OMI EII Universe of Sounds V1 & V2 – Q Up Arts offers the legacy of one of the most celebrated vintage sampler libraries ever made. Building on the foundation of Volume 1, this second installment adds over 500 meticulously captured instruments to expand your sonic arsenal and dive even deeper into the warm, textured world of the Emulator II.
A Broader Sound Palette
Volume 2 shifts the focus slightly, featuring a wider range of classic analogue and digital synths, alongside a curated selection of brass, string, and orchestral patches recorded with even greater fidelity. This isn’t just a rehash — it’s a step forward in clarity, expressiveness, and authenticity, while retaining the vintage quirks that made the original hardware beloved.
Among the highlights are:
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Expressive strings: rich cellos, lush Mellotron textures, haunting tremolos, and pizzicato plucks that cut through a mix.
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Authentic choirs: from classic Fairlight-style patches to ethereal big bellowy pads.
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Orchestral power: bold hits, chords, and finales that still sound huge decades later.
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Ethnic & world instruments: African percussion, gamelans, wood flutes, blown bottles, pan pipes, Shakuhachi, and more.
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Vintage synth icons: Solina strings, wavering PPG tones, classic analog warmth, and digital shimmer.
The Emulator II Legacy
Originally assembled by Doug Morton, the Universe of Sounds became the defining soundset for the Emulator II in the 1980s — a sampler famously used by Tangerine Dream, Thomas Dolby, Pet Shop Boys, Prince, Peter Gabriel and countless others. The sounds were painstakingly designed and curated that shaped the sound of an entire decade.
Meticulous Sampling Meets Modern Playability
Captured at 24-bit/44k and delivered at 16-bit/44k, these patches preserve the 8-bit 27k character of the original while taking full advantage of modern Kontakt features. Velocity layers are mapped to filter responses, multi-samples are taken where needed.
The included GUI offers:
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Vintage button to revert to the unprocessed mono sound, just like the original hardware.
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Basic synthesis controls (ADSR, filters, velocity-to-filter, rotary).
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Convolved Lexicon reverb from the mid-80s for period-correct ambience.
Why Volume 2 Stands Out
If Volume 1 was about breadth, Volume 2 is about depth and detail. It fills in the gaps with improved pianos, more orchestral realism, expanded percussion, and superior vocal samples. Many users consider it the ultimate Emulator II expansion — especially for its strings and choirs, which remain unmatched in tone and character.
Compatibility:
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Kontakt 5.8 Full Version or higher (not compatible with Kontakt Player)
From retro authenticity to modern cinematic scoring, OMI EII Universe of Sounds V2 – Q Up Arts is both a time capsule of 80s sonic history and a cutting-edge creative tool for today’s composers, producers, and sound designers.