Using Native Instruments Absynth as an Effects Processor

Absynth has the ability to be used as an insert in your DAW, which means that it is basically just a giant effects plugin at this point and the sky is the limit for your sounds and samples.

One of my favorite things to do with Native Instruments synths is to design a sound in one and then use another as an insert to process the effects, which gives me virtually no limit to what I can do as far as manipulation and modulation are concerned. This quick video shows you how to set up Absynth as an insert in Cubase, but it will work exactly the same in any DAW. One it’s loaded, you can bring in either an audio sample or a sound you have created and run it through Absynth to take advantage of all the features it has. If you have never used a big synth as an insert before, I recommend that you play around with a bunch of different types of samples and instruments to get a good idea of what you can do with this technique. It really is quite impressive.

All you need to do to get this set up is open up a project, either a new one or perhaps something you already have going. Add Absynth as an insert on a channel with a sound or sample loaded into it that you wish to apply some effects to. When Absynth opens up, you just want to check on the Patch window to see that the first oscillator module is set as an audio in. You should be able to hear a difference right away, and the more things you add, the more effect it will have upon the sound.

Absynth has some truly incredible filters, envelopes, etc and it also allows you to process sounds on the granular level. You may recognize some familiar results from some of your favorite artists tracks, as this method of processing has been possible for quite a while now and was a popular experimental fad for many years in the DJ and film scoring scenes. Many people use this approach with amazing results in a very wide range of projects, so it can absolutely be applicable to your work too!

If you have a trick or tip you have come across for Absynth and would like to share it here, please send us a message and let us know. We enjoy helping our fellow community members get their ideas and sounds in front of a larger audience, and if it involves helping people to learn more about their synths too, then it’s even better! Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers,
OhmLab