Designing a Deep and Meditative Absynth synth Pad

When it comes to this type of sound design, I feel that if you can simply hold one note and have the pad continuously evolve and change over time in such a way that it needs no other supporting elements to be considered captivating and otherwise good, then it’s a quality patch. Whether you are making a soundscape or something more minimal, the approach is still largely the same. This Absynth synth pad is a great example of how to design intentional complexity that invites, and in part depends on, random evolution.

Nick starts this one out by loading up a Sine wave into Oscillator module A and sets it to run in FM mode. This allows for FM Synthesis to become part of the design. Oscillator B module is then set up to run in Fractalize mode with a Bass waveform loaded. Oscillator A is passed through a Bandpass filter and then through a Ring Mod unit. And Oscillator B is passed through a Lowpass4 filter. This whole sound is routed through a Comb finter loaded into the main output strip before being processed by the Aetherizer, which adds Granular Synthesis to the mix.

Next a series of Envelopes are set up and assigned to modulate various parameters throughout the Patch window. This is what creates the bulk of the changes heard over time in our Absynth synth pad. An LFO is even applied to one of the envelopes to add even more interest and movement as the sound develops. When all the sounds are brought together, this becomes a beautiful organ-like instrument that will be right at home in some nice ambient or minimalist music genres.

Thanks for stopping by!

Cheers,
OhmLab