Controlling Multiple LFOs with Stepper in NI Massive

The Stepper feature in Native Instruments Massive is a lot more flexible and powerful than some may be giving it credit for. It’s all in how you use it, and this video may just show even experienced users a new trick or two!

This NI Massive tutorial video is very straight forward and concise in the way it is delivered and contains some really great ideas that you can begin putting to use in a wide range of projects. The concepts are simple and easy to understand so there is no reason to spend too much time explaining and risk confusion. Although the sound used in this video is already made when the lesson begins, there’s no problem understanding the rest. If you need help with creating a sound that you can use to follow along with, you can search for “wobble” in our tutorials listings, or perhaps just check out this recent one on how to make a Phased Wobble Bass.

To get this going as it is shown in the video, you need to have a sound routed through some filters. You then assign a couple of LFOs to the cutoff parameters of each filter. You can get a good idea of the amount of modulation to apply from the example. Now you need to set up a Stepper with some steps in the full upright position, while the others remain all the way down, thus making ‘on’ and ‘off’ switches basically. Now this Stepper is assigned to the Amp knobs of the LFOs, but in opposite directions. So when one is on the other if off.

One more idea he shares is to automate some pitch modulation with this same Stepper. So go ahead and assign the Stepper to the pitch parameter to as many oscillators as you have running, as well as the Modulation OSC if it applies. So now, both the pitch and the rate of the sound change over time through the settings you made in the Stepper! Very cool automation trick, and it’s all done inside of Massive.

If you have some ideas you would like to share with the community, please send us a message letting us know. This video is being featured because a community member let us know that he had just made it. So we do listen to your requests, we do respond to you and we do appreciate you participating. Thanks for stopping by!

Cheers,
OhmLab