Renovating and reinventing the original pad release for Sonic Extensions Nylon Sky
Originally released Oct 2017, Majestica Vol 1 became my most popular Omnisphere collection that featured custom samples and only performance pads. From lush and expansive to smooth and tranquil, Majestica Vol 1 was a pivotal release for me that took my custom sample work for Mainstage and brought it into Omnisphere. Featuring samples from my personal synth collection, including the Korg Radias, Juno, DeepMind 12 and the Prophet 12 - Majestica Vol 1 was an iconic release that set Rocky Mountain Sounds apart.
In the 6 years since, much as changed in the music technology world- including with Omnisphere itself. New features inside of Omnisphere 2 greatly expanded the potential sound designers had in creating better quality sounds - including upgraded arp engine and a small addition that blew apart what could be done in a single Omnipshere patch - BIAS. Sonic Extensions were then released that allowed users to add fresh new FX and sounds directly from Spectrasonics - allowing the user to take Omnisphere 2 into new genres that they loved. One such extension is the fabulous Nylon Sky - Ambient Acoustic Guitar.
Nylon Sky is based on a deeply sampled expressive nylon guitar paired with 2 custom FX modules only available when you purchase Nylon Sky. "Sky Channel" is a Class-A channel strip effect modeled after highly sought-after vintage consoles. Featuring the warmest EQ in Omnisphere, it also adds an amazing tape saturator and analog enhancer. "Sky Verb" is considered "the most gorgeous reverb ever made for Omnisphere". This new reverb FX goes beyond the popular "Shimmer" verb and lets you create smooh and luscious ambient reverbs that can go from Dark and Warm, to Distant and Airy. With these new FX, I felt it was the perfect extension to renovate and recreate Majestica Vol 1.
This was such a pivotal release for me that I wanted to not only convert the collection for use inside of Nylon Sky (which alone was transformative as I explored the different colours and textures Sky Verb and Sky Channel brought), but I wanted to take Majestica further. I went back to the original limited sample set, and brought back the full 4-6 octaves that were originally captured. These samples were remastered and freshly re-looped to create higher quality seamless sound sources that had more punch, and more character. Using BIAS, new 4x pads were created that spread 4 sound sources across the keyrange in 4 distinct zones. This brought more clarity and texture to the original sounds that are evident when you compare them.
Since the time of Majestica's original release, I have also dived deeply into field recording and wanted to add a curated collection of Canadian nature ambiences. These were all captured at different locations locally and around the Rocky Mountains where I reside. New bird songs were added that have a special feature- they were "extracted" out of the original recent recordings so that they can be instantly added to any nature ambience - creating a new "Genesis" experience. Rivers and creeks and rains can be mixed with these special bird song samples to create new environments that didn't exist in real life. You can add as little or as much bird song as you desire- and these make for amazing backgrounds to sustain while you play with the new Majestica Vol 1 Nylon Sky Guitar patches I added. These are twists to some of the originals - including layering with Majestica samples. Rounding off the collection was a simple Kalimba I recorded because- well- I love Kalimba and wanted to have my very own included.
This collection also added more new sound types as well as even more pad sounds. You will find a selection of BPM patches that are ideal for layering (as showcased in the Multis), as well as basses, ambient leads, plucks, guitars, and natural environments. All taking advantage of the new FX that Nylon Sky brings to Omnisphere 2.