Spectrasonics: Omnisphere 2.8 and Sonic Extensions

[Guy Rowland]

https://www.sonicextensions.com/

Not 2 but 4 new products from Spectrasonics Omnisphere 2 (no free player mode). Each has new soundsources, new effects, new custom controls and snapshots for patches. They've also added multi-mic capability which one of the new expansions uses (Nylon Sky). Effectively Omnsiphere has transitioned to being more of a full-blown host with synthesis a la Falcon.

There are 4 expansions. Vimeo videos are on their new website here - https://www.sonicextensions.com/ but I can't link these directly yet.

PRICE - $149 per expansion, 20% discount for 2, 30% discount for 3 or more.

Undercurrent



With its vast world of evocative moods and brooding textures, Undercurrent™ is the quintessential tool for dark electronic music production. Highly playable and customizable, you’ll find truly endless creative possibilities. These remarkable sounds and highly versatile effects are an indispensable palette for any forward-thinking composer/producer.

A dark masterpiece by Ignacio Longo, top Spectrasonics designer
Exclusive new “Under Fire” saturator/comp/EQ effect!
Exclusive new “Under Echo” pitch-shifted ambience effect!
Over 2,000 sounds in eleven different categories
Powerful Custom Controls for creative sound manipulation
Over 300 extraordinary new Soundsources (over 7GB)
Innovative Modular Multisampling – unique timbre/gesture per-key
Easily transform evocative sounds into pulsing rhythms
Ominous sounds recorded in Secret Underground Tunnels
Vast range, from moody ambience to extremely intense
Requires Omnisphere 2.8 or higher

Nylon Sky



This inspiring Sonic Extension is based on the most expressive nylon guitar ever done for Omnisphere – but that’s just the beginning! Nylon Sky™ combines this extremely deep-sampled instrument with Omnisphere’s synthesis power and the gorgeous new Sky FX to create stunning ambient organic sounds. Authentic rhythmic Patches take full advantage of brand new innovative Arpeggiator features and transform your playing into unbelievably realistic strumming patterns. Nylon Sky will inspire for years to come!

From guitar sampling legend Bob Daspit
Exclusive new “Sky Verb” beautiful shimmer reverb effect!
Exclusive new “Sky Channel” Class-A channel strip effect!
Gorgeous hybrid ambient guitar sounds and organic textures
Realism control adds lifelike imperfections – breathing, noises
Easily mix between three mic channels – Tube, X/Y, Wide
Fingerstyle, Picked, and Flamenco performance styles
Muted, Tremolo, Harmonics, and other playing techniques
Extraordinary new Strumming feature with Humanity and Life!
Build your own strum patterns with new Arp step modifiers
Round Robins, Legato articulations, and much more…
Requires Omnisphere 2.8 or higher

Unclean Machine



Get ready for the ultimate LO-FI experience! With Omnisphere’s famous “Retroland” category becoming a major hit with producers, we decided it was time to develop an entire Sonic Extension dedicated to these iconic sounds. With the ultra-vibey new Unclean FX and a gigantic variety of over 2,000 sounds, Unclean Machine™ is the perfect sauce for getting those nostalgic feels cooking!

A tour de force by Retroland master Tolga Gurpinar
Exclusive new “Unclean Channel” lo-fi channel strip effect!
Exclusive new “Unclean Verb” retro reverb/ambience effect!
Over 2,000 sounds with tons of character and attitude
Immense variety with 17 different sound categories
Playable classics and phrases that feel lifted from vintage vinyl
Unique Custom Controls for every patch for experimentation
Highly creative and fresh, rhythmic arpeggiator patches
Features over 200 new multisampled soundsources
Lo-Fi Keys, Bells, Pads, Guitars, Strings, Basses, and much more…
Requires Omnisphere 2.8 or higher

Seismic Shock



Sonic power reigns supreme in Seismic Shock™. By fusing epic sounds with the next-level Seismic FX, a vast amount of new terrain is covered – from throbbing rhythms to highly playable sounds. Designed for producers in search of maximum impact, you’ll unearth an arsenal of killer tools in Seismic Shock for all kinds of modern production.

Created by veteran producer/sound designer Seth Norman
Exclusive new “Seismic Pump” extreme side-chaining effect!
Exclusive new “Seismic Verb” epic animated reverb effect!
Nearly 2,000 powerful sounds in eleven categories
Super versatile range – from highly playable to brutal noises
Lethal Nitrogen Oscillator sounds captured at NASA Labs!
Unique Custom Controls for radically creative manipulation
Features brand new, aggressive Seismic Wavetables
Trigger Scenes for on-the-fly performance transformations
Dramatic Wheel tricks for impressive modulations
Requires Omnisphere 2.8 or higher

Omnisphere 2.8

The above needs the new version of 2.8 to run. Here's the changelog:

Sonic Extensions compatibility
New Arpeggiator features:
- New “Strum” step modifiers simulate guitar strumming. Specially featured in the “Nylon Sky” Sonic Extension, these modifiers can be used in any patch in Omnisphere
- New "Humanity" knob controls the amount of randomization applied to individual note start times
- New "Dynamics" knob controls the amount of randomization applied to individual note velocities
New Modulation Targets: Arp Humanity and Arp Life
Adds value-snapping detents for the Envelope ADR parameters on the Layer Pages and Custom Controls. Detents are only added when the Envelopes are host-synced. Holding down Shift while dragging the ADR controls allows continuous value adjustments
Fixes issue where the Harmonia Mix parameter value could be wrong after loading a patch
Fixes issue in Shared Signal Path mode where disabling Layer A could create clicking noises in audio from Layers B-D
Fixes zippering artifacts for the Aux Return parameter on the Part Effect Racks
Fixes issue where simultaneously changing the Soundsource "Reverse" parameter for 2 or more layers could cause loading failures
Fixes issue in Shared Signal Path mode where disabling Layer A caused the Ring Mod effect to sound incorrect on Layers B/C/D
Fixes issue where Key Tracking and other sources would not work when Solo mode is On
Fixes issue where Filter Key Tracking in Solo mode did not handle release events properly
Fixes issue where changing the Master Filter cutoff and resonance simultaneously could corrupt the audio output
Fixes issue where the Master Filter was adding audible lowpass filtering at host sample rates above 44.1kHz
Fixes issue where LFO rate was incorrect after changing the sample rate
Fixes issue where envelope parameter data was loaded incorrectly for some patches
Fixes issue in Arpeggiator where Step Dividers, in conjunction with Chord mode, did not play properly
Fixes issues with Arpeggiator preset menu
Fixes crash in Live Mode pane that could occur when rearranging Parts
Fixes crash that could occur when a Soundsource started playing for the first time
Fixes Patch Browser synchronization issue where the Category filter could be incorrectly reset to "All" while changing patches
Fixes issue in Browsers where exiting Sound Match mode did not return to correct prior patch library
Fixes issue where the wrong Mini-Browser could sometimes be shown after closing the full multi-browser
Fixes issue where Browser’s rating stars could be overwritten by “MIDI Learn” text sometimes
Fixes issue where switching patches could cause audio glitches
Fixes issue where arrow steppers on mini browser pane could step thru patches when mini multi browser was displayed
Fixes issue where note timing adjustments made to the Trigger Mode setting were incorrectly scaled by the Clock Speed parameter
Fixes issue where setting polyphony (# voices) to 64 could cause the plugin to stop responding to Note On events
Fixes issue where modulation highlight graphics for GUI controls did not always get reset after a patch load
VST3: Fixes issue where "Enter Value" feature for manually typing in automation values did not work
VST3: Fixes issue where host automation values changed after closing/opening the GUI
VST3: Fixes issue where VST3 Hosts added a resizing handle to the VST3 plugin GUI
VST3: Fixes issue where changing the Clock Speed parameter did not work properly
Mac Only: Fixes issue where modulation highlight images were not getting drawn for some knob-style controls
Windows Only: Fixes graphics rendering issues for images displayed on the Custom Pane
Windows Only: Omnisphere Standalone app updated to v1.1.0d. Resolves Windows system DLL loading issue

There is a livestream scheduled for 11am PT on Wednesday 20th -

[Guy Rowland]

I just got these (a good royalty quarter, and I need to know how they behave for Omnitag). Slightly disappointingly the Scenes aren't reflected in the patch tags in any way - it's just the one set of tags per patch. Often no biggie, but if one scene is a bass patch in something tagged ambient pad, you'll never find it in a million years by searching.

I'll do a proper review when I've had some time to go through it all.

[kpc]

Perhaps it’s time for me to hang up my media composer moniker. The day has come when I am not excited about a set of new instruments from Spectrasonics. Seems I have officially run out of GAS.

Interested to hear how you get along with them Guy.

[Guy Rowland]

It hardly counts as a review... I'm beat and it's been a long day... but an hour playing with them has been interesting. I found Undercurrent astonishingly good. There are sounds there that made me weep for joy - highly playable and full of performance, easily customisable with all of Omni's full editing power under it. Nylon Sky was a bit disappointing - the Expressivo patch feels like it has unnatural vibrato in it, though there is a clean alternate that sounds very nice. Seismic Shock is light years better than the rightly derided Spotlight EDM expansion that came in an Omni update. Unlike Undercurrent this feels well named - it has all the force of stampeding bison. In fighter jets. With this and Undercurrent, it does feel like a ton of content too, I've barely scratched the surface. Didn't get round to the other one yet.

A few other random observations:

There's some new Wavetables installed with Seismic Shock

There's some funky browser behaviour - some highlights were split across two patch names for a second or two when changing patches sometimes.

The custom controls are fantastic. Much like with the Hardware Integration, they often control a lot more than a single control, and are designed to be musical and useful. Diving deeper is of course a click away to refine or more drastically mod stuff.

Installation was a breeze, there's a lite downloader thing, then you run the individual installers. For all 4, installation is 22.3gb in Windows.

As mentioned, there's no tagging provision for Scenes.

I'll spend more time with them in the next few days. The one that's thrilled me most so far is Undercurrent, I can see myself turning to it first for a lot of things.

[ComposerGuy]

The Nylon Strings sound gorgeous.

[Jaap]

As sound designer these new FX are so tasty! Haven't played through the extensions, but only been messing with the FX and I am a very very happy chap today
And the strum is also really nice. I am releasing in 9 days a guitar soundset and the timing is perfect. It really enhances it!

[Guy Rowland]

As sound designer these new FX are so tasty! Haven't played through the extensions, but only been messing with the FX and I am a very very happy chap today
And the strum is also really nice. I am releasing in 9 days a guitar soundset and the timing is perfect. It really enhances it!

I'm sure you're on it Jaap, but don't use any of the new FX or soundsources in a regular Omni bank! I'm guessing you mean the ARP improvements in Omni though, right?

[Jaap]

As sound designer these new FX are so tasty! Haven't played through the extensions, but only been messing with the FX and I am a very very happy chap today
And the strum is also really nice. I am releasing in 9 days a guitar soundset and the timing is perfect. It really enhances it!

I'm sure you're on it Jaap, but don't use any of the new FX or soundsources in a regular Omni bank! I'm guessing you mean the ARP improvements in Omni though, right?

Yep I mean the ARP improvements indeed and no not using them in a regular omni bank Though I am going to release this guitar soundset with an extended version (like with Zebra 2 and Dark Zebra sets) where I use the FX on these patches, which is absolutely lovely in results!

[soundbylaura]

As sound designer these new FX are so tasty! Haven't played through the extensions, but only been messing with the FX and I am a very very happy chap today
And the strum is also really nice. I am releasing in 9 days a guitar soundset and the timing is perfect. It really enhances it!

You may want to be mindful of "non-musical" use of Omni, as it is not permitted via its licensing.

[Guy Rowland]

As sound designer these new FX are so tasty! Haven't played through the extensions, but only been messing with the FX and I am a very very happy chap today
And the strum is also really nice. I am releasing in 9 days a guitar soundset and the timing is perfect. It really enhances it!

You may want to be mindful of "non-musical" use of Omni, as it is not permitted via its licensing.

It'll be fine for Jaap's use, he's creating regular patches for music use.

This odd disclaimer from the T&Cs is deigned to stop people using Omnisphere for sound effects libraries. I was really bothered by the restriction when I found out about it after I bought it a decade ago - it almost felt like false advertising since Sound Design was touted as one of the selling points of the synth. I wrote to them saying "hold on a minute... you sold it to me as a sound design tool but now are telling me I can't legally use it for sound design?!" To be fair, they got back straight away and gave me an email saying I am licensed to use Omni in a sound design capacity on any productions I work on.

I'd urge anyone who works in sound design to write to them to get the same permission, hopefully they haven't changed their policies in the past few years. All they really care about is stopping people reselling the sounds as sound effects. I said to them they should change their T&Cs to reflect this, but they tactfully declined another one of my very wise suggestions... (not for the last time!)

[kpc]

Perhaps RMX will become a sonic extension and be replaced within Omnisphere

[Ashermusic]

It all sounds really good, but these days, I just don't have work that needs them, the pop songs I am mostly writing would not make much use of them, and I am over spending money on libraries just for the "ooh" factor..

I would rather put the money towards a new M1 Mac mini or iMac when they come out.

[Guy Rowland]

A bit more in depth time today to play with 2 of the expansions.

Unclean Machine

This is the retro expansion. Eric suggested it was all contained in the Retroland category but this isn't the case - most is hosted in others. (These categories make less and less sense with each passing year - Synth Poly AND Synth Long? Pick one! - but they ain't budging).

In here's there's a ton of lofi and vintage. All the noises, drift and crackles... well they get pretty old pretty fast imo. Fortunately there's a lot more to it than that and you can control it all and keep it in check. There's some fabulous patches and soundsources that are usable across genres. There's a lot of ARP in there including rhythm. The front panel controls, all the scenes, are a ton of fun.

It's not an essential extension imo, but needless to say it's very well done.

Nylon Sky

This seems to be an early favourite for users, but for me it could be the biggest disappointment of the bunch. It's all based around one nylon guitar, and the showcase patch - Expressivo - has this baked in vibrato that sounds awful to me on chords - it's a really unrealistic sound. There is an nv patch, but I don't think it's quite as deeply sampled. Great though the new features are, it doesn't feel as good as what a well scripted Kontakt library could do, and at 10gb across 3 mic positions, I don't think it has the depth of the best Kontakt libraries - there's glisses, limited hammer-ons and physical noises, but that's about it for the main patches. And speaking of the physical noises, the balance doesn't seem quite right of all those knocks, bangs, string squeaks etc... it feels too weighted to the low end.

Given all those reservations, of course there's really nice things that can be done with it in Omni. Some of the harmonics and taps are great. The Sky Verb is gorgeous. And needless to say, it's waaay better than the core library nylon guitars.

So far it's Seismic Shock and - especially - Ignacio Longo's Undercurrent that are the star performers of this first batch of 4. Looking forward to spending more time with them.

[lofi]

As sound designer these new FX are so tasty! Haven't played through the extensions, but only been messing with the FX and I am a very very happy chap today
And the strum is also really nice. I am releasing in 9 days a guitar soundset and the timing is perfect. It really enhances it!

You may want to be mindful of "non-musical" use of Omni, as it is not permitted via its licensing.

It'll be fine for Jaap's use, he's creating regular patches for music use.

This odd disclaimer from the T&Cs is deigned to stop people using Omnisphere for sound effects libraries. I was really bothered by the restriction when I found out about it after I bought it a decade ago - it almost felt like false advertising since Sound Design was touted as one of the selling points of the synth. I wrote to them saying "hold on a minute... you sold it to me as a sound design tool but now are telling me I can't legally use it for sound design?!" To be fair, they got back straight away and gave me an email saying I am licensed to use Omni in a sound design capacity on any productions I work on.

I'd urge anyone who works in sound design to write to them to get the same permission, hopefully they haven't changed their policies in the past few years. All they really care about is stopping people reselling the sounds as sound effects. I said to them they should change their T&Cs to reflect this, but they tactfully declined another one of my very wise suggestions... (not for the last time!)

Oh, how I wish I could see that email.
I've spoken to Brayden "Senior Support Specialist" @Spectrasonics and he REALLY don't share your point of view/agreement.

First, I'll tell you that Omnisphere is an instrument and has always been presented as such, never as a Sound Design tool.
Sound Design takes on many appearances in the modern landscape, often verging on musical, which is the intended use of Omnisphere.
For example, if you are a composer, hired to do all of the sound for a film and parts of your score include sound design elements, it is okay to use Omnisphere.
Another example, if you are a third-party creator that is working on a sample library that is aimed at other composers or sound designers, you cannot use Omnisphere.
Along those lines, I have to ask…why would you want to use it in that context in the first place?
Wouldn't you prefer to create your own unique work as a sound designer instead of standing on the shoulder of other sound designers?

My reply:

I do Sound Design work for corporate businesses.
Like the different sounds the GPS in your car makes or the sound your washer makes when the program is done etc…
I do provide my own samples, hardwaresynths etc.
I use outboard from Eventide, TC electronics and a myriad of guitar pedals and of course other software.
I’ve never used your engine because from what I understand I’m not allowed to. Since I’m creating samples(..?)
However it would be nice to have that option since it would be a shortcut to be able to quickly show a client how a sound could evolve.
I really think you have a great product it’s just a shame I can’t use it or tell my clients about it.
Due to NDA’s I’m not allowed to send any info, but if you have come in contact with a “smart home” or driven an electric car you’ve probably heard my work.

His reply:

I don't think that was ever the intended use of Omnisphere though, which has always been a most musical context.
Of course, there's so much good stuff in the instrument's library that would work in that context but, again, I would think you'd like to create your own legacy as a sound designer instead of using the work of others to do so.
I hope that helps you understand the intentions behind the instrument but if you are still unclear, I'd be happy to schedule a phone call to go more in-depth. : )
Best,
Brayden
Senior Support Specialist

So I don't really think Brayden cares how I use "his" instrument.
We are NOT ALLOWED to use Omnisphere in sound design work.
That's pretty clear, and I really regret buying it in the first place.
Such a great tool, such an awful company.

/Anders

Edit: removed "don't gives a fuck"

[soundbylaura]

As sound designer these new FX are so tasty! Haven't played through the extensions, but only been messing with the FX and I am a very very happy chap today
And the strum is also really nice. I am releasing in 9 days a guitar soundset and the timing is perfect. It really enhances it!

You may want to be mindful of "non-musical" use of Omni, as it is not permitted via its licensing.

It'll be fine for Jaap's use, he's creating regular patches for music use.

This odd disclaimer from the T&Cs is deigned to stop people using Omnisphere for sound effects libraries. I was really bothered by the restriction when I found out about it after I bought it a decade ago - it almost felt like false advertising since Sound Design was touted as one of the selling points of the synth. I wrote to them saying "hold on a minute... you sold it to me as a sound design tool but now are telling me I can't legally use it for sound design?!" To be fair, they got back straight away and gave me an email saying I am licensed to use Omni in a sound design capacity on any productions I work on.

I'd urge anyone who works in sound design to write to them to get the same permission, hopefully they haven't changed their policies in the past few years. All they really care about is stopping people reselling the sounds as sound effects. I said to them they should change their T&Cs to reflect this, but they tactfully declined another one of my very wise suggestions... (not for the last time!)

Oh, how I wish I could see that email.
I've spoken to Brayden "Senior Support Specialist" @Spectrasonics and he REALLY don't share your point of view/agreement.

First, I'll tell you that Omnisphere is an instrument and has always been presented as such, never as a Sound Design tool.
Sound Design takes on many appearances in the modern landscape, often verging on musical, which is the intended use of Omnisphere.
For example, if you are a composer, hired to do all of the sound for a film and parts of your score include sound design elements, it is okay to use Omnisphere.
Another example, if you are a third-party creator that is working on a sample library that is aimed at other composers or sound designers, you cannot use Omnisphere.
Along those lines, I have to ask…why would you want to use it in that context in the first place?
Wouldn't you prefer to create your own unique work as a sound designer instead of standing on the shoulder of other sound designers?

My reply:

I do Sound Design work for corporate businesses.
Like the different sounds the GPS in your car makes or the sound your washer makes when the program is done etc…
I do provide my own samples, hardwaresynths etc.
I use outboard from Eventide, TC electronics and a myriad of guitar pedals and of course other software.
I’ve never used your engine because from what I understand I’m not allowed to. Since I’m creating samples(..?)
However it would be nice to have that option since it would be a shortcut to be able to quickly show a client how a sound could evolve.
I really think you have a great product it’s just a shame I can’t use it or tell my clients about it.
Due to NDA’s I’m not allowed to send any info, but if you have come in contact with a “smart home” or driven an electric car you’ve probably heard my work.

His reply:

I don't think that was ever the intended use of Omnisphere though, which has always been a most musical context.
Of course, there's so much good stuff in the instrument's library that would work in that context but, again, I would think you'd like to create your own legacy as a sound designer instead of using the work of others to do so.
I hope that helps you understand the intentions behind the instrument but if you are still unclear, I'd be happy to schedule a phone call to go more in-depth. : )
Best,
Brayden
Senior Support Specialist

So I don't really think Brayden cares how I use "his" instrument.
We are NOT ALLOWED to use Omnisphere in sound design work.
That's pretty clear, and I really regret buying it in the first place.
Such a great tool, such an awful company.

/Anders

Edit: removed "don't gives a fuck"

Poor explanation with a side order of shame. Wow.

So sorry you experienced that, Anders.

[Guy Rowland]

That's very disappointing Anders.

Braydon's argument that you should do all sound design yourself is absurd. No sound effects libraries would exist if that were a realistic argument. Second, he is factually incorrect to say that Sound Design was never an intended purpose of the synth.

I don't see any reason why I can't share my correspondence with Spectrasonics. I've looked up the emails, and they are from 2009. I won't share them all, just the initial reply, my outlining the case and the final email approving my use.

Hi Guy,

Thank you for your inquiry.

It is indeed an interesting question!

There are two licenses in each Spectrasonics instrument: a Sound License and a Software License.

The "musical context" licensing requirement of any of our instruments refers specifically to the sample-based material, since that is part of our Sound License agreement.

In other words, if the sample-based material is being used it must be used in a musical context.

However, it doesn't matter how much the samples are manipulated, as use of the sample material in new copyrighted works is legally considered a "derivative work".

So, if you are using the samples within the Omnisphere or RMX Core Library, it still needs to be used in a musical context in order for that license to apply.

In other words, the use would need to be within a production or musical context, and not as stand alone loops without any other production.

If you are using the samples in a non-musical sense, or on their own without any additional production, we can review that created work on a case by case basis and make a determination if we will allow the use, but you would have to clear non-musical type of use with us for each project, since it would depend on how the material was being used.

Please let me know if I can be of further assistance.

Best Regards,

Les Correa
Support and Design Specialist

My reply:

Hi Les, thank you for your reply.

I'm afraid I do have a rather fundamental problem with the Spectrasonics licensing terms. Specifically, I have a problem with how the products (or at least Omnisphere) are marketed, and although I am no expert, it seems to me that legally your policy is very problematic.

There are 5 core uses for Omnisphere as declared on the box, and these are - Syntheses - Composition - Sound Design - Production - Live Performance. What is clear by your response is that this is actually not the case, since Omnisphere is specifically NOT LICENSED for use as a Sound Design tool. It is not practical to authorise each use on a case-by-case basis (I'm afraid that notion is rather absurd in a professional post-production envirnoment - we're not talking about student films, but broadcast TV, radio and movies with very tight deadlines and workflow, with hundreds of sounds processed daily).

I can understand a requirement to not allow their use within sound effects or sound design libraries - I'd prefer it otherwise, but that's obviously your call. However, to specifically disallow their use as a general sound design tool within the license, when this is one of the five advertised uses for Omisphere, would seem at best disingenuous.

I think there are two ways forward here. The first, and to my mind by far the most productive way, would be to urgently review the Spectrasonic licensing use to specifically include use as a sound design tool (non-musical) BY THE LICENSE OWNER WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF A PRODCUTION (this I guess can be thought of as mixed use, even though any one sound might be exposed at a point, which is similar to the music libraries policy). You wrote that "the use would need to be within a production or musical context, and not as stand alone loops without any other production", and this would fit into that policy of course - the sounds are used within a production context (again, specifically mentioned as a use by Omnisphere in your material), not musical, and are not stand alone loops. All that actually needs to be changed is the unrealistic requirement to not approve on a case-by-case basis.

The second option would be to change your promotional material, so that it is not advertised as a sound design or production tool.

I'd be grateful if you could advise ASAP if you will be looking into this. In the event that the second option (or neither) come to pass, I will take this up immediately with the Advertising Standards Authority in the UK. Their CAP code 2.1 (the first and most basic requirement) clearly states "All marketing communications should be legal, decent, honest and truthful" - http://www.asa.org.uk/asa/codes/cap_cod ... se_id=1480

To advertise Omnisphere as a sound design tool, when the license supplied with the product specfically forbids it, is simply not truthful.

I've really warmed to Spectrasonics as a company, and it is a great shame to have to be rather confrontational on this issue. I remain optimistic that this fair-use policy can be reviewed, and the wealth of teriffic sounds within Omnisphere that are designed as sound effects (with their own dedicated section) and sound design atmospheres and elements can actually be used for their intented purpose by the license holder within productions.

Regards,

Guy Rowland.

And on 22 April 2009, Les' reply:

Hi Guy,

Our case-by-case policy for non-musical use simply means a chance for us to review non-musical uses, because that can get into some complicated areas licensing-wise, since the product is primarily intended for musical applications. However, it doesn't mean that all effects uses are restricted or that users have to clear every single production in advance with us.

Your stated application to use Spectrasonics instruments for sound design for creating effects within mixed audio format delivery for broadcast TV, radio and movies is approved. This type of use of Spectrasonics products is common and within our intended license for the product (hence the SOUND DESIGN label on the box and in the marketing materials). This is especially true in this case because it is also being used for music by you. Often the lines between music and sound design can be difficult to draw and we realize that.

So just to be perfectly clear, your stated use is approved and you do not need to clear these types of uses individually with us.

Best Regards,

Les Correa

Andres, please feel free to quote this, and name me in correspondence. (the bold part above is definitely worth quoting).

Good luck, let us know how you get on.

[lofi]

Thank you Guy.
I’ll forward this although I don’t think Spectrasonics will care.

I really like Omnisphere and I use it for music. But will continue to use and promote other software for use in design and in schools.

OT, the expansions sounds really great.

Best,
/Anders

[Guy Rowland]

The the very least it is worth correcting him about how they've sold Omni in the past.

(The irony of all that correspondence is that I've barely used Omni for sound design since! I have done, but it is very sporadic).

[soundbylaura]

It's crazy to me that Spectrasonics' binding legal permission to use Omni for sound design is one guy saying "yeah, you're good" in an email.

[wst3]

The line between composition and sound design has been vague for a very long time, and it becomes more and more so as we move forward. I don't see an issue in the greater sense.

I do not understand the Omnisphere license at all. I have read licenses where the intent was to prevent the material from becoming part of a competing product, which is entirely fair - I will have to find a couple examples.

For me, and my purposes (music for live theatre) I can not separate composition from sound design, they music flows into the sounds, the sounds flow into the music, and sometimes a cue includes both simultaneously. I use the same approach for film work, when I come across a film project<G>.

Part of the problem - and I do sympathize with companies delivering tools that cross that line - is that the definition of sound design has expanded far beyond anything that can be managed.

Ask an audio engineer and they will tell you that sound design is the design of a sound system to reinforce a performance or provide playback for music and (wait for it) sound effects.

If you ask a synthesizer developer they will tell you that sound design is the creation of patches for their synthesizer.

If you ask a sound effects department they will tell you that sound design is the creation of sound effects, regardless of the application.

If you ask a composer or film mixer they will tell you that sound design is here to make their lives a little more difficult<G>.

I try to honor the letter of the license. One factor that kept me from purchasing a license for Omnisphere for a very long time was this conflict, about which much has been written for some time. Ultimately I decided I could live with it since I do not develop sounds for sample or SFX libraries.

My interpretation may well turn out to be wrong, but for my purposes I do create "things" that might be considered sounds rather than music. Not many, and not often, and when it becomes an issue I will very often turn to a different instrument, library, or SFX collection.

At which point I am adding sound effects to music created with Omnisphere. Most of the time the extra effort is rewarded with a better outcome, at the expense of a little extra time (which we all know can be a very limited resource!)

I am not trying to tell Eric how to run his business, but I do believe that the less ambiguity in a license agreement the stronger the agreement. Which is good for everyone. (however, I am glad I am not tasked with the wording of said agreement!)

Laura added:
"It's crazy to me that Spectrasonics' binding legal permission to use Omni for sound design is one guy saying "yeah, you're good" in an email."

Sadly this has become common practice. Which I think only reinforces my comment about removing ambiguity from a license agreement.

[Guy Rowland]

It's crazy to me that Spectrasonics' binding legal permission to use Omni for sound design is one guy saying "yeah, you're good" in an email.

Yeah. I figured that if anyone wrote in to say what I did they'd say much the same thing. But looking back I had to push them quite hard to concede. It was legally indefensible on their side, and they made the problem go away in my case by saying "yeah, you're good". But it's pretty depressing to be 13 years on and see the response Anders got.

Bill, yes to everything. Sound design is a real catch all term with so many different meanings. As Les (support) accepts, it's often a very blurry line between music and sound design anyway.

Problems crop up in all kinds of odd places. For their Unclean Machine expansion, they have sound effects of projectors, optical and cassette noise etc. These are sound effects... within an effect unit. I'd want to strip the lot out and lay them on separate tracks in the DAW, just easier to deal with. If I did that over an Omni source I'd be fine, but not if I did it on another instrument. Where, really, is the sense in any of this? Who or what is it harming? They can't even use the "it's a musical instrument" defense when their original promotional material (including on the box) specific Sound Design as a core use.

They should simply say "no reselling or isolated distribution" and be done with it. Creating these very blurred lines and implementing them inconsistently helps no-one.

[Lawrence]

The key word (in your last comment, Guy) is “isolated.”

From a library composer’s standpoint, what about stems? I’ve always wondered about that, though I’ve never let it impede me.

[Guy Rowland]

The key word (in your last comment, Guy) is “isolated.”

From a library composer’s standpoint, what about stems? I’ve always wondered about that, though I’ve never let it impede me.

Yeah, it's a minefield. (General comment, not specific to Spectrasonics) In theory everything at least has to be layered with something else - at least one other sound effect on top. I also think there's a distinction between stems that are publicly available and those that are not. For a film, the public has no access to the stems, but they are required to make international versions.

[lofi]

4AE7CE6E-6939-4664-9CDF-85A769B7069E.jpeg

Here’s the latest.
I never asked to sell my licenses, but I did tell him I don’t use onmisphere.
He is being solution focused.
Too bad he didn’t read my messages.
“Don’t use it for sound design… since I’m not allowed to”.
I use omnisphere in music production when needed, it’s a great sounding synth and easy to program.

I did send him the info Guy provided, he has not responded to that.

In trying to tip this thread into something positive.
Spectrasonics replied within hours and did their best with this grumpy person that is I.

Best,
/Anders

[Jaap]

As much as I love Spectrasonics for their products, I really dislike them for their policy. Such odd restrictions and as Guy said, it's in general already a minefield, but they (Spectrasonics) have added in my opinion a lot of extra mines to that field and sometimes I wonder if they have any clue what is going out there in the audio production scene. Of course they have their connections with all those top end/famous musicians and composers, but for some reason I think sometimes they have hardly a clue anymore how the audio production world is for all those guys working like us.

In general for sound design stuff (not preset creation) I use Omnisphere only as mangeling/fx tool and I am always make sure I am not using any of their samples. Even for my commercial production/trailer music I always make sure I just use my own presets and stuff.