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Absynth 3 on Windows 11, can it still run?

MarcosSs

Hey everyone!

I'm looking into Absynth 3 for a soundtrack I'm working on, mainly to get that old school R&B vibe. I'm particularly interested in the original factory presets from that era.

I'm running Windows 11 on an i7 11th gen PC. Has anyone managed to get Absynth 3 running on Windows 11?

Also, can the original Absynth 3 presets be loaded into Absynth 5, or are they incompatible?

Would love to hear from anyone who's tried this, or if anyone knows where I could find the original presets.

Thanks!

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Vocalpoint

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/270396#Comment_270396

Age of PC or OS has no bearing. The tools to authenticate AB3 and its server backbone were retired over a decade ago.

You could probably install and given its Windows - it would run but only until you are asked to authorize the licence which is not possible.

VP

Vocalpoint

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/270428#Comment_270428

Absynth - any version - IMHO - is not a go-to for any 90's R&B sounds.

Vocalpoint

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/270435#Comment_270435

I live and breathe in Omnisphere. I am a huge fan of Eric and crew at Spectrasonics.

If you can shoulder the cost (note - this thing NEVER goes on sale) and take the time to really dig in - it may be the only synth you ever need.

All comments

Vocalpoint

Installing (and potentially) running it is not the issue - authorizing it - is the challenge.

Not possible here in 2026.

MarcosSs

Even with an old PC running an older version of Windows, would it still be impossible?

I was thinking that if I could find an original Absynth 3 licence or disc, I might be able to find an old PC that supports it. Absynth 3 is pretty old, right?

Vocalpoint

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/270396#Comment_270396

MarcosSs

Ah, I see now, thanks for clearing that up!

I was looking for some R&B presets from that era and eventually realised I might be able to find them in Absynth 3.

All the best!

Kymeia

The original factory presets from Absynth 3 can be loaded in Absynth 5 and 6 - but they are hardly 'old school R&B'

MarcosSs

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/270401#Comment_270401

That's what I was thinking too! Maybe I'll find some of the sounds I'm looking for in there.

Kymeia

What sounds are you looking for exactly?

MarcosSs

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/270403#Comment_270403

I'm mainly looking for some old school 90s R&B sounds. From what I've found, it looks like I can use 90s-style preset packs directly in Absynth 5, so I might not need to go back to Absynth 3 after all. I'll have to give them a try and see if I can get the sound I'm after!

PK The DJ

When I read this, I was going to ask what era you considered "old school" as Absynth 3 is from 2004/2005 so they wouldn't have been using it in the 90s…

It's far more likely they'll have used hardware synths, the ones that were around in the 90s - or even 80s.

You can find info online about synths that were popular in the 90s, and even articles about specific artists/producers which mention what they used.

Kymeia

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/270405#Comment_270405

Thanks but I knew that already - specifically what sort of sounds are you looking for because Absynth 3 may not be the best choice if you are looking for more basses or RnB synth sounds for example - it tends towards the more experimental - drones, textures etc - it can do basses and basic synths but that is not its forte. Plus it is not from the 90's as has been stated.

MarcosSs

some classic 90s R&B synth sounds

Vocalpoint

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/270428#Comment_270428

Absynth - any version - IMHO - is not a go-to for any 90's R&B sounds.

MarcosSs

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/270429#Comment_270429

I’ve been watching some YouTube videos and Omnisphere seems to have a huge library of ready-made synth sounds. I’m kinda thinking about getting Omnisphere 3.

What do you think?

Vocalpoint

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/270435#Comment_270435

I live and breathe in Omnisphere. I am a huge fan of Eric and crew at Spectrasonics.

If you can shoulder the cost (note - this thing NEVER goes on sale) and take the time to really dig in - it may be the only synth you ever need.

MarcosSs

Yeah, it's really expensive! I'm planning to get it and dive deeper into it, though.

Thank you

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