Dubstepforum.com

recently got absynth and am finding it really frustrating to work with. maybe its just my reaction to the gui or something but i have knowledge of semimodular and subtractive synthesis and this thing is just kind of a bitch. is it worth sticking with it? do others find absynth really non user friendly?

I've not gotten anywhere with it. Don't like the presets. Some people swear by it. I'm spoiled for choice, so don't give it much time.

Ive tucked into it quite deeply and had some awful nightmares and some blissful moments..

I would say, don't make it your go-to, learn how to get what you want from it, maybe print the manual or have it on screen at the same time as your daw (if possible) cause you'll flick through it to reference quite a bit...

If you want ambience with little extra *something* or a strange lead, beeps and such... Absynth is perfect.

I couldn't really comment on what its like for non-sub bass - as I just use sub or real guitar

NI made a tutorial DVD for it. It'll definitely make things easier if you can get a copy.

But yeah it's very confusing at first.

daft tnuc wrote:NI made a tutorial DVD for it. It'll definitely make things easier if you can get a copy.

But yeah it's very confusing at first.

Yeah this, it's about if you look hard enough and will help.

I certainly don't use it as my synth for bass & leads, it's perfectly capable but I just find massive & fm8 better for them however absynth is an absolute beast and you can do some amazing stuff with it.

The tutorial DVD is for version 2 or 3 or something but it's still applies right up to version 5 and is worth checking out.

For atmospheres, rhythmical patches, strange noises & and anything from the norm absynth is amazing!

+1 for absynth .... its been around for ages and is very powerful

i love absynth, i feel like i have only scratched the surface of programming it, and already can get some really cool sounds out of it

I say ditch it and work with something that's easier to use.

Heck, even Reaktor is easier to understand when patching prefab ensembles....

Presumably you're trying to create pads?

Maybe check out Camel Audio Alchemy or even the new granular synth called Granite by New Sonic Arts.

Both synths are way easier to use and can do pads until the cows come home.

Patrick

i love absynth.

it takes some time to get the most out of it. i make all my patchs init before i start a track, and never try to make anything from scratch while writing a track. i get so lost in it, i have spent like 2 hours just making one patch. i can see how it is not a synth for everyone, maybe try out the good old fm8.

I can tell that it's a good sounding and powerful synth, but two things really put me off using it much:
1) I don't entirely get on with synths that have mutiple layered parts with little to no interaction / mixing - this is something I'm trying to get used to working with though
2) The GUI is a real ten-pinter. Seems to be a bit of an issue with a lot of older NI stuff (and maybe a lot of older VSTs in general) but it does wind me up. Particularly the way that all the modules look pretty much the same - things that do very different stuff ought to look very distinct. Blech.

slothrop wrote:2) The GUI is a real ten-pinter. Seems to be a bit of an issue with a lot of older NI stuff (and maybe a lot of older VSTs in general) but it does wind me up. Particularly the way that all the modules look pretty much the same - things that do very different stuff ought to look very distinct. Blech.

i think that NI do suck at getting there GUI's right, but every thing eles they are spot on with.

3za wrote:

slothrop wrote:2) The GUI is a real ten-pinter. Seems to be a bit of an issue with a lot of older NI stuff (and maybe a lot of older VSTs in general) but it does wind me up. Particularly the way that all the modules look pretty much the same - things that do very different stuff ought to look very distinct. Blech.

i think that NI do suck at getting there GUI's right, but every thing eles they are spot on with.

You think products like Massive has a poor GUI???

It revolutionised mapping modulations to controls imo, doing away completely with the need for the mod matrixes of yester year!

futures_untold wrote:

3za wrote:

slothrop wrote:2) The GUI is a real ten-pinter. Seems to be a bit of an issue with a lot of older NI stuff (and maybe a lot of older VSTs in general) but it does wind me up. Particularly the way that all the modules look pretty much the same - things that do very different stuff ought to look very distinct. Blech.

i think that NI do suck at getting there GUI's right, but every thing eles they are spot on with.

You think products like Massive has a poor GUI???

It revolutionised mapping modulations to controls imo, doing away completely with the need for the mod matrixes of yester year!

massive is nice, and the way it does modulation is very good. their are to many tabs in the middle screen, and some of the basic controls are hidden away.
massive, battery and, fm8 are some of the better interfaces, but none are excellent.

yea i have to agree with that, i hate the GUI on kontakt, i think massive is the best GUI out of the lot of them, but NI definately could improve their GUI's for most of their plugs

NI is just like every other software developer. Sometimes they hit the nail on the head and sometimes they knock it in a little crooked. It's bound to happen. I tried the demo for absynth and I knew almost immediately that it was way too much for me to handle. I understand the potential this synth has, but at the same time I also understand that I'm just not knowledgeable enough to get anything from it other than a bunch of presets.

Personally I like a lot of the older synths. They always tend to have a very simplified GUI that is easy to grasp. Absynth is just nuts. However, I sort of expected it considering the possibilities it offers. It put Massive to shame when it came to GUI shock value when I first opened it up. Massive looks insanely complicated but even after a couple weeks of just using it things started to just make sense. With absynth I played with that demo for at least 2 weeks and every time I opened it it was like I was seeing it for the first time. I didn't even realize it had the standard sound shutoff every 30 seconds cause I just had no idea how to make things work.

I think if you have the time to learn it, then the benefits of being able to use it could be worth it. For those who are able to pick up synths and just understand them....I envy and hate you at the same time. I guess I'll just stick to my Albino, Sylenth and since I picked up zeta I've been working with that a little bit every now and then trying to learn it a bit better. Those will do fine for me for now. Unless they do some crazy sale on Massive and I can afford to buy it.

You think absynth is bad.... Try that Synplant thing.

Fuck.

Absynth is on some serious sh*t. Anytime the flim industry uses it to create major movie sound effects you know its a beast and h3lla deep. Knowing this going in, I didn't even bother trying to "make" sound on it. I just use the presets and tweak them to sound how I want. There are SO many parameters, you can always come up with something original.

You've got to be one h3ll of a sound designer to get 100% out that bad boy...

Absynth looks like the control panel to an alien spacecraft. Totally turns me off, no matter what the sound is.

^ Thats partly the reason I installed it when I got Komplete.


I must say, it IS a sound designers toolbox and for the casual beat maker/producer its a lot to take in..

I am not confident on it but I can get some nice sounds outta it. and supprisingly it isn't THAT CPU intensive, unlike say... ACE or something