End of Sale for Absynth 5 - Official statement & FAQ

Jeremy_NI

End of Sale for Absynth 5 - Official statement

Native Instruments has made the decision to not include Absynth 5 in Komplete 14, and to additionally stop selling it as an individual product. We know that this will be disappointing news for many of you who have been long-time users of the software synthesizer during its 22 years on the market. 

We always aspire to provide the best user experience with each product that we offer in our catalogue. Unfortunately, we must acknowledge that this is sometimes not possible due to constantly evolving user needs and technological standards. Discontinuing Absynth 5 was not an easy decision to make, but the resource required to keep the product in line with modern standards has become too much of a challenge. Absynth 5 has also long been in need of updates and improvements, and we are unfortunately not able to provide the synth with the attention it needs. 

Due to this, we have stopped all sales and development activities effective immediately. Users who already have a license will not be affected, as Absynth 5 will continue to operate normally. All users with a license will still be able to download and use it on current versions of Windows 10/11 or on Intel Macs up to macOS 12.

We want to deeply thank Brian Clevinger for being such a great collaborator and inspiring creator over the years, and thank all of you for loving Absynth as much as we have. 

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End of Sale for Absynth 5 - FAQ

Why has NI stopped sale of Absynth? 

The resource required to maintain Absynth in keeping with modern standards has become too much of a challenge. Absynth has also long been in need of updates and improvements, and we are unfortunately not able to provide the synth with the attention it needs. 

Will Absynth continue to be usable for those who already have a license? 

Users who already have a license will not be affected, as Absynth will continue to operate normally. All users with a license will still be able to download and use it on current versions of Windows 10/11 or on Intel Macs up to macOS 12. 

Why was no effort made to reach out to Brian Clevinger for development support / why were no resources put into development?

NI has been in touch with Brian Clevinger about this topic for some time. He had offered his help to further improve Absynth, but it would have still required a significant effort on our end to modernize the product and keep it aligned with the portfolio. Ultimately we were not able to commit to further development work, and made sure Brian was amongst the first to know. 

Why did NI not communicate to users that Absynth would be dropped from the bundle and no longer sold? 

Users who currently hold an Absynth license will still have full access to the product. The discontinuation of new sales does not affect the experience for current users. 

Is NI planning to stop sale of any other products?

Generally speaking each product has a lifecycle. Unfortunately, we can’t maintain all products forever, but do our best to extend the lifespan for each product to its maximum. Usually we evaluate each product with the release of a new Komplete version. Soundwide will always manage its portfolio to keep it to the highest standards possible.

How does NI evaluate when to stop supporting a product? 

Our goal is to give as many users as great an experience as possible. We evaluate the size of the user base versus development efforts and what other opportunities might serve a larger user group. Unfortunately, we don’t have unlimited resources and sometimes have to choose between different options.

For how much longer will I be able to activate my version of Absynth? 

There are currently no plans to make Absynth inaccessible for users who already have a license, and who are using the product on a computer that is compatible with both Native Access 2 and Absynth 5.

Will customers be able to buy Absynth 5 at another retailer?

Absynth is NI proprietary technology and we have made the decision to discontinue all sales. This means it will unfortunately not be available at any retailer. 

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