Bread`n`Butter Synth that sounds as good as Absynth 3?

dj donnyman · Post by **dj donnyman** » Wed Jul 19, 2006 11:48 pm

kineticUk wrote:Ok
I am taking this directly from a computer music magazine...
In one of the recent UK editions they test Free software vs Commercial.
Funnily Absynth goes up against a very popular/I hear powerful synth called Greenoaks Crystal (Google it)
They are both considered as great synths so check it out..its free
Edit : Yeah subfunk says so too

Crystal Vs Absynth

Features 8/10 - Features 8/10

Ease of use 8/10 - Ease of use 8/10

Sound quality 9/10 - Sound quality 9/10

Flexibility 9/10 - Flexibility 9/10

GUI 7/10 - GUI 7/10

Overall 8.2 - Overall 8.2

Taken from computer music July 6th edition. Thats quiet a high rating for a freebie, thats up against a highly respected synth like absynth. Worth getting a copy of this months computer music. For those who haven't got it there's articles on live as well. Top magazine, the only one you need. Plug plug.

glitchrock-buddha · Post by **glitchrock-buddha** » Wed Jul 19, 2006 11:52 pm

dj donnyman wrote:
kineticUk wrote:Ok
I am taking this directly from a computer music magazine...
In one of the recent UK editions they test Free software vs Commercial.
Funnily Absynth goes up against a very popular/I hear powerful synth called Greenoaks Crystal (Google it)
They are both considered as great synths so check it out..its free
Edit : Yeah subfunk says so too
Crystal Vs Absynth

Features 8/10 - Features 8/10

Ease of use 8/10 - Ease of use 8/10

Sound quality 9/10 - Sound quality 9/10

Flexibility 9/10 - Flexibility 9/10

GUI 7/10 - GUI 7/10

Overall 8.2 - Overall 8.2

Taken from computer music July 6th edition. Thats quiet a high rating for a freebie, thats up against a highly respected synth like absynth. Worth getting a copy of this months computer music. For those who haven't got it there's articles on live as well. Top magazine, the only one you need. Plug plug.

I like crystal, but I don't agree with this. I have them both and Absynth is way better imo. But hey, crystal's free, can't go wrong with it.

grb

dj donnyman · Post by **dj donnyman** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 12:04 am

glitchrock-buddha wrote:
dj donnyman wrote:
kineticUk wrote:Ok
I am taking this directly from a computer music magazine...
In one of the recent UK editions they test Free software vs Commercial.
Funnily Absynth goes up against a very popular/I hear powerful synth called Greenoaks Crystal (Google it)
They are both considered as great synths so check it out..its free
Edit : Yeah subfunk says so too
Crystal Vs Absynth

Features 8/10 - Features 8/10

Ease of use 8/10 - Ease of use 8/10

Sound quality 9/10 - Sound quality 9/10

Flexibility 9/10 - Flexibility 9/10

GUI 7/10 - GUI 7/10

Overall 8.2 - Overall 8.2

Taken from computer music July 6th edition. Thats quiet a high rating for a freebie, thats up against a highly respected synth like absynth. Worth getting a copy of this months computer music. For those who haven't got it there's articles on live as well. Top magazine, the only one you need. Plug plug.
I like crystal, but I don't agree with this. I have them both and Absynth is way better imo. But hey, crystal's free, can't go wrong with it.

grb

Yeah I would of thought Absynth would of come out on top, don't understand quiet how they arrived at that result, taking nothing away from Crystal which is undoubtably one of the best free synths around, but I don't think you can quiet put Crystal on the same level as Absynth.

Machinesworking · Post by **Machinesworking** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 2:55 am

Absynth and Crystal, odd that people always pair them up IMO. They sound nothing alike to me.

Zebra 2 is fat and warm, a great compliment to the sterile, and icy Absynth sound!

kineticUk · Post by **kineticUk** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 3:16 am

Yeah I know little about crystal but love absynth 3.. funny cause I never used to like it much. I love it.
I think the point of the magazine is that crystal is capable of alot and we have to give it extra credit if its free as well. (I had mentioned the review in the first place, because it answers the topics question)
Like I said I have not had the chance to play with crystal but its good to see something like that get recognised.(It must be alot of effort/work for the guy who makes it)
Anyway peace

SubFunk · Post by **SubFunk** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 12:35 pm

by all means of comparision, for FREE it's the freakin' bomb.
and everyone should at least give it a try. (cost you nothing, but a little time! hey!)

just my 2cents

edit: and that time is well better spend then discussing if it is better then XXXXX

Martyn · Post by **Martyn** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 3:57 pm

I recon Rhino2 by Big Tick is the closest thing to Absynth.

Lots of different synthesis methods, including 6 oscillator fm, tempo syncable multi breakpoint envelopes, huge selection of oscillator waveforms (you can import your own too) an additive section and superb fx. This is by far the most versatile synth I've ever had, I knew I had to get it within 30 mins of opening the demo.

I simply don't need another synth, every time I open it I seem to end up creating a patch that I couldn't have found anywhere else, and doing it intuitively and easily.

http://bigtick.pastnotecut.org/index.ph ... 40&lang=EN

If you're on PC, and looking for a great softsynth, don't miss trying this one before deciding.

anti-banausic · Post by **anti-banausic** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 4:15 pm

Machinesworking wrote:Absynth and Crystal, odd that people always pair them up IMO. They sound nothing alike to me.

Zebra 2 is fat and warm, a great compliment to the sterile, and icy Absynth sound!

The thing that I have to say about Zebra is this:

It is sooooo easy to program. I know that Robert and the Abes spent a lot of time trying to get Operator to be easy to program, and I guess that it is. I don't own it, and I wasn't nearly as facile with synth programming when it came out and I was thinking about getting it.

However, Zebra 2. The demo is so easy to use. Urs did a great job of creating a semi-modular that is so easy to wrap your mind around. Or at least for me. It can do easy breat and butter bass, just drop a single oscillator in, with an envelope and a filter. Voila. But the possibilities are endless. Some strange FM thing, cool comb filtering goodness, ways to see the signal path in a matrix kind of way.

Really.

It's the bomb.

kuniklo · Post by **kuniklo** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 5:06 pm

Not only is Zebra 2 one of the most flexible yet easy to use synths around, it just sounds great. The oscillators and filters are simply much better than most softsynths, particularly Absynth, which has a very flexible architecture but very vanilla basic sound character. Disable the effects and listen to the raw oscs and filters and you'll hear what I mean.

Martyn · Post by **Martyn** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 5:26 pm

kuniklo wrote:Absynth has a very flexible architecture but very vanilla basic sound character. Disable the effects and listen to the raw oscs and filters and you'll hear what I mean.

Absolutely, that effect that simulates moving mics around different parts of a length of pipe is pretty unique I wish somebody'd make a similar plugin, I can recognise sounds made using Absynth quite easily. Turn all the fx off and the raw oscillators do sound pretty ordinary.

kuniklo · Post by **kuniklo** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 5:33 pm

Yep. Absynth's effects are pretty distinctive and useful.

gregorythis · Post by **gregorythis** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 5:44 pm

kennerb wrote:Tho Crystal is a bit heavy to program it offers a lot of sound possibilities.

I like Claw even tho it is monophonic. I have gotten some crazy sounds out of it.

claw isnt UB yet

Machinate · Post by **Machinate** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 5:56 pm

gregorythis wrote:
kennerb wrote:Tho Crystal is a bit heavy to program it offers a lot of sound possibilities.

I like Claw even tho it is monophonic. I have gotten some crazy sounds out of it.
claw isnt UB yet

Neither is Absynth...

deva · Post by **deva** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 6:08 pm

anti-banausic wrote:
Machinesworking wrote:Absynth and Crystal, odd that people always pair them up IMO. They sound nothing alike to me.

Zebra 2 is fat and warm, a great compliment to the sterile, and icy Absynth sound!
The thing that I have to say about Zebra is this:

It is sooooo easy to program. I know that Robert and the Abes spent a lot of time trying to get Operator to be easy to program, and I guess that it is. I don't own it, and I wasn't nearly as facile with synth programming when it came out and I was thinking about getting it.

However, Zebra 2. The demo is so easy to use. Urs did a great job of creating a semi-modular that is so easy to wrap your mind around. Or at least for me. It can do easy breat and butter bass, just drop a single oscillator in, with an envelope and a filter. Voila. But the possibilities are endless. Some strange FM thing, cool comb filtering goodness, ways to see the signal path in a matrix kind of way.

Really.

It's the bomb.

I would vote Zebra2 for best complex synth GUI. It is so easy to edit and to conceive and implement complex ideas. Especially for a modular design. It can be as simple or as complex as the user wants.

It also does not depend on complexity. Use just 1 osc and 1 filter and you can get great sounds.

deva · Post by **deva** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 6:10 pm

kuniklo wrote:Not only is Zebra 2 one of the most flexible yet easy to use synths around, it just sounds great. The oscillators and filters are simply much better than most softsynths, particularly Absynth, which has a very flexible architecture but very vanilla basic sound character. Disable the effects and listen to the raw oscs and filters and you'll hear what I mean.

exactly...