If you are looking for ready to go presets used in pop music of several genres than can't miss with this. Omnisphere is all over top 40. 

dubdisciple
If you are looking for ready to go presets used in pop music of several genres than can't miss with this. Omnisphere is all over top 40. 

amiller
I'm a guitar player, however, I like to add strong exciting synth leads here and there in my songs...a 70's kinda thing.  I do not like or want any EDM sounds...more of a rock/prog guy.  With that in mind, I'm not that happy with most of the "onboard" synth sounds that come with SONAR.  Two questions:
 
1)  Is Omnisphere 2 worth the $$$?
2)  Will it meet my needs?

 
Doesn't really strike me as a top 40 guy...

Omnisphere is a deep synth.
It can mimic classic analog synths pretty well. 
If you're primarily looking for synth leads, it's probably overkill.
Omnisphere's forte is "cinematic"... long/evolving soundscapes... often with tempo-sync'd rhythmic elements.
Omnisphere's "weak spot" is more traditional sounds (keyboards, guitars, organs, etc).

Wow, lots of great responses with lots of suggestions.  I really appreciate all of the input.
 
I already own Trillian and love that product.  That's why I'm looking at Omnisphere 2.
 
Having said that, will Omnisphere 2 easily do everything that Synthmaster does?  I like some of the "cinematic" abilities of Omnisphere 2, although I don't know how much I'll use ... maybe use them instead of SONAR's included Studio Instruments String Section.  Does Synthmaster include any of the cinematic sounds that are in Omnisphere 2?

abacab

dubdisciple
If you are looking for ready to go presets used in pop music of several genres than can't miss with this. Omnisphere is all over top 40. 

amiller
I'm a guitar player, however, I like to add strong exciting synth leads here and there in my songs...a 70's kinda thing.  I do not like or want any EDM sounds...more of a rock/prog guy.  With that in mind, I'm not that happy with most of the "onboard" synth sounds that come with SONAR.  Two questions:
 
1)  Is Omnisphere 2 worth the $$$?
2)  Will it meet my needs?

 
Doesn't really strike me as a top 40 guy...

Kinda figured that.  It was kind of my point.  Omnisphere can be used on any genre, but the instant gratification factor of Omnisphere is most glaring in top 40 and perhaps well used cinematic tropes.

amiller
 
Does Synthmaster include any of the cinematic sounds that are in Omnisphere 2?

SynthMaster does come ready to play with some excellent quality pads in the factory library of 1300 presets, that can be used in any type of music, including cinematic.  In addition to the leads, this is my favorite part of SM. 
 
I wouldn't say that cinematic was the KV331 sound designers primary goal, but SynthMaster can produce any kind of sound really.  And the new ZDF filters (zero-delay feedback) are very clean.
 
It can load full wave samples as well as standard oscillators, single cycle waves, and soon (v2.9) wavetables.
 
I recently made a patch using one layer with two environmental field recorded waves (rain and ocean waves), and the other layer using a virtual analog oscillator.  That kind of sound easily qualifies as ambient, atmospheric, and/or cinematic.  But that is more of a DIY project.
 
The SynthMaster Player version is only $9 this month and includes the full 1300 preset factory library.  No deep editing of patches with this version, but it is a cheap way to check out the sounds! It has 8 macro knobs and two x-y pads for performance, so it is playable.  Similar to the difference between Rapture Session, and Rapture Pro.  But same synth engine in both.  http://www.kv331audio.com/synthmasterplayer.aspx

I agree with the Synthmaster suggestion. The Nori banks have almost exact copies of synth sounds from YES, Return to Forever, King Crimson, etc.

Of course Omnisphere is a great synth, but it costs a lot and may not have exactly what you want.

I agree with the Synthmaster suggestion. The Nori banks have almost exact copies of synth sounds from YES, Return to Forever, King Crimson, etc.

Of course Omnisphere is a great synth, but it costs a lot and may not have exactly what you want.

dub

triple