Native Instruments Absynth Returns, With Presets By Brian Eno, Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith + Richard Devine
The cult classic soft synth is back, 16 years on from its previous iteration.
Native Instruments has unveiled Absynth 6, marking the return of a legendary semi-modular synthesizer built for creating textures and soundscapes that evolve and breathe, adding new, otherworldly dimensions to your sound.
Developed in partnership with Absynth creator Brian Clevinger, Absynth 6 adds an AI-powered browsing experience and modern compatibility.
Absynth’s signature suite of effects and groundbreaking hybrid engine combine granular, FM, wavetable, and subtractive synthesis for sounds that go beyond patches to create entire soundscapes.
The semi-modular powerhouse, overhauled for a new generation of musicians, features full MPE polyphonic aftertouch, surround support and an AI-powered browser.
“Our very first product – nearly 30 years ago – was a synth”, says Simon Cross, Chief Product and Technical Officer at Native Instruments. “Returning to Absynth brings us back to the heart of what inspires us. It remains one of the most singular instruments in electronic music, and we always knew its revival could only come with the involvement of Brian Clevinger himself.”
“When I originally created Absynth,” says Brian Clevinger, “I wanted an instrument that invited people to lose themselves in sound. Seeing it evolve into Absynth 6 has been genuinely moving. It still has that strange, alive quality, only now with the range and precision to inspire a new generation of explorers.”
Absynth 6 represents an evolution for one of the best loved soft synths of all time, one that enabled a generation of producers and composers to create never before heard sounds across ambient and dance music, and scores for film, television and videogames.
“Maximum crunch, constant panic” is how Brian Clevinger, Absynth’s creator and founder of Rhizomatic described the final pre-release push.
You see, Absynth isn’t just any soft synth. Its sea-green colour scheme and idiosyncratic architecture is something that a generation of sound designers and synthesists have grown up with.
And this isn’t just a new version: it’s a full-blown resurrection.
Arriving two years after the product was discontinued by Native Instruments, and 16 long years since the release of Absynth 5.
Reflecting this heritage, Absynth 6 launches with a suite of presets, created by musicians that best embody this restless creativity: Brian Eno and Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith at launch, with more to be added in future updates.
Absynth 6 Key features:
- Hybrid semi-modular engine combines subtractive, FM, sample-based, and granular methods.
- Living modulation: Sculpt textures that breathe and transform with the hyper-detailed 68-point envelope generator.
- Inspiring mutations: The classic Mutator offers intelligent preset generation with depth and randomness controls for instant inspiration.
- Modern expressiveness: Full MPE and polyphonic aftertouch support enables nuanced, per-note performances.
- Surround sound and microtuning: Absynth 6 features true multichannel surround spatialization and MTS-ESP support for global microtuning and new harmonic systems.
- Preset Explorer: The preset library is arranged into an intuitive visual map so musicians can browse sounds by timbral quality, or as a classic browser.
- Spatially bend Absynth’s unique suite of creative effects like Aetherizer and Cloud Filter with per-effect surround control.
- Legacy patches and presets: Explore vintage patches all the way back to Absynth 1, and load your own presets from Absynth 4 and 5.
- New artist presets: From Brian Eno, Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith and Richard Devine.
Absynth Preset Explorer. The new Absynth Preset Explorer reflects Native Instruments’ evolving approach to AI: reduce friction, keep artists in control, and encourage exploration over automation.
A deep-learning model analyses the timbral traits of every preset, arranging the library into an intuitive visual map so musicians can browse by feel rather than scroll through linear lists. Simple filters let users shape their own aesthetic path, while the system handles the heavy analysis behind the scenes.
“AI should widen the creative field, not collapse it,” says Andy Sarroff, Head of Applied AI at Native Instruments. “The Preset Explorer listens closely, then gives that insight back to the musician in a way that sparks discovery. It’s a guide, not a substitute for craft.”
Weird by Design. The Preset Explorer has also informed the visual campaign for Absynth 6, created in collaboration with digital artists Weirdcore, known for his live visuals for Aphex Twin, Radiohead, Charli XCX and Oneohtrix Point Never; and radical post-internet designer Swarmm.
Taking inspiration from the AI-powered matrix of the preset explorer, as well as Absynth’s reputation for world building, the hero video transports us to a liminal urban geography, intervened by sweeping glyphs and gaussian-splat renders, conjuring a hidden world of creativity beyond the surface of the ordinary.
Weirdcore will continue to bring Absynth 6’s Weird by Design philosophy to life with the rolling-release of specially commissioned ‘visualizer artworks’, based on original Absynth 6 compositions from a host of renowned DJ’s and producers. Each original track will be paired with custom visuals, with an original track by multi-hyphenate Australian polymath HAAi, with more artists to be added in the weeks to come.
The release of Absynth 6 represents a continuation of a legacy and a passing of the baton, presenting new possibilities of sound creation, and opening the field to a generation of producers, unafraid to explore, and ready to make their mark on the future.
Native Instruments’ Absynth 6 is available now via the Native Instruments online store. For new users of Absynth, Absynth 6 costs MSRP: $199 /€199 /£ 179. Absynth v. 2-5 owners can upgrade to Absynth 6 for $99 / €99.
For more information, get all the details at Native Instruments site.
