Rhythm and Pitch LFO Modulation with Maschine's Sampler

In this tutorial, learn how to use the sampler’s LFO for rhythm and pitch modulation.

This tutorial covers how how to use the sampler’s LFO for rhythm and pitch modulation. This technique can be used to achieve unusual swing or groove styles. It can also be used to create timbres that are well suited for a wide variety of genres, using the LFO’s pitch modulation destination amount control used throughout the video. At settings from 30-60 percent, there are many sweet spots that create great glitch-hop sounds, while lower setting can be used for more subtly swinging, futuristic beat scene sounds, and extreme settings that skew nearer to 100% can be used to achieve crazy drum and bass, drumstep, or wildly experimental rhythms.

Using a simple drum loop, we can use the LFO section of the sampler to modulate the sample’s pitch, which also modulates its rhythm. This is because this control acts like the pitch fader on a turntable or tape machine, and works by speeding up and slowing down the sample, as opposed to any time stretching. If one watches the playhead of the sample’s waveform view (during playback), it’s obvious that it does not move evenly across the sample as it would normally, and one can get a more accurate idea of the LFO’s effect on playback in conjunction with just listening.

We set the LFO to a triangle shape, set its sync setting such that it is locked to the sequencer’s master clock, and set the speed to last just a quarter note. This way, our kick is heard right on one (of course), and our snares can be heard right on 2 and 4, no matter how extreme the pitch modulation from the LFOs. Playing with other waveforms of the LFO, or other speeds, can lead to variety of interesting results, though the example used in this video is perhaps easiest to tame.

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