDisplay.

TheMultiStepperbuttons(up/downarrows)willloadthenextorpreviousMULTIfromtheLibrary,basedonthecurrentfilteredresultsintheMultiBrowser.ThebuttonsstepthroughtheavailableMULTISoneatatime.

CONCEPTSNavigationButtons

TheNavigationButtonsintheheaderareusedtoselectandviewanyoftheeightParts,theMultiSectionortheSystemPage.Onlyonebuttoncanbeselectedatatime.

PartSelectButtons(1~8)

Buttons18arePartSelectButtons.SelectingaPartletsyouaccessandviewanyofthepagesforthatPart,includingtheOrb,Main,LayerA,LayerB,PatchFXpages,andtheArpeggiatorPage.

MULTIButton

SelectingtheMULTIbuttongivesyouaccesstoanyofthepagesintheMultiSection,includingtheMIXER,Aux/MasterFX,andtheLIVEMODEandSTACKMODEpages.

SYSTEMButton

SelectingtheSYSTEMbuttonopenstheSystempage,whichcontainspreferencesandsettingsfortheentireplugin.

NOTE:RightclickonaPartSelectButtontohearthecurrentlyloadedsound.Itwillplayaslongasthebuttonispressed(oruntilthesounddecays).The"AuditionNote"settingintheBrowserSettingsZoomdeterminesthepitch.

CONCEPTSMasterVolumeControl

TheMasterVolumeslidercontrolstheoutputofthewholeplugin,andincludesameter,whichprovidesareferencetotheoutputsignal.TherangeoftheMasterVolumesliderisinfdB~9.54dB.

CONCEPTSDropdownMenus(DownArrows)

Adownwardfacingarrowindicatesthatadropdownmenuisavailable.TherearenumerousdropdownmenusintheOmnisphereinterface,whichprovideaccesstosettings,Presets,MIDILearn,Automationandotherfunctions.

CONCEPTSContextualMenus(Right/ControlClick)

ContextualMenusareanimportantpartoftheOmnisphereinterface,andprovideconvenientaccesstomanyimportantfunctions.

Right/ControlclickingalmostanywhereintheOmnisphereinterfacewillbringupacontextualmenu.Thecontentsofthemenuwilldependonwherethecursorisplacedwhenthecontextualmenuisopened.

Forexample,Right/ControlclickingoverablankareaoftheOmnisphereHeaderwillrevealtheUtilityMenu.Right/ControlclickingaknoborsliderwilltypicallyrevealamenuofMIDILearn,Modulation&Automationoptions.

CONCEPTSUp/DownSteppers

Steppers(up/downarrows)arelocatedthroughouttheOmnisphereinterface,andareusedtostepthroughvaluesorloadsavedsettings,incrementingordecrementingoneatatime.Inthepictureabove,clickingthearrowswillstepthroughthedifferentLFOwaveformsavailable.

CONCEPTSZoomIconButtons

OneofthefeaturesofOmnispheresinterfacedesignisthatitonlyrevealsitsdepthandcomplexityonanasneededbasis.TheZoomIconButtonsprovideaccesstoZoomViews,whereyoucanviewexpandedinformationorinteractwithOmnispheresmoreadvancedfeatures.

AmagnifyingglassiconnexttoafunctionindicatesthataZoomViewisavailable.Selectingtheiconwitha+insideitopenstheZoomViewforthatfunction.WhenaZoomViewisopen,selectingthemagnifyingglassiconwithainsideit,closestheZoomView.

ZoomViewsareavailableforModulation,Filters,Envelopes,VelocityCurves,Soundsourceinfo,Patchinfo,MULTIinfoandLIVEMODEsettings.

TherearealsoZoomButtonsintheBrowsersthataccessBrowsersettings,theTagEditor,andMulti,PatchorSoundsourceinfo.

CONCEPTSFolderIconButtons(BrowserAccess)

BesidestheMiniBrowser,therearethreeFullBrowsersbuiltintoOmnisphere,oneeachforMultis,Patches,andSoundsources.AllthreeFullBrowsershaveidenticalfunctions,butaccessdifferentpartsoftheCoreLibrary.

AnywherethatyouseeaFoldericon,youwillbeabletoaccessthatBrowserbyclickingontheFolder.IfthereisaNameDisplaynexttotheFoldericon,youcanalsoclickinsidetheNameDisplaytoopentheBrowser.

MultiBrowser

WhenanyoftheMultipagesareselected(Mixer,FX,Live,orStack)theMiniMultiBrowserwillbedisplayedontheleft.TheFullMultiBrowsercanbeaccessedfromtheHeader,orbyselectingthemagnifyingglassiconnexttotheMiniMultiBrowsernamedisplay.

PatchBrowser

TheMiniPatchBrowserisautomaticallydisplayedontheleftareaoftheinterfacewhenanyPartpageisselected.

TheFullPatchBrowsercanbeaccessedfromanyPatchNameDisplay(includingtheonesintheMixerPage)fromtheLIVEMODEpagewhenMixerControlsareenabledandfromtheSTACKMODEpagebyrightclickingonaregion.ItcanalsobeaccessedbyselectingthemagnifyingglassiconnexttotheMiniPatchBrowsernamedisplay.

SoundsourceBrowser

TheSoundsourceBrowserisaccessedbyclickingontheSoundsourceimageinthecenteroftheLayerPageswhentheoscillatorisinSAMPLEmode.ItcanalsobeaccessedbyclickingontheSoundsourceimageintheMainpageundertheLayerstab.

TolearnmoreabouttheBrowsersinOmnisphere,pleaseseetheBrowsersectionoftheReferenceGuide.

CONCEPTSKnobs&Sliders

Usingamouse,KnobsandSliders(verticalandhorizontal)areadjustedbyclickinganddragging.Shiftclickanddragformorepreciseadjustments.MostKnobsandSlidersinOmnispherecanbeMIDILearnedfordirectcontrolfromaMIDIdevice.

Knobs

VerticalSliders

HorizontalUnidirectionalSlider

HorizontalBidirectionalSlider

MiniSliders

CONCEPTSFloatingParameterValues

AdjustingKnobsandSliderswilldisplaytheircurrentsettingorvalueinafloatingdisplayabovethecontrols.HoldingdowntheSHIFTkeywhileadjustingKnobsandSlidersallowsformorepreciseadjustments.

CONCEPTSButtons

Buttonsareusedforchoosingsectionsorselectingfromamongmultiplesofasingletype.Whenselected,Buttonswillbehighlightedinblue.Forexample,thereare6LFOButtons.Whenoneofthemishighlighteditmeansitisselected,andthatLFO'ssettingsaredisplayed.

PageButtons(raisedbutton)

SubPageButtons(smallerraisedbuttonsselectsubpages)

CONCEPTSSwitches(Toggles)

Switchesletyoutogglecertainparametersonandofforswitchbetweenmultipleoptions.Whenaparameterisenabledorselected,theswitchwillbehighlighted.ForexampleontheLayerPages,switchestogglebetweenSAMPLEModeandSYNTHMode,toggleLFOSynconandoff,orselectbetweenVelocityCurvesettings.PowerButtonsarealsoatypeofSwitch,anexamplebeingtheFILTERSOn/OffButton.

ModeSwitches(flatbuttonsthataresidebysideareModeSwitches)

Switches(flatbuttonsthataresidebysideareModeSwitches)

PowerSwitches

CONCEPTSIndicatorSwitches

IndicatorSwitchescanbebothastatusindicatorandatoggle.ExamplesofIndicatorSwitchescanbefoundbelowpagebuttons:theLEDsbelowORB,A,B,andARPindicatewhetherthefeatureisenabledornot,anddoubleasatoggletoenable/disablethem.TheLEDsbelowMAINandFXareindicatorsonly:thewillbelitupwhenaparameterchangesfromitsdefaultposition.

CONCEPTSKeyModifiers

ThereareanumberofOmnispherefunctionsthataremodifiedbycombiningamouseclick(orclickanddrag)withoneofthreeKeyModifierstheCommand/Controlkey,Shiftkey,ortheOption/Altkey.Inthemanualthesearereferredtoas:

ControlClick(Macusers,useCommandclick)

Sliders&Knobs:resetsthesliderorknobtoaneutralordefaultposition.

Browsers:allowsselectionofmultipleAttributes.

Envelopes(editing):ControlclickanddragtoengagetheLockfunction.

ShiftClick

Sliders&Knobs:Shiftclickanddragallowsfinerandmorepreciseadjustmentstovalues.

Envelopes(editing):ShiftclickanddragtoengagetheZoomX/Yfunction

OptionClick(PCusers,useAltclick)

Envelopes(editing):OptionclicktoengagetheSnapfunction.

Knobs:Optionclickonaparametertodisplayitsvaluewithoutchangingit.

NOTE:Omnispheredefaultstolinearmode.Yourhostmaydetermineadifferentdefaultmode,butyoucanstilltemporarilyswitchtothealternatemodebyusingOptionclick.

CONCEPTSParameterControl

UnderstandingParameterControl

TherearethreewaystocontrolparametersinOmnisphere:Modulation,MIDILearnandAutomation.

DecidingwhichtypeofParameterControltousedependsonanumberoffactorsincludingwhichhostyouuse,whichparametersyouwanttoautomateandwhattypeofphysicalcontroller(ifany)youwishtousetocontroltheparameters.Herearesomeguidelines:

Modulation

ModulationoffersthemostsophisticatedmethodofcontrollingOmnisphere'sparameters.Thismethodallowsscaling,canusealmostanyMIDIMessage(Wheel,PitchBend,Aftertouch,Notes,etc.),andissaved/recalledwitheachPatch.

TolearnmoreaboutModulation,pleaserefertotheModulationsection.

Automation

WithAutomationmessages,changesmadetoparametersusingthemousecanberecordedinthehostsoftware.Parameteradjustmentsaretypicallywrittentoanautomationtrack,andinsomehosts,youcandrawtheautomationcurvesdirectlyintothetrack.Thismethodismostusefulformixingandfinetuningparameterchangesovertimeonanexistingperformanceinyourhost.

TolearnmoreaboutAutomation,pleaserefertotheAutomationsection.

MIDILearn

MIDILearnenablesfullremotecontrolofOmnisphere'sparametersfromMIDIDevices.AlmostanyparameterinOmnispherecanbeMIDILearned.MIDILearnassignmentsaresavedwiththeMultiorwithyourproject.ThismethodisidealforliveperformanceorrecordingMIDIcontrolledchangesintoyourhostonthefly.ParameteradjustmentsusingMIDILearnaretypicallywrittentoaMIDITrackinthehostsoftware.MIDILearnassignmentsfortheplugincanalsobeseparatelysavedandloadedastemplatepresets.

Right/ControlclickingaparameterinOmnisphereopensacontextualmenuthatoffersoptionsforallthreemethodsofAutomation:Modulation,MIDILearnandHostAutomation.

forallthreemethodsofAutomation:Modulation,MIDILearnandHostAutomation.

HostAutomationandMIDILearngiveyoutheabilitytocontrolalmostanyoftheparametersofOmnisphereandtorecordandeditanyadjustmentsinyourhost.

TolearnmoreaboutMIDILearn,pleaserefertotheMIDILearnsection.

NOTE:AftersettingupallofyourMIDILearnandHostAutomationassignments,youcansaveaDefaultMulti,whichwillloadallofyourcustomassignmentseachtimeyouopenanewinstanceofOmnisphere.

CONCEPTSHostAutomation

AllMIDIlearnableparametersinOmnispherecanalsobeautomatedusingtheHostAutomationfeature.EachhosthandlesHostAutomationdifferently,soit'simportanttounderstandhowyourspecificsoftwarewillinteractwithOmnisphere.

EnablingHostAutomation

TomakeaHostAutomationassignmentforaparameterinOmnisphere,Right/Controlclickaparametertoopenitscontextualmenu,andthenselecttheEnableHostAutomationoption.

TheparameterwillbeassignedthenextavailableHostAutomationIDnumber,fromlowesttohighest.Onceassigned,changesmadetotheparameterusingtheOmnisphereinterfacecanberecordedinrealtimeinthehostsoftware.

NOTE:Ifyourhostdoesn'tdisplayHostAutomationassignmentsbyname,usetheShowCurrentAssignmentstodisplaytheparameternamesalongwiththeircorrespondingHostAutomationIDnumbers.

AllHostAutomationassignmentsarestoredwiththeMulti,savedwiththehostprojectfile,andcanalsobesavedwithaMIDILearnTemplate.

NOTE:Youcanenableupto512HostAutomationparameters.Ifyouneedmorethan512assignments,considerusingMIDILearntogetherwithHostAutomation.

TechnicalConsiderations

Thereare512parameterslotsinOmnispherethatcanbeautomated.EachslotisassignedauniqueAutomationID,numberedfrom0to511,whichcorrespondtothelistofparametersthatcanbeautomatedinthehostoronyourcontrolsurface.Forexample,slot0isthefirstparameterinthehostoronthecontrolsurface,thenextoneisnumber1,etc.YoucanassignanyparameterinOmnispheretooneoftheseslotsusing"EnableHostAutomation."Theparameterwillbeassignedtothenextavailableslotandmaythenbeautomated.

Parameterautomationiscapableoftwowaycommunication.Ifyourhostandcontrolsurfacesupportit,yourcontrolsurfacecandisplaythenamesoftheparameterscontrolledbyeachknoborfader,andeachcontrolcanautomaticallyupdatetoshowthecurrentvalueofaparameter.Forexample,manycontrolsurfaceswithmotorizedfadersautomaticallydisplay

andupdateparameternamesinrealtime,whichisveryusefulwhenopeningsongsthat

containpluginscontrolledbythesurface.

Somehostshavealimitonthenumberofparametersthatareavailabletobeautomatedbythehost.Forexample,someonlypermitthefirst128parametersofaplugintobeautomated.Inothers,thelimitis1024parameters.Bycomparison,Omnispherehasnearly20,000parameters!

Ifyou'reworkinginahostthatlimitsthenumberofautomationparameters,youcanalsouseOmnisphere'sMIDILearnfeaturetoautomateitsparameters.ThecombinationofHostAutomationandMIDILearngivesyoupowerfulrealtimecontrolofvirtuallyeveryparameterofOmnisphere.

HostSpecificNotes

AbletonLiveAfterEnablingHostAutomationforaspecificparameter,itisnecessarytoalsomovethatparameterintheOmnisphereinterfacetocompletetheassignment.

LogicAftersettingupallofyourMIDILearnandHostAutomationassignments,youcansaveaDefaultMulti,whichwillloadallofyourcustomassignmentseachtimeyouopenanewinstanceofOmnisphere.LogicUserswillseealllearnedHostAutomationparametersbynameuponload.

CONCEPTSMIDILearn

MIDILearnisanimmenselypowerfulfeaturethatallowsyoutoremotecontrolvirtuallyanyonscreenparameterwithaMIDIcontroller.ItisaveryflexiblesystemthatcanadapttotheMIDIdeviceyouuseandallowschangesmadetoanylearnedparametertoberecordedbythehostapplication.

WhileHostAutomationsupportvarieswidelyamonghosts,almostallhostshavetheabilitytorecordandeditMIDImessagesreceivedfromaMIDIcontroller.

ThebasicprocessofpairingaphysicalcontroltoanOmnisphereparameterusingMIDILearnisextremelysimple:

Right/ControlclickanOmnisphereparameter.

SelectMIDICCLearn(orMIDINoteLearn)fromthecontextualmenu.

Moveaphysicalcontrol(orplayanote)ontheMIDIdevicethatisconnectedtoOmnisphere.

TheOmnisphereparameterwillbeinstantlypaired,andcanthenbecontrolledusingthatphysicalcontrol.AllMIDILearnassignmentsarestoredwiththeMULTI,savedwiththehostprojectfile,andcanalsobesavedasaMIDILearnTemplate.

KeyMIDILearnConcepts

ThereareafewkeyMIDILearnconceptsthatwillhelptounderstandhowflexiblethesystemis:

AllLearnableparameterscanbecontrolledusingMIDILearn,andarealsoavailableforusewithHostAutomation.

AsinglephysicalcontrolcanbepairedwithmultipleparametersinOmnisphere.Forexample,asinglephysicalknobcouldbesetuptocontrolbothCutoffandResonance.

AsingleparameterinOmnispherecanbecontrolledbymultiplephysicalcontrols.OneusefulwaytousethisistocreatesubmixesusingtheMixer.YoucangangdifferentgroupsofPartlevelsintheMixer,eachcontrolledbyasinglephysicalfader.Forexample,Parts1~4controlledbyonefader,andParts3~6controlledbyasecondfader.Inthisexample,twodifferentphysicalfaderswouldcontrolParts3&4.

AMIDIdevicesendingonanyMIDIchannelcancontrolMIDILearnedparametersonanyofOmnisphere'sParts/MIDIChannels.ThismeansthatyoucanuseaMIDIdevicewithallofitscontrolsassignedtoasinglechannel,butstillcontrolanyparameteronanyofOmnisphereeightparts.

AssignmentscanbemadetoreceiveinOmnimodesothatwhenasequencer'strackischanged,allofthecontrolsarestillactiveregardlessoftheincomingMIDIchannelassignment.

MIDIControlChange,NotesandProgramChangemessagesaresupported,butPitchBendandAftertouchmessagesarenotcurrentlysupportedintheMIDILearnsystem.

CONCEPTSMIDILearnMenus

UtilityMenu

TheUtilityMenuhasthreesections.ThefirstisaMIDILearnandAutomationsubmenu.ThesecondprovidesvariousInitialize,Clear,Save,Copy&PastefunctionsforMultis,Patches,PartsandLayers.Thethirdsectionprovidesafactoryresetoption,theabilitytosaveasadefaultMultianddirectaccesstotheOmnisphereReferenceGuideandTutorials.

MIDILearnTemplate

AllMIDILearn&AutomationassignmentsaresavedwithaMULTI,buttherearetimeswhenitmakessensetosaveaMIDILearn&Automationconfigurationforusewithanotherprojectorenvironment.

MIDILearn&AutomationTemplatesallowcustomsetupstobesavedandeasilyrecalledwhenevertheyreneeded.

SelectSaveTemplatefromtheMIDILearn&Automationsubmenu,tostoreallcurrentMIDILearn&Automationassignmentsforlaterrecall.SelectingthisoptionwillopenaFileSavedialogue,allowingtheTemplatetobenamedandsaved.

SelectLoadMIDILearnTemplatetoloadapreviouslysavedTemplate.AnyexistingMIDILearnassignmentswillbereplacedwiththeassignmentsstoredintheTemplate.SelectingthisoptionwillopenaFileLoaddialogue,allowingasavedTemplatetobeloaded.

optionwillopenaFileLoaddialogue,allowingasavedTemplatetobeloaded.

NOTE:BeforesavingaMIDILearnTemplate,youcanuseMIDILearnReport(seebelow)topreviewtheassignmentsthatwillbesavedwiththeTemplate.ThisisalsoaconvenientwaytoverifyassignmentsafteraMIDILearnTemplatehasbeenloaded.

UnlearnNextMIDIDevice

WhenaphysicalcontrollerhasbeenMIDILearned,youcanusethisoptiontoUnlearnit.Toaccomplishthis,selectUnlearnNextMIDIDevicefromthemenu,thenmovethephysicalcontrolleronyourMIDIDevice.

UsingMIDILearn,asinglecontrollercanhavemorethanoneparameterassignedtoit.Thisoptionisespeciallyconvenientifyouarecontrollingmorethanoneparameterwithasinglephysicalcontroller.Itallowsyoutoclearallassignmentsforthespecificcontroller,withouthavingtoUnlearneachparameterindividually.

UnlearnNextParameter

WhenaparameterintheOmnisphereinterfacehasbeenMIDILearned,youcanusethisoptiontoUnlearnit.Toaccomplishthis,selectUnlearnNextParameterfromthemenu,thenselectandmovetheparameterthatyouwishtoUnlearn.

Thisisausefulfeaturewhenyouhavemorethanoneparameterassignedtoasinglephysicalcontroller.AsingleparametercanbeUnlearned,whiletherestwillremainassignedtothephysicalcontroller.

MakeControlsOmni

AssignmentscanbemadetoreceiveinMIDIOmnimodesothatwhenasequencerstrackischanged,allofthecontrolsarestillactiveregardlessoftheincomingMIDIchannelassignment.

OmnisphereisMIDIinputchannelsensitivewhenMIDILearning.ThismeansthatitcandistinguishbetweenabuttontransmittingCh1andthesamebuttontransmittingCh2.

SelectingthisoptionallowsallnonclonedMIDILearnsettingstorespondtoanyincomingMIDIchannel(e.g.MIDIOmnimodereception).ThisisveryusefulwhenyouwantOmnispheretorespondtoanexternalcontrolregardlessofthecurrentincomingMIDIchannel.

UnlearnAll

SelectingthisoptionwillclearallexistingMIDILearnandAutomationassignments.

ClonePart1MIDILearns

UsethisoptiontocloneallnonomniPart1MIDILearnassignmentstoallotherPartsintheMulti,andacrossallotherMIDIchannels.

ClonePart1MIDILearns&MakeOmni

ThisoptionclonesallnonomniPart1MIDILearnassignmentstoallotherPartsintheMultiacrossallotherMIDIchannelsandmakesthemOmni.UsethisoptionwhenyouwantyourassignmentstotrackthepartselectionsmadeinLiveMode.

ShowCurrentAssignments

ShowCurrentAssignmentsdisplaysallexistingMIDILearn&Automationassignmentsasaformattedreport.TheinformationwillbedisplayedusingyourdefaultWebBrowser.ThisisespeciallyusefulforcheckingexistingMIDILearn&AutomationassignmentsbeforesavingaMULTIoraMIDILearn&AutomationTemplate,ortoverifyassignmentsafterloading

savingaMULTIoraMIDILearn&AutomationTemplate,ortoverifyassignmentsafterloadingaMIDILearn&AutomationTemplate.

MIDILearnReport

TheMIDILearnReportdisplaysallexistingMIDILearnassignments,andincludesHostAutomationassignments.TheReportwillbedisplayedusingyourdefaultWebBrowser.

TheMIDILearnReportisespeciallyusefulforcheckingexistingMIDILearnassignmentsbeforesavingaMULTIoraMIDILearnTemplate,ortoverifyassignmentsafterloadingaMIDILearnTemplate.

NOTE:IfyourhostdoesntdisplayHostAutomationassignmentsbyname,useShowCurrentAssignmentstodisplaytheparameternamesalongwiththeircorrespondingHostAutomationIDnumbers.

IgnoreAssignmentsWhenLoadingMulti(Toggle)

WhenloadingaMULTI,thisoptiondetermineswhetherOmnispherewillignoreorloadtheMIDILearnassignmentsthatweresavedwiththeMULTI.

WhentheIgnoreAssignmentsoptionisenabled(indicatedbyacheckmarkdisplayednexttoitinthemenu),OmnispherewillignoreanyMIDILearnassignmentsthatweresavedwiththeMULTI.Instead,allexistingassignmentswillberetained.

WhentheIgnoreAssignmentsoptionisdisabled(nocheckmarknexttoitinthemenu),OmnispherewillreplaceallexistingassignmentswiththeMIDILearnassignmentsthatweresavedwiththeMULTI.

NOTE:TheIgnoreAssignmentsoptionretainsitssettingacrosssessions.IfyoufindthatMIDILearnassignmentsarentbehavingasexpectedafterloadingaMULTI,pleaseverifythattheIgnoreAssignmentsoptionisproperlyset.

CONTEXTUALMENU

ContextualMenusprovideparameterspecificMIDILearnoptions,andincludeModulationandHostAutomationoptionsaswell.

IfaparametercanbeMIDILearned,thefollowingMIDILearnoptionswillbeavailablewhenyouRight/Controlclickdirectlyontheparameter:

MIDICCLearn

Selectthisoption,thenmoveorpressacontrolonyourMIDIcontroller.ThecontrolwillthenbepairedwiththeOmnisphereparameter.

MIDICCLearnInverted

Whenyouselectthisoption,thenmoveorpressacontrolonyourMIDIcontroller,thecontrolwillbepairedwiththeOmnisphereparameter.However,thevalueswillbeinverted.Forexample,asyouincreasethevalueofthephysicalcontrol,thevalueoftheOmnisphereparameterwilldecrease.

MIDINoteLearn

SelectthisoptionthenplayanoteonyourMIDIcontroller.ThatNotewillthencontroltheassignedOmnisphereparameter.OnceaNotehasbeenMIDILearneditwillnolongertriggerasoundwhenOmnispherereceivesNoteOnmessagesfromthatNote,itwillonlycontroltheassignedparameter.

MIDINoteLearnInverted

Whenyouselectthisoption,thenplayanoteonyourMIDIcontroller,thatNotewillthencontroltheassignedOmnisphereparameter.However,thevalueswillbeinverted.OnceaNotehasbeenMIDILearneditwillnolongertriggerasoundwhenOmnispherereceivesNoteOnmessagesfromthatNote,itwillonlycontroltheassignedparameter.

NOTE:WhenyouMIDILearnavariablerangeparameter(suchasaknoborslider)usingMIDINoteLearn,theNoteOn/Offmessageswilltoggletheparametertoitsmaximumandminimumpositionsrespectively.WhenusingMIDINoteLearnInverted,thevaluesarereversed,soNoteOnwouldtoggletotheminimumvalue,NoteOffwouldtoggletothemaximumvalue.

Unlearn

SelectthisoptiontoclearallMIDILearnassignments,includingHostAutomationassignments,forthisparameter.

ShowLearns

UsethisoptiontoshowallMIDILearnassignmentsforthisparameter.ApopupdialoguewillopenshowingallCCand/orNotenumbersassigned,orwillnotifyyouiftherearenocurrentassignments.

CONCEPTSCPUOptimization&Conservation

OneofthemostdifficultquestionstoanswerishowmuchCPUpowerOmnisphereuses.Thereasonit'ssodifficulttoanswerisbecauseSTEAMwasdesignedasaveryflexibleandopensystem,whichallowsyoutofreelyaddFXandmoreeditingpowerbasedontheneedsofwhatyouwanttocreate.ThismeansthatOmnisphereiscapableofusingallavailableCPUpowerandthensome!

It'stobeexpectedthattheaveragepatchinOmnisphereusesmoreCPUthantheaveragepatchinmostothersynths.That'sforthesimplereasonthattheaveragepatchinOmnispherehasmorethingsgoingonthantheaveragepatchinmostothersynths.Simplebreadandbuttersoundshavebeendone...we'reaimingforsomethingbeyondthatwithOmnisphere.However,wearealwaysstrivingtoimproveCPUperformanceandhopetofurtherimproveperformanceinfutureupdates.

TherearealargenumberoffeaturesthatyoucanenableinOmnisphere,andifyouturnenoughofthemonyou'lleventuallyoverloadanyCPU.Thepointatwhichthathappensdependsonalotofthings:thenumberofOmnispherepartsinuse,thenumberofpluginsinuse,theCPUpower,etc.Asaresultit'simpossibletopredictwhatrepresentsareasonablenumberofenabledfeaturesforeverygivensituation.Ifyouarerunningintoperformanceissues,it'sbesttoturnoffunnecessaryfeatures.Here'sasummaryofexamplethingstotry:

Turndownpolyphony.Turndownamplitudeenveloperelease.Lookforeffectsthatcanbeturnedoff.Lookforoscillatorsectionfeaturesthatcanbeturnedoff.InthecaseofUnison,tryturningdownthedepth.MetalPipeandAllPassfiltertypesusemoreCPUthanotherfiltertypes.Useonefilterinsteadof2.GlitchingintheabsenceofaCPUoverloadmightindicateastreamingunderrun.Ifthat'sthecase,tryturningupthePreloadmemorysize.

Asyoucansee,thereareseveralwaystohelpconserveCPUpowerinOmnisphere.Thefollowingdetailedtipsandtechniquesareespeciallyusefulinbusysessionswhentryingtomakethemostofyourcomputer'sresources.

64bitInstruments&Hosts

Ifyouareusinga64bithost(suchasLogicProX,ViennaEnsemble,etc),itcanaccessallavailablesystemmemorywithouttheusual3Gblimit.Thismeansthatyouarelesslikelytorunoutofmemorywhenloadingverylargeinstruments,oralargenumberofinstances.Ifyoufindyourselfrunninglowonmemory,youshouldaddasmuchphysicalRAMaspossibletogetthemostfromyour64bitsoftware.

AllSpectrasonicsinstrumentsare64bit,onbothMacandPC.

SampleFileServer(Maconly)

ForMacsrunning32bithostsoftware,theSampleFileServerallowsyoutoloadlargesoundsintophysicalRAM,bypassingtheusual32bitSystemMemorylimit.Itisrecommendedtohaveaminimumof6GbofRAMinstalledwhenusingtheSampleFileServer.

NOTE:Ifyouarerunninga64bithosttheSampleFileServerisunnecessary,andyoumaygetbetterperformancewithitdisabled.

SampleThinning

SampleThinning

SampleThinningallowsSoundsources,Patches,andMultistobeloadedwithfewersampleswhenselected,sothatlesssystemmemoryisused.ThisisespeciallyimportantwhenloadinglargeTriliansoundsintoOmnisphere,usingOmnisphereLibraryIntegration.

OmnisphereprovidesThinningoptionsfromtheSystemPage,theLayerPages(SoundsourceZoomEditView),andfromthePatch&MultiBrowsers

TherearefourtypesofSampleThinningavailableRoundRobinsamples,Legatosamples,Velocities,andPitchThinning.

Whenloadinglargersounds,suchasTriliansoundsinsideOmnisphere,usingThinningcanmakeahugedifferenceinoverallsystemmemorydemand,andthesecanbeusedincombinationtobalancebetweenthebestsoundpossible,andtheconservationofresources.

HostBufferSize

PerformanceandCPUloadwithallvirtualinstrumentpluginsaresensitivetothehost'saudiobuffersizeparticularlywithaninstrumentaspowerfulasOmnisphere.IfyouexperienceperformanceissueswithOmnispheresuchasaudiodropouts,youcangainfurtherPerformanceheadroombyraisingyourhost'saudiobuffersetting.Asettingof256isusuallyagoodcompromisebetweengoodperformanceandacceptablelatency,butyoumaywishtoincreasethebuffersizeifyouneedmoreCPUpower.Omnispherewillalsoworkwithlargerbuffersizes,soyoucantryadjustingthissettinginyourhost.

HostSampleRate

Omnispherehasbeendesignedforoptimalplaybackat44.1kor48ksamplerate.Ifahost'sprojectsamplerateishigherthanthis,(88.2k,96k,192k,etc)itcanhaveasignificantimpactonreducingOmnisphere'sperformance,withoutanyrealsonicbenefittoOmnisphere.Infact,certainpatchesmaynotsoundcorrectathighersamplerates.Sowerecommendkeepingyourhost'ssamplerateat44.1KHzor48KHzfortheoptimalexperiencewithOmnisphere.

MultiInstancevsMultitimbral

Onsingleanddualcoresystems,it'sbesttoloadmultipleParts(ondifferentMIDIchannels)withinasingleinstanceofOmnisphere,beforeopeninganyadditionalinstancesoftheinstrument.ThisisthebestwaytoutilizetheavailableCPUpowerforOmnisphere.

However,ifamulticoresystemisused,itcanbebeneficialtoopenmultipleinstancesofOmnispheretodistributetheprocessorloadbetweenthecores.Theresourcehandlingisdonebythehost,sointhiscaseit'susefultoopenmorethanoneinstanceofOmnisphere.SothemostefficientuseonamulticoremachineistouseacoupleofinstancesmultitimbrallyifassigningallPartstoasingleinstanceisusingupalltheresourcesofasinglecore.Consultyourhost'sdocumentationtomakesurethatithassupportformulticore/multiprocessorsystems.

LimitingVoices

Omnisphereallowsupto64voicesofpolyphonyperPart.ThiscanputtremendousdemandontheCPU,solimitingpolyphonyisoneofthemostimportantthingsyoucandotomanageCPUusage.

Asageneralprinciple,setthevoicecountaccordingtothetypeofPatchyouareworkingwith.Forexample,TextureorSFXPatchestypicallydon'tneed16oreven8voicesofpolyphony.AnytimeyouarerunninglowonCPUpower,thisisthefirstareatolookatforconservingCPU.

ToadjustpolyphonyforaPart,usetheVOICESstepperoneithertheMainorLayerPages.

UnisonandGranular

WhenusingUnisonandGranular,theDepthsliderscontrolthenumberofsimultaneousvoicesthatareplaying,andcanhaveabigimpactonCPUusage.YoucanoftenachievethedesiredeffectbyusingalowerDepthsetting.

OscillatorSubPages(FM,RING,WS,MULT)

It'seasy(andfun!)tousealloftheoscillatorsubpagesatthesametime,butusedtogetherthesecandemandasignificantamountofCPUpower.UsingthemsparinglywilloftenleadtobettersonicresultsandbeeasierontheCPUload.

SingleLayervsDualLayerPatches

There'salotthatcanbedonewithasingleLayer.IfyoucanachievethedesiredsoundorcomplexityusingoneLayerinsteadoftwo,it'slikelythatasignificantamountofCPUpowercanbeconserved.

CommonFXvsLayerFX

UsingCommonorAuxFXrackswheneverpossibleisagreatwaytosaveCPUpower.InsteadofloadingseparatedelayunitsintoeachLayerFXRack,trysharingasingleunitintheCommonorAuxFXRack.

Waveshaper

TheWaveshaperisagreatfeature,butitcanbeveryCPUintensive,becauseitispolyphonic.TosaveCPU,youcantryalternateapproachestoachievingthedesiredsound.Forexample,tryexperimentingwiththeToxicSmashereffectunitfirst.YoucouldgetsimilarresultswithoutputtingasmuchdemandontheCPU.

FM/RingMod

BothFMandRingModhavededicatedoscillators,thususingadditionalCPUpower.CombiningthesewithadditionaloscillatorfeatureslikeWaveshapingorUnisoncanaddalotofrequiredprocessing.

UnusedModulationRoutings

ModulationroutingssometimesuseCPUpower,sobesuretoremoveanyunusedroutings.ForexampleifyouaremodulatingFMDepthwithaModEnvelope,butthendecidetoturnFMoff,removethemodulationroutingtofurtherreducedemandontheCPU.

BypassUnusedFX

WhenBypassed,FXUnitsdonotconsumeCPUpower.ToconserveCPUpower,BypassanyloadedFXwhentheyarenotinuse.ThisespeciallyappliestoMultiAuxSendFX,sincetheentireMultiAuxSendsystemisenabledevenifyouareonlyusingoneSend.

EZVerbvs.PROVerb

EZVerbdoesn'tnecessarilyuselessCPUpowerthanPROVerb.PROVerbhasavariableCPUPowerparameter,whereEZVerb'sCPUPowerisfixed.Thisparameterchangesthenumberofreflectionsinthereverbsignal.Ahighersettingdoesnotnecessarilymakethesoundbetter,andrememberthatmorereflectionsrequiremoreCPUusage.SometimeslowerCPUsettingswillproduceamoredesirableresult.IfPROverbissettomaximumCPU,ittakesmuchmorepowerthanEZVerbwhilelowerPROVerbCPUsettings(likethedefaultsettings)canactuallyrequirelesspowerthanEZVerb.

SharingFXwithAuxRacks

WhenusingFXlikereverbs,it'softenbettertousethereverbonanAuxRack,insteadofasanInsert.Therearetimeswhenseveralsoundsneedreverb,andinsteadofinserting6reverbsinto6individualParts,youcouldinsteadplaceonlyonereverbonaMultiAuxRackandthenusetheMultiAuxSendstosendallsixsoundstothesinglereverbunit.ThisisfarmoreefficientontheCPU.

AuxSends

IfyouarenotusingtheAUXSendsontheMixerPage,makesureallofthemareoff(allknobsturnedfullycounterclockwise).WhenalloftheAuxSendsareoff,theentireAUXsystemisdisabled,whichsavesCPUpower.IfanyoftheAuxSendsison,theentireAuxSendsystemonallRacksandPartsisenabled,evenifnoaudioispassingthroughit.

CONCEPTSUsingTrilianSoundsinOmnisphere

OneofthegreatfeaturesofOmnisphereistheLibraryIntegrationwithTrilian.

OmnispherecanloadTrilianSoundsources,PatchesandMultisforfurthersynthesismanipulationorjustconvenienceofuse.

IfyouhavebothOmnisphereandTrilianinstalled,yourTrilianlibrarieswillappearintheOmnisphereBrowsersandBrowserDIRECTORYmenualongwithyourotherOmnispherelibraries.

WhenTrilianPatchesareloadedinOmnisphere,Trilian'sMainCustomControlspagewillbeautomaticallydisplayedwhenthePatchisloadedfromtheMiniBrowserorrevealedwhenyouclosetheFullBrowser.EachTrilianPatchcontainsitsownCustomControlslayoutthatbringstogetherinonepageallthemostusefulparametersofathatPatch.

Trilian&OmnisphereControls

ToswitchbackandforthbetweenTrilian'sCustomControlsviewandtheOmnisphereinterface,justselectOMNISPHERECONTROLSabovetheTrilianinterface:

Conversely,selectingtheTRILIANbuttonontheOmnisphereinterfacewhenaTrilianpatchisloadedwillreturnyoutotheTrilianCustomControlspage..

NOTE:TrilianUserPatches,andUserMultiswillnotappearintheOmnispherelibrary.YoucanstilluseTriliantoopenthose,orsimplyrecreatetheminOmnisphereusingTrilianSoundsourcesorPatches,andthensavethemasOmnispherePatchesorMultis.

BROWSEROmnisphereLibraryIntegrationSetup

InordertoenableOmnisphereLibraryIntegration,youmustfirsthaveafullinstallofTrilian,registeredandauthorized,onyoursystem.

Next,installandauthorizeOmnisphere.IfyoualreadyhaveOmnisphereonyoursystem,youwillbeaskedtoreauthorizeitafteryouhaveinstalledandregisteredTrilian.

WhenyoufirstlaunchOmnisphere,youwillseethefollowingsplashscreen.ClicktheAuthorizebutton,andfollowthenormalstepsforauthorization.

NOTE:YoumustgenerateanewResponseCodeviayouruseraccountattheSpectrasonicswebsite.

After(re)authorizingOmnisphere,theTrilianlibrarieswillappearinyourOmnisphereBrowsers.

CONCEPTSUsingTrilianSoundsInOmnisphereUsingTrilianSounds

Dependingonyoursessionneeds,theOmnisphereLibraryIntegrationfeatureofferstheabilitytoapplyOmnispherespowerfulsynthesistoolstoTriliansounds,combineOmnisphereandTriliansoundsininterestingways,ortosimplyconservesystemresourcesbyincludingyourTrilianPartsalongsideyourOmnispherePartsinasingleOmnisphereinstance.

TherearevarioususefulwaysthatyoucancombineOmnisphereandTrilianSoundsourcesandPatcheswithinOmnispheretoopenupatremendousvarietyofsoundsandperformanceapplications.

Forperformances,youcoulduseStackModeorLiveModetocreateusefulcombinationsofTrilianbassesandOmnispheresynthsounds.Tryusingkeyboardorvelocitysplits,layering,orapplyPartswitchingtoaMultiinLiveMode.

InthisStackModeexample,youcancreateaMultiinOmnispherethatcontainsanumberofOmnisphereParts,andoneormoreTrilianbassParts.InStackMode,createkeyboardsplitsthattriggerthebassPartswithlowernotes,andOmnispheresynthPartswiththehighernotes.Youcanexperimentwithlayersandcrossfadestoo!

UsingthesameMultiinLiveMode,youcaninstantlyswitchbetweenTrilianandOmnisphereparts,orinstantlylayerthem.Forexample,thiswouldallowyoutoplayasolobassphraseinonepassage,andtheninstantlyaddadoubledguitarorstringssoundtothebassforanother.

Thereareendlesssounddesignpossibilitiesaswell.Forexample,ifyouapplyOmnispheressynthesispowertoTrilianSynthBasswaveforms,youcantakethosesoundsmuchfurthertocreateveryuniquebasstimbres!

Inanotherexample,youcouldloadAcousticBasssamplesfromTrilian,andcombinethemwithPsychoacousticsamplesfromOmnisphere,creatingnewandinterestinghybridsounds!

CONCEPTSRemoteControl

SpectrasonicshasdevelopedanapplicationforApplesiPadwhichturnsitintoaperformanceoriented,remotecontrolsurfaceforOmnisphere:OmniTR.

CONCEPTSOmniTR

OmniTR(TouchRemote)isdesignedtoturnaniPadintoaperformanceoriented,remotecontrolsurfaceforOmnisphere,runningonaMacorWindowsPC.OmniTRofferswirelesstwowaycommunication,multitouchpatchselection,remotebrowsingandeditingofPatchesandMultis,andtheabilityremotelycontroltheOrb.

OmniTRisafourpageapp.Thepagescanbeaccessedbyselectingtheiconsonthetopleft.

Main

TheMainpageisdesignedtogivearapidoverviewofall8partsinOmnisphere.TouchthefoldericonstotheleftofthepatchnamestoselectPatchesortouchthefoldertotheleftofthe"BrowseMultis"displaytoselectMultis.ThefoldermenuswillreflectwhatiscurrentlydisplayedintherespectivebrowserinOmnisphere.Controlthemixwiththelevelslidersandthemute/solobuttonsontherightside.ThetoprightslideroneachpageistheMasterVolumeslider.IfyouhaveOmnispherein"LiveMode",youcanselectwhichparttoplaybytouchingthepatchname,andit'seasytoselectmultiplepartssimultaneously.EachPartcanbelatchedindividuallyandyoucansettheTriggerModefromthebuttonsdirectlytotheleftofthesliders.

Orb

TheOrbisauniquecircularcontrollerthatintelligentlymodifiesOmnispheresoundsinrealtime.TocreatediversenewmodificationstoyourPatches,simplytouchtheOrbandmoveyourfinger.TheDICEbuttonwillgivemanyinterestingvariationsontheparametersbeingcontrolled.ChangetheInertiaamounttocontrolthespeedanddurationofthecontrollerafteryousetitinmotionandletgo.UsetheDepthSlidertocontroltheintensityoftheeffect.YoucanalsocapturemovementswiththeRecordbuttonandthemovementswillbecomepartofthePatchwhenitissaved.

Controls

TheControlspageoffersfastaccesstosomeofthemostusefulperformanceparametersinOmnisphereandafunPitchRibbon.SelectthedesiredPartfromthetabsontheleft.ChoosefromthecontroltemplatesinthedropdownmenuabovethefaderstochangewhichOmnisphereparametersaredisplayed.TheA/B/LinkbuttonsatthebottomofthepageworkthesameasonOmnisphere'sEDITpage,determiningwhichlayer'sparametersaredisplayed/edited.BendthepitchfromthePitchRibbonControlleralongthebottom.UsetheOctaveShiftMenuintheupperrighttoshiftthekeyboardrange

Jumbo

Sometimesonstageitcanbeusefultohavelarge,easytoreadPatchselectionbuttons.JustlikeontheMainpage,youcanselectanycombinationofPatchesontheflyandit'seasytoseethepatchnames.Makesure"LiveMode"isselectedfromthedropdownmenuinthetopleftarea.

Setup

Setupisverysimple.WithOmnisphererunningonthecomputerandtheiPadconnectedtothesamewirelessnetwork,launchtheOmniTRappontheiPadandpress"Connect."OmniTRwillrecognizethehostcomputerandallowwireless,touchscreencontrolofOmnisphere.

Requirements

TheOmniTRiPadapprequiresiOS4.2andworkswithOmnisphere1.5orneweronMacOSXorWindowssystems.WindowsusersmustinstallBonjourfromApple.

Forcompleteinstructions,pleasevisitourwebsiteat:http://www.spectrasonics.net/omni_tr_app/