Atmosphere and Trilogy & the Intel-Mac Platform
Apple's shift from PowerPC to Intel architecture has been a major change for music software. Although the original Atmosphere and Trilogy instruments are not Intel-Mac native plug-ins, Spectrasonics is fully committed to the Intel Mac platform and developing the future of Atmosphere and Trilogy.
Stylus RMX is an excellent example of Spectrasonics' commitment to transition our entire product line to the Intel-Mac platform. We transitioned the original Stylus from a licensed technology to our own in-house technology when we introduced Stylus RMX. This approach added many innovations to the original product and allowed us to deliver RMX as the first native Universal Binary instrument plug-in available on the market.
In the same way, we are currently transitioning our popular Atmosphere and Trilogy instruments to the next generation of instruments based on our new in-house STEAM technology. When this transition is complete our entire product line will be 100% Intel-Mac Native.
Interim Solutions for Atmosphere & Trilogy
During this transition period, we have created a temporary workaround solution called a 'wrapper' that allows both Atmosphere and Trilogy to function on Intel-Mac systems. The performance of the wrappers varies on each system depending on the operating system, the CPU, the host and the buffer size. Please refer to our performance charts for details on what you can expect and if they will work for the needs of your system.
The 'wrappers' are available as a free public-beta download in our Knowledge Base.
There are also additional temporary workarounds available that will allow you to continue using Atmosphere and Trilogy with your Intel-Mac-based DAW.
The Future of Atmosphere & Trilogy
STEAM is a powerful new in-house technology developed by Spectrasonics that will be the basis for many exciting instruments. All these new 'STEAM-powered' instruments are true native Universal Binary plug-ins for Intel Macs.
Our first instrument based on the STEAM engine is Omnisphere - which is the successor to Atmosphere. Omnisphere is an extremely powerful synthesizer and it also includes enhanced versions of all of Atmosphere's sounds. Omnisphere will be released on September 15th, 2008 and there will be special upgrade pricing announced at that time for all Intel Mac Atmosphere customers. Find out more about Omnisphere at the special teaser website.
Trilogy's successor will also be based on the STEAM engine and we will have more information about this upcoming new instrument and the upgrade path for existing Trilogy customers shortly after Omnisphere's release.
Stylus RMX
- Superceded original Stylus Classic/licensed engine (long-term solution for Stylus)
- Uses native in-house Spectrasonics engine
- Superior features/innovation
- Upgrade for Stylus Classic customers
- Native Universal Binary support
- Outstanding and timely software support for new platforms, host issues, etc.
Omnisphere
- Supercedes original Atmosphere/licensed engine (long-term solution for Atmosphere)
- Uses native in-house Spectrasonics engine
- Superior features/innovation
- Upgrade for Atmosphere customers
- Native Universal Binary support
- Will have same outstanding and timely software support for new platforms as RMX
FAQS
Will Atmosphere and Trilogy ever be available as Universal Binary plug-ins?
No. The original instruments are based on a licensed technology that cannot be ported to the Intel Mac platform.
Instead, we are creating new instruments based on our own STEAM technology that will incorporate all of the sounds and features of the original Atmosphere and Trilogy instruments. Existing customers will be able to upgrade to these new instruments for a special price when they are released.
Why did Spectrasonics abandon Atmosphere and Trilogy?
We haven't abandoned them at all. In fact, we are always looking for the best ways to take our instruments, our sounds and our users into the future. Although technology is constantly changing, we don't ever want to leave any of our loyal users behind. We have always planned for Atmosphere and Trilogy to evolve in the future with new sounds and exciting new capabilities. That evolution is being made possible with our new STEAM engine technology which will power the upcoming instruments.
Just like with Stylus RMX, which evolved from the original "Classic Stylus", the future of Atmosphere and Trilogy are evolving based on in-house technology instead of licensed technology. This approach allows us to offer our customers the best possibilities for continued support and innovation.
Why did you make the wrappers if they don't work perfectly on every system?
The wrappers were developed as a temporary workaround that uses the "Rosetta" emulation in Mac OSX. This solution we discovered can work very well as a short term solution on some systems, so we made it available for users of those systems. The wrappers are not an ideal solution for long-term use and there are certain systems where they may not perform to the needs of the user. Please check our performance charts as they can give a good idea of what to expect with various configurations.
Why didn't Spectrasonics just add the features of Omnisphere to the existing Atmosphere?
It wasn't possible to develop the original licensed engine further, so the support and innovation represented in Omnisphere was only possible to achieve by developing our own in-house technology (STEAM).
When will the new instruments be available?
Omnisphere will be released on September 15th, 2008. Soon after we’ll have news about Trilogy’s successor – which will also be based on the STEAM engine.
Can’t you just make Atmosphere and Trilogy Universal Binary?
No. Atmosphere and Trilogy are based on licensed technology that can’t be re-coded as Universal Binaries. The good news is that all of the sounds of Atmosphere and Trilogy will be available in our new STEAM-based instruments.
Can the wrappers performance ever be improved?
No. This type of unique approach of using the Rosetta emulation in Mac OSX has some inherent limitations. This is why the long-term Intel Mac solutions for Atmosphere and Trilogy can only be with the new instruments based on the STEAM engine like Omnisphere and the future successor to Trilogy.
Are there any workaround solutions besides the wrappers, that I can use temporarily, so that I can keep working with Atmosphere and Trilogy in my projects?
Yes. There are some additional temporary solutions that can allow you to continue to be able to use Atmosphere and Trilogy in your music:
- Use another computer to host Atmosphere and Trilogy and trigger them via MIDI from your Intel Mac OSX sequencer. This can be done using any compatible G3/G4/G5 or Windows PC computer and a standalone host like Steinberg's V-Stack.
- Run Windows XP on your Intel Mac using Boot Camp, and use a Windows host application like Cubase/Pro Tools/Live etc. This is obviously a radical solution, but it does work from a technical point of view.
- Use a standalone hardware host like the MUSE Receptor, which works well with Atmosphere and Trilogy.
Didn't you plan for the Intel Mac transition? Why can't you do what other companies and plug-ins are doing?
We would like all our users to know:
- We have been preparing for the transition of our entire product line to the Intel platform since the day of the Intel Mac announcement.
- We've also been preparing the future of Atmosphere and Trilogy for the last 4 years. These products have a very long and exciting future ahead of them.
But we also want to be clear to all our users that the transition in this case is NOT an easy or simple one - so this is why it is taking a great deal more time than it did for Stylus RMX.
Can I sign up for an email list to be notified immediately when there is any news about Spectrasonics Intel Mac compatible plug-ins?
All registered Spectrasonics users are already signed up in our system. Any major news is sent to the registered email addresses of customers that were used during the authorization of their plug-ins.
Will Omnisphere replace Atmosphere?
Yes.
When will Trilogy's successor be announced?
After Omnisphere is released in September, we'll have news about Trilogy's successor.
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