In this Ableton Tutorial we create a pitch riser that is suited to underground dance genres such as Deep House, Techno and Tech House. This is a technique I use in lots of my tracks.
The goal is to transition between two sections of an arrangement with a sound that fits this style not a big synth screamer!
We begin by loading up Simpler and adding a rich atmospheric sound. The sound covers lots of frequencies and is interfering with the bass and drums so we use the filter section to clean it up.
SAMPLES USED IN THIS VIDEO:
Aethers – An Awesome Atmospheres Pack
The sample we have loaded is long and complicated and to create the riser it’s best to have a more consistent sound. With this in mind we use the envelopes, loop controls and fades to create a smooth, sustained texture for our riser.
The next step is to using pitch modulation to create the sweep upwards. This is done using exponential curves to make the sound more exciting as it reaches the climax. This creates tension for the listener and the need to resolve into the next section of the arrangement.
During playback the riser sounds a little to stagnant and needs a tweak to add some more dynamics and excitement.
I love this technique as it really spices up the standard synth style risers. Don’t be afraid to layer up some sounds, resample them and chuck them in Simpler, then get crazy with the LFO’s 😉
You can have a lot of fun with this one!
The next Ableton Live tutorial will be posted at the same time next week.
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