Nick`s Tutorials – Sound Design In Ableton Live: Operator [ENG]

FM synthesis represents an extremely powerful set of tools for creating your own sounds, and Ableton’s “Operator” represents a well-thought-out entry into that world. Unfortunately, much of the instructional material relating to FM synthesis does not really explain how it works in a way that does not involve lots of math and theory.

My goal is with this approximately 4 hour series. FM synthesis can be. The latest version of Operator, released alongside Live 8, allows the sound designer, the ultimate in flexibility, the creation of timbre from virtually nothing, the hand-shaping of individual harmonic overtones to create amazingly rich sounds that can be further mixed through various algorithms. With this series, you can learn how to harness this power in the way that is both intuitive and creative.

My video tutorials start you off with the basic theory of how to generate FM patches featuring tons of subtle modulation. The main goal is to create one’s own, personalized sounds. This knowledge will serve you in the future, and will be applicable even beyond Operator and Ableton Live.