>Step by step 1. LFO Sequence

1

We’ll start by Initialising our patch; open your DAW, load in the Zebra CM plugin, and go to the display window at the top of the plugin. Click and select Init, which you should see at the bottom of the menu. This will give us a fresh starting point for sound creation.

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Next, we’ll make some similar alterations to Osc 2; beginning with our waveform choice, click and hold on the Wave display and drag the mouse upward, until you reach a value of 7.40. This is a relatively complex and digital wave, which will cut through a mix quite nicely.

2

Let’s begin with Osc 1; we’re going to select a wave which is part-way between a Saw and a Square wave. Click on the Wave display and drag your mouse upward, until you get a value of 1.60 in the display at the very top of the plugin.

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As Osc 2 is going to provide us with the sequencer interest, we will increase the volume of Osc 2 to the 12 o’clock position, which will read 100.00 on the upper display, while adjusting the Volume pot. Any louder and it may begin to overdrive your DAW’s channel strip.

3

Osc 1 is going to produce a static tone or drone, while a sequencer plays around it, so we’ll need to reduce its volume so that it’s less conspicuous. Alter the Osc 1 Volume control pot, to a value of around 58.00. You can also tweak this to taste later on.

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We’ll be using LFO 2 as a modulation source, which will be used to modulate pitch. Make sure that you have selected LFO 2, by clicking the relevant button, which should then become highlighted in turquoise. This reveals all the relevant settings for LFO 2.

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We can now make some alterations to the LFO’s mode. We want to work with a User LFO, so moving to the LFO Waveform selection dropdown, click-hold and select User, which should be located at the very bottom of the menu.

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Having selected the modulation source, we can now set the modulation amount. Click-hold the small circle, to the right of the Osc 2 tuning pot, and drag the mouse up to a value of 24. This relates to 24 semitones, and translates as two octaves, giving plenty of capacity for pitch movement, while choosing our sequenced notes.

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To make it easy to select pitches with the LFO, we want to work in Steps mode, so ensure that this is selected. We’ll also keep our sequence simple to begin with, so switch the number of steps from 16 to 4. You can extend this later, if you require more steps.

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Now we can set up a basic note sequence; moving back to LFO 2, leave the first step untouched at zero. Drag the second step up to a value of 30.00, as displayed in the upper display. Then alter step 3 to a value of 62.50 and finally step 4 to a value of 100. If you now play a note, you should hear our basic 4-note sequence play out.

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We now need to assign the destination for our tuning. Move back to Osc 2 and click-hold the dropdown menu, located underneath the Osc 2 Tuning pot. Select LFO 2 from this dropdown menu.

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Finally, try making some alterations to the filter. We quite like the LP Xcite filter in this patch, and you could also try sending some LFO 2 modulation to the cutoff control of the filter, while adding a little resonance. Follow our GUI settings and you’ll hear the brightness of the filter open, with the rise in pitch.