Native Instruments Absynth 3

When you mention high-quality, high-end softsynths to a computer-based recording musician, it's likely the Native Instruments is one of the first names that pops into that persons head. They are at the forefront of the softsynth market with leading edge creations.

Absynth 3 is the newest release in the Absynth line. Absynth 3 is a synthesizer and a sampler with all the tools a sound designer needs to twist and tweak his or her samples into an infinite amount of wacky and wild soundscapes.

This newest version adds a slew of new features to it's arsenal, including, but not limited to surround sound support, advanced envelope control, real time editing, live inputs and much, much more.

Installation, Configuration and Registration

Absynth 3 is designed to run on Windows XP and MacOS X systems. It can run as a standalone application or as a plugin under any of these standard: DirectX, VST, AudioUnits or RTAS.

• For Windows XP installations it requires a 700MHz processor with 256 MB of RAM and up to 400MB free disk space. However, the recommended system is 1.2GHz or faster with 512 MB of RAM.
  
  
• On Mac it requires a G3 500MHz or faster processor with 512 MB of RAM and the same 400 MB of disk space. They recommend having at least a 1.0GHz G4 for the best performance however.

Installation is as painless as expected with the exception of a single failure. You are asked which plugin standards you want to include in your install as well. You can browse to your VST directory to tell it where to put the VST, or, let it find it itself. I let it search, and the install stopped responding and I had to cancel out of it. The second time around I browsed to my VST installation directory and it went in smoothly.

The last time I reviewed a Native Instruments product I kind of trashed on the invasive registration procedure, but also said I understand the need for such a process. I will now be the first to say that upon installing your second application, it is much quicker and easier since you would already have an account at the web site, so it just adds the new product to your list. Registration took literally seconds to complete.

Sound Generation Patch Window

The sound generation patch window is the tool that really sets Absynth 3 apart from many other softsynths on the market. This visual display provides easier understanding of the signal path through the sound generation engine. The signal flow consists of three different channels that the sound signal goes through in parallel before meeting at the end to combine the separate synthesis being performed on each channel.

Each channel has it's own oscillator which allows three different processes to be performed concurrently including frequency modulation, ring modulation, sampling, waveform fractalization and more.

Perhaps one of the more unique and unexpected features that I found in Absynth 3 is the live stereo inputs that allow the synth to be used as an effects plugin for any external sound that you wish to feed into it.

I am not the most knowledgeable synth user, but I have been using them more and am gaining knowledge as I go. What I like about Absynth 3 is that, due to the very graphical nature of this sound generator, it makes the whole processing and staging of the signal flow into and out of different components much easier to understand and make sense out of, even for newbies to the land of softsynths. it easily and cleverly displays the paths from generator to generator and clicking the generator name will turn any one of them on or off. Each generators space has appropriate param fields for editing. Easy and logical, and for newbies to the world of synthesis, even educational.

Envelope Window

The envelope window is a very powerful tool in shaping and warping the sound. The envelope also control much more than most synths. Every synth can control resonance and volume via the envelope, but Absynth goes far beyond that by including FM intensity, pan, pitch, ring modulation rate, fractalization spectrum and many more parameters of the sound.

Fractalization is another type of waveform editing, and also able to be done in real time. It can add interesting textures to your sound, but the quality of the fractalization depends on the wave form you start with in the first place, as it tends to do it's best on smoother original waveforms. The fractalization will continue thru repeated interations of the sample and can really lead to some cool, analog sounding synthesis.

There were some repainting issues when flipping in and out of the envelope window, and the lack of advanced window handling is somewhat of a drawback when it comes to speed of editing, which is not only an issue with this window, but of the app as a whole. I was told however, that the first update release, which is already available, fixes the repainting bugs. I haven't had time to test it myself, but the good people at NI are good for their word, so I trust they are fixed.

Waveform Creation

This is very cool, in many softsynths and hardware synth, the norm has been the choice of 3 or 4 different waveforms. With Absynth 3 the user can literally draw their own waveforms and use them throughout the application. Anything you do draw can also be used as an LFO, and oscillator or a waveshaping function. All waveform editing and tweaking can be heard in real time, which is very cool. Amplitude and phase are also displayed and able to be drawn and redrawn in real time.

Ultimately, while Softsynth are not always my strongest point of knowledge, I use them a lot, and so far, of all of them I have used, Absynth has one of the easiest and most intuitive waveshaper interfaces I have ever used. Rather than a bunch of labeled dials and buttons, you can actually lisualize the edits you are making and further understand the concepts of synthesis and wave manipulation. I have actually learned quite a lot throughout this review process. That says a lot right there as far as I am concerned.

Effects n' Stuff

Yeah, along with all this very cool and powerful programming, they did some old school stuff to that any synthesizer user can't live without...they bundled some cool effects along for the ride. A Resonator, which is a unique reverb that has three different "channels" of reverb and creates multiple layers and sound that is really pretty spacey and quite fun. An Echo effect that has three layers of delay. Multicomp, which is six independent delays with feedback and a lowpass filter in the feedback loop. Pipe is a vibration simulator of string or tube sounds that has different parameters for flanging, pitch shifting and rotary speaker effects and Multitap which is a delay with three taps plus feedback and delay times between one sample and ten seconds. The three taps can be manipulated using MIDI or LFOs.

And of course, no softsynth these days can be complete without full LFO control and full MIDI control which adds more easy of real time control via a MIDI controller.

My Opinion

Synth tweakers will love Absynth 3. It offers very granular control over every aspect commonly offered in synths and added control over some new features not seen before, or, not commonly at least.

I would like to see better window handling, by being able to open each window across my dual monitor desktop and have access to all the parameters without flipping from screen to screen...this could also possibly solve the couple repainting bugs I saw that seems to be generally caused as a result of flipping a window and back.

Native Instruments has indicated that there will be a patch available that will fix the bugs I found.