Comments on: Free Utility Makes Endless Oscillators for Ableton Live Simpler, Sampler

By: Bjorn

Bjorn — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 14:59:08 +0000

Yes, a Cosine is a Sine with a negative phase.
I’m not a math expert, I just know that combining a Sine at the first fundamental with a Cosine at the next harmonic creates a shape that I can’t create by just combining Sines. Or at least not that easily.
And I know that is true because the waveforms I created looked identical to the drawings I made in the Java template.
Its been trial and error with this feature, but I got it down to a science now.

The only thing I really miss is a tool that transcribes a fragment of a real sample into an AMS file. But if that ever got into Live, it would probably be part of some time stretching for Sampler feature or something.
It would make sense, export 128 different sets of the same sample to be played at different notes and stretch values.

I’m not sure why and how the AMS format ended up in Live. I’m just happy that I can literally draw waveforms to use in Live.

By: eGads

eGads — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 21:25:10 +0000

@ Bjorn,

Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t a sine with a (-) amplitude the same as a cosine of the same (+) amplitude? I don’t think the AMS spec lets you phase shift any individual harmonics so this tool does (sort of) allow for cosine additions. By default each harmonic is at zero amplitude and you can move them up (+) and down (-).

By: Bjorn

Bjorn — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 23:39:45 +0000

The Constructs Live Pack we did has over 20 full sets of AMS files. Over 3000 files total.
I kinda love this format. Turns Sampler into a single Oscillator of Operator but with a custom waveform. And with a second oscillator for modulation to boot.

I’d love to talk more about this format, but after 3 big articles on the subject, there’s not much left to be said.
I did release the OSX Meta editor though. Its the one I used to make the Constructs pack.
Its basically a list editor. But it does one thing other editors don’t, it exports a full set of 128 files (notes) instead of the 110 which was basically a limitation in Robert Henke’s Max patch.
Its buggy as hell, but I make my files manually so its just part of the process for me.

I draw the waveform in this applet: http://www.falstad.com/fourier/
And I copy down the values into a single AMS text file. Then export it as a full set with the Meta OSX application.

The biggest unknown thing about AMS files is that you can combine Sines and Cosines. It originally only worked with Sines. By combining Sines and Cosines you can create even more complex waveforms.
Only my editor takes Cosines in account, except for Live that is.

This format has been around for about 2 years now. Never been officially acknowledged as a legit feature. But its there and its loads of fun if you’re into messing about with short waveforms.

- Bjorn