The Riser

Although electronic dance music in all its forms may seem simple and straightforward, it actually takes a lot of skills and knowledge to produce an industry-standard dancefloor hit, not to mention some top quality digital tools. Different plugins are used to design and polish different elements of a mix, from earth-shattering kick drums to face-melting basslines to euphoria-inducing leads.

One element that doesn’t get that much attention is the so-called transition that’s used to put together various parts and pieces of a song. I’m referring to rises, falls, swells, fades, and other similar sounds. There are, of course, many ways to create them, but one of the simplest methods involves an instrument called The Riser.

While there aren’t many instruments like The Riser, calling it “unique” would be a stretch, since it doesn't really create anything that can't be achieved with a more powerful virtual synth. But since The Riser is designed just for creating transitions, less work and tweaking is required to achieve the desired effects.

The sounds are generated by three distinct oscillators, labeled Sweep, Noise, and Chord. Each of them controls a different element of the transition and is adjusted through slightly different parameters. The sound can be further modulated through two LFOs, a filter (with added distortion), an amp, and an effects section that contains just a reverb and a delay.

Most of the parameters are adjusted through some very simple curves and faders that you can use to easily switch between the two LFOs. A single tweak of a parameter can alter the sound significantly; moreover, the plugin has functions such as Randomize, Invert, and Swap, and comes with loads of presets.

While The Riser is anything but a powerful synth, it’s certainly a simple and efficient instrument that can help you create a fun and original transition in no time.