Absynth 3.01 released

[ew]

Is it just me, or have all the Absynth demos vanished from the NI site?

They've been gone since about a month before the A3 release. As normal said, there never was an A2 demo.
ew

[MickGael]

They've been gone since about a month before the A3 release. As normal said, there never was an A2 demo.ew

***Yea, I remember looking for a v2 demo, and only finding v1. I do wonder if there will be a v3 demo.

[x_bruce]

I just installed and it's a nice functional update though there is a bug on screen redraw. When editing envelopes the bottom envelope doesn't redraw correctly and leaves part of the prior area at the bottom of the envelope unrefreshed, causing a blurred look.

However, the rest of the update makes the interface work faster and in general, the synth seems more responsive when editing.

[experimental.crow]

I just installed and it's a nice functional update though there is a bug on screen redraw. When editing envelopes the bottom envelope doesn't redraw correctly and leaves part of the prior area at the bottom of the envelope unrefreshed, causing a blurred look.

However, the rest of the update makes the interface work faster and in general, the synth seems more responsive when editing.

confirmed ...
envelope window still needs some work ...

[ew]

I just installed and it's a nice functional update though there is a bug on screen redraw. When editing envelopes the bottom envelope doesn't redraw correctly and leaves part of the prior area at the bottom of the envelope unrefreshed, causing a blurred look.

However, the rest of the update makes the interface work faster and in general, the synth seems more responsive when editing.

confirmed ...
envelope window still needs some work ...

Yeah, Brian (Clevinger)'s been trying to figure that one out. Not all systems seem to be affected (mine is, BTW), and it seems to be a Windows only issue.

The REALLY weird thing about it (at least on my machine) is that if you try to take a screenshot of it to show what you mean, the screenshot shows no abnormality and the envelope window looks normal. A weird redraw issue

ew

[flyingsquirrelofdeath]

So IS Absynth 3.0 worth the upgrade fee from version 2 or is it not? I've found Native Instrument upgrades to be up to par usually, but with some of the software world putting out overpriced, overrated upgrades (Nuendo 3.0, Wavelab 5.0), I value feedback from the true guinea pigs. Is Absynth 3.0 yet worth the fee?

-David

[ew]

So IS Absynth 3.0 worth the upgrade fee from version 2 or is it not? I've found Native Instrument upgrades to be up to par usually, but with some of the software world putting out overpriced, overrated upgrades (Nuendo 3.0, Wavelab 5.0), I value feedback from the true guinea pigs. Is Absynth 3.0 yet worth the fee?

-David

I think it is for a few reasons. Being able to modulate fractalization is a biggie for me- I always liked the fractalize option in the waveform window, but I thought it was a bummer that you couldn't do any real time modulation of the process. With the oscils in fractalize mode, now you can.

The surround sound outputs provide much more than just surround sound support. By using Absynth as a plugin with all the available outputs (there's eight) and using the surround pan envelopes, etc; you can pan between the same oscil channel using different external effects. You can do quasi-vector stuff with them as well.

Using it as an effect (or quasi-effect as I use it) adds a whole new dimension. Take a vocal track for example and use that as an oscil channel. Now, you can add one of Absynth's rhythmic envelopes controlling a comb filter for example, and still have two more channels to load up with normal oscil/filter combos. Mix it all together and run it through the new resonators

And, before some people accuse me of bias as has been known to happen around here - while I am one of the Absynth forum moderators, I am NOT an NI employee.

ew

[experimental.crow]

So IS Absynth 3.0 worth the upgrade fee from version 2 or is it not? I've found Native Instrument upgrades to be up to par usually, but with some of the software world putting out overpriced, overrated upgrades (Nuendo 3.0, Wavelab 5.0), I value feedback from the true guinea pigs. Is Absynth 3.0 yet worth the fee?

-David

I think it is for a few reasons. Being able to modulate fractalization is a biggie for me- I always liked the fractalize option in the waveform window, but I thought it was a bummer that you couldn't do any real time modulation of the process. With the oscils in fractalize mode, now you can.

The surround sound outputs provide much more than just surround sound support. By using Absynth as a plugin with all the available outputs (there's eight) and using the surround pan envelopes, etc; you can pan between the same oscil channel using different external effects. You can do quasi-vector stuff with them as well.

Using it as an effect (or quasi-effect as I use it) adds a whole new dimension. Take a vocal track for example and use that as an oscil channel. Now, you can add one of Absynth's rhythmic envelopes controlling a comb filter for example, and still have two more channels to load up with normal oscil/filter combos. Mix it all together and run it through the new resonators

And, before some people accuse me of bias as has been known to happen around here - while I am one of the Absynth forum moderators, I am NOT an NI employee.

ew

you forgot evil ...
forcing all this information on people ...
the nerve ...

[ew]

you forgot evil ...

Well, there IS an e in my screenname, after all. Does that count?

ew

[ew]

A couple other cool new features that I forgot (and don't ask me how...) ;
Unison mode- every oscillator choice besides the sample ones and audio inputs has a unison mode (this DOES include fractaliation). You can set number of voices and the detuning amount. The fractalization unison doesn't have a number of voices control- the iteration control on the main oscil page does about the same thing.

You have a frequency shifter as well as a ring modulator for your mod modules on your channels. While a ring modulator returns both the sum and difference waveforms of the two waveforms being multiplied, the frequency shifter returns EITHER the sum or the difference. A great example of this concept is OhmForce's Hematohm, and the frequency shifter in Absynth will give you quite similar results.

There should be a demo in a couple weeks- give it a try and see if you think it's worth the update fee. I think you'll find it is.

ew

[Amberience]

I think its well worth the extra money, lots of new options and synthesis techniques, and the fact that everything is in one window is a massive improvement.

[flyingsquirrelofdeath]

Hey, I appreciate the information (EW and Acolmiztli). I think I will give this one a shot. I love the previous versions of this synth, but like to hear from users whether or not software improvements are helpful to the songwriting process. Sounds like these improvements push Absynth beyond even what I could get from a Nord Lead (if I ever dared to cross the line into hardware land again).

-David

[Grimes]

A couple more cents of praise for the new version:

I've found that the new GUI (while artistically displeasing to some) is much more usable now.

I have no use for the surround sound features, but if I did film scoring I'd probably find it very useful.

Some of the new presets are dope, and coupled with the presets available on NI's site and the fact that you still get all the old factory banks as well, there's a wealth of synth programming knowledge to be unlocked by exploring the included patches. I was always a little disappointed in the v2 presets because there weren't that many patches using the granular mode, so I was happy to see that rectified this time around.

Also, the fact that you can use this thing as an effect is just amazing. Many of the patches get that smooth "Absynth sound" by a combination of the envelopes and the unique effects. Imagine what you can do when you get to route all your other synths through this thing!

Now if only I could get myself to spend more time programming it and less time browsing the presets, thinking, "whoa"...

[experimental.crow]

the 'wide' stereo option is remarkably
different from the regular stereo option ...

a panning envelope will really show this off ...