Impactor by Rawton Forge
BUILD YOUR BUNDLE: Add any three or more Rawton Forge products to your cart and save 20% automatically at checkout.
SYNTHESIZE THE HIT. IN STEREO.
Impactor by RawtonForge is a monophonic percussion synthesizer for Ableton Live. It doesn't reshape samples, it builds every kick, bass drum, tom, and tonal one-shot from the ground up through additive synthesis. Two things set it apart from anything sample-based: a stereo image generated at the source rather than widened after the fact, and a reverb that lets the body ring out while leaving the transient bone-dry.
- 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 by Rawton Forge
BUILD YOUR BUNDLE: Add any three or more Rawton Forge products to your cart and save 20% automatically at checkout.
SYNTHESIZE THE HIT. IN STEREO.
Impactor by RawtonForge is a monophonic percussion synthesizer for Ableton Live. It doesn't reshape samples, it builds every kick, bass drum, tom, and tonal one-shot from the ground up through additive synthesis. Two things set it apart from anything sample-based: a stereo image generated at the source rather than widened after the fact, and a reverb that lets the body ring out while leaving the transient bone-dry.
- 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
Additional information
| MaxforLive | Drum & Percussion |
|---|---|
| OS | Mac, Windows |
| Ableton Live Compatibility | Ableton Live 11 Standard + Max for Live, Ableton Live 12 Standard + Max for Live, Ableton Live 11 Suite, Ableton Live 12 Suite |
| Min. Requirements | Ableton Live 11 Suite or Ableton Live 11 Standard with Max for Live add-on |
PRICE: £25.00
Product reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to review this product.
Impactor by Rawton Forge
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.
What Makes Impactor Different
Because the sound is synthesized rather than sampled, it is fully deterministic: its phase is known at every instant, and controllable. Everything past the pitch decay has a fixed phase, set by the Phase control, so you can reshape the pitch and impact without shifting the tail at all. Align your kick and bass once, then keep tweaking the attack without ever breaking that alignment, something no sample and few synths allow.
That same engine makes the kick perfectly repeatable: trigger it a thousand times and it sounds identical, down to the sample. Or bring it to life through the modulation matrix, where Velocity and Random patch to any parameter by dragging a cable. Map Length and pitch to velocity and a soft tap gives a duller, shorter kick while a hard hit gives a sharper, longer one, all from the same device.
The Sound Engine
At its core, up to twelve harmonics with adjustable inharmonicity form the body of the hit, from a clean sine fundamental to dense, metallic spectra. A pitch envelope drives the signature kick drop, an amplitude envelope with a draggable control point shapes the swell and decay, and a dedicated Click sharpens the attack. Each of the six modifiers carries its own envelope too, shaped by a single bipolar Curve that bends from linear ramps through concave and convex contours to a steady plateau: eight moving shapes in total.
The Modifiers
- Noise: analog, digital, and stereo modes with a continuous color control, blended into the oscillator or switched to FM mode to modulate it
- Partials: up to twelve harmonics with adjustable count and continuous inharmonicity, from a clean sine fundamental to dense, metallic, bell-like spectra
- Drive: tanh-based saturation with a soft-to-hard knee, from gentle warmth to aggressive distortion
- FM: a second oscillator with its own ratio and envelope. A low ratio gives a shapeable vibrato, a ratio of 1 folds into a true FM waveform, and routing it to Width drives a soft, musical audio-rate stereo modulation
- Width: generates the kick in stereo from the start, offsetting each harmonic’s phase in quadrature with a counter-rotating fundamental, so the image is baked into the synthesis and stays fully mono-compatible
- Space: an FDN reverb fed by a transient splitter, so only the sustain enters the tail and the attack stays dry, a kick that sits in a real space without the reverb smearing its transient into a wash
Impactor is monophonic and built around one-shots by design: it’s a percussion voice, not a pad machine. A Hermite retriggering stage smoothly joins fast consecutive hits, so rapid patterns stay click-free.
Who Is Impactor For?
If you produce techno, house, trance, bass music, drum and bass, trap, industrial, or hip-hop, any genre where the kick makes or breaks the track, Impactor becomes an essential part of your workflow. Sound designers working in film, games, and experimental music will find it equally powerful, with toms, harmonic plucks, and tonal one-shots all within reach.
RawtonForge builds tools that respect the intelligence of producers, putting serious DSP behind a clean, immediate interface. Impactor is no exception. Open it, trigger a note, and start shaping.
Technical Details
Impactor by RawtonForge requires Ableton Live 11 Suite or higher, or Ableton Live 11 Standard with the Max for Live add-on. Compatible with Mac and Windows. As a Max for Live device it installs directly into your Live browser and is ready to use immediately, with no additional plugins, drivers, or external software required. Push standalone compatible.
Explore More from RawtonForge
Discover the full range of tools from Rawton Forge at Isotonik Studios — innovative Max for Live devices built for producers who demand more from their workflow.
RAWTON FORGE BUNDLE — SAVE 20%: Pick any three or more Rawton Forge devices and the 20% bundle discount applies automatically at checkout — no code needed.
Frequently Asked Questions
A: Impactor is a Max for Live percussion synthesizer for Ableton Live. It doesn’t process or reshape samples, it generates sound from scratch through additive synthesis, building kicks, bass drums, toms, and tonal one-shots harmonic by harmonic. You shape the raw tone with dedicated pitch and amplitude envelopes, then color it with six modifiers (Noise, Partials, Drive, FM, Width, and Space), each with its own envelope.
A: Neither. Impactor is a synthesizer. It doesn’t play back or reshape existing samples, and it takes no audio input, it generates every sound from scratch through additive synthesis. You build kicks, bass drums, toms, and tonal one-shots harmonic by harmonic, then shape them with dedicated envelopes and six modifiers. Think of it as an instrument that creates percussion, not a processor that treats it.
A: You need Ableton Live 11 or higher with Max for Live. This is included in Ableton Live Suite, or can be added as an optional add-on to Ableton Live Standard.
A: Yes, Impactor is compatible with Ableton Live 11 and Ableton Live 12, on both Mac and Windows.
A: Yes — as a Max for Live device, all of Impactor’s parameters are fully automatable in both Ableton Live’s Session View and Arrangement View, and can also be mapped to MIDI controllers for live performance.
A: Impactor is particularly powerful for techno, industrial, drum and bass, and any genre where percussion punch matters. It’s also excellent for cinematic sound design, film scoring, and game audio — anywhere you need precise, expressive impact shaping.
A: Impactor installs as a Max for Live device directly into your Ableton Live browser. Once downloaded, drag the device file into your User Library or a designated folder, and it will appear ready to use — no additional software or drivers required.
A: Impactor is developed by Rawton Forge, an independent Max for Live developer creating precision-built tools for producers. You can explore all of their products at Isotonik Studios.
Important Information
v1.0.0 – Initial Release
Our Products are generally provided as Zip file downloads which in all cases will need to be extracted before use. For Max for Live Devices please place the extracted device in your User Library. For Ableton Live Packs please double click the extracted .alp file to install. For Ableton Live Projects please place in your projects folder.
END-USER LICENSE AGREEMENT FOR ISOTONIK STUDIOS SOFTWARE PRODUCTS.
PLEASE READ THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THIS LICENSE AGREEMENT CAREFULLY BEFORE CONTINUING WITH THIS PROGRAM INSTALL.
This End-User License Agreement (referred to as “EULA”) is a legal agreement between an individual or a single entity (referred to as “LICENSEE”) and Isotonik Studios for the Isotonik Studios software product(s) which may include associated software components, media, printed materials, and “online” or electronic documentation (referred to as “SOFTWARE PRODUCT”). By installing, copying, or otherwise using the SOFTWARE PRODUCT, the LICENSEE agrees to be bound by the terms of this EULA.
This EULA represents the entire agreement concerning the program between the LICENSEE and Isotonik Studios and it supersedes any prior proposal, representation, or understanding between the parties. If the LICENSEE does not agree to the terms of this EULA, the LICENSEE should not install or use the SOFTWARE PRODUCT.
The SOFTWARE PRODUCT is protected by copyright laws and international copyright treaties, as well as other intellectual property laws and treaties. The SOFTWARE PRODUCT is licensed, not sold.
- GRANT OF LICENSE.
The SOFTWARE PRODUCT is licensed as follows:
(a) Installation and Use. Providing that the LICENSEE has paid any applicable license fees, Isotonik Studios grants the LICENSEE the right to install and use copies of the SOFTWARE PRODUCT on up to two computers in the LICENSEE’s possession that are running a validly licensed copy of the operating system for which the SOFTWARE PRODUCT was designed [e.g., Windows 10, macOS]. The computer(s) must be owned by the LICENSEE.
(b) Backup Copies. The LICENSEE may also make copies of the SOFTWARE PRODUCT as may be necessary for backup and archival purposes.
- DESCRIPTION OF OTHER RIGHTS AND LIMITATIONS.
(a) Maintenance of Copyright Notices. The LICENSEE must not remove or alter any copyright notices on any and all copies of the SOFTWARE PRODUCT.
(b) Distribution. The LICENSEE may not distribute registered copies of the SOFTWARE PRODUCT to third parties.
(c) Prohibition on Reverse Engineering, Decompilation, and Disassembly. The LICENSEE may not reverse engineer, decompile, or disassemble the SOFTWARE PRODUCT, except and only to the extent that such activity is expressly permitted by applicable law notwithstanding this limitation.
(d) Rental. The LICENSEE may not rent, lease, or lend the SOFTWARE PRODUCT.
(e) License transfer The LICENSEE may not transfer their license to the SOFTWARE PRODUCT to any third party. Any attempt to do so will be considered a violation of this EULA.
(f) Support Services. Isotonik Studios may provide the LICENSEE with support services related to the SOFTWARE PRODUCT for a period of 12 months following the date of purchase. Any supplemental software code provided to the LICENSEE as part of the Support Services shall be considered part of the SOFTWARE PRODUCT and subject to the terms and conditions of this EULA.
(g) Compliance with Applicable Laws. The LICENSEE must comply with all applicable laws regarding use of the SOFTWARE PRODUCT.
- TERMINATION Without prejudice to any other rights, Isotonik Studios may terminate this EULA if the LICENSEE fails to comply with the terms and conditions of this EULA. In such event, the LICENSEE must destroy all copies of the SOFTWARE PRODUCT in the LICENSEE’s possession.
- COPYRIGHT All title, including but not limited to copyrights, in and to the SOFTWARE PRODUCT and any copies thereof are owned by Isotonik Studios or its suppliers. All title and intellectual property rights in and to the content which may be accessed through use of the SOFTWARE PRODUCT is the property of the respective content owner and may be protected by applicable copyright or other intellectual property laws and treaties. This EULA grants the LICENSEE no rights to use such content. All rights not expressly granted are reserved by Isotonik Studios.
- NO WARRANTIES Isotonik Studios expressly disclaims any warranty for the SOFTWARE PRODUCT. The SOFTWARE PRODUCT is provided ‘As Is’ without any express or implied warranty of any kind, including but not limited to any warranties of merchantability, noninfringement, or fitness of a particular purpose. Isotonik Studios does not warrant or assume responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of any information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within the SOFTWARE PRODUCT. Isotonik Studios makes no warranties respecting any harm that may be caused by the transmission of a computer virus, worm, time bomb, logic bomb, or other such computer program. Isotonik Studios further expressly disclaims any warranty or representation to the LICENSEE or to any third party.
- LIMITATION OF LIABILITY In no event shall Isotonik Studios be liable for any damages (including, without limitation, lost profits, business interruption, or lost information) arising out of the LICENSEE’s use of or inability to use the SOFTWARE PRODUCT, even if Isotonik Studios has been advised of the possibility of such damages. In no event will Isotonik Studios be liable for loss of data or for indirect, special, incidental, consequential (including lost profit), or other damages based in contract, tort or otherwise. Isotonik Studios shall have no liability with respect to the content of the SOFTWARE PRODUCT or any part thereof, including but not limited to errors or omissions contained therein, libel, infringements of rights of publicity, privacy, trademark rights, business interruption, personal injury, loss of privacy, moral rights or the disclosure of confidential information.
