KVR Audio

jancivil · Post by **jancivil** » Mon Oct 17, 2011 10:46 pm

people talk a lot about this certain kind of sound. in the factory library it tends to be true. it isn't limited to that, I have gotten all kind of things out of it, fat moog basses to screeching strings...

dmbaer · Post by **dmbaer** » Mon Oct 17, 2011 10:48 pm

swartzfeger wrote:One thing I'd like to know is why have many folks said they would choose Alchemy over Absynth? More straightforward UI? Better engine?

Yes, both of those things. To me, Alchemy is the best engineered soft synth I've ever encountered. It's really brilliant on so many fronts.

That said, I'm not crazy about most of the Alchemy commercial libraries. This is just my opinion of course, but I find that the sound designers take maximum advantage of Alchemy's bag of tricks. The result are libraries that are more applicable to soundtracks than straightforward music. So, on that point, Absynth may actually be better for you. I don't know what you're after, and I'm only lightly familiar with Absynth's factory sounds, so I can't say one way or the other.

But as a software engineer myself, I am totally awed by the design and engineering that went into Alchemy.

4damind · Post by **4damind** » Mon Oct 17, 2011 10:50 pm

Btw. Absynth had no unison spread or is there a workaround?

swartzfeger · Post by **swartzfeger** » Mon Oct 17, 2011 11:43 pm

4damind wrote:Btw. Absynth had no unison spread or is there a workaround?

Help a noob out -- what is 'unison spread'?

Also, after using the Absynth demo a bit this afternoon... not really thrilled with the chipmunking effect of samples. I know this is an issue with many synths as well and just not Absynth.

For instance, I know MOTU's Mach Five|3 has IRCAM (iirc, lol) that intelligently handles samples so they don't sound like molasses or chipmunks.

How does Alchemy handle samples? Are there better soft synths out there for multisampling? I really do like Absynth's ambient dronescapes and like what I've heard from Alchemy as well.

For the one poster being disappointed by Alchemy's 'cinematic' packs, I actually like that and is the vibe I'm after (different strokes I guess).

What I'd really like to see is something like iOS's SampleWiz sans touch screen.

Gonga · Post by **Gonga** » Tue Oct 18, 2011 12:23 am

swartzfeger wrote:Another user here in thread was kind enough to turn me onto a used copy in the marketplace. I'm crossing my fingers it's still available. So it sounds like from the feedback that NI's main downloadable products are re-saleable, but their downloadable soundpacks are not.

Well anything that you download that runs within another application also is not resellable. This includes Razor (which runs in Reaktor and thus is treated like a soundpack), and the new compressors in Kontakt, etc.

I own Absynth as part of Komplete, and I like the presets, but I decided not to invest myself in programming it thus far because it lacks a key feature for me, and that is separate settings for up and down pitch bends. I'm primarily a player, not a programmer, so the playing settings are paramount to me.

Marcus797 · Post by **Marcus797** » Tue Oct 18, 2011 12:47 am

jancivil wrote:people talk a lot about this certain kind of sound. in the factory library it tends to be true. it isn't limited to that, I have gotten all kind of things out of it, fat moog basses to screeching strings...

Yeah same here! A lot of times I'll load in a raw waveform sampled from a classic analog synth to create unique but still phat "analog" sounds

BTW are there any other synths besides Absynth that let you draw/bend envelope curves? That's one of the (many) things I LOVE about Absynth... you can make extra sharp plucks and really detailed sweeps with this feature

Esgalachoir · Post by **Esgalachoir** » Tue Oct 18, 2011 2:10 am

I'm an Absynth fan and user. I've had lots of experience(had it since it was version 2) with it and it's all been great. It's not quite as flexible as Alchemy, but I think it's easier to work with and therefore takes less work to get something out of it that doesn't sound "cold" if I know what you mean. Alchemy, has it's morph pad...and KORE is apparently no longer available

Absynth's strong point to me has been it's complete freedom with waveforms. You can literally hand draw wavs for your OSCs and LFOs and MODs and it gets twice as fun since there are morph functions for your handdrawn waves as well.

Regards,

- Corin

Marcus797 · Post by **Marcus797** » Tue Oct 18, 2011 2:32 am

I think the only other synths even in the same ballpark as Absynth are Alchemy and Omnisphere.

YUGA · Post by **YUGA** » Tue Oct 18, 2011 3:25 am

Big fan of Absynth since the version 3. I use it in almost every song I create. I rarely use it for bass or lead though. Massive is better for that sort of purpose. I think Absynth and Massive makes a really great combination compensating each other very well.

hibidy · Post by **hibidy** » Tue Oct 18, 2011 3:34 am

I've only had komplete for a little while now, but color me disappointed in absynth.

What I thought it was going to be was a soundscape bonanza. But it's been uninspiring and sounds like anything else NI except I can compartmentalize those. AS just doesn't seem to tickle anything here so far

tonkatodd · Post by **tonkatodd** » Tue Oct 18, 2011 4:03 am

I think Absynth is freakin excellent and have used it for years and I've also used Alchemy since it first came out and love that also. I enjoy how they are both different to the usual subtractive synths and I get a lot of enjoyment out of both. I love how Absynth can mangle anything you put in it as well as the Fm and ring modules and I also think the cloud modules are uberfun. I have taken Omnisphere for a spin and it's incredible but I don't trust there terms and conditions in regards to the content, If you have to completely change the sounds included (and I mean unrecognisable)to be legal then what's the point. Am I wrong about this? Please correct me in regards to the commercial omnisphere license and there sounds. Otherwise I think absinth is great for creating sounds from scratch.

zerocrossing · Post by **zerocrossing** » Tue Oct 18, 2011 4:09 am

Before Absynth I was all hardware. I was at Macworld and I came across someone doing an Absynth demo (I think v2) in the NI booth and it was love at first listen. It totally opened up my synth world. Honestly, I have alchemy too, but I'm more likely to spark up Absynth or Poseidon when I want to mangle samples.

I still use it all the time. It holds it's own to anything on the market. I sold my redundant license to a coworker when I got Komplete and she and I were just singing it's praises today at work. It's one of the first instruments I bring up during the analog v digital fights. I love me a real analog synth, but the truth is there are some very good approximations in the VA world, but nothing in the analog hardware world holds a candle to what Absynth does... I don't think anything in the digital world, hardware or software, does either.

t3toooo · Post by **t3toooo** » Tue Oct 18, 2011 4:10 am

hibidy wrote: What I thought it was going to be was a soundscape bonanza

you mean like this, for soundscapes?

Gonga · Post by **Gonga** » Tue Oct 18, 2011 4:11 am

I too like Massive for creating my own sounds, and as an old analog guy found it pretty easy to learn.

zerocrossing · Post by **zerocrossing** » Tue Oct 18, 2011 4:14 am

hibidy wrote:I've only had komplete for a little while now, but color me disappointed in absynth.

What I thought it was going to be was a soundscape bonanza. But it's been uninspiring and sounds like anything else NI except I can compartmentalize those. AS just doesn't seem to tickle anything here so far

Really? God, I can't think of a better synth for soundscapes... especially when I have a patch rigged up to utilize xy, modwheel and aftertouch... maybe even a little som'pin from the Hot Hand MIDI for extra sci-fi madness.

Absynth: why no love?