Time to set Absynth 5 free

Kymeia

This seems to be the problem with ‘usage data’ - again and again we are seeing it being misused to justify taking things away from users instead of improving things

Kubrak

The first thing I do, I switch off usage data. So, NI thinks just few people use KK Sxx MK1…. I have three of them….

The best would be if NI sold Absynth back for 1 EUR back to the author. He might decide to go on.

I take care for programs that have 30+ years old codebases like for my babies. Many programmers treat their programs as babies…

The other possibility would be to make it public domain. But original author would have to agree. And maybe there is engraved his know how he uses in another products…. So, he might not be willing to let it be released to public. And his competitors….

iNate

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/143917#Comment_143917

Wait.

They can see that [for example] 5% of people who own the product use it, and not make a determination to drop that product based on usage data?

Make it make sense, please?

Making decisions based on usage data is a problem if it isn't being used to make decisions that you deem to your benefit?

They didn't take Absynth 5 away from anyone. Anyone who owns it can continue to use it so long as they maintain an operating environment that allows it to continue to work. But buying a product does not obligate that company to maintain support for that product in perpetuity - even if it means them losing money doing so. Absynth 5 was supported for more than a reasonable length of time. I think it was released in 2010?

holonology

Twenty Five was the perfect example of what NI can do to preserve its legacy. When a product, especially one as loved as Absynth, falls away - it would be nice to preserve it like comapnies do by sampling analogue synths. Turn it into a Kontakt instrument. Sure, this will not preserve the techncial editing capabilites of the synth, but it would allow others to experience it on a modern OS. It will be the same when Reaktor doesn't work on a modern OS. NI could let it go or at least partially preserve it.

Look at Korg, Roland and Moog, they're all in the preservation game now. I think NI could take a leaf out of their book.

iNate

Absynth 5 is already a digital synth. It didn't need "preservation" nor was there an opportunity to make more money by making a cheaper digital model of it to sell to more people. It needed updates and maintenance.

If you want to preserve it in that way, then use the Maschine or MPC Software Auto Sampler and drag the files into Kontakt and create patches. That way, you can utilize those sounds on incompatible machines.

Or, while still viable, load in Rosetta 2 to design the sound and then bounce the track to Audio, remove the plug-in, and go back to M1 Native (on Macs) to get full performance.

NI already did some of the stuff you referenced with Retro Machines MK2, and a few other libraries... but Absynth is not a Hardware Synth.

MusicIsMath

For me it's the blatant disregard for the money users have spent... that is the crux of the issue with companies like NI.

Many of us have used their products since the earlier days, we have shown support not just through monetary contribution but also through recommendation. Whilst I understand things must move on, the lack of support for the products that were staples, the one's that got them their user base is appalling.

I would rather see them focus on updating the products so they work properly on newer processors, adding in extra's where possible, than to be selling sample packs. Don't get me wrong, it's ok if that is your jam, but I believe the lack of support for the user-base who bought in to NI based on the likes of Absynth, Pro-53, B4, Electric Piano, goes to show a disregard for what it was known for and good at.

I recently, rightly or wrongly updated to 14 Ultimate, so far I am pretty much unimpressed. My partner in crime only uses Maschine, well the Maschine controllers we both had won't work with the M1 Pro or M1 Max So I had to buy another Maschine controller (very annoying considering I've already forked out for a controller once) then we find that some plugins won't open in Maschine any longer....whilst also finding out that they have done absolutely NOTHING to deal with the cpu load of this program. There is NO way on earth this program should be struggling to load 4 or 5 presets at a time, especially when I can load 10's of instruments into Ableton, Bitwig and so on, jam the channels full of plugins and still have zero issue.

I am starting to get a very cold feeling about it all and it reminds me why I was so reluctant to update for a few years (only reason I did update was because of my new Macbook/Mac Studio).

The developers and company should hang their heads in shame, as should some that I have seen try to explain it away, "well it's old, no surprise they don't support it"..... meanwhile I will just have to make the most of the hardware I have that, some of which is over 40yrs old and still works perfectly lol.

ozon

@holonology @iNate if you think you can „preserve“ a synthesizer, regardless whether hardware or software, by sampling it, you have not understood the very basics of sound synthesis.

iNate

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/145846#Comment_145846

Not sure why you're mentioning me in a reply that is only tangentially relevant to what I've posted.

Lol.

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/145794#Comment_145794

As I've stated, it didn't need "preservation," it needed updates and maintenance. You cannot "preserve" a digital synth whose function is to create new sounds. You can only preserve patches created with that synth, which is not the same thing.

If that user I responded to wants to "preserve it" in that way, then this is already 100% possible, so why would NI waste resources doing it for them?

The only way to "preserve" Absynth 5 is to maintain a machine that can run it, utilize something like Ableton Link, and program your patches there and either pipe the audio into your DAW or bring the stems over for processing and mixing.

iNate

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/145814#Comment_145814

No disregard found.

Anyone who paid for it can continue to run it. I'm not quite sure what the problem is, or what problem people are attempting to manufacture.

I skipped Komplete 14 and only upgraded Kontakt because I find those upgrades to be a massive waste of money. The only reason I went to K13 UCE is because I knew 100% that I would never be taking another Komplete upgrade. So, it was more of a " /shrugs/ why not" upgrade. I will only update Kontakt until I've gotten myself to the point where I am no longer dependent on it, and then I will stop investing altogether.

Komplete probably didn't help things, wholistically, because it causes most people to acquire products via bundling at well-below MSRP prices (cumulatively speaking), which gives them little incentive to invest in improving them for individual sale.

Then they use sales figures to justify dropping products or changing product direction.

It is hard for one [fairly old] synth to generate sales or even generate high usage when so many people are acquiring it in a bundle that includes like 10-15 other synths (even ignoring the Plug-in Alliance Synths and any stock synths that may come with the end user's DAW).

Absynth was probably the most difficult and least intuitive synth Native Instruments offered. That didn't help, either.