Plugin interface — screenshot pending
Synthesizer

Drift

Ableton

Drift is a versatile subtractive synthesizer designed for quick and easy sound design with minimal CPU resources. Fully MPE-capable and featuring two oscillators, dynamic filtering, and extensive modulation options, Drift excels at creating a wide variety of sounds from subtle filter sweeps to complex, detuned textures. Its signature Drift control adds pitch and frequency variation to each voice for a slightly detuned, fluctuating character.

Key Features

01Two independent oscillators with Shape modulation and seven waveforms (Sine, Triangle, Shark Tooth, Saturated, Saw, Pulse, Rectangle)
02Dual filter types: Type I (12 dB/octave DFM-1) and Type II (24 dB/octave Cytomic MS2)
03Two envelopes with ADSR controls; Envelope 2 switchable to Cycling Envelope mode
04LFO with nine waveforms and four time modes (Rate, Ratio, Time, Sync)
05Four voice modes: Poly (32 voices), Mono, Stereo, and Unison with customizable thickness/spread
06Three modulation slots with selectable sources (Env 1, Env 2/Cyc, LFO, Key, Velocity, Modwheel, Pressure, Slide) and 11 destinations
07Signature Drift control for per-voice pitch and frequency variation
08MPE-capable with per-note pitch bend, legato mode, and glide control

Things to Try

  • 01Increase oscillator gain values above 0 dB to trigger the second saturation point in the filter circuits for complex distortion similar to analog hardware
  • 02Use the Drift slider at higher amounts to widen the gaps between oscillators and filter frequency for a more out-of-tune sound
  • 03Select an LFO with Ratio time mode and use it as a Pitch Mod source to generate FM tones
  • 04Enable Legato mode in Mono voice mode and adjust the Glide slider to create smooth pitch slides between successive notes
Official Website↗

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