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Synthesizer

Drift

Ableton

Where to get itIncluded with Ableton Live. It is part of that DAW, not a separate download.ableton.com

Drift is a versatile subtractive synthesizer designed for quick and easy sound design with minimal CPU resources. Fully MPE-capable and featuring two oscillators, dynamic filtering, and extensive modulation options, Drift excels at creating a wide variety of sounds from subtle filter sweeps to complex, detuned textures. Its signature Drift control adds pitch and frequency variation to each voice for a slightly detuned, fluctuating character.

Written from the manual and checked against it. How we check

Key Features

01Two independent oscillators with Shape modulation and seven waveforms (Sine, Triangle, Shark Tooth, Saturated, Saw, Pulse, Rectangle)
02Dual filter types: Type I (12 dB/octave DFM-1) and Type II (24 dB/octave Cytomic MS2)
03Two envelopes with ADSR controls; Envelope 2 switchable to Cycling Envelope mode
04LFO with nine waveforms and four time modes (Rate, Ratio, Time, Sync)
05Four voice modes: Poly (32 voices), Mono, Stereo, and Unison with customizable thickness/spread
06Three modulation slots with selectable sources (Env 1, Env 2/Cyc, LFO, Key, Velocity, Modwheel, Pressure, Slide) and 11 destinations
07Signature Drift control for per-voice pitch and frequency variation
08MPE-capable with per-note pitch bend, legato mode, and glide control

Things to Try

  • 01Increase oscillator gain values above 0 dB to trigger the second saturation point in the filter circuits for complex distortion similar to analog hardware
  • 02Use the Drift slider at higher amounts to widen the gaps between oscillators and filter frequency for a more out-of-tune sound
  • 03Select an LFO with Ratio time mode and use it as a Pitch Mod source to generate FM tones
  • 04Enable Legato mode in Mono voice mode and adjust the Glide slider to create smooth pitch slides between successive notes
Official Website↗User Manual↗

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