The FX

Effects are an important part of Omnisphere’s sound palette, and are used to enhance the sonic character of Patches and Multis. They can add space, density, movement, alter the timbre, and shape the sound in many interesting ways.

Omnisphere has a huge collection of 93 FX Units (which can be expanded up to 103 via Sonic Extensions). These FX units can be combined in multiple ways using a powerful FX Rack system, which can be used on each Layer, an entire Patch, or Multis.

Each of the 8 Parts in Omnisphere has six Racks – one for each of the four Layers, an AUX Rack, and a COMMON Rack for the entire Patch. Additionally, at the Multi level, 5 Racks are shared by all Parts (4 AUX Racks and a MASTER Rack). This totals to 53 FX Racks in a single Omnisphere instance!

There’s no limit to how FX can be applied creatively, but certain FX, such as Compressors and Modulation FX, are best used as Inserts. Other FX, like Reverbs and Delays, are best used in AUX Racks. Deciding when and where to apply FX is also an important part of optimizing CPU usage in Omnisphere. For example, using one reverb in an AUX Send for all Layers is far less CPU-intensive than using one reverb for every Layer.

The position of an FX unit in the audio chain will affect how it sounds and reacts. FX units can be easily repositioned in any of the FX Racks by clicking on the Rack ear’s handles and dragging the unit to the desired position.

One of the key features of Omnisphere’s FX is that almost all the FX parameters can be modulated with any Modulation Source. This means that FX can be fully integrated into the synthesis architecture and character of a Patch, making them much more than simple FX.

All FX parameters can be MIDI-Learned for hands-on control and enabled for Host Automation.

In addition to individual FX Presets, you can also load or save Rack Presets, which include entire FX chains with all of their settings pre-loaded.

All Part FX can be globally bypassed by clicking on the blue LED under the FX tab. The LED is blue when FX units are in use and turns red when in Bypass mode. The FX page will become greyed-out when in Bypass Mode.

Last, but not least, the Omnisphere FX Rack can be used in a dedicated audio effect plug-in (AU, VST, AAX), the “Omnisphere FX” plug-in. This plug-in provides you with access to all of Omnisphere FX units in a familiar environment, allowing you to process any audio in your DAW.