Rift

Max for Live Device | User Guide

Rainbow Circuit
Version 1.0 | Edited June 23, 2024
www.rainbowcircuit.co
 Additive Synthesis for Everyone

Installation
Unzip the .amxd le and drop the le to the following:
ableton/user library/presets/instruments/max instruments.
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Rift Overview
Rift is a Max for Live additive synthesizer. With custom partial con gurable
oscillators, frequency and amplitude modi ers, and ample modulation
sources, Rift is a powerhouse synthesizer for all your timbral needs.

What is Additive Synthesis?

Additive synthesis is a technique that employs multiple sine wave
oscillators in parallel to generate complex waveform shapes. By modifying
the frequency and amplitude of these oscillators, it can produce unique
timbral qualities that are distinct from those created by subtractive or FM
synthesis.

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Rift Architecture
Rifts architecture follows a left-to-right signal ow, similar to most
subtractive synthesizers. It starts with an oscillator bank, followed by two
frequency and amplitude modi ers that operate on the partials in series,
and concludes with the main amplitude envelope.

Freq. Freq.
Modifier 1 Modifier 2

Oscillator
VCA/EG
Bank
Amp. Amp.
Modifier 1 Modifier 2

Polyphony supports up to four voices, with voice stealing enabled. In

monophonic mode, the glide parameter is enabled to allow smooth
transitions between overlapping notes.

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Oscillator
Rifts' oscillator consists of 48 sine wave partials, tuned to the harmonic
series. Basic waveform shapes—triangle, square, and saw—are available
as starting points, along with a custom mode for user-con gured partials.

The oscillator can be transposed in increments of semitones or cents, or

modulated by selecting a modulation source and dialing in a modulation
amount. The noise parameter mixes in white noise into the oscillator.

Modulating the amplitude of the partials closer to the fundamental

can sometimes result in clicks and pops in the sound. The smooth
parameter addresses this issue by smoothing the output waveform,
which dampens the higher frequencies.

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 Custom Partials
Partial editing is available when the waveform is set to “custom.”
User-con gured partials can be drawn in, with options to selectively
isolate odd and even harmonics, as well as fths and octaves found
in the harmonic series.

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Frequency Modifiers
Two serially con gured frequency modi ers operate on the tuning of the
partials.

Shift adds the same number of hertz to all the partials,

resulting in an inharmonic pitch-shifting effect.

Funnel shifts the partials closer to the fundamental

frequency, creating a cloudy beating effect or a dull
detuning effect.

Segment portions the partials into lows and highs, each

of which can be detuned independently.

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 Interval detunes the odd and even partials
independent of each other.

Amplitude Modifiers
Two serially con gured amplitude modi ers operate on the amplitude of
the partials.

Similar to a VCF, Brickwall allows for selective muting of partials.

Four modes are available: low-pass mutes all the partials above the
cutoff, while high-pass mutes all the partials below.

Band-pass mutes the partials above and below the cutoff, with width
widening or narrowing the passband. Band-stop, on the other hand,
mutes all the partials within the passband.

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 Ripple imposes a sinusoidal wave on the amplitude of the
partials. The ripple parameter dictates the frequency of
the sine wave, while mix scales the sine wave against the
original amplitude.

Segment portions the partials into lows and highs, each

of which can be independently attenuated or boosted.

Both the frequency and amplitude modi er parameters can be

modulated by selecting a modulation source and dialing in the
modulation amount.

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Envelope Generators
Rift is equipped with two standard ADSR envelope generators.

Envelope generator 1 functions as the amplitude envelope, while envelope

generator 2 functions as the modulator envelope.

The attack time determines the duration between the initial value and
the peak value, while the decay time speci es the duration between the
peak value and the sustain level.

The sustain level establishes the amplitude for the main portion of the
sound before the note is released. In the amp envelope, the sustain
level is scaled to the incoming velocity value, whereas the second
envelope's level is not.

The release time dictates the duration between the sustain level and
the initial value once the key has been released.

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LFO
Two LFOs can be utilized to modulate a variety of parameters available in
Rift.

Standard LFO waveform shapes are provided, such as sine, triangle,

sawtooth, square, and sample & hold. The rate determines the speed of
the LFO in hertz or in metric subdivisions when synced to the Live set.
The amount controls the amplitude of the LFO.

The pulse-width parameter is accessible when the waveform shape is set

to square.

The LFO is sensitive to the Live transport state,

resetting its phase upon playback.

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Lastly
Thank you for purchasing Rift. If you have any questions,
comments or just want to say hi, reach out to
[email protected].

Rainbow Circuit is dedicated to creating instruments of

our times. For more information, visit
www.rainbowcircuit.co.

Developed by Takuma Matsui.