ABLETON 12 SOUND DESIGN ATLAS
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Roar & Saturator

Roar's three shaper stages, six routing modes, tuned feedback and modulation matrix explained stage by stage, plus the Saturator 12.1 curve set — with eight distortion recipes from bass grit to tape.

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Roar is Live 12's colouration workhorse: three waveshaper stages, each with its own filter and gain, wired in series, in parallel, per band, per mid/side, or inside a tuned feedback loop, plus a modulation matrix (envelope follower, two LFOs, noise) and a 12.2 external sidechain. Saturator (redesigned in 12.1) is the lighter tool when you need one curve and no modulation. Why clipping sounds the way it does is covered in saturation & distortion.

Architecture

Input gain, one to three shaper stages depending on routing, output leveller, Color tilt, Dry/Wet. The Feedback section returns a delayed, filtered, optionally pitched copy of the stage output to the input. Everything can be modulated.

One stage, up close

Every stage is the same block: shaper type, Amount (drive into the curve), Bias (DC offset before the curve: asymmetry, even harmonics), Tone tilt after it, a filter placed pre or post shaper (LP, HP, BP, Notch, Peak, Morph, with resonance) and output gain. Bias is the knob most people skip and the one that most changes character: 0 is odd harmonics only; push it and you get valve-style 2nd-harmonic thickness.

Shaper types

ShaperCurveCharacterUse
Soft SineSine-shaped soft kneeRound, low odd harmonicsBus warmth, bass
Hard CurveSharp knee to a hard limitBrighter, holds a square-ish topDrums, cutting leads
Digital ClipFlat ceilingHarsh, instant, endless odd harmonicsHardcore, industrial
FoldSignal reflects back past the ceilingMetallic, FM-like, pitch content moves with AmountGrowls, sine→complex
Bit CrushAmplitude quantisationGritty floor, aliased sparkleLo-fi, glitch, hats
RectifyNegative half flipped positiveOctave-up, hollow, weak fundamentalOctave growl, organ leads
DiodeAsymmetric diode-clipper modelPedal-like, even harmonics, compresses as it clipsBass grit, 303 lines
ShardsJagged multi-segment curveBuzzy splinters, very level-sensitiveNeuro, texture
TubeSoft asymmetric with sagThick low mids, slight squashTape/valve warmth, 808s

Routing modes

Feedback section

Available in every mode. Amount sets how much output returns; above roughly 60% with a hot shaper it self-oscillates. Time is the loop delay, free in ms or synced: under 20 ms a comb filter with a pitch, at note values a rhythmic echo that distorts more each repeat. Pitch tunes the comb to a note, turning howl into a playable drone. A gate inside the loop stops runaway when the input stops.

Modulation matrix

SourceControlsTypical targets
Envelope FollowerAttack, Release, Gain; fed by the input or (12.2) an external sidechain trackAmount (louder = dirtier), stage filter freq (louder = brighter), Feedback Amount (self-ducking howls)
LFO 1 / LFO 2Shape (sine, tri, saw, square, S&H, random), Rate free or synced, phase, stereo offsetFilter freq for wobble, Bias for slow breathing, Feedback Pitch for sirens
NoiseRate and smoothing of a random valueSmall amounts on Amount and filter for analogue instability; large on Bit Crush for glitch

Amounts are bipolar. A 12.2 kick sidechain into the follower, routed negatively to Stage 1 Amount, is a distortion that cleans up on every kick and dirties up between them.

Output

The leveller keeps level steady as Amount moves, Color tilts lows against highs after shaping, Dry/Wet blends. Color is the fastest fix for "great but dull".

Parameters that matter

ParameterRange to live inWhy
Input gain−12 to +24 dBHow hard the first curve is hit. Use Input for level, Amount for colour.
Amount10–40% warmth, 50–80% grit, 100% destructionSoft Sine stays usable to 100%; Digital Clip is ugly at 30%.
Bias±10–30%Asymmetry = even harmonics. Small on bass adds body; large adds a sub-octave buzz.
Pre-shaper filterLP 2–6 kHz on bright sources, HP 80–200 Hz on bassWhat you remove before the curve never intermodulates. Pre-filtering is the difference between warm and fizzy.
Feedback Amount / Time20–50% / 1–40 ms for comb tones; 60%+ to self-oscillateLoop gain compounds with Amount: raise one, lower the other.

Saturator (12.1)

ModeWhat it isStarting point
Analog ClipTransistor-style clip, short kneeDrive 6–10 dB on drum bus
Soft SineSine-shaped, roundDrive 4–8 dB on bass
Medium CurveBetween Soft and HardDrive 8 dB on synths
Hard CurveFast knee to the ceilingDrive 10–15 dB for leads
Sinoid FoldSine folderDrive 15–25 dB for metallic growl
Digital ClipBrickwallDrive 3–6 dB as a transient clipper
WaveshaperUser curve: Drive, Curve (shape), Depth (deviation from linear), Lin (mix toward linear), Damp (softens the shape), Period (ripples in the curve = extra harmonics)Depth 30%, Period 2–4 for an FM-ish buzz

Soft Clip adds a final gentle ceiling, DC removes offset the curve introduced (keep it on after asymmetric shapes), and Color is a pre-emphasis EQ (Base: low tilt; Freq, Width, Depth: a bell) that decides which band hits the curve hardest. Depth +6 dB at 2 kHz before Soft Sine is a cheap exciter.

Techniques

Bass grit that keeps the sub clean

Device: Roar (Multiband) · Level: beginner · Genres: dubstep, uk bass, techno, drum and bass

Distortion only above the sub, so the fundamental stays a sine and the harmonics do the talking.

  1. Routing Multiband. Low crossover 110 Hz, High 2.5 kHz.
  2. Stage 1 (low): Soft Sine, Amount 10%, Bias 0. Almost a bypass; it only levels the sub.
  3. Stage 2 (mid): Diode, Amount 55%, Bias +15%, pre-filter Peak 400 Hz, Res 20% so the curve is fed a boosted low-mid.
  4. Stage 3 (high): Hard Curve, Amount 35%, post-filter LP 9 kHz.
  5. Color +2 dB toward highs. Check on Spectrum that 30–100 Hz is unchanged.
ParameterValueWhy
Stage 2 Amount30 → 80%Macro this; it is the dirt knob
Low crossover90–140 HzJust above the fundamental, below its second harmonic
Intermodulation between sub and harmonics creates difference tones below the fundamental. Isolating the sub in its own band means its curve never sees two frequencies at once.

Drum crunch with envelope-follower tone

Device: Roar (Serial) · Level: intermediate · Genres: breaks, big beat, industrial, drum and bass

Two stages in series with the follower opening a filter on hits: transients get bright and crunchy, tails stay warm.

  1. Routing Serial. Stage 1 Tube, Amount 30%, Bias +10%.
  2. Stage 2 Hard Curve, Amount 45%, post-filter LP 1.5 kHz, Res 15%.
  3. Follower Attack 2 ms, Release 120 ms → Stage 2 filter freq +60%. Hits open to ~8 kHz, tails fall back.
  4. Stage 3 off. Dry/Wet 65% so the original transient survives. Glue after to re-tighten.
Flip the sign (Follower → Stage 2 Amount −50%): loud hits clean, ghost notes crushed.

Feedback growl bass

Device: Roar (Feedback) · Level: advanced · Genres: neurofunk, dubstep, industrial

A static bass note becomes a snarling, vowel-shifting growl inside a tuned feedback loop that is re-shaped every pass.

  1. Routing Feedback. Stage 1 Fold, Amount 40%, pre-filter BP 600 Hz, Res 35%. Stage 2 Diode, Amount 30%.
  2. Feedback Time 8 ms free, Amount 45%. Tune Pitch until the comb resonance sits a fifth above the played note; listen for the howl locking on.
  3. LFO 1 Sine synced 1/2 bar → Feedback Pitch ±5 st and → Stage 1 filter freq +30%. The vowel moves with the bar.
  4. Noise → Stage 1 Amount ±8%, slow rate, so it never repeats exactly.
  5. Saturator after as a leveller: the loop's level varies with pitch.
ParameterValueWhy
Feedback Amount35–55%Below: flanger. Above: siren
Loop gain is Feedback Amount times both stage gains. Raising any stage output can push a stable patch into runaway. Keep a Limiter on the track while designing.
A short loop is a comb filter with peaks at multiples of 1/Time. The shapers inside add harmonics that are filtered and fed back again, so the spectrum converges on the loop's resonances rather than the input's: a crude model of a reed or vocal tract.

Multiband bus warmth

Device: Roar (Multiband) · Level: beginner · Genres: house, techno, lo-fi, dub

Three gentle stages with different Amounts per band: the most transparent glue distortion Live offers.

  1. Multiband, Low 160 Hz, High 3 kHz.
  2. Low band Tube 12%, Bias +8%. Mid band Soft Sine 22%. High band Soft Sine 8%.
  3. Leveller on, Color 0, Dry/Wet 100%. Gain-match with Utility so loudness does not fool you.
  4. Optional: Follower → Mid Amount −15% so loud passages distort slightly less.
Soft curves at low Amount add mainly 3rd harmonic, which reads as density. Per band, the strong lows cannot modulate the top end, which is what makes single-band saturation on a mix pump tonally.

Mid-Side air: distort only the sides

Device: Roar (Mid-Side) · Level: intermediate · Genres: ambient, deep house, trip-hop, dub techno

Leaves kick, bass and vocal untouched and excites only the stereo difference: a widener that adds sparkle instead of delay smear.

  1. Mid-Side. Stage 1 (Mid) Soft Sine, Amount 0–5%.
  2. Stage 2 (Side) Hard Curve 40%, pre-filter HP 1.2 kHz, output +3 dB.
  3. LFO 2 sine 0.08 Hz → Stage 2 filter freq ±20%: the air drifts.
  4. Collapse to mono with Utility: the sum is identical to the dry mid.

Kick rumble from Feedback plus sidechain

Device: Roar (Feedback, 12.2 sidechain) · Level: advanced · Genres: deep techno, dub techno, industrial

Generates the rolling sub-tail under a techno kick from the kick itself, ducked by the kick so it never masks the transient.

  1. Duplicate the kick track. Roar, routing Feedback. Stage 1 Tube 50%, pre-LP 300 Hz. Stage 2 Soft Sine 30%.
  2. Feedback Time synced 1/16 at 128–135 BPM, Pitch −12 st, Amount 60%. The kick re-enters itself every sixteenth, an octave lower, dirtier each time.
  3. Follower input: the dry kick track (12.2 sidechain). Attack 1 ms, Release 90 ms. Matrix: Follower → Feedback Amount −70%. Each kick kills the loop for ~90 ms.
  4. EQ Eight LP 180 Hz 24 dB/oct, then Auto Filter with a slow LFO. Mix 12–18 dB under the dry kick.
A synced loop at −12 st is a pitch-shifting delay; shaping inside it compresses each repeat toward a sustained tone: the kick's decay smeared into a drone an octave down.

Noise-modulated texture from nothing

Device: Roar (Feedback) · Level: advanced · Genres: ambient, idm, industrial

Roar runs with no input at all: a self-oscillating loop modulated by Noise makes a shifting drone or a crackling bed.

  1. Audio track, Monitor In, input No Input. Roar, routing Feedback.
  2. Stage 1 Shards 60%, Bias +20% (with no input, the Bias offset through the curve is what seeds oscillation). Stage 2 Fold 30%.
  3. Feedback Amount 75%, Time 3 ms. You should hear a tone; if not, nudge Bias or Input gain.
  4. Noise, slow rate, high smoothing → Feedback Pitch ±12 st, → Stage 1 Amount ±30%, → Stage 2 filter ±40%.
  5. LFO 1 S&H synced 1/8 → Feedback Amount ±15% for stutters. Resample and chop; see no-input feedback.
No-input patches can jump 30 dB. Limiter first.

Tape: Saturator Color, Roar Tube, LFO wobble

Device: Saturator + Roar (Single) · Level: intermediate · Genres: lo-fi, trip-hop, dub, boom bap

Tape is a head-bump EQ into a soft asymmetric curve, level-dependent high loss, and pitch wobble. Saturator Color does the first, Roar Tube with a follower-controlled LP the second, Chorus-Ensemble the third.

  1. Saturator Soft Sine, Drive 5 dB, Soft Clip and DC on. Color: Base +3 dB, Freq 90 Hz, Width 1.5, Depth +2 dB.
  2. Roar Single. Tube 35%, Bias +12%, post-shaper LP 9 kHz.
  3. Follower attack 5 ms, release 250 ms → filter freq −25%: loud passages lose top end, like self-erasure.
  4. Chorus-Ensemble Classic, Rate 0.3 Hz, Amount 8%, Dry/Wet 15%: that is the wow. Add Vinyl Distortion crackle for dust.
Tape clips asymmetrically because the bias signal shifts the operating point, hence Bias on Roar. HF loss rises with level, so a static LP sounds like a filter and a follower-controlled one sounds like tape.

Presets to build first

  1. Roar Bass Grit: the Multiband recipe with Stage 2 Amount and Low crossover on macros. Default for any bass track.
  2. Roar Bus Warmth: three Soft Sines at 12/22/8%, follower anti-fatigue, gain-matched. Drum bus and mix bus.
  3. Roar Rumble Return: Feedback recipe on a return with the kick sidechained in.
  4. Saturator Tape: Soft Sine with the Color head bump, Soft Clip on. Cheap default for 1 dB of glue anywhere.

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