# Build Lichen Mesa in Ableton Live
Lichen Mesa is a filtered pad sound made with Wavetable, Chorus-Ensemble, Reverb and Utility.
Signal flow: **Wavetable → Chorus-Ensemble → Reverb → Utility**. Use stock devices in **Ableton Live 12 Suite**.
Flt 1 Freq: 644 Hz; Amp Attack: 1.14 s; Amp Release: 1.84 s.
[Complete device settings](ALL_PARAMETERS.md) · [Instrument settings](STARTING_STATE.md)
[Finished sound — WebM/Opus](audio/lichen-mesa.webm)
## Step 1 — Choose the first wavetable and amplitude contour
Choose oscillator 1’s wavetable, position and tuning. Set the amplifier envelope and voicing from the starting settings. Wavetable position chooses the harmonic shape; the amplitude envelope controls how the sound arrives and fades.
Use **Wavetable** with the [complete starting settings](STARTING_STATE.md). Set the source and amplitude controls below; sections marked Off stay bypassed at this stage.
Signal flow: **Wavetable → Chorus-Ensemble → Reverb → Utility**. Begin with the instrument, then add each effect in its numbered step.
| Control | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Osc 1 On | On |
| Osc 1 Pos | 66 % |
| Osc 1 Gain | -13 dB |
| Amp Attack | 1.14 s |
| Amp Decay | 2.78 s |
| Amp Sustain | -2.0 dB |
| Amp Release | 1.84 s |
| Unison Amount | 12 % |
| Volume | -8.0 dB |
| Osc 2 On | Off |
| Sub On | Off |
| Flt 1 On | Off |
| Flt 2 On | Off |
### Voicing and modulation
Choose the waveform and voicing controls below. In the Matrix and MIDI tabs, set the listed routes; leave unlisted routes at zero. The modulation amounts are the values shown in the matrix. Poly voices apply in Poly mode.
| Control | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Oscillator 1 category | Basics |
| Oscillator 1 wavetable | Basic Shapes |
| Oscillator 1 effect mode | None |
| Oscillator 2 category | Basics |
| Oscillator 2 wavetable | Pulse PW |
| Oscillator 2 effect mode | None |
| Voicing | Poly |
| Poly voices | 8 |
| Unison mode | Shimmer |
| Unison voices | 3 |
| Filter routing | Serial |
| Velocity → Volume | 45 |
| Pitch Bend → Transpose | 2 st |
| Env 2 → Flt 1 Freq | 16 |
| Note → Flt 1 Freq | 15 |
| Mod Wheel → Flt 1 Freq | 12 |
| LFO 1 → Osc 2 Pos | 5 |
Use the [voicing and modulation settings](STARTING_STATE.md#voicing-and-modulation) for the oscillator choices, voice mode and modulation routes.
[Sound after step 1 — WebM/Opus](audio/steps/step-01.webm)
## Step 2 — Layer the oscillators and animate the filters
Enable the additional sources and filters using the states below. Balance oscillator 2 against oscillator 1, then set the filter types, cutoff and resonance. Apply the listed envelope and LFO routes in the instrument’s Matrix and MIDI tabs; unlisted routes stay at zero.
Keep the first stage’s source and amplitude settings while making these changes. The [complete instrument settings](ALL_PARAMETERS.md#wavetable) show the resulting tone before effects.
| Control | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Osc 2 On | On |
| Osc 2 Pos | 42 % |
| Osc 2 Gain | -16 dB |
| Osc 2 Detune | 5 ct |
| Sub On | Off |
| Flt 1 Type | Bandpass |
| Flt 1 Freq | 644 Hz |
| Flt 1 Res | 25 % |
| Flt 2 On | On |
| Flt 2 Type | Lowpass |
| Flt 2 Freq | 6.20 kHz |
| Flt 2 Res | 5.0 % |
| Env 2 Attack | 1.80 s |
| Env 2 Decay | 3.00 s |
| Env 2 Sustain | 60 % |
| Env 2 Release | 2.40 s |
| LFO 1 Rate | 0.09 Hz |
| LFO 1 Retrigger | Off |
| LFO 1 Sync | Free |
| Flt 1 On | On |
[Sound after step 2 — WebM/Opus](audio/steps/step-02.webm)
## Step 3 — Apply Chorus-Ensemble
Select the mode, then set Rate, Amount and Dry/Wet. Rate controls the speed of movement, Amount controls its depth and Width sets its stereo spread. The high-pass setting limits the low-frequency content entering the chorus.
| Control | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Mode | Ensemble |
| Rate | 0.31 Hz |
| Amount | 18 % |
| Dry/Wet | 22 % |
| HP On | On |
| HP Freq | 220 Hz |
| Width | 105 % |
Place Chorus-Ensemble after **Wavetable**. The [complete settings](ALL_PARAMETERS.md#chorus-ensemble) include its remaining controls.
[Sound after step 3 — WebM/Opus](audio/steps/step-03.webm)
## Step 4 — Apply Reverb
Set decay, room size and Dry/Wet for the surrounding space. Predelay separates the direct attack from the room. Input filtering shapes what excites the reverb, while diffusion and high-frequency damping change the density and brightness of its tail.
| Control | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Predelay | 28.0 ms |
| In Lo Cut On | Off |
| In Hi Cut On | Off |
| Diff. Hi Freq | 3.30 kHz |
| HiShelf Gain | 0.60 |
| Density | High |
| Freeze On | Off |
| Decay Time | 3.55 s |
| Room Size | 90.00 |
| Dry/Wet | 25 % |
Place Reverb after **Chorus-Ensemble**. The [complete settings](ALL_PARAMETERS.md#reverb) include its remaining controls.
[Sound after step 4 — WebM/Opus](audio/steps/step-04.webm)
## Step 5 — Apply Utility
Set gain and width at the end of the chain. Set Utility’s **Gain** knob to the **Output** value in the table. Width changes the balance between center and side information; Mono combines the channels. Bass Mono narrows only the low frequencies below its cutoff. Keep DC Filter and phase-inversion switches at the listed values.
| Control | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Output | 10.2 dB |
| DC Filter | On |
| Bass Mono | On |
| Bass Freq | 180 Hz |
Place Utility after **Reverb**. The [complete settings](ALL_PARAMETERS.md#utility) include its remaining controls.
[Sound after step 5 — WebM/Opus](audio/steps/step-05.webm)
## Downloads and settings
- [Complete settings](ALL_PARAMETERS.md)
- [Starting settings](STARTING_STATE.md)
- [Finished sound — WebM/Opus](audio/lichen-mesa.webm)
[Read this guide on playgrid.cc](https://playgrid.cc/tutorials/lichen-mesa/)