Review: The Duck of Death (Omnisphere 2.6 Expansion) by Man Makes Noise

The Duck of Death is an imaginative (and often hilarious) expansion for Omnisphere 2, created by processing the sounds of…toy ducks. It’s aim is to “explore the idea of what an instrument really is”, and it certainly succeeds.

Jump to the Videos of The Duck of Death (Omnisphere 2.6 Expansion) by Man Makes Noise

Jump to the Demos of The Duck of Death (Omnisphere 2.6 Expansion) by Man Makes Noise

Review: The Duck of Death (Omnisphere 2.6 Expansion) by Man Makes Noise

The Duck of Death is an expansion for Omnisphere 2 by Man Makes Noise. It’s a very unique and unusual library, created by processing the sounds recorded from two toy ducks. It’s aim is to “explore the idea of what an instrument really is”, and it certainly succeeds.

The Duck of Death (Omnisphere 2.6 Expansion) sells for €39 from Man Makes Noise

Thoughts

When I was first told which library I would be reviewing next, hearing “The Duck of Death” certainly made me think twice, all the while providing a nice laugh as I’m sitting at my desk wondering just what the heck it is.. “Did they record ducks dying? Is it just an angry pet duck quacking into a microphone?” I assumed the sounds would be processed to create new and exciting instruments and presets, and on that aspect I was correct. I was wrong on the source of the material, however, as the initial sounds were all recorded from TOY ducks. Where the death came from, I am not certain, but I can tell you this was a strange and often hilarious journey through unconventional sound sources and hysterical patch names.

Now, before I go further, know that the majority of presets included are perfectly usable and do not sound like a toy duck. On certain presets it does become obvious once you know what you’re listening for, but in general, it is not going to be overly distracting and prevent you from using these sounds for pretty much any genre you choose, from ambient cinematic to aggressive EDM (duckstep, maybe?).

The Duck of Death contains 200 patches, 50 multis and 165 unique sound sources. The patches are categorized into Arp+Bpm, Distortion, Electronic Mayhem, Hits and Bits, Keyboards, Pads+Strings, Synths (Bass, Long, Mono, Poly), and Textures/Soundscape.

I had no idea what to expect with this one, but I am pleased to report that while the name and premise may be a bit goofy, the sounds were pretty much all great. The first ARPs I loaded up, “Duck ala Orange” and “Duck on the Floor”, were very nice, ambient, trance-like arpeggios that can work with any kind of EDM music. Patches like these would fit right at home with any other synth presets, meaning you can’t really tell that they were specifically recorded from a toy duck. Other patches, such as “Duck This” and “Bass Boom Ducker”, you can definitely tell they started from a rather unconventional sound source, and while they sound good (and I really respect the amount of creativity and work put in to make them into useable patches), I personally am not sure I would ever use them in a real world setting.

Some of my favorite sounds were the basses and more ominous or aggressive patches, such as “Duck of Doom”, “Scream of the Duck”, and “A Scanner Duckly”. These have a modern edge to them, and would be right at home on any modern EDM track or even a cinematic trailer. The pads are also excellent as well, with lots of evolving textures and movement. Another standout are the Textures Soundscapes and the mono Synth patches, all contained excellent sounds that I was a fan of.

In summary, this expansion pack felt like a bit of a gimmick to me, but I was very pleased with many of the sounds it contained. I feel this is one more for EDM producers, genres such as acid/house, psytrance, even modern dubstep and trap, would get a lot of use out of the patches included. A few of them were, understandably, a bit goofy, and were good for a laugh but won’t be getting much use from me, but overall I was happy with the sounds, and furthermore, I really respect the premise and trying to do something different! The bonus “cardboardbox drums” were also better than I expected.

Facts

The Duck of Death comes in at 300 MB, retails for 39 Euros, and requires Omnisphere 2.6 or higher to run. It contains 200 patches, 50 multis, and 165 original sound sources. There is a freebie demo allowing you to test the patches for yourself before buying as well.

The Duck of Death (Omnisphere 2.6 Expansion) sells for €39 from Man Makes Noise

Demos of The Duck of Death (Omnisphere 2.6 Expansion) by Man Makes Noise

Videos of The Duck of Death (Omnisphere 2.6 Expansion) by Man Makes Noise

Contributor Brian Freeland reviews The Duck of Death (Omnisphere 2.6 Expansion) by Man Makes Noise
“The Duck of Death is an imaginative (and often hilarious) expansion for Omnisphere 2, created by processing the sounds of…toy ducks.”