AIR ORGAN Ableton Live Pack - A Study in Filter and Frequency Modulation
AIR ORGAN
Ableton Live Pack
The AIR ORGAN Ableton Live Pack is made with samples of an old General Electric Air Organ. Each note was sample with both a condenser microphone (AKG C414) and a dynamic microphone (Heil PR40). Using the capabilities of Ableton Live's Sampler and other devices, a total of 24 instruments were created. They range from the natural sound of the air organ to spacey, atmospheric, and aggressive.
Requires Ableton Live Standard 10.1 or Above
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I recently picked up a General Electric Youth Electronics Air Organ from eBay. The air organ makes its sound with a motor that sends air into reeds when you hold down the keys. It has a sincere and wholesome sound that actually works well in many styles of music.
The Natural Sound of the Air Organ
I sampled every key of the organ using both a condenser microphone (AKG C414) and a dynamic microphone (Heil PR40). From there I built Ableton Live Instruments that faithfully capture the sound of the organ. The instrument made with the condenser microphone capture a little bit more of the motor and some key noises, while the dynamic mic picks up more of the instrument’s tone. I also built built two more instruments with samples that were processed with noise reduction using Izotope’s RX. These four instruments represent a natural recreation of the Air Organ.
Each Instrument Rack has Macro Controls for shaping the sound to fit your music.
All notes of the Air Organ were sampled separately with dynamic and condenser microphones.
Getting Experimental and Creating New Instruments
While capturing the natural sound of the Air Organ was my original goal, once that was done, I started experimenting with the parameters of Live’s Sampler instrument. In the resulting 20 instruments things get exciting. The AIR ORGAN Ableton Live Pack is a deep study into the power of Filter Modulation and Frequency Modulation.
Filters with Envelop Modulation
Sampler’s analog modeled filters manage to shape the Air Organ sound into completely unrecognizable textures. By using Envelop Modulation, the Filters move over time to give the instruments surprising life and shape. Some of the instruments also featuring additional movement provided by the LFOs. The Macro Controls on each instrument allow you to experiment with the Filter and its Envelop to craft your sounds.
Careful programming of Sampler’s Filters, in conjunction with Envelop Modulation, unlock new sounds from the humble Air Organ.
Frequency Modulation
Sampler’s FM Oscillator allows you to introduce new textures and timbres to your sound. In the AIR ORGAN instruments, I explored how the Frequency Modulation can uncover new worlds within the simple sound of the air organ. I’ve used a variety of different waveforms, with various tunings and envelop times, to craft sounds that will inspire music creation. I’ve dedicated four Macro Controls to the FM OSC parameters so you can see just how powerful these controls can be.
Sampler’s Frequency Modulation section helped take the Air Organ sound into new territories.
Listen to the sound of AIR ORGAN Ableton Live Pack with no talking, just sounds.
In-Depth Exploration of Each Sound
AIR ORGAN is available for purchase for $15. It was the June 2020 download for the Music Production Club. I revealed the AIR ORGAN Ableton Live Pack to Music Production Club members in the live stream below. Here you can watch as I discuss the sampling process and dive into each of the 24 presets in the Pack. It’s a deep walkthrough where I dissect each instrument and explain how the combinations of Filter and Frequency Modulation come together to form the beautiful instruments of the AIR ORGAN Ableton Live Pack.