This kind of configuration could be saved in Live 5 as a Device Group (.adg file). In previous versions of Live, it was possible to achieve similar results by combining instrument plug-ins, MIDI effects (like the Arpeggiator), and audio effects in a track.
Going further, the sound may be arpeggiated, and the unit's knobs will have been assigned to control relevant parameters to make the patch dynamic and playable. There's also a good chance that the patch is made up of two or more sounds layered together. At the very least, the sound is probably being processed by some of the synth's onboard effects. When you load preset patches on a workstation keyboard or a hardware drum machine, what you get is usually somewhat more than a single naked sound source.
In this month's Live Technique I want to get into the details of how to build your own Rack devices, with a couple of step-by-step exercises.
There's more on the basic concept of Racks in the review, along with some examples. Each Rack also has audio inputs and outputs for creating custom effects devices, and the signal flow can be set up between the internal devices when creating the patch. Racks receive MIDI data, which can be passed on to the internal components in various ways (allowing you to create keyboard splits, velocity splits and layers), and have eight user-assignable knobs. The devices are all held inside a container (the Rack) which acts as a single instrument, or device, that is placed on a mixer track in the same way as any other Live device or plug-in. Although there are significant differences, both Combinators and Racks allow you to build and save patches that consist of several devices (MIDI and Audio Effects, and Instruments). As I mentioned in my Live 6 review ( SOS November 2006), the easiest way to convey the concept is to compare it to Reason 's Combinator. L ive 6 sports a wealth of new features, but for my money Instrument and Effect Racks are the most exciting. We look at how the new Instrument and Effects Racks in Live 6 stretch the creative possibilities for combining and controlling multiple devices and plug-ins. An example of nested Racks, one way of applying global MIDI and audio effects to another Rack.