Spectrasonics Atmosphere

jdjustice · 15th July 2006, 11:43 PM

Is this a good buy? Anyone here use it?

Thanks
J.D.

synthdogg · 15th July 2006, 11:52 PM

It's great if you want what it does.

Lagerfeldt · 16th July 2006, 12:10 AM

Ok if you get it cheap

DAWgEAR · 16th July 2006, 12:22 AM

It has other synth sounds but mostly excels for pads and ambient sounds.

For a more general synth module with good sampled sounds and also built on the UVI engine, check out Universal Sound Bank's Ultra Focus (recently discontinued, I believe) or USB's new Plugsound Pro + Synth Anthology (replaces Ultra Focus).

elambo · 16th July 2006, 12:30 AM

I agree - VERY good for pads and ambient sounds, but not exactly versatile. I've found some useful bass tones also.

If pads or ambience is what you're after, get it. It will be great for that.

Joseph Hanna · 16th July 2006, 01:21 AM

Where I agree with the idea of a "warning" to prospective buyers about it being a pad/string/atmospheric specific synth...

I'm curious about the comment

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lagerfeldt

Ok if you get it cheap

Really now, subjectivity aside, Atmosphere in it's design, work flow, capabilities and sonic impact may not be everyone's cup of tea but for those considering a purchase I'm not sure the phrase "okay if it's cheap" is fair or acurate on any level.

I haven't written and consequently sold a cue that hasn't contained some form of Atmosphere in two years.

There again that's just my 2 cents

elambo · 16th July 2006, 01:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joseph Hanna

Where I agree with the idea of a "warning" to prospective buyers about it being a pad/string/atmospheric specific synth...

I'm curious about the comment

Really now, subjectivity aside, Atmosphere in it's design, work flow, capabilities and sonic impact may not be everyone's cup of tea but for those considering a purchase I'm not sure the phrase "okay if it's cheap" is fair or acurate on any level.

I haven't written and consequently sold a cue that hasn't contained some form of Atmosphere in two years.

There again that's just my 2 cents

Agreed - it's worth it at it's normal selling price. It's paid for itself many times over.

GPl · 16th July 2006, 01:40 AM

Agreed. I thought it was cheap at $300.xx

Donny · 16th July 2006, 01:41 AM

[quote= Really now, subjectivity aside, Atmosphere in it's design, work flow, capabilities and sonic impact may not be everyone's cup of tea but for those considering a purchase I'm not sure the phrase "okay if it's cheap" is fair or acurate on any level.
[/QUOTE]

Definately agree...I always thought the price was very fair. Spectrasonic plugins are the best value for money and IMO some the best virutal instruments u can get your hands on.

jdjustice · 16th July 2006, 03:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Donny

Definately agree...I always thought the price was very fair. Spectrasonic plugins are the best value for money and IMO some the best virutal instruments u can get your hands on.

A bit OT: is the Spectrasonics RMX ready for PT (RTAS)?? Or would I need a wrapper?? Thanks for the opinions and advice!

J.D.

quincyg · 16th July 2006, 03:29 AM

for ambient pads it is excellent. not sure of any other use for it at all. i end up using it on projects that call for padding. it has saved my ass on those projects. i never use it on normal song stuff though.

Joseph Hanna · 16th July 2006, 05:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by quincyg

i never use it on normal song stuff though.

Well then there again....if one were not to know...what is

"normal song stuff"

elambo · 16th July 2006, 06:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jdjustice

A bit OT: is the Spectrasonics RMX ready for PT (RTAS)?? Or would I need a wrapper?? Thanks for the opinions and advice!

J.D.

It's RTAS, so PT ready. And yet another incredible plugin from Spectrasonics. RMX is my favorite of theirs so far.

Albert · 16th July 2006, 06:38 AM

Stylus RMX works fine with PT. No wrapper needed.

H-Rezz · 16th July 2006, 06:53 AM

Atmosphere , is good sounding but limited , you are stuck with the effects on the sounds , it takes too long to load sounds which is terrible when you want to go through it's sounds banks , you just seem to give up quicker with it , it has good atmospherics but again it's limited to what it has,,,

Ultra Focus by 'Ultimate Sounds Bank' on the other hand is an incredible module , with an 8 gig library standard , 2000 presets and more updated presets through their site , it loads very fast almost like a hardware synth module , has 30+internal effects to add to your sounds , lots of tweakablitly and sounds fantastic , also UVI engine based .....best part about it is that is used to be $399 and at the moment it's going for $199......you should definately check out this module if you are after an all round great synth module .....

jdjustice · 16th July 2006, 08:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by H-Rezz

Atmosphere , is good sounding but limited , you are stuck with the effects on the sounds , it takes too long to load sounds which is terrible when you want to go through it's sounds banks , you just seem to give up quicker with it , it has good atmospherics but again it's limited to what it has,,,

Ultra Focus by 'Ultimate Sounds Bank' on the other hand is an incredible module , with an 8 gig library standard , 2000 presets and more updated presets through their site , it loads very fast almost like a hardware synth module , has 30+internal effects to add to your sounds , lots of tweakablitly and sounds fantastic , also UVI engine based .....best part about it is that is used to be $399 and at the moment it's going for $199......you should definately check out this module if you are after an all round great synth module .....

Thankx H-Rezz .... I just DLd the demo for Ultra Focus!! I will report back on how I like it.. but thanks for pointing me towards a new product (at least one I didn't know about)!!

Cheers,

J.D.

Lagerfeldt · 16th July 2006, 10:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lagerfeldt

Ok if you get it cheap

Hm, didn't intend to offend anyone.

chrispick · 16th July 2006, 08:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jdjustice

Thankx H-Rezz .... I just DLd the demo for Ultra Focus!! I will report back on how I like it.. but thanks for pointing me towards a new product (at least one I didn't know about)!!

Cheers,

J.D.

I think Ultra Focus is a great, prefab collection of old school synths. One of my favorite VIs.

Atmosphere is great too, but will find more use for you if you're into "soundscape" kind of pads and sweeps and such. It's a favorite among music-for-motion-media producers for example.

jdg · 16th July 2006, 08:26 PM

yes, scoring for media and astmosphere=fast fast fast.

atmosphere and RMX together.. im done with tracks for any media project in 5hrs.
rince, repeat.

jdjustice · 16th July 2006, 09:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chrispick

I think Ultra Focus is a great, prefab collection of old school synths. One of my favorite VIs.

Yep, I'm demoing it right now (on the 2nd day of 15) and so far I am really impressed. I am a bit shocked at the low price ($199 USD + $15 for S/H).... most software synths this good are around $300-$400 IME.

Thanks again H-Rezz for the recommendation!! I had never heard of Ultra Focus or the company that makes it (USB).... it's now on my list of possible future purchases; at $214 USD I don't think I can do wrong with this!

Cheers,
J.D.

quincyg · 17th July 2006, 02:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joseph Hanna

Well then there again....if one were not to know...what is

"normal song stuff"

good point. non ambient backed tracks are normal for me. i think if you were doing ambient music, you would use it daily.

horseface · 17th July 2006, 03:38 AM

http://www.mhc.se/software/plugins/ambientkeys/

http://www.mhc.se/software/plugins/spacesynth/

Check these out, too. They're both nice and take up a lot less space than atmosphere...

DAWgEAR · 17th July 2006, 05:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jdjustice

Yep, I'm demoing it right now (on the 2nd day of 15) and so far I am really impressed. I am a bit shocked at the low price ($199 USD + $15 for S/H).... most software synths this good are around $300-$400 IME.

As I mentioned above, it is "discontinued". I haven't heard official word that it it is, but UVI's new product, Plugsound Pro (plus the add-on module Synths Anthology) contains the exact same sounds and more. The recently lowered price of Ultra Focus reflects this. Dealer inventories of Ultra Focus are also getting harder to locate.

As luck would have it Plugsound Pro + the Synths expansion pack costs more, but UVI is offering a discount if one upgrades from Ultra Focus. It also uses iLok, if that matters to you. (Ultra Focus does not.)

http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=71

http://www.plugsound.com/jsp/index.jsp

Just so you know ...

Nevertheless, it's a great VSTi.

One thing I do not like about it (same applies to Atmosphere): does not respond to program change messages.

H-Rezz · 17th July 2006, 06:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DAWgEAR

As I mentioned above, it is "discontinued". I haven't heard official word that it it is, but UVI's new product, Plugsound Pro (plus the add-on module Synths Anthology) contains the exact same sounds and more. The recently lowered price of Ultra Focus reflects this. Dealer inventories of Ultra Focus are also getting harder to locate.

As luck would have it Plugsound Pro + the Synths expansion pack costs more, but UVI is offering a discount if one upgrades from Ultra Focus. It also uses iLok, if that matters to you. (Ultra Focus does not.)

http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=71

http://www.plugsound.com/jsp/index.jsp

Just so you know ...

Nevertheless, it's a great VSTi.

One thing I do not like about it (same applies to Atmosphere): does not respond to program change messages.

Do you have any info in 'Synths Anthology' that it actually contains the sounds of Ultra Focus 'and more', or are you assumming it does ?

The reason i ask is because most add on packs whether Plugsound or Ik Multimedia's Sampletank add on packs are about the same size as an average CD , 750meg , Ultra Focus is an 8gig module !

Either way Plugsound Pro looks like a winner , and i will definately check this thing out when it's out , i think Ultimate Sound Bank make some great sounding products , and in my experience work flawlessly and change presets fast , something i really like .

DAWgEAR · 17th July 2006, 06:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by H-Rezz

Do you have any info in 'Synths Anthology' that it actually contains the sounds of Ultra Focus 'and more', or are you assumming it does ?

I do not know for certain, but my info comes from this thread:

http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=131807

In particular, see the second post, by BenUSB, on page 2. It sure sounds like Plugsound Pro + Synths Anthology is the replacement for Ultra Focus.

But apparently Plugsound Pro is not shipping yet.

H-Rezz · 17th July 2006, 07:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DAWgEAR

I do not know for certain, but my info comes from this thread:

http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=131807

In particular, see the second post, by BenUSB, on page 2. It sure sounds like Plugsound Pro + Synths Anthology is the replacement for Ultra Focus.

But apparently Plugsound Pro is not shipping yet.

Thanks for that DAWgEAR, very interesting stuff , i might have to wait for Plugsound PRO to be released .Hope the xpansion pack is not $199

jdjustice · 17th July 2006, 09:41 AM

OK, so I emailed USB re: discontinuation of Ultra Focus and to ask what would be the replacement product(s).. here is the response email I got:

Quote:

That's true, UltraFocus is being discontinued, replaced by Plugsound
Pro and UVI Soundcard Synths Anthology both MacIntel compatible.
UltraFocus is not Macintel compatible, but is still fully compatible
with Windows XP and G4/G5 processors. I still have some DVDs in stock.
UltraFocus now costs USD 199 on our website, UltraFocus registered
users get Plugsound Pro and UVI Soundcard Synths Anthology for the half
of the price. So I can suggest you to order UltraFocus first, then
upgrade to Plugsound Pro and UVI Soundcard Synths Anthology when you
like.

Please visit www.ultimatesoundbank.com for more information, and feel
free to contact me with any questions.

Best Regards, Benoit

Benoit Henriot
UltimateSoundBank
6, bld Voltaire
F-75011 Paris
ben@ultimatesoundbank.com (mail)
http://www.ultimatesoundbank.com (web)

So that is the official answer; now we know.

Cheers,

J.D.

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15th July 2006, 11:43 PM	#1
jdjustice Lives for gear Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: North Carolina Posts: 2,261	Spectrasonics Atmosphere Is this a good buy? Anyone here use it? Thanks J.D. __________________ jdjustice.net

16th July 2006, 12:10 AM	#3
Lagerfeldt Lives for gear Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Copenhagen, Denmark Posts: 2,573	Ok if you get it cheap __________________ Producer & engineer Apple Certified Trainer in Logic Pro Popmusic.dk Production Hit Kit V3 Sample CD Urban & Electronic Beat Production - used on Billboard #1 hits (recently on: Katy Perry, Britney, Usher, Jordin Sparks, Leona Lewis, Sugababes, The Pussycat Dolls)

16th July 2006, 12:22 AM	#4
DAWgEAR Lives for gear Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Southern California Posts: 992	It has other synth sounds but mostly excels for pads and ambient sounds. For a more general synth module with good sampled sounds and also built on the UVI engine, check out Universal Sound Bank's Ultra Focus (recently discontinued, I believe) or USB's new Plugsound Pro + Synth Anthology (replaces Ultra Focus). __________________ " the wrist of the listener will always turn up the volume for you more effectively than any brick wall compression ever could." -- Stav from Mixing With Your Mind

16th July 2006, 01:40 AM	#8
GPl Lives for gear Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Ottawa Posts: 1,294	Agreed. I thought it was cheap at $300.xx __________________ Michael Scott --------------------------------------------- "Two degrees in bebop, a PHD in swing, he's the master of rhythm, he's a rock and roll king" -Lowell George-

15th July 2006, 11:52 PM	#2
synthdogg Gear nut Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Chicago Posts: 130	It's great if you want what it does.

16th July 2006, 12:30 AM	#5
elambo Lives for gear Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: 3rd Coast Posts: 2,025	I agree - VERY good for pads and ambient sounds, but not exactly versatile. I've found some useful bass tones also. If pads or ambience is what you're after, get it. It will be great for that.

16th July 2006, 01:41 AM	#9
Donny Gear maniac Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: UK Posts: 213	[quote= Really now, subjectivity aside, Atmosphere in it's design, work flow, capabilities and sonic impact may not be everyone's cup of tea but for those considering a purchase I'm not sure the phrase "okay if it's cheap" is fair or acurate on any level. [/QUOTE] Definately agree...I always thought the price was very fair. Spectrasonic plugins are the best value for money and IMO some the best virutal instruments u can get your hands on.

16th July 2006, 03:29 AM	#11
quincyg Lives for gear Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 1,434	for ambient pads it is excellent. not sure of any other use for it at all. i end up using it on projects that call for padding. it has saved my ass on those projects. i never use it on normal song stuff though.

16th July 2006, 06:38 AM	#14
Albert Lives for gear Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 1,483	Stylus RMX works fine with PT. No wrapper needed. __________________ http://www.misterpotts.com http://www.myspace.com/albypottsmusic

16th July 2006, 06:53 AM	#15
H-Rezz Lives for gear Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 1,380	Atmosphere , is good sounding but limited , you are stuck with the effects on the sounds , it takes too long to load sounds which is terrible when you want to go through it's sounds banks , you just seem to give up quicker with it , it has good atmospherics but again it's limited to what it has,,, Ultra Focus by 'Ultimate Sounds Bank' on the other hand is an incredible module , with an 8 gig library standard , 2000 presets and more updated presets through their site , it loads very fast almost like a hardware synth module , has 30+internal effects to add to your sounds , lots of tweakablitly and sounds fantastic , also UVI engine based .....best part about it is that is used to be $399 and at the moment it's going for $199......you should definately check out this module if you are after an all round great synth module .....

16th July 2006, 08:26 PM	#19
jdg Lives for gear Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: seattle, WA Posts: 1,122	yes, scoring for media and astmosphere=fast fast fast. atmosphere and RMX together.. im done with tracks for any media project in 5hrs. rince, repeat. __________________ panicStudios - mastering in seattle

17th July 2006, 03:38 AM	#22
horseface Gear maniac Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 196	http://www.mhc.se/software/plugins/ambientkeys/ http://www.mhc.se/software/plugins/spacesynth/ Check these out, too. They're both nice and take up a lot less space than atmosphere...

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