Absynth 6

[_leras]

I always loved Absynth but, for whatever reason, never got around to making sounds for it. Something I fully intend on rectifying with v6.

Even just mutating existing patches is pretty fun.

Sound author, yeah yeah, sure...

Mutating existing sounds is good, but loading your own samples can be insane.

[faxinadu]

I always loved Absynth but, for whatever reason, never got around to making sounds for it. Something I fully intend on rectifying with v6.

Even just mutating existing patches is pretty fun.

Sound author, yeah yeah, sure...

Mutating existing sounds is good, but loading your own samples can be insane.

The sample oscillators are totally where its at. Some swirling goodness into the Cloud mmmm

Absynth 5 includes very little if any looping "oscillator" style sampled content. Absynth 6 comes with TONS of such content.

[osiris]

I hope that doesn't mean they are going the Rompler way.

[faxinadu]

I hope that doesn't mean they are going the Rompler way.

A sine wave and a sampled analog osc is just the same in this context but ok.

In any case this isn't going any "way" or another, the sample oscs have been there from before, with the update you just get more relevant content for it.

[faxinadu]

All this talk here totally misses the point of Absynth. If you're here for a "best synth" comparison and are looking for frequency graphs of which filter is a better Moog, why bother even.

This is not gonna be your next whatever that sounds better than whatever and can do times whatever whatevers, it never was. It is a liquid sounding synth that has a few unique things in the signal chain, and a workflow that lends to interesting sound design.

[osiris]

I'm excited to see (and hear) it. I have a feeling it will be like Massive > Massive X and you'll be able to keep both (but you have to pay for it because it's basically a different synth.)

[faxinadu]

Its not like M to MX, it is more linear.

[zvenx]

All this talk here totally misses the point of Absynth. If you're here for a "best synth" comparison and are looking for frequency graphs of which filter is a better Moog, why bother even.

This is not gonna be your next whatever that sounds better than whatever and can do times whatever whatevers, it never was. It is a liquid sounding synth that has a few unique things in the signal chain, and a workflow that lends to interesting sound design.

You probably hit the nail on the head with parts of this.
I remember way back when, very early 2000s, Absynth probably was the software synth I wanted most.

Eric P had used or credited use of it lots in Atmosphere, so I wanted to get it.. Good enough for Eric Persing, good enough for me.

Then I got it, and never really used it.

So yesterday because of this thread I fired up Absynth standalone and played around with quite a few of its presets (including many banks from Unfinished). They did nothing for me and I realised why I didn't shed a tear when NI dropped it.

But maybe it is a sound designer playground way more than a great sounding synth, and that is its true appeal.

rsp

[faxinadu]

All this talk here totally misses the point of Absynth. If you're here for a "best synth" comparison and are looking for frequency graphs of which filter is a better Moog, why bother even.

This is not gonna be your next whatever that sounds better than whatever and can do times whatever whatevers, it never was. It is a liquid sounding synth that has a few unique things in the signal chain, and a workflow that lends to interesting sound design.

You probably hit the nail on the head with parts of this.
I remember way back when, very early 2000s, Absynth probably was the software synth I wanted most, then I got it, and never really used it.
So yesterday because of this thread I fired up Absynth standalone and played around with quite a few of presets.. they did nothing for me and I realised why I didn't shed a tear when NI dropped it.

But maybe it is a sound designer playground way more than a great sounding synth, and that is its true appeal.

rsp

Hey Richard, nice running into you again

This motivates me to unpack my thoughts about Absynth.

- Per note modulation on everything in the synthesis chain coupled together with the layer fx being frequency aware is special.
- The various oscillator modes are maybe no longer gamechanger-ly unique but are great and especially in the layering context where and fm osc can be layered with a sample.
- Chaining Cloud filters is almost cheating for neurotic/drifting/deepness
- The multistage envelopes with the million steps per envelope is still an awesome feature - personally its not what makes me go crazy and the sounds we contributed do not make huge use of this, but it is a great feature.
- The somewhat strange insert effects give a very unique flavor.

So the chain of hybrid somewhat odd synthesis layers + per note modulation with rings/clouds/shifts/combs + evolving enveloping potential + specific insert fx is the recipe.

Of course anyone can now come and pick apart and say this synth also does this and also does that, but with Absynth it is a specific combination of small oddities, that ends up unique.

Specific layered combos of cinematic pad-key sort of pallets - it does like no other, imo.

Again if you're looking for bread and butter stuff then just use your favorite thing, or if you're gonna make an A/B lowpass filter comparison between Absynth and pick your current favorite, Absynth will probably lose.

[aMUSEd]

I'm excited to see (and hear) it. I have a feeling it will be like Massive > Massive X and you'll be able to keep both (but you have to pay for it because it's basically a different synth.)

No it's a proper update of Absynth, the same engine, just updated and improved, and patch compatible; it's not an entirely new plugin like Mx was

[mothra]

Yeah Absynth in a 'traditional' sense isn't a good choice heh. I've always thought it's for the weirdos that see things beyond scales and chords. I have GBs of patches collected up since 2001 or whenever I bought Absynth 1.0. Some of my favorites are ambient soundscapes that you can hold down one key and listen to it evolve and mutate for hours on end. It's like a Dead Voices on Air gig in a plugin.

[EvilDragon]

The way I see Absynth: to me it's "delay, the synth". Each and every main effect is delay based. A lot of the per voice modules are delay based in one way or another. It is simply going ham on all the interesting things you can do with delays, coupled with I harmonic stuff like ringmod, frequency shifters, and so on.

No wonder it went super hard on the alien green! It is a completely alien type of synth.

[voidhead23]

I still prefer how Absynth sounds, even for regular synth sounds. I won't debate the objective technical (if not timbral) superiority of modern synths, but I mainly stick Absynth in the middle of layers of guitars, and most of the newer hi-fi synths just stick out like a sore thumb in the mix. Beyond that, the sounds Absynth can make (from a patch point of view) have an organic quality that just works perfectly for my music, and no other synth I've tried can really make work. It may not be the 'best' synth, but it's the best synth for the kind of music I make, which is way more important.

[EvilDragon]

Well said! That really is what matters the most.

[liv]

By the way if anyone is looking for pretty amazing absynth libraries - check out Leap into the Void and The Unfinished.

Thanks for the heads up.
Coincidentally for those who don't know but are interested there is a current soundset sale which will have anyone covered for aeons.
Leap Into Void Absynth Presets.