fading in...

i bought absynth about a month ago and i've been having a little trouble creating sounds that don't bore the crap out of me after a few minutes... i know learning a program takes time but i was wondering if anyone knew of any tutorials or perhaps some type of other information that might help me to understand what's going on. (the operation manual isn't as in depth as i was told and had hoped.) i have a basic understanding of synths already but hope to expand that knowledge. any help would be appreciated... thank you.

dottir...

 

I've found one of the best ways to learn a new synth is to reverse engineer some of the preset patches. Find some patches in Absynth that sound great or do something interesting and take a look at how it works. Definitely check out the Patch window, as the most important stuff is there.

Unfortunately I do not know of a good tutorial specifically for Absynth, however a general understanding of different synthesis techniques will help you. Start with some basic subtractive synthesis--try using two oscillators and detune one or both of them (but not the same amount), then put a filter over the patch and set up an envelope to control the filter. This is fun and everything, but the real strength of Absynth is the ability to create completely new waveforms, either by drawing, or randomizing, or a combination of both. FM synthesis is also another great technique for creating brand new waveforms. It tends to lend itself to certain types of sounds, as by nature it creates more complex waveforms than the basic sine, saw, square, etc.

Overall, a combination of the following will give you a big boost in your Absynth programming ability.:
- looking at how other people create patches
- experimentation
- learning about synthesis techniques

 

Try starting with an empty patch and fiddle with all the modules, starting with selecting/making waveforms and filtering them in the patch window and then work your way down. I recommend spending some time with the envolopes. Don't spend too much time trying to make a killer sound every time, just experiment with it and in a short while you should have a basic understanding of how to squeeze out the sounds your're after .

Evolving textures mostly come from cleverly programmed, long envelopes
rythmic sounds come from sharp, short multipoint envelopes

fading out . . . .

 

sustaining

thanks for the help... i'm starting to understand this "beast" a little better now... it's not quite like other soft sytnths (specifically there are no knobs to twiddle- it's all replaced by actual values... which is good in a sense.....)
but anyway the sounds are starting to take on some shape and that means i'm doing something right!

so, thanks again stormchild and ObiNeg!

 

Releasing

Check this out for patches, tutorials, community etc : Absynth User Group