Absorbiere

Name: Absorbiere
Author: Florian Mrugalla

by Florian Mrugalla · Modulation · Sidechain ring-mod ducker

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Absorbiere is a free sidechain ring modulator from Florian Mrugalla that aims to streamline the ducking technique, letting a sidechain signal carve into another sound.

It is free and open source (GPL 3), as VST3 and AU for macOS and Windows.

Best for: Drums, Bass, Keys & Synths, Sound Design. Genres: Electronic & EDM, Hip-Hop & Trap.

Keywords: sidechain input, ducking, ring mod, free, drums, open source, bass, experimental, auto-gain, kick, mixing, sound design, pads, transparent, utility.

What it does

Absorbiere is a free sidechain plugin that uses ring modulation instead of a volume envelope to make one sound make room for another. The developer describes it as "a sidechain ringmod, that aims to maximally streamline the ducking technique."

Sidechain input: a second signal, typically drums or a kick, feeds the sidechain and drives the effect on the track it is loaded on.
Ring-mod ducking: the sidechain ring-modulates the main signal, giving a ducking effect with a different character from plain volume ducking.
Capture (auto gain): a Capture button analyses the sidechain input and sets the gain staging automatically for headroom.
Mix: a Mix knob reduces modulation depth for a more transparent result.
Linked instances: give several instances the same track identifier and parameter changes apply to all of them at once.

Version 1.0 was released in August 2025, is free and open source under the GPL 3 license, and is downloaded from GitHub.

Source: Florian Mrugalla product page

When to use it

Absorbiere is the pick if you want sidechain interaction with a different, more experimental character than volume pumping, at no cost. Compared with Duck 2 and Kickstart 2, it has no curve shapes or tempo-synced envelopes; it relies on the sidechain signal itself and a Capture button, so setup is quicker but less controllable. Compared with LFO Tool or ShaperBox 3, it offers far fewer options but needs no drawing of shapes. Its linked-instance feature is handy when the same sidechain treatment goes on several tracks.

Best for: experimental sidechain interaction between drums and bass, pads or other busy parts.
Genres: electronic and hip-hop.
Look elsewhere if: you want clean, predictable volume ducking or tempo-synced shapes; Duck 2, Kickstart 2 or LFO Tool are simpler to control.

Where to buy

Florian Mrugalla: Free

Tutorials and reviews

FREE Absorbiere by Florian Mrugalla

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