Ableton - Operator (Words By Tarekith)

Operator is Ableton's first add-on package for Live.  While you can try out a demo version for free with any version of Live 5 and higher (saving is disabled), it will cost you $149 to unlock.  If you're not interested at all and would prefer not to continually see it in your list of Live instruments, it can be hidden via Live's preferences window. A simple explanation of Operator, is that it's a 4 operator FM-based (frequency modulation ) synth, with some additional subtractive synthesis controls as well.  The layout is like all of Ableton's products, packing the most amount of information into the smallest amount of space, and doing it very well too.  The plug in window consists of a central display that changes depending on which of the 8 groups of parameter you are editing.  Some of the text in this display can be a tad small on high resolution monitors, but it's a minor complaint and seems to be more and more common with all plug ins these days. Each of the 4 FM operators can be combined and modulate each other in many ways, as seen in the screenshot below.  The operators are represented by different colored blocks in the center display, each labeled A-B. 

There's also a global multi-mode filter (with it's own ADSR envelope) you can use for additional tweaking in your patches.  New in the Live 6 version of Operator (free update to all Operator owners), Ableton included much needed 24dB versions of all the filter modes.  The basic filter types are on offer, low-pass, hi-pass, notch, and bandpass, no formant or other weird types here.  I'd personally love to see the morphing filter from Sampler added in a future update, as it's something I could see really working well in Operator.

As was the case when i reviewed Sampler, my thoughts on Operator changed the longer I spent with it.  Like most people, I freely admit that I'm far more comfortable with subtractive synthesis versus FM synthesis.  By and large it's a far easier system to comprehend, and predictable results are generally no harder than understanding the signal flow of the synth you're using. FM on the other hand seems to be based on math's and obscure terms (just what is an operator anyway?) for most people new to the technique.  As a result, the first few times you play with Operator, it's likely you'll end up creating nothing but noises.  Interesting noises, but noises none the less.  So, I'd suggest the following links for a quick run down of what FM synthesis entails, and how to use it to obtain predictable results:

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr00/articles/synthsecrets.htm

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/may00/articles/synth.htm

Once you get a slightly better understanding of FM, the real capabilities of Operator are much more apparent.  The fact that Ableton have added some subtractive synth features like LFO's and a master filter really expand on the sounds you can obtain with it.  This can be almost overwhelming when you remember that almost all of Operator's parameters can be controlled by Clip Envelopes as well.

For all it's complexity though, Operator is laid out in such a way that it fairly intuitive to grasp (for an FM synth at least).  In fact, given that it has elements like a filter and LFO's, you could treat it as a simple subtractive synth if you wanted to, by only using one of the four available operators.  However you try to use it, it won't take you long to understand the routing of the synth, nor how the parameters interact.  Whether or not you are able to get useful, interesting sounds out of it is another matter however, as mentioned before, FM synthesis is not the most intuitive of synthesis methods.

After a couple weeks of use, a few thoughts stay with me however:

1. This plug in is capable of a wider range of sounds than I originally imagined.  Took quite a few lengthy sessions of experimenting before I was able to come up with sounds that weren't boring to me however.  Once I got to that point though, it was easier and easier to get useable results quickly.

2. This synth definitely has a distinctive 'sound' or character to it.  That is, patches made with Operator seem to always sound like they were made with Operator.  You can't trick this one into sounding like a ripping VA for instance.  The upside of this is that it's an excellent way to add new textures into your music, sounds that are very different from the other softsynths you may be using.

The downside of this though, is that Operator is definitely not what I would  consider a bread and butter synth, something you could use to create entire songs with over and over again.  Well, you could, but it'll always have that distinct Operator/FM sound, which may or may not be what you're after.

Overall I'd say people who are looking to expand on their synth collection would benefit the most from Operator.  It adds new textures that most other softsynths might not have (even those that do FM), and presents you with a different way of working that can be refreshing after using the same synthesis principles for so long.  In my opinion, it's definitely not a synth for those new to synthesis, unless they are committed to learning about FM, or truly enjoy creating by happenstance and experimentation.  Probably not the best choice for someone looking for a 'do it all' synth either.  Certainly you could create entire tracks using just Operator, but my guess is that before long you will be wishing for more variety in your sound palate.

For more information, please visit:

http://www.ableton.com/operator