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Absynth is Over?


jim137

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Plasmonic is number 1 on my want list and Mr. Clevinger is admired, but this smacks to me of "negotiations fell apart and I'm seeking leverage" tactics. Whether that leverage is geared toward him reclaiming the rights independently or instead pushing NI to play ball and agree to allow him to continue to develop for them, I don't know. And this is just going off the email I received-- I still haven't watched the video. 
 

Either way, a modern Absynth was my number one want from NI, so this greatly lessens my desire to get more  current with Komplete. 
 

Mr Clevinger is MPE focused and it appears NI doesn't want to open that can of worms and have it subsequently demanded across their product line. I wonder if that is a deal-breaker point of contention. 

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I had a whole bunch of really cool Rapture patches I created.  I thought to myself, wouldn't it be great if I sold them.  And then Cakewalk went out of business.

I also had a few cool sounds for RMV.

Then I realized I had a lot of cool Absynth patches and there's no longer Absynth.

I'm thinking, maybe I should go around to synth developers and pay me not to develop patches for them.  "Hey, Xfer, I see that you've got a nice synth called Serum there.  It'd be a shame if anything were to happen to it..."

 

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12 hours ago, Anxiousmofo said:

Mr. Clevinger is admired, but this smacks to me of "negotiations fell apart and I'm seeking leverage" tactics.

I think that Mr Clevinger was just trying to reassure his loyal users that he had nothing to do with the bad decision, and that he would have jumped at the chance to revisit Absynth if that had been NI's chosen direction. But since NI owns the intellectual property rights for Absynth, not much he can do about it...

He has a business to run, and has moved on to Plasmonic and other future projects. I see that he had a need to get out in front of the announcement, in order to maintain as much credibility as possible.

In the video it appeared to be more about him letting go than seeking leverage.

Edited by abacab
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On the plus side, I reckon that rather than being "over" this will lead to something of a renaissance of it's use by the many, many people who already have it and have had it for so many years that they have largely forgotten all about it in favour of the newer, shinier things that have come their way, They will fall in love with it all over again....

Because, as we know.......

 

Wait for it.....

 

 

A little longer......

 

 

 

 

Absynth makes the heart grow fonder.

 

 

 

 

 

 

No, you get your coat.

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A few days ago, I was on the verge of getting the $29 NI classic bundle that included Absynth, FM8 (which I had just gotten a week or so ago), Massive, and one or two other things. It looks like that bundle was made to disappear without a trace. I thought it was part of Synth Month September, but maybe it was only for Labor Day.  😞  

I almost posted the deal but I was distracted by some petty BS.  On the positive side, that's $29 I don't have to borrow from my BF fund. 🙂 

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25 minutes ago, User 905133 said:

A few days ago, I was on the verge of getting the $29 NI classic bundle that included Absynth, FM8 (which I had just gotten a week or so ago), Massive, and one or two other things. It looks like that bundle was made to disappear without a trace. I thought it was part of Synth Month September, but maybe it was only for Labor Day.  😞  

It looks like that was a Plugin Boutique exclusive that has vanished with the release of Komplete 14.

But Thomann is still selling a boxed edition of Komplete 13 for $325 USD. That includes Absynth. https://www.thomannmusic.com/native_instruments_komplete_13.htm

  • Consists of over 65 software instruments, software effects and 24 expansions
  • Over 35,000 sounds
  • Includes i.a. Guitar Rig 6 Pro, Super 8, Electric Sunburst, Butch Vig Drums, Cuba, Massive X, Kontakt 6, Session Strings 2, Absynth 5, FM8; Reactor 6, Battery 4
  • Seamless integration with machine and Komplete Kontrol keyboards
  • Includes external USB hard drive with installation files and 25 Euro voucher for the NI Online Shop
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Absynth definitely needed a UI overhaul.. for some reason I feel like I want to start using it now 🤣

They should either hand it over to him to continue development, or open source it. Given it probably has some proprietary code they re-used elsewhere I'm guessing handing over is the only choice other than them changing their mind..

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Really too bad. Absynth has never been eclipsed in terms of modulation / envelope control over audio source material. It's probably one of the best samplers (and granular sample engines) and sound design tools ever built, and still used extensively in film sound design and scoring.  It's a great example of very very high level experimental synthesis and software engineering. Such a great companion to Reaktor too.

Sad day. I know many people that will keep running that synth for a very very long time.

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7 hours ago, Starship Krupa said:

There are multiple plug-in houses that have recently put discontinued products up for free download and use. Audio Damage, Tone Boosters....

True. I think in the end it's down to who own the IP though - just because something is no longer being sold, it doesn't mean that it automatically becomes free.

Audio Damage and Tone Boosters seem to be relatively smaller companies than the likes of NI and releasing their no-longer-developed products serves as good marketing for them: if someone picks up a plugin and they like it, they're likely to look to their active catalogue.

I think I saw something from NI saying that they don't have the resources to give it the attention it needs. They might have more one day, or they might repurpose some of the code into a new product. There are two more additional things to consider:

  • The size of NI probably means it doesn't need additional advertising - their logo is already on the back of lots of hardware that people see when watching someone perform, and on many YouTube videos.
  • Absynth doesn't match NI's new target audience. If your aim is to draw someone in and you offer them a free product that doesn't align with their interests/is too complex (for them at that stage), you might end up pushing them away instead.
Edited by antler
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57 minutes ago, antler said:

I think I saw something from NI saying that they don't have the resources to give it the attention it needs. They might have more one day, or they might repurpose some of the code into a new product.

That sounds similar to what BandLab was probably thinking about the legacy Cakewalk synths Rapture and Dimension Pro, which never got re-released. Sure they still work, but it takes resources to properly support a product.

Like it or not, the business made a decision in their self interest. It is what it is.

Edited by abacab
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1 hour ago, abacab said:

Like it or not, the business made a decision in their self interest. It is what it is.

Maybe it's for the best - an alternative is that they spread themselves a bit too thin, cracks start appearing in other products, profits drop, meaning even less resource to go round.

It's not going anywhere if you've already bought a licence though (according to something I read). It's just not going to get updated - and (sadly) it may stop working one day.

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21 minutes ago, antler said:

It's not going anywhere if you've already bought a licence though (according to something I read). It's just not going to get updated - and (sadly) it may stop working one day.

End of Sale for Absynth 5 - Official statement & FAQ

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/6034/end-of-sale-for-absynth-5-official-statement-faq#latest

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