absynth 4 addendum

8/13/2019 Absynth 4 Addendum

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/absynth-4-addendum 1/6

Manual Addendum

ABSYNTH 4



The information in this document is subject to change without notice and does

not represent a commitment on the part of NATIVE INSTRUMENTS GmbH. The

software described by this document is subject to a License Agreement and may not

be copied to other media. No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced or

otherwise transmitted or recorded, for any purpose, without prior written permission

by NATIVE INSTRUMENTS GmbH, hereinafter referred to as NATIVE INSTRUMENTS.

All product and company names are trademarks of their respective owners.

Furthermore, the fact that you are reading this text means you are the owner of

legal version rather than an illegal, pirated copy. It is only through the loyalty and

honesty of people like yourself that NATIVE INSTRUMENTS GmbH can continue

to develop and create innovative audio software. On behalf of the entire company,

thank you very much.

Users Guide written by Cornelius Lejeune, Nadine Raihani

Special thanks to the Beta Test Team, who were invaluable not just in tracking down

bugs, but in making this a better product.

© NATIVE INSTRUMENTS GmbH, 2006. All rights reserved.

Germany USA

NATIVE INSTRUMENTS GmbH NATIVE INSTRUMENTS North America, Inc.

Schlesische Str. 28-30 5631 A Hollywood Boulevard

D-10997 Berlin Los Angeles, CA 90028

Germany USA

[email protected] [email protected]

www.native-instruments.de www.native-instruments.com



ABSYNTH 4 Manual Addendum – 3

This document explains all the new features provided in ABSYNTH 4.0.1. The

most signicant new features are the Audio Recorder and the Surround box

found in the effect unit. You’ll nd a list of minor changes and improvements

in version 4.0.1 in the README.TXT that is installed with this update.

Please refer to the main manual for a complete overview of the application. You

can nd more information about the Navigation Bar – from where the Recorder

can be accessed – in chapter 4.3. An in-depth explanation of ABSYNTH 4’s

effect unit can be found in the manual on chapter 4.5.

Audio Recorder

The Audio Recorder window cannot be opened when ABSYNTH 4 is

being used as a plug-in. In this case, use your host’s capacities to record

the synthesizer’s signal.

The Audio Recorder is a convenient tool if you want to quickly stream

ABSYNTH’s sound into a le on your hard-disc without plugging the synthesizer

into an extended host environment. It even allows you to overdub different

layers, which are saved to one le.

The Recorder can be opened from the Navigation Bar between the Effect Tab

and the CPU Meter. Clicking on the button opens an additional window that

contains all the parameters of the Recorder. You can still access all otherparts of ABSYNTH to modify your sound while recording.

The main recording operations are controlled with the Stop, Start/Pauseand Record Buttons in the window’s top row. The Status Bar at their right

indicates the recording’s progress. The Wait for note and Stereo Switches adjust

the recording mode, together with the Options Popup Menu. The recorder’s

Overdub functionality, nally, is controlled with the sliders above the Options

Popup Menu.

If you want to start recording ABSYNTH’s sound, you rst need to arm the

recorder by pressing the red Record Button in the window’s top row. The button

will then start blinking along with the Start/Pause Button. Click on the latter

to start the recording. Alternatively, you can activate the Wait for note Switch;



4 – ABSYNTH 4 Manual Addendum

the recording then starts automatically when a note is triggered. If Stereo is

activated, two channels will be recorded; if off, a mono mix is stored.

The recording ends when you click the Stop Button. It ends automatically if

the Fixed Length Switch is turned on and the set time is surpassed. You can

enter the length in beats according to the tempo (in beats per minute, bpm).

This easily creates loop-like recordings, which can then be used in any other

environment – or, recursively, in ABSYNTH’s sample operation modes.

While recording, the Status Bar displays the current recording position of the

le as a small vertical marker. In the Options Popup Menu you can set the

maximum duration of your recording; this setting also determines the length

of the Status Bar. After pressing the Stop Button, the recording’s duration

will be shown horizontally as a lled bar within the Status Bar.

After you record some audio, you can press the Overdub Switch. If activated,

the new signal will be mixed with the old signal rather than replacing it. Tocontrol the mix, you can set both signals’ level separately with the Synth and

Tape Sliders, the rst one controlling the new recordings volume, the second

one adjusting the previous recording’s amplitude.

You can repeat the overdubbing process as often as needed: The mix of the

“synth” and “tape” signal will be used as tape signal the next time round, so

that you can mix it again with your playing. (Note that this is not equivalent

to true multi-track processing. With standard settings, both signals will be

attenuated by 6 dB so that they play at half volume and don’t clip. If you recorda third layer, the rst recording will be attenuated a second time. So, if you

plan to use this feature extensively, keep the recordings’ order in mind.)

Clicking the Save Button opens a le dialog and stores the current recording

on the hard-disc. The Clear Button, contrarily, ushes the recording buffer

without saving. The Undo Button, nally, removes the last recording layer.

Surround Effect

ABSYNTH 4’s effect unit is tightly integrated into the synthesizer’s generalsurround design. All ve effect operation modes feature multiple channels

– from multiple delay taps to independent resonators – which can be placed

separately within the surround panorama.

Using the surround capacities of ABSYNTH’s effect unit greatly extends its

spatial exibility. For example, you can make the echoes come from behind

your listening position. Or you can make the pipe circle around you. The

creative possibilities are vast.



ABSYNTH 4 Manual Addendum – 5

After switching the Surround Switch in the top left corner on, up to six yellow

dots appear in the ring to the right. Each of them represents one channel: If

you use the Echoes effect with only two echoes active, two dots are displayed.

If you use all six slots of the Multicomb effect, six markers are displayed.

This ring obviously represents the surround panorama with the front heading

up. The channels’ position within this panorama depends on three factors:

• The channel’s individual Pan setting: Except for the Resonator effect,

you can adjust an individual panorama for each channel. This value

ranges from 0 to 100, where 0 is completely left, 50 in the middle and

100 at the right. (The resonators are automatically distributed evenly,

i.e. with pan settings of 0, 50 and 100.)

• The global Spread value: If you imagine the stereo panorama as a line

from left to right, you can bend it to form a ring around your central

listening position. The Spread value determines how much the line is

stretched and bended:

• There is no spatial extension at a minimum value, i.e. the

line is reduced to a point in front of the listener.

• The line is formed to a semicircle at middle Spread values.

• This ring is closed at maximum Spread values.

For example, if you have your delay taps with panning values of 0, 50

and 100 (i.e. at the left, middle and right), all of them will be in front

of you at a minimum Spread value. If you now increase this setting to a

middle position, the left tap will move counter-clockwise and the right

tap clockwise until they form a semi-circle with the unaltered middle

tap in-between. Increasing the Spread control to its maximum makesthe left and right tap nally meet behind the listener, at the opposite

of the middle tap.

• The global Position value: Turning this knob moves the complete

arrangement. At a middle value, a panning value of 50 places that

channel in front of the listener (graphically, at the display’s top).

The more you increase the Position value the more this point moves

clockwise.



6 – ABSYNTH 4 Manual Addendum

After setting up, you can allow the channels to change their position

automatically: Activating the Rotate Switch routes an internal LFO to the

Position value and makes the position markers move around. Pushing the

Inverse Switch lets them move counter-clockwise instead of clockwise. The

speed with which the channels circle around is set by adjusting the number

of seconds a marker needs to reach its origin again – longer times result inslower transitions.

Note, nally, that this surround panning can also be used if a stereo set-up

is chosen from the Options Dialog of the File Menu. However, the surround

signal will be mixed down to a stereo signal without particular psycho-acoustic

algorithms. Nonetheless, an effect will be audible, particularly if the Rotate

Switch is activated.

absynth 4 addendum

Documents