Spectrasonics has introduced Sonic Extensions, a new collection of add-ons for Omnisphere that add new sounds, features and effects.
Each Sonic Extension title focuses on a specific aesthetic, with new sounds, purpose-built custom controls and new effects units. The new effects can be used on anything within Omnisphere, including imported user audio and satellite instruments like Keyscape and Trilian.
“Sonic Extensions is something we’ve been working on over here for a long time,” notes stated Spectrasonics Founder and Creative Director Eric Persing. “All of the artisans who worked so hard on these new Sonic Extensions cannot wait to see what our users come up with when they start exploring the new possibilities!”
Spectrasonics describes each of the new Sonic Extensions as “its own sonic universe”. They feature advanced features like deep multisampling, multi-channel audio, round robins, special articulations and unique new soundsources and wavetables.
There are currently four Sonic Extensions:
- Nylon Sky
- From guitar sampling legend Bob Daspit
- Exclusive new “Sky Verb” shimmer reverb effect
- Exclusive new “Sky Channel™” Class-A channel strip effect
- 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 more…
- Undercurrent
- A “dark masterpiece” by Spectrasonics designer Ignacio Longo
- 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
- Seismic Shock
- Created by veteran producer/sound designer Seth Norman
- Exclusive new “Seismic Pump” extreme side-chaining effect
- Exclusive new “Seismic Verb” 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 new aggressive Seismic Wavetables
- Trigger Scenes for on-the-fly performance transformations
- Dramatic Wheel tricks for impressive modulations
- Unclean Machine
- 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 creative experimentation
- Highly creative and fresh, rhythmic arpeggiator patches
- Features over 200 new multisampled soundsources
- Lo-Fi Keys, Bells, Pads, Guitars, Strings, Basses and more…
New Effects
Included with each Sonic Extension title are two new exclusive effects which were custom developed for each Sonic Extension. There’s an extremely versatile pitch-shifted ambience processor dripping with analog tape character (Under Echo), a unique side-chaining effect with brutal tonal sculpting (Seismic Pump), an instant nostalgic character and vibe generator (Unclean Channel), a shimmer reverb (Sky Verb) and more.
Purpose-Built Custom Controls
The Spectrasonics software development team worked closely with each of the sound designers to allow them to create new purpose-built Custom Controls for Omnisphere.
Each Sonic Extension patch has a set of Custom Controls that have been specifically created and dialed in to give a wide range of powerful and musical results.
Scenes
Another new feature introduced in Sonic Extensions, “Scenes” store snapshots of the Custom Control settings and give new sonic variations per patch.
Scenes can be user modified and they can also be selected via the left/right QWERTY arrow keys or via MIDI Learn for new ways of transforming a sound during playing.
Special New Features for Omnisphere
Since Sonic Extensions are built by Spectrasonics, they can offer newly developed special features for Omnisphere that have never been available before. One example of this is the new Strum feature in the Arpeggiator and unique new Humanity and Life controls – which introduce human imperfections into the Arp pattern’s timing and dynamics.
These innovative new features in the Arpeggiator were developed to create extremely realistic and human sounding strumming patterns with Nylon Sky, but can also be applied to all sorts of patches in Omnisphere.
Pricing and Availability:
Each Sonic Extension is available now for $149 USD, with discounts available for purchasing multiple titles at once.
Note: Omnisphere v2.8 or later is required.
At a price at each 49 USD I would have think about buying them… But 149 USD each is just too much
I own my own business and charge $85.00 per hour for my work. $149.00 for a module is a deal considering the time it would take to sample and program all of these sounds and effects. Even if you were able to program that well. That’s less than what I charge for 2 hours of my time. So yeah, it’s a deal
Not everyone uses plugins to make a living. Actually most buyers of music software are hobbyists who just enjoy making music in their free time. For someone living on minimum wage, spending 149 dollars on a plugin might just not be an option. That being said, Spectrasonics still seem to focus on professional users, and in this sphere the price is perfectly fine.
at first i thought the price was high, but after checking out the demos and the Q&A from yesterday, i understand why it’s priced like that. and to me it sounds like a fair deal. the nylon sky sounds amazing
I bought them all. Worth every penny. Awesome quality and a very nice addition to a plugin I use almost in every project. <3
Does it mean each sonic extension has about two thousand patches, each with its own specific interface (macros)?
Bought 3 of them, at 104$ piece is a good deal. Sounds are so great + quiet amazing how all your other Omnisphere sounds can be transformed with the new EX effects!
Just what everyone needs, another 8000 omnisphere presets.
Eric Persing might be the most charismatic company founder/leader in this business, genuinely liked by those who meet him. He could have probably sold me a set of knives or a personal TV amplification device.