Making Deep Layered NI Massive Risers for Greater Impact

This quick lesson shares some great tips on how you can make your own layered NI Massive risers more consistent and interesting that you can implement right now!

There are a few key elements to making your NI Massive risers more consistent and interesting, especially when we’re talking about layered risers. This type of FX can be incredible simple or very complex, and it all depends on what you are wanting for your project(s). Today we will look at a riser that falls somewhere in the middle of that complexity range so a few more ideas can be explored along the way. I’ll also kick down a few good tips that I feel really help to keep the process of programming the synth moving right along, so you can get back to making music as quickly as possible. I think one of the biggest pitfalls of designing small embellishments like this can be the impact that it can have on the creative groove you (hopefully) get into while writing music. So moving swiftly and avoiding any unnecessary back-and-forth is pretty essential.

The first I do when I sit down to make NI Massive risers is set up the main modulation envelope that I will be using. In this case 1Env is used and we will be assigning it to several parameters throughout the synth as we move through this lesson.

Pro Tip: Using just one modulation envelope when making NI Massive risers helps create a more consistent delivery!

Now the main oscillators can be set up. A Drive I wavetable is loaded into OSC1, with the pitch dropped one octave. The modulation envelope we set up earlier is assigned to control the pitch value of this first oscillator, as well as the Wt-position and Amp knobs of all three oscillators. A Melofant wavetable is loaded into OSC2 and a Color wavetable is loaded into OSC3. Notice that the filter routing sliders of each oscillator has their own setting.

The filter panel is the next stop, and the first thing done is setting it to run in Serial mode rather then the default Parallel mode. This means that as audio passes through Filter1 it is then process by Filter2 instead of both results just being layered. A Daft filter is loaded into Filter1 and a Comb filter is loaded into Filter2. The modulation envelope has been assigned to control the Cutoff, Resonance and Pitch knobs, respectively.

Pro Tip: Processing your NI Massive risers with serial filter routing can lead to a more ‘gelled’ sound and a greater sense of cohesion.

The Modulation OSC panel is set up with the pitch dropped one octave and OSC2 has both Ring Mod and Phase effects assigned to it.

Bright Noise is a good choice when making these types of NI Massive risers because it is a little less harsh than regular white noise, but more full of life than many of the other options available in the synth. A touch of Feedback helps to thicken the FX up a bit and add some more excitement.

Pro Tip: Routing always matters! Notice that the Noise oscillator and the Feedback unit are routed to different filters. 

Now a couple of insert effects are added. A Bitcrusher imparts more noise and high-end frequency presence, while the Sine Shaper brings out some grit. This is also a great time to share the routing schematic with you.

On the Voicing tab, the total number of unison voices is increased to three, which allows us to use the Pitch Cutoff (imparts gentle phasing), Wavetable Position (affects position of currently selected wt-position) and Pan Position (adds stereo width) features by spreading these voices out according to the settings we select.

Pro Tip: The voicing tab is one place where you can instantly impact your NI Massive risers in several ways.

A synched Delay unit is used to extend the sound quite a bit, while the Reverb  provides much more space for our NI Massive risers to develop and move around in. The EQ unit helps us finish shaping the overall sound.

One last thing to touch upon before this sound is done. Often times, when designing NI Massive risers, you may feel like it would be better with something else added but you’re not sure what exactly. In this case, I decided to add an LFO into the mix. It is assigned to control the main pan parameter of the synth over time speeding up in direct relation to the changes being made to all of the other 16 other parameters that are affected by the modulation envelope we set up in the first step of this lesson.