Isotonik Studios has introduced a new Max for Live by Rawton Forge. A monophonic percussion synthesizer that doesn’t reshape samples, Impactor builds every kick, bass drum, tom, and tonal one-shot from the ground up through additive synthesis.
The synth features up to 12 harmonics, continuous inharmonicity, and stereo width generated at the oscillator level rather than tacked on with a widener. The reverb splits the transient from the body so the tail rings out without washing the attack.
Most percussion tools hand you a sample and tell you to make it work. Impactor does something different. Built by Rawton Forge and powered by Max for Live, it isn’t a processor, it’s a synthesizer: there is no input sample, only a sound engine that builds each hit from its harmonic content up. What you hear is generated, not processed, which is exactly what gives you control over the parts of a percussive sound that samples lock in place.
Whether you’re engineering the perfect kick for a techno floor, a stereo bass drum for a bass music drop, a tuned tom for a live kit, or a percussive pluck for an experimental record, Impactor turns a sound into something you designed rather than something you found.
Impactor features
- Additive Synthesis Engine: Up to 12 harmonics with adjustable count and continuous inharmonicity.
- Deterministic & Phase-Locked: Every hit is repeatable down to the sample, with full phase control over the tail.
- Eight Envelopes: Pitch, amplitude, and one per modifier, each with its own fully shapeable curve.
- Quadrature Stereo Width: A true stereo kick built into the synthesis itself, and fully mono-compatible.
- Transient-Split Reverb: An FDN reverb that tails the body without smearing the attack into a wash.
- Noise & FM: Analog, digital, and stereo noise plus a second oscillator for vibrato, FM, or stereo modulation.
- Velocity & Random Matrix: Patch dynamics or randomness to any parameter by dragging a cable.
- Max for Live: Full automation and mapping, Push standalone compatible.
Impactor is available to purchase for £25 GBP.
More information: Isotonik Studios / Rawton Forge