I have put my old Omnisphere 2 User patches folder in the correct place:
STEAM/Omnisphere/Settings Library/Patches/User/, however Omnisphere 3 doesn't see them even after hitting the Refresh button. The whole STEAM folder has been reset with Batchmod so it's not a permission issue. Factory patches are all there and work fine.
I'm obviously doing something wrong.
Anybody has a clue?

 

You should have combined your custom presets into a single .omnisphere file beforehand. Omnisphere has an "Install .omnisphere" button in the menu that allows you to import your presets as a .omnisphere file. This is the best method because it restores all the presets without errors. This is described here:

Sharing
https://support.spectrasonics.net/manual/Omnisphere3/30/en/topic/sharing-index

Adding Sounds
https://support.spectrasonics.net/manual/Omnisphere3/30/en/topic/sharing-page04
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I consulted the AI, but I can't say if it's true or if it works:

Spoiler: Source: Grok KI

It sounds like a common hiccup with the upgrade process and the revamped browser in Omnisphere 3—especially since the new interface defaults to curated factory views and can hide user content until you tweak the settings. Since factory patches load fine and permissions are sorted, the issue is almost certainly in how the browser is configured to display your migrated Omni 2 user patches. Here's a step-by-step troubleshooting guide based on Spectrasonics' docs and user reports from recent upgrades:

1. Verify Folder Structure (Quick Check)

• Your placement in STEAM/Omnisphere/Settings Library/Patches/User/ is correct, but Omni 3 (like Omni 2) requires patches to be organized in subfolders inside User/ for visibility. These subfolders act as "categories" (e.g., User/Arp/, User/Bass/, User/Pads/, etc.).
• Open your file explorer and navigate to the User/ folder:
  • If your Omni 2 patches are dumped directly into User/ (no subfolders), that's the problem—they won't scan. Move them into category subfolders matching their type (you can create new ones if needed).
  • If they're already in subfolders from Omni 2, proceed.
• Patches must be .omnisphere files. If any are corrupted or in the wrong format from the migration, Omni 3 might skip them.

2. Force a Full Refresh and Rescan

• Launch Omnisphere 3 standalone (not in your DAW) to avoid host conflicts.
• In the Patch Browser (bottom panel), click the Refresh button (circular arrow icon) twice—once for patches, then restart Omni and do it again. This rebuilds the index.
• Close and reopen Omni 3 completely. Sometimes the first refresh caches old data.

3. Adjust Browser Settings to Reveal User Patches

• The Omni 3 browser is tag-based and directory-limited by default, which often hides user/legacy content. Switch to a view that includes it:
  • In the Browser's Directories dropdown (top-left of the browser panel), select User to isolate your custom patches.
  • If nothing shows, toggle to View All Directories (look for this option in the browser's filter menu or utility gear icon—it's a checkbox or button in the upper toolbar). This scans everything, including user folders.
  • Alternatively, select All Legacy if your patches reference older Omni 2 soundsources (they'll appear under a "Legacy" category).
  • For a folder-tree view like Omni 2 had, enable File Directory mode: Click the folder icon in the browser toolbar. This lets you drill down into User/ subfolders manually.
• Pro tip: If you're in "enhanced" or "curated" browser mode (new in v3), switch to Classic or Omni 2 Mode via the browser's view options (gear icon > Display Settings). This mimics the old layout and forces user/legacy visibility.

4. If Still Not Showing: Backup and Restore User Folder

• The upgrade installer can sometimes glitch the user index during STEAM folder updates. Back up and swap:
  • Copy your entire User/ folder to a safe spot (e.g., Desktop).
  • Delete the current User/ folder in STEAM.
  • Paste your backed-up User/ back in.
  • Refresh as in Step 2, and check the browser as in Step 3.
• This preserves your Omni 2 patches without overwriting factory content. (Spectrasonics confirms v3 is backward-compatible, so no conversion needed—just reindexing.)

5. Other Common Gotchas

• DAW-Specific: Test in standalone first. In hosts like Ableton or Logic, rescan plugins after changes (e.g., Ableton: Preferences > Plug-Ins > Rescan).
• Soundsources: If patches load but sound wrong (distorted/empty), ensure your Omni 2 soundsources are in STEAM/Omnisphere/Soundsources/User/—migrate those too if missing.
• Conflicts with Third-Party: If you have expansions (e.g., Keyscape), they might shadow user folders—temporarily move them out and test.
• If none of this works, hit up Spectrasonics support with your STEAM path and a screenshot of the User/ folder contents. They're responsive for v3 launch issues.

This should get your patches loading—most users report it boils down to the browser toggle. If you share more details (e.g., OS, DAW, or a screenshot of the browser/User folder), I can refine this further!

 

Hey, thanks a lot for your help. I checked both Spectrasonics support links and I'm already familiar with .omnisphere files because I imported some new Omnisphere 3 libraries. But I was unaware that Omnisphere cannot import banks in the old format. Also, the AI link you sent suggests to group the old patches into category folders to even be seen by the O3 (Now they are invisible). I may have to do that on my old Hackintosh that runs O2 on Catalina versus the new Mac Mini Pro 4. I'll post the results here if I get any progress for other people to see it.

 

OK, I figured it all out. I first tried creating .omnisphere files from O2 on my old Hackintosh. I just got an endlessly spinning beachball and had to force quit O2. I then did an AI search on Google and watched a brief video where Eric Persing noted that no changes were needed and that O3 is supposed to just read the O2 unchanged sounds without any issues. That led me to examine the folder structure. When I compared the old O2 STEAM folder to the new O3 one, I noticed that the user banks are ofter divided between 3 folders, Mlutis, Patches and Soundsources (samples). I carefully copied each O2 User section into its corresponding O3 folder. The O3 started and took some time to refresh the library before I even had to hit the button manually. When I checked the directories, it was all there, the new and the old stuff, and it's all working flawlessly now.

Thanks for your help!

 

But the omni 3 library has all omni 2 sounds, or maybe u have third party sounds... i guess thats why

 

Yes, 3rd party sounds.

 

Hey guys I get this message everytime I open the last version of Omnisphere on my Mac, I need to click ok many times.
What should i do ? thanks

 

This particular library is part of the "Kompletely Omnispheric" bundle series, which includes various expansion sets like Surplus, Special Effects, Binary Worlds, etc. These are high-quality third-party preset collections, but they often don't include full or standardized Oscillator Type tagging (e.g., Analog, Digital, Wavescan, etc.) out of the box.
Why This Happens

There's a dedicated third-party tool called OmniTag (developed in collaboration with Guy Rowland, the creator of Kompletely Omnispheric libraries) specifically designed to fix exactly this problem. It scans your third-party libraries and applies standardized, consistent tagging — including Oscillator Types — across banks from Soundsdivine, Ilio, The Unfinished, and many others. Users report it works great with Soundsdivine libraries and makes them integrate perfectly into the Omnisphere browser.

OmniTag - Tagging Engine for Third Party Omnisphere Libraries
www.kvraudio.com/product/omnitag---tagging-engine-for-third-party-omnisphere-libraries-by-chromatic-wave-software-inc

Manual Tagging in Omnisphere

Load patches from the Surplus library.
In the Browser → right-click a patch → choose Edit Tags (or use the Info/Attributes panel).
Manually add the Osc Type (e.g., "Analog", "Wavetable", "Sample", "Granular", etc.) based on what you see in the Layer → Oscillator page when the patch is loaded.
This is time-consuming for large libraries (Surplus has hundreds of patches), but you can multi-select patches and bulk-edit similar ones.

Refresh & Check Installation

Make sure the library is installed correctly: Patches should be in
Spectrasonics/STEAM/Omnisphere/Settings Library/Patches/ (with a subfolder for the bank).
Open Omnisphere → Browser → Refresh (top-right).
If the bank still doesn't show properly, try moving the patches to a "User" subfolder or re-import via .omnisphere package if available.

 

Thank you for your help ! I need to click ok on 40 or 50 windows each time I start Omnisphere because I have a lot of libraries. What is weird is that the message says: "Update library now ?" If I click ok that doesn't change anything, as you say that means I need to update them myself, right ? I checked omnitag but it's no longer available. Website is down. I found a PC version on sister site so I'll try to update my steam folder on a PC as I'm on Mac (I have both). Or I'll delete uncompatible libraries but that would be a shame.

 

Yes, thank the sound designer; they must have overlooked that. I've never encountered anything like this before, but I only play my own custom presets. I wish you the best of luck, and thank you for letting me know the Omnitag link is down.

 

I copied my Steam folder on my PC and used Omnitag on it. It has corrected libraries for about 1H30. But I still get the same message when I go to the patch window. Some are corrected, some were good before and show the error message after Omnitag treatment. Weird.
Hope there will be a new Omnitag version in the futur...

 

I dont know about PC, but if u have major issues, make sure library is on your harddrive the built in, ofc external works ssd, but what most ppl dont realise is you need to take your old vst and folders patches etc, to another drive back it up, and make a clean install.

I have a guide search for omnisphere 3 install it should pop up or so, my instructions are for mac, but it can be relevant to PC as well,

Doesnt hurt. Also make sure all files are validated and idk how pc works, but yeah validate it etc, if u still have issues, try another release,

Most important step is fresh install, after activation move STEAM folder to C/prog/app idk the path but u know what i mean, so after activation close, move, open and it should have all patches, THEN you can slowly transfer your other sound packs one by one, if it still is slow fresh then soemthing is wrong.