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C4 · 1.3 Synthesis

Operator Controls Explorer

Ableton Live device

Most DAWs include an FM synth; this one is Ableton Live's Operator. The concepts (carriers, modulators, algorithms) are the same wherever you find them.

Drag a cable from the floating box to a coloured zone below the image to learn what that control does.

Ableton Live Operator synthesiser interface showing four oscillator operators, algorithm routing, envelope, filter and LFO controls
AOscillators (A-D)
BCoarse / Fine
CLevel
DAlgorithm
EEnvelope (ADSR)
FFilter
GLFO
Foundation
Advanced

What you learned

  • ✓Identify each control on the Operator interface by name and location
  • ✓Explain the function of oscillators, coarse/fine, level, algorithm, envelope, filter and LFO
  • ✓Describe how FM synthesis uses operators as carriers and modulators