Review: Colossus III for Omnisphere 2 from The Unfinished
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Review: Colossus III for Omnisphere 2 from The Unfinished
Colossus III is here! The long-awaited third volume of the Colossus trilogy from The Unfinished (a.k.a Matt Bowdler). This time around we get more of the precision cinematic scoring elements we have come to expect in the Colossus series along with a more punchy percussive and at times more analogues sounding patches that will take your score to a whole new level.
Colossus III sells for £59.95 + VAT from The Unfinished
The is also a Deluxe version available which sells for £64.95 + VAT. It does contain an additional 50 patches that were designed for use with the Bob Moog Tribute library which is a prerequisite to own in order to use these additional patches
Thoughts
When auditioning a new library turns into losing all sense of time whilst writing tracks for a new album you, generally have something pretty special on your hands. That is certainly the case with the new Colossus III for Omnisphere from The Unfinished.
Matt Bowdler (The Unfinished) should need no introduction, he is well known in the sound design and composer communities as one of the most respected go-to names for bespoke sounds for film and game music. His commercially available synth sets are also regularly featured in film, TV and game soundtracks.
“I have been waiting for this third installment of Colossus to arrive as I have been such a huge fan of this series.”
Not only does it contain an excellent quality of sound design but it weighs in at 400 patches. You don’t count the multis that are included in the previous versions or the bonus patches that are available in the Deluxe edition of this version there are a total of 1,400 patches in the Colossus series now. The Unfinished almost always has an inspiration founded in some of his favorite composers and the entire trilogy thus far has been a gigantic tip of the hat to amongst others, Harry Gregson-Williams and James Newton Howard. Think soundtracks like The Martian, The Equalizer, Blackhat, The Bourne Legacy or Blood Diamond and that will give you a good idea of what you will find in Colossus III along with some of the more percussive elements and beat centric patches that were not included in the first two volumes.
The Colossus series is now 1,400 patches excluding the massive amount of multis and special patches for the Bob Moog Tribute library that you can purchase in the deluxe version of this library. You may think it a hard task not to get lost in the sheer magnitude of patches but they are all very well organized so that you can find the type of sound you need for a particular feel or to create a mood.
“One thing I find really remarkable is that after three volumes of Colossus, The Unfinished is still providing amazing content using only Omnisphere’s internal sounds.”
One thing I find really remarkable is that after three volumes of Colossus, The Unfinished is still providing amazing content using only Omnisphere’s internal sounds. There are no additional sound sources installed with the library. I will note that the 50 extra patches that come with the Deluxe edition again require the Bob Moog Tribute library to be installed in order to use them.
The first thing that is immediately evident is that all the patches are augmented by modwheel control. There are so many times I come across libraries that provide patches that don’t offer any augmentation to the sound unless you setup manual routing. Rest assured that you will find a great deal of inspiration by using these patches not only straight up but also through subtle or not-so-subtle use of the modwheel. Everything changes in sometimes unexpected and surprising ways. That is one of the hallmarks that makes The Unfinished such a discerning body of work.
So, what do we find inside the third volume of the trilogy? The ARP+BPM patches are heavily slanted to percussives and feature a number of odd time signature pieces that are quite tasty but still feature an extraordinary amount of content that you would expect in this series.
So, what do we find inside the third volume of the trilogy? The ARP+BPM patches are heavily slanted to percussives and feature a number of odd time signature pieces that are quite tasty but still feature an extraordinary amount of content that you would expect in this series.
There are plenty of percussive bell tones, strikes, drumbeats, pulsing basses and even guitar harmonics that certainly would fit squarely not only in cinematic underscore, but also in trailers as well.
Hits & Bits contains a nice selection of percussive elements that imbues a more analog feel. The Pads & Strings is always a favorite of mine as Matt is a master at creating otherworldly and otherwise pad sounds. There at the same time haunting, gentle and breathing new signs of life into the music as you manipulate them with the modwheel.
Synth Basses contains a nice collection of straightforward digital and analog tones and also some that are so large they sound like there rising out of the ground. Throughout each one of these categories there are those elements that allow you to add some grit and some old school analog feel to your compositions, in fact there is no way to describe 400 patches in the space of a review, but I wanted to highlight some of the themes of the collection and also some of my personal favorite categories. While they are smaller in size, the Bowed Colors, Keyboards and Synth Poly contain in my opinion some of the standouts in the honorable mention department. There are some really interesting timbres to be found amongst this group of patches.
In my reviews, I usually provide a disclaimer about how I prefer to use premium effects plugins and mix in the room. That one is kind of “out the window” when it comes to Omnisphere and particularly when it comes to sounds crafted by the likes of The Unfinished. The use of effects is one of the key ingredients in the sound of these amazing patches. With Omnisphere’s continued addition of excellent effects, the sound design possibilities have become even more inspired. Colossus III takes full advantage of that in its design as well.
“I believe it can be as at home in the composer’s studio for movies and games, as it can be for electronic musicians and performers.”
While I said this about the previous installment, Colossus III is a library that I would not limit to a particular set of contextual uses. I believe it can be as at home in the composer’s studio for movies and games, as it can be for electronic musicians and performers looking for inspiring new sound content. I would urge you to have a look at Colossus I & II as well if you like what you see and hear with Colossus III. They offer a great compliment to the sounds found here. As with all of my reviews, I would encourage you to check out the official demos to make sure that this is the right tool for you.
Facts
Colossus III contains 400 patches. Colossus III requires Omnisphere Version 2.
Colossus III Deluxe Edition includes an additional 50 patches which require that you own the Bob Moog Tribute Library for Omnisphere.
Colossus III sells for £59.95 + VAT from The Unfinished
Demos of Colossus III for Omnisphere 2 from The Unfinished
I have the 1st 2 volumes and I still haven’t worked my way through the majority of patches…Matt’s patch development for both Omnisphere and U-he’s Zebra is 2nd to none.