How to Gain More Control Over Your Pitch Riser in NI Massive and Ableton Live

Sure, the easiest way to make a pitch riser in NI Massive may be to simply assign an LFO to the pitch value of an oscillator, but that leaves you with the task of then finding the exact rate at which the LFO needs to operate at to sync up precisely with your music. And that is simply not a good situation to be in for many types of builds. The last thing you want to do is change your music to fit the riser, as that is just a backwards mentality that can ultimately leave you frustrated with the outcome. So the solution to this conundrum is actually pretty easy and is found within Massive itself. This video shows you how to use a Macro control to achieve a better fit.

The concept is super easy. Set up a Macro to control the pitch value of your oscillator(s) that make up the riser in NI Massive. First, you need to find your starting and ending pitch values. This is completely dependent upon your project. One the Macro controller is assigned, you simply need to map the Macro knob to a MIDI controller for recording and/or live performances. This gives you the ability to change the pitch at will. You can also program the automation data by hand to ensure an exact fit, and to do that may differ with the various DAWs.

With Ableton Live you need to use the Configure mode to first identify the parameter within Massive that you would like to automate with Ableton. Then it is just a matter of drawing in the automation curves that way you like them. To give another example of how this could be accomplished in another DAW, Logic Pro provides an easy to navigate menu system within its automation feature that allows you to gain control over any parameter within any plugin, including NI Massive. Using automation for a task like controlling a riser in NI Massive is something you will come master over time and your music will sound better for it!

Don;t forget to shoot us a message with any tutorial requests you may have before you take off. Thanks for stopping by!

Cheers,
OhmLab