Spectrasonics Omnisphere 3: Flagship Synth Plugin to Get Major Update

Noise Harmony
Oct 16
3 min read

A decade on from Omnisphere 2, Omnisphere 3 is coming soon. This isn’t a minor refresh. It’s a major update that will add new features across the board, from sound design tools and modulation options to a huge expansion of the factory sound library.

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The main synthesis engines sample playback, wavetable, granular, and FM are still at the heart of it. But just about everything around them has been expanded or is set to be improved. There will be over 600 morphing wavetables, including a set focused on electronic music. A new oscillator drift feature is designed to introduce subtle pitch instability to simulate vintage gear, and a dual frequency shifter will allow precise polyphonic tracking with full modulation support. It’s one of the more unusual additions, and you probably won’t find anything quite like it in other synths.

The filter section has also been reworked and will offer 36 new types grouped into sonic color categories. Alongside that, there’s a new circuit modeled filter saturation stage planned to add analog style harmonics without needing extra processing.

One of the biggest changes coming in version 3 is the introduction of Quadzone. This will give you flexible control over how layers behave across the keyboard, velocity, or faders. You will be able to split layers by key, switch them with playing dynamics, or use a MIDI controller to smoothly blend between them. This is set to open up a lot of creative options, especially for expressive performance. And with full MPE support finally included, it feels like Spectrasonics is aiming to make the instrument more responsive and dynamic.

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The factory sound library will grow significantly. You’ll get over 26,000 patches across 18 themed collections, including newly sampled instruments like the lyre harp, nyckelharpa, and more experimental sources such as tonal sand or a blown ostrich egg. Some of these exotic samples come directly from master world instrumentalist Pedro Eustache, adding depth and authenticity to the palette. It sounds strange on paper, but in context, these elements should lead to really unique textures. All classic Omnisphere sounds from previous versions will also be updated to support the new engine and FX.

Another big addition will be the Patch Mutation feature. With one click, you will be able to generate variations of a sound either subtle tweaks or more extreme changes. It’s useful when you want to stay in the ballpark of a sound but give it a fresh direction.

Effects have long been one of Omnisphere’s strengths. The new version adds 35 processors for a total of 93, covering reverbs, delays, tape saturation, modulation utilities, and multiband distortion. In Omnisphere 3, the entire FX section will also run as a standalone plugin in your DAW, addressing a frequent user request.

All 35 New Effects in Omnisphere 3’s

Category	Effect Name
Creative	Flip Backward
Creative	Pump-O-matic
Creative	Half Speeder
Creative	Warp Shifter
Creative	Pulsar Split
Creative	Ring of Fire
Reverbs	Super Verb
Reverbs	Velvet Verb
Reverbs	Solar Shimmer
Reverbs	Inversions
Distortion	Multiband Distortion
Distortion	Tube Overdrive
Distortion	Mean Machine
Modulation	Unstable Drifter
Modulation	Chameleon Chorus
Modulation	Barberpole Phaser
Delays	Refraction Delay
Delays	Swiss Army Delay
Delays	Backwards Echo
Delays	Magnetic Echo
Color	Analog Studio Tape + Console
Color	Vintage Enhancer
Color	Tube Saturator
Color	Noisemaker
Equalizers	Super Channel
Equalizers	Vintage British Desk
Equalizers	1970s Class-A Console
Equalizers	Classic Tube 2-Band
Equalizers	Classic Tube Midband
Equalizers	Classic Tube Filters
Dynamics	Optical Leveling Amp
Dynamics	Multiband Compressor
Dynamics	Classic 1176 Limiter
Dynamics	Solid State Mix Buss
Dynamics	1950s Tube Compressor

Spectrasonics is also expanding hardware integration with over 300 new controller profiles. This includes gear from Moog, Roland, Arturia, Nord, and many others. These profiles will let your physical synth or controller automatically map to parameters in Omnisphere.

The interface has been updated too, but the new version will feature a browser layout with a directory tree and refined tagging system. You will be able to hide sounds you don’t use, filter by mood or keyword, and navigate large libraries much faster. Omnisphere 3 also introduces global controls Tone, Filter, Ambience, and more that will respond to each patch in a musical way, so quick tweaks don’t upset the mix.

Even with all the added content, the install footprint is expected to match Omnisphere 2. A new lossless optimization will keep the library lean while preserving full fidelity.

More details can be found on Spectrasonics’ official page. Omnisphere 3 is scheduled for release on October 21, 2025.