Omnisphere 3 Hardware Guide

Setting Up the APC40 mk2

When using the Akai APC40 mk2 to control Omnisphere, the following knobs on the APC40 mk2 are assigned to the following Omnisphere parameters:

Top row of knobs:

  • Knob 1 (CC#48) – Global Controls Cutoff
  • Knob 2 (CC#49) – Global Controls Resonance
  • Knob 3 (CC#50) – Global Controls Filter Envelope Amount
  • Knob 4 (CC#51) – Global Controls Vibrato Depth
  • Knob 5 (CC#52) – Global Controls Ambience Amount
  • Knob 6 (CC#53) – Global Controls Ambience Length
  • Knob 7 (CC#54) – Global Controls Unison
  • Knob 8 (CC#55) – Global Controls Glide

Setup

To control Omnisphere using the APC40 mk2, you’ll need to do the following:

  1. Connect the APC40 mk2 to your computer via USB.
  2. Setup the APC40 mk2 to control Omnisphere.
  3. Enable the APC40 mk2 as a MIDI input device in the host software you’re using (DAW, Standalone, etc.).
  4. Activate the APC40 mk2 Hardware Profile in Omnisphere 3 or later.

APC40 MK2 SETUP

  • Omnisphere relies on the default settings of the top row of knobs while they’re in “User” mode. You can enable User mode by selecting the [USER] button.

HOST CONNECTION

  • Open your host (DAW, Standalone, etc.) and make sure the APC40 mk2 is enabled as a MIDI input device.

OMNISPHERE SETUP

  • Open Omnisphere and from the header, select the HW menu button.
  • From the drop-down menu, select “Akai > Akai APC40 mk2” to activate the APC40 mk2 Hardware Profile.

TROUBLESHOOTING

Not working? Here are some things to try:

  • Is your DAW receiving MIDI from the APC40 mk2?
  • Make sure your DAW is configured to correctly route the MIDI output of the APC40 mk2 to the MIDI channel assigned to the desired part in Omnisphere.
  • Are using the APC40 mk2 as a “Control Surface” for Ableton Live? If so, you’ll need to make sure Omnisphere is in focus of the APC40 mk2 by making sure Ableton Live’s little “Blue Hand” on Omnisphere’s Ableton Live Device Module – this allows MIDI from the User Knobs on the APC40 mk2 to be passed through to Omnisphere. If you’re still unable to control Omnisphere, you may need to disable the APC40 mk2 as a “Control Surface” in Ableton Live’s “Preferences > Link/MIDI” settings page.

SUPPORT

Still not working? More questions?

Feel free to contact us directly and we can work with you:

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email: info@spectrasonics.net