Essential Transition FX: Technique Masterclass

Wind-up

A classic tension riser that lifts and speeds up towards the drop.

Step 1

We’re using Sylenth for this walkthrough, but just about any virtual analogue synth will be more than capable. All you need is a noise generator, low-pass filter and LFO.

Initialise the patch by clicking on Menu in the central window and selecting Init Preset from the drop-down menu. Now move to Oscillator A1, click and drag all the way up on the box to the right of Wave until you see the Noise waveform.

Step 2

The noise needs to be filtered. In the Filter A section, click and drag up on the box below Filter Type to activate the low-pass filter, then reduce both the cutoff and resonance controls to around 33%.

Next, under LFO1, click on the first modulation panel (the green backlit box) and select Cutoff A as the modulation destination. Apply modulation by clicking and dragging up on the dial to the left of the modulation box until it’s at 100%. Now do the same with the LFO gain dial to hear the LFO effect in action. Finally, turn the Rate dial to around 40%.

Step 3

With the LFO now modulating the cutoff frequency, we’ll increase the LFO rate for the classic wind-up effect. The easiest way of doing this is by automating the LFO rate in your DAW for precise control over its speed (and, as before, remember a straight line is rarely best).

Finally,  add a little reverb to to give the sound a sense of space.