Some of those enhancements include real-time synthesis, disk streaming, 8-part multitimbral capability, and an expanded sound library that spans a whopping 42 GB. Omnisphere took inspiration from Atmosphere, but was redesigned from the ground up by the Spectrasonics team in order to give it a whole new batch of features. As the name and description suggest, Atmosphere's calling card was its ability to create evolving pads, textures and, well, atmospheres.

The initial version of Omnisphere that came in 2008 was actually a follow-up to Atmosphere, Spectrasonics' 'Dream Synth Module,' a sample-based instrument released four years prior. We were curious to see exactly what Spectrasonics had stuffed inside their 'Power Synth' in order for it to fetch such a tall price. Despite the fact that at $479 Omnisphere costs as much as many of the DAWs that it runs within, it has a steady base of devoted users that has made it a success. One of the most recognizable of these is Omnisphere, the ambitious project by the California-based software group Spectrasonics. If you're willing to break from the norm and spend a bit more though, there are a handful of 'super instruments' that have set themselves apart from the pack in one way or another. With a few exceptions, they all fall within a certain range with respect to price and features. When considering the catalog of software instruments out on the market today, the majority of what you'll find are recreations of hardware synthesizers with some extra conveniences or modulation options added on top.

Omnisphere price