Ableton just announced the latest version of Live, which has many amazing new features. The updated UI includes tools to edit and manipulate MIDI and some new effects.
Instead of sharing a list of favorite features of Ableton Live 12 like other articles, this article takes a different approach.
I am going to dive deep into the new ROAR saturator.
What is the ROAR Saturator: And why it’s freaking awesome
Roar is a groundbreaking addition to music production tools, particularly designed for Ableton Live 12. It offers a fresh take on saturation and distortion effects, aiming for more experimental and dynamic results.
Its multi-stage processing sets Roar apart, allowing signals to traverse various saturation curves, filters, feedback, and compression. This architecture facilitates flexible routing and modulation, enabling both musical and technical innovation in sound design.
Marco Fink, Roar’s lead developer, stated in an interview that the device is Inspired by the kinetic energy of psytrance and the dynamic soundscapes of Mick Gordon’s Doom soundtrack. Roar’s development was driven by a desire to break away from the static nature of traditional saturation and distortion effects. It aims to capture the warmth and dynamism of analog signals while incorporating new experimental approaches.
Here is a great example that Ableton shared of what you can do with ROAR:
Key features include:
- Shapers and Filters: Roar offers a range of distortion curves (Shapers) with accompanying filters, providing diverse sonic possibilities. Combining distortion and filtering within a single block simplifies sound shaping and adds richness to the output.
- Modulation: Roar boasts extensive modulation options, including LFOs, Envelope Followers, and Noise sources. The Morphing control on LFOs allows for shaping classic waveforms, while the Modulation Matrix offers comprehensive control over parameter modulation.
- Compression: Compression within Roar helps manage the dynamics of the processed signals, ensuring controlled and balanced output. The compressor’s simplicity and optimized settings streamline the user experience.
- Feedback: Roar’s Feedback feature introduces dynamic and unpredictable elements to the sound, creating evolving textures and rhythms. Interaction between components within the feedback loop adds organic complexity to the output.
There are a lot of things that ROAR can do. There is waveshaping, filtering, and a ton of knobs. I’ll be delving into the basics of this effect in the article, but before I do, I want to talk about the WHAT and WHY behind saturators.
Knowing the sound science behind this will give you a deep understanding of when to use the new ROAR effect.
What are Saturators for in music production?
Saturators are indispensable components in music production, revered for their capacity to infuse audio signals with warmth, depth, and character by introducing controlled distortion. Operating on the fundamental principle of mimicking the pleasing nonlinearities inherent in analog gear like tube amplifiers, tape machines, and analog consoles, saturators shape the sound with nuanced precision. These tools are essential means of introducing harmonic richness and texture to digital audio, akin to the organic warmth found in analog recordings, thereby playing a vital role in music production.
The process of saturation typically involves gently clipping the peaks of the audio waveform, resulting in the generation of harmonics and the compression of dynamic range. This soft clipping behavior is what imparts the desired warmth and saturation to the sound, creating a sense of depth and richness that is often associated with analog recordings.
One of the primary mechanisms behind saturators is waveshaping, where the shape of the audio waveform is altered through nonlinear processing. Saturators reshape the waveform by applying mathematical functions to the input signal, introducing harmonics and altering its timbral characteristics. Parameters such as drive, intensity, and saturation level allow users to finely adjust the amount and coloration of saturation applied to the signal.
Additionally, saturators often incorporate algorithms that emulate the nonlinear behavior of analog circuitry, such as vacuum tubes, transistors, and transformers. These emulations aim to capture analog equipment’s unique saturation characteristics and sonic nuances, offering producers the ability to impart a vintage warmth and character to digital audio signals.
In essence, saturators serve as versatile sonic sculpting tools, offering producers a means to imbue their recordings with warmth, character, and depth. Whether used for subtle coloration or creative experimentation, saturators play a vital role in shaping the sonic identity of music productions across diverse genres and styles.
How Saturators Work with Harmonics
A key thing to know is how saturators change the harmonics of the sound, so let’s explore that.
A saturator alters the harmonics of a waveform by introducing controlled distortion, which impacts the amplitudes of the various harmonics present in the signal. When an audio signal passes through a saturator, the original waveform is modified, generating additional harmonics. These harmonics are produced due to the nonlinear processing applied by the Saturator, which affects the shape of the waveform.
In the harmonic series, the original waveform’s fundamental frequency corresponds to the fundamental harmonic. As the signal passes through the Saturator and distortion is applied, new harmonics are generated at integer multiples of the fundamental frequency. These additional harmonics contribute to the overall timbre and character of the sound, enriching it with harmonic content beyond the fundamental frequency.
Here is a video demonstrating how harmonics can be added with a saturator. I use Ableton Live’s saturator with a simple sine wave playing. The spectrum audio effect was added so you can watch what happens to the harmonics.
The Saturator’s distortion process affects the amplitudes of these harmonics, altering their relative strengths compared to the original signal. Depending on the specific characteristics of the Saturator and the amount of distortion applied, certain harmonics may be emphasized or attenuated, resulting in a unique timbral quality.
Overall, the interaction between the original waveform and the Saturator’s distortion mechanism modifies the harmonic content, enriching the sound with additional harmonics that contribute to its warmth, depth, and character.
How to use the ROAR effect in music production
The ROAR audio effect can be broken into 5 different sections. Let’s go through each one to get an idea of how this device works.
Input Section
First up, let’s talk about the Input Section – the gateway to all the sonic madness Roar has to offer. You’ve got your Drive knob to crank up the distortion level, giving your signal that extra oomph without breaking a sweat. Feeling like tweaking the balance between highs and lows? Just twist the Tone Amount knob and dial in your desired frequency with the Tone Frequency slider. And oh, don’t forget about the Color Compensation toggle for some extra tone-tweaking fun!
Gain Stage Section
Now, onto the Gain Stage Section – where the magic happens. Each routing mode comes with its own gain stages, ready to rock your world. Whether you’re into Serial, Parallel, Multi-Band, Mid Side, or Feedback mode, there’s a whole bunch of knobs and toggles waiting for your creative touch. From adjusting Shaper Amounts to tweaking Shaper Bias and Filter Frequency, you’re in total control of how your sound gets shaped and sculpted.
Modulation Section
But wait, there’s more! The Modulation Section is where things start to get really funky. With LFOs, Envelope Followers, and Noise sources at your disposal, you can add all sorts of wacky modulation to your sound. Want to make your synth line bounce to the beat? Just slap on some LFO magic and watch it groove like never before.
Feedback Section
And let’s not forget about the Feedback Section – the cherry on top of the Roar cake. By feeding Roar’s signal back into itself, you can unlock a whole new world of otherworldly tones and textures. Whether you’re into Time, Synced, or Note mode, there’s no limit to the crazy sounds you can create.
Global Section
Last but not least, we’ve got the Global Section – where you can fine-tune your final mix to perfection. From Compression Amount to Output Gain and Dry/Wet balance, it’s all about finishing your sonic masterpiece.
Using ROAR in your music: Bringing it all together
I’ve shared what saturators do and how ROAR works, but there’s an important piece missing: ” So how do I actually use it?”
To give you that insight, I want to share an example of taking a set of sounds and using ROAR to drastically change the sound’s character.
How does ROAR differ from the old Saturator effect?
After reading about ROAR, you might wonder why there is so much excitement about it when we have already had the Saturator plugin in Ableton live for a long time.
The Saturator is like a knife. Really useful to get the job done. And if all you need to do is make a few cuts, it’s the perfect tool.
ROAM, on the other hand, is a multi-tool for controlling the tone of the audio input. Its internal processing and the ability to add filters, modulations, and all these extras make it super powerful.
There is a downside to the power of ROAM though. It will take more CPU/RAM and there is a steeper learning curve. There’s just more to it, so it demands more of you as the musician and of your machine.
If you are just getting started, use saturation. Master the basics. Once you have a good handle on saturation, you can upgrade to ROAM.
Sometimes, you just need a straightforward touch of saturation, and the regular old Saturator is the perfect tool. Just keep that in mind… more options aren’t necessarily better.
Extra resources to learn more:
I want to end this article with some links and videos you can check out to learn more about ROAR.
There are a lot of amazing teachers and musicians who are starting to share how they use ROAR in their production, and I want to give them a shout-out. I’ve been inspired by these videos and how you get something out of them as well.
