Free for Live 10 users, Singularities makes use of single samples and finely tuned, expressive parameters to capture the sound and feel of classic synths and samplers. Included are 40 Instrument Racks, plus MIDI clips and drum kits – all the parts you need for a complete track.

The Pack is a project of Ableton’s lead sound designer, Huston Singletary, the brain behind a lot of the tweakable instruments, clips and other sounds in Live 10. He put the same attention to detail into making Singularities something that’s both true to a musical aesthetic and easily malleable.

Sampling the classic way You’ll find the usual synth suspects in the gear list for this Pack, those that defined that brilliant 80s sound – Juno 106, Minimoog, Oberheim OB-X and Korg Polysix among them. There are 40 Simpler-based Instrument Racks built from the above, with bass, pads, leads and keys, each with eight Macros that give diverse options for sound-shaping. But the approach to capturing these classics went beyond the norm. All 40 Simpler/Sampler instruments were made using a single sample – the same approach as classic samplers, which offered a signature sound based on single-sample playback. The effect is a somewhat rawer and more digital sound that cuts through the mix quite nicely.

Playable and authentic Aside from the audible impact, the presets are very lightweight in terms of load time and CPU usage. Yet they still feel very satisfying and realistic to play. It’s thanks to the care and expertise that’s gone into recreating the playability of all those vintage synths and samplers – fine-tuning parameters like velocity, keytracking and filter envelopes to respond in a similar way to classic hardware.