Some of the sounds included in the Omnisphere Factory Library are quite large, and can place a heavy demand on available memory and take a longer time to load.

Lite Version is a feature located in the Full Browsers and provides added flexibility when loading Patches and Multis—helping you manage your memory resources. It is especially useful for quick loading and auditioning sounds.

When this button is activated, the thinning settings from the Lite Version Options Zoom are applied, allowing you to reduce or “thin” the number of samples loaded with a Patch or Multi.

This feature is especially useful when loading Satellite Instruments (like Keyscape or Trilian) into Omnisphere. Many of those sounds can be quite large and contain thousands of samples, with some being over 2 Gigabytes in size. These can place a heavy demand on available memory and take longer to load.

All Thinning options applied here are saved with the song, the Patch, or the Multi, and are recalled the next time you load. However, nothing is saved until you specifically save your host song, or save the Omnisphere Patch or Multi.

NOTE: The Lite Version Button will default to its disabled state when you close the Browser. To keep it enabled, select the “Keep Lite Version Selected” option in the Lite Version Options Zoom pane.

Lite Version Options Zoom Pane

Selecting the Lite Version Zoom Icon provides access to a number of thinning options. At the top of the Zoom window, there is a Memory meter which shows the current Virtual Memory usage.

NOTE: If you set a Memory Limit on the System Page, this gauge will show the amount of memory used, relative to the selected limit.

Round Robin

Soundsources can sometimes include a large number of Round Robin samples per zone, and can add significantly to the size of the Soundsource. This option lets you control the number of Round Robin samples that are loaded with the Patch or Multi.

In many cases, you can save quite a bit of memory by reducing Round Robins to “At most 2 RRs” without sacrificing the more realistic feel that Round Robins provide. Selecting “No RR” will result in no Round Robin samples being loaded with the Patch or Multi and selecting “No Limit” will load all of the Round Robin samples available.

Velocities

Soundsources may also contain a large number of velocity-switching samples mapped across many regions of the entire keyboard range. This setting provides a variety of options for reducing the number of velocity-switched samples that are loaded with any Patch or Multi. To apply Velocity thinning, select from the options in the drop-down menu.

  • No Limit
    Loads all Velocity-switched samples.
  • Every other
    Loads every other Velocity-switched sample.
  • Every third
    Loads only every third Velocity-switched sample.
  • Every fourth
    Loads only every fourth Velocity-switched sample.
  • Velocities above
    Selecting a value from this menu, for example, 64, will only load Velocity-switched samples mapped to a Velocity of 64 and above.
  • Velocities below
    Selecting a value from this menu, for example, 100, will only load Velocity-switched samples mapped to a Velocity of 100 and below.

NOTE: When thinning Velocities, there are no gaps in the sound. The remaining Velocity-switched samples will adjust to be triggered across the full Velocity range.

Legato

This option determines whether or not Legato Soundsources are loaded.


If “No limit” is selected, Legato Soundsources will be loaded. If “None” is selected, no Legato Soundsources will be loaded.

NOTE: Omnisphere sounds do not currently contain Legato Soundsources. However, if you are loading Keyscape or Trilian sounds in Omnisphere, this feature becomes very important for overall memory management.

Pitch Thinning

Omnisphere Patches and Multis can contain a large number of samples mapped across the entire keyboard range. Pitch Thinning lets you limit the samples that are loaded to match either a “trained” range of played notes, or a selected Scale or Interval. Using Pitch Thinning can substantially reduce the number of samples loaded with the Patch or Multi.

Trained Pitch Thinning

With Trained Pitch Thinning, you can load only the samples used during a performance.

For example, if you are working on a melodic phrase that has notes in a limited range, say from C2 to C4, you can speed up load times by using Trained Pitch Thinning. This reduces memory usage by loading only the samples used in that range.

If you have recorded an Omnisphere part in a song, and want to speed up load times and conserve memory, you can apply Trained Pitch Thinning by playing the MIDI clip in the host. Omnisphere will then only load the samples used in the actual phrase.

To use Trained Pitch Thinning, select the Begin Training button. Play a range of notes (or a MIDI clip in the host), and then select the Finish Training button. This will limit the loaded samples to the notes that were played during training.

Pitch Thinning Using Scales Intervals

To limit loaded samples to a specific Scale or Interval, select the Pitch Thinning drop-down menu, and select an option from the available sub-menus. You can select from Major or Minor Scales, or from a variety of Intervals.

NOTE: Although only a limited set of samples will be loaded, this won’t result in “silent zones” on the keyboard. All notes will still play because the remaining zones will be stretched across the sample map.

Lite Version Default Settings

The Lite Version Default Settings are useful for quick loading, and easy auditioning of complete sounds. Lite Version applies sample thinning, loads the sound across the entire keyboard range, and is immediately playable after loading.


When Lite Version is enabled with the default settings, the following settings will be in effect:

  • Round Robin: No RR samples. No Round Robin samples will be loaded.
  • Velocities: above 65. Only Velocity switched samples mapped above a Velocity of 65 will be loaded.
  • Legato: None. No Legato samples will be loaded.

Keep Lite Version Selected Button

The Lite Version Button will default to its disabled state when you close the Full Browser. When this option is enabled, the Lite Version Button in the Full Browser will remain enabled, even after you close it. Think of it as changing the default state of the Lite Version Button to “enabled.”

NOTE: The Pitch Thinning options on the Lite Version Zoom are the same as those found on the Soundsource Zoom Edit View. However, the Lite Version feature affects the entire Patch or Multi, while the Soundsource Zoom options affect only the individual Soundsource. Use the Soundsource Zoom Edit View if you want to apply different thinning options to each Layer in a Patch.

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