For dance floor mayhem, one of the most dramatic, hands-in-the-air effects is “the rise,” which usually happens after a big breakdown in
your track. Often starting quite low, then rising in pitch over the course of eight, 16, or even more measures, a rise is a foolproof way to
make an entire club go nuts. In this two-part column, we’ll design rises for your buildups and breakdowns. This month, we outline three
ways to do it using synths in Propellerhead Reason. Next month, we’ll use effects that work on existing audio. Scroll to the bottom for audio examples. Francis Preve
1. Pitchbend
If your synth supports depths of at least an octave in each direction, the easiest way to create a rise is simply
to choose the highest note of your rise and then record pitchbend automation into your DAW. For a oneoctave
rise, bend up to the maximum. For
two octaves, start with the pitch wheel all
the way down.
2. Pitch Envelopes
Pitch envelopes let you craft a rise, then choose the notes later. Since the rise doesn’t depend on automation, you
can perform it live as opposed to strictly in your DAW.Set your synth’s pitch envelope to immediate attack,zero (or maximum) decay, full sustain, and short release.To set the peak pitch of the rise, use the envelope amount control. Here, it’s a fifth above the original note.
You control the rise’s duration via the envelope attack.
3. Portamento
Another rise you can play live as well as sequence is done with portamento, a.k.a. glide. You can choose both the starting note and the peak note on the fly. Legato monophonic mode is the most desirable here. Play the base note, then, while holding that key, press the peak note
and let the portamento create the rise between notes.You may be limited by the maximum portamento time on your synth, so really long rises might not work.
Adding Effects
Delay and reverb make any of the above three methods sound more intense. The trick is finding the right delay time. A short delay
creates a secondary tone that closely follows the original. The longer the delay, the wider the interval between the original and
effected notes.
- The Rise, Part I Audio Examples