ABLETON SYNTH SECRETS
Think you know everything you need to about Live Suite’s synths? Think again…
Unlock the hidden talents of Live’s instruments
While Ableton Live Suite's collection of synthesisers and Max For Live devices covers a massive range of synthesis types, there's still a slew of exotic sound design techniques that fly under the radar of many producers. Some of these have been lurking deep within sub-menus for over a decade, while others are insider tricks for coaxing new forms of synthesis out of the existing tools.
In this masterclass, we’ll take a deeper look at some of Live’s more esoteric synthesis options and explain methods for quickly applying them to your design workflow. Some of these tips may surprise even Live experts, as they’ve been available in the DAW for many years, but they require a little bit of thoughtful experimentation in order to unlock their full potential.
Additive synthesis
While Operator’s trademark sound is FM synthesis with analogue-modelled filters, with a bit of planning, it’s also capable of additive synthesis when used in conjunction with the allcarrier algorithm. 01 While this type of additive synthesis isn’t as sophisticated as modern FFTbased designs, it’s fantastic for complex, evolving textures reminiscent of wavetable synthesis. Unlike Wavetable, though, it also offers a few distinctive amenities, like the ability to detune specific sets of harmonics 02 for a more organic vibe. Operator’s approach to additive is also useful for recreating vintage digital timbres like those from the Kawai K5 and K5m synths from the late 80s.
To start, turn off the filter so you can clearly hear your adjustments, then select the all-carrier algorithm and give each oscillator its own unique harmonic structure. 03 From there, you can finesse the oscillator levels and fine/coarse tuning to further dial in your sound.
The full potential of additive synthesis comes in when you animate the levels of all four oscillators via their independent envelopes, which allows for tricks like making certain harmonic sets percussive, while using others for more fluid components. 04 is a good example of a morphing configuration.
Additive synthesis can sometimes have a very ‘clean’ sound, but you can roughen things up using Operator’s more obscure tools. For example, in the all-carrier algorithm, every oscillator has its own dedicated feedback loop 05 , which frequency modulates the oscillator with itself. Low amounts of feedback deliver grunge; more gives FM-style noise.
Another esoteric feature of Operator is its ability to toggle interpolation and antialiasing, which was originally implemented to conserve CPU when introduced in 2005. Today, these functions 06 are a way to impart old school digital artefacts, which can be either gritty or
airy, depending on the type of effects you apply after the synth. For a retro 80s vibe, try applying a chorus followed by a reverb at the end of your chain. With a bit of finessing, these can evoke the classic Roland D-50 sound.
AMS files
Around the time Operator 2 was released, Ableton added a feature called Export AMS that’s still widely overlooked, which is a shame.
Export AMS lets you save your edited harmonic arrays as files with the .ams extension. These are then located in the User Samples folder, within a sub-folder called Waveforms. From there, the AMS files can then be imported into any of Ableton’s sample-based instruments, like Simpler or Sampler, which allows for some very interesting tricks.
To start working with AMS files, select your customised harmonics in Operator and rightclick on its window 07 to bring up a menu with Export AMS as an option.
When selecting Export AMS, the file is saved to User Library 08 as ‘OperatorWaveform’, which can then be renamed as desired, and used in either Simpler or Sampler.
In the case of Simpler, you can use AMS files to create a collection of common synth waveforms like sawtooth, square, triangle or sine for familiar analogue starting points. The only caveat is that you may have to tweak the loop points of the waveform, but this is a simple task when you turn on Loop and Snap in Simpler. 09 Or, you can create your own collection of bespoke digital waveforms and prep their loop points to create a wholly unique library of Simpler ‘Initialised’ presets. Since Simpler’s synthesis tools are so streamlined – while including top-notch analogue filter models – this is a rich resource for sound designers looking for a more original sound.
Amplitude modulation synthesis
Once you get the hang of creating and importing AMS files, your synthesis possibilities increase dramatically with Live Suite’s Sampler instrument, which includes an audio-range modulation oscillator that’s easy to misunderstand since it requires perfectly tuned samples to perform consistently. Otherwise, the results can be a bit chaotic.
You can import AMS files directly into Sampler by dragging them into the sample window, but this results in the AMS file being keymapped to the C3 key only. 10 To fix this, you’ll need to extend the zone to cover the full span of the keyboard 11 , then touch up the loop if required.
Fortunately, there’s a much more elegant approach available: import and tweak your AMS file in Simpler, as described above, then rightclick Simpler’s title bar. In the pop-up menu, you’ll find an option called Simpler > Sampler. 12 Click this and your AMS file should be perfectly looped and mapped across the entire range of a single Sampler zone.
With the AMS file mapped and looped, you can switch over to Sampler’s mod oscillator, which offers its own envelope for dynamic effects. 13 In addition to the envelope, the oscillator can be tuned to harmonic ratios, just like those in Operator. While this oscillator offers FM modulation, its true strength is the ability to apply envelope-controlled amplitude modulation. What’s more, the amplitude modulation mode is also tuned to ratios, like FM, which gives it a similar timbral scope – but with its own sonic flavour.
Getting started with this underused form of synthesis is just a matter of trying various AMS files and tinkering with the AM waveform and tuning parameters. The key is in setting the envelope sustain to maximum, then adjusting the volume parameter of the mod oscillator, which governs the depth of the modulation. Like FM, coarse tuning ratios will have a huge impact on the sound.
Once you get a feel for AM synthesis, you can dig deeper by adding multiple overlapping AMS layers, all assigned to the same octave range. 14 These can be different waveforms, or the same file tuned to multiple octaves. The mod
“Without learning Max For Live, there’s a surprising number of alternate synthesis types lurking inside”
oscillator will affect all of the layers equally, so this adds more potential to the process, especially when you tinker with the zone volumes and blending. If you’re already familiar with FM synthesis, you can conceptualise it as multiple carriers with a single modulator.
West Coast waveshaping
As more synthesists explore Buchla-style modules, waveshaping is becoming an increasingly popular tactic for creating distinctly aggressive textures. While there are a few waveshaping tools in Operator’s filter section, you can go further with this by using a single, unmodulated sine wave from Operator – or a custom AMS sine wave for Simpler.
The caveat here is that you can only use this scheme with a monophonic synth patch 15 , since waveshaping wreaks havoc with chords and intervals in the equal temperament scale. This isn’t a deal-breaker, though, as most modular synths aren’t polyphonic either.
It’s worth mentioning that harmonically dense waveforms don’t always yield controlled results with shaping or folding, so sticking with simple triangle or sine waves is the best way to get the hang of this system of synthesis.
Once you have a sine wave from Simpler or Operator, it’s time to start tinkering with waveshaping via Live’s Saturator device. While generally thought of as a distortion effect, Saturator includes waveshaping as an option in its Curve Type menu. Once that’s selected, place a Limiter at the end of your chain, as your initial experiments may lead to radical volume shifts that could damage your monitors – or worse, your hearing, especially on headphones.
With these elements in place, the first thing you should do is increase the main Drive parameter in Saturator (15dB is a good starting point, with the Limiter firmly in place), then raise the waveshaper drive to around 50%. You should hear the sine wave become more aggressive. From there, adjust each parameter – Curve, Depth, Linearity, Damping and Period – individually, to get a feel for their behavior. 16 Once you’ve analysed these effects in isolation, you can start experimenting with various combinations of parameter settings and quickly discover why West Coast synthesis is swiftly becoming fashionable in modern sound design.
At this point, it can be useful to group all three devices (sine wave generator, Saturator, Limiter) into a single Instrument Rack, then insert a few effects after for ambience or thickening. To further expand the tonal possibilities of this type of synthesis, you could try placing Live’s MIDI Chord device at the beginning of the chain and set the intervals to octaves or fifths only. These intervals will yield the most consistent results harmonically, with fifths generating guitar-like ‘power chords’. If you use this method, be sure to change your synth’s polyphony in order to accommodate the added intervals. 17
Graintable synthesis
While the first wavetable synth, the PPG Wave 2, included a piano wavetable based on a short piano sample, nowadays it’s more often than not referred to as granular or even ‘graintable’ synthesis in Reason’s venerable Malström synthesiser. The core principle at work here is taking a sampled waveform and giving it a very short loop, then ‘scanning’ through the sample
by adjusting its start point as the loop cycles. Nearly any sample you like – even a snare drum – can serve as a rich source of complex harmonic material.
Getting started with this is extremely straightforward: import a sample into Simpler, then turn Loop on and Snap off. Keeping the sample under a second in length is helpful, as Simpler uses percentages of the total recording’s time and not exact samples. Be sure to also turn Warp off and use Simpler as a classic sampling device, as the various Warp modes may interfere with this design technique.
Once you’ve set up Simpler in the above manner, shorten the Length parameter until the audio turns into a bright and slightly aggressive pitched signal. Percentages around 0.5% to 2% can often work well, depending on the audio length. You may also want to adjust the Fade parameter to apply some crossfade looping to the sound for smoothing purposes.
With very short loops like this, tinkering with the Loop percentage parameter will often result in pitchshifting, which can be fun to automate in the context of a track, but can sometimes complicate the sound design process. That being said, these guidelines will certainly create the most practical starting point for any of your later explorations. 18
Once you have a pitched loop, test its character by sweeping the Start parameter. If everything is set up properly, you’ll sweep the timbre of your sound while its pitch remains constant. Once you’ve got that result, it’s time to tune the loop.
Place Live’s Tuner device after the Simpler, play a C3, and note the pitch that’s displayed in the tuner. Unless you’re a super lucky cat, it probably won’t be a C, so use Simpler’s Transpose parameter to change the root key of the sample until you’ve got a C. The C’s octave isn’t essential here, but it can be helpful if you plan to layer the sample or add the preset to your user library. Once you’ve transposed the sample to C, adjust the Detune parameter until the loop’s tuning is within 1 cent of the target. 19
At this point, your loop should be in tune. Sweeping the Start parameter will yield a gritty and unusual ‘wavetable’ effect. While these results are far less smooth than a proper wavetable synth, the sound is so distinctive that it can easily work well with harder-edged production styles.
Finally, try increasing the Spread parameter, then adding the Chorus device after the synth. This will thicken the texture, approximating the sound of detuned or unison oscillators.
Expanding your horizons
So, without investing in additional software or learning the intricacies of programming Max For Live, there are a surprising number of alternate synthesis types lurking inside Live Suite and its collection of instruments, effects, and MIDI devices. You just need to know where to look to discover (or rediscover) these deceptively powerful design tricks.