Quick tip

How to Pitch the Start of Your Hardstyle Lead Layers

Always remember this when making hardstyle break layers. A lead can go up in the beginning, down in the beginning, or it can do nothing at all.

Jim
Jim, On Point Samples
19 February 2023 · Short 0:54

My notes from this Short

01

Up, down or nothing at the start of the note

Here I have a layer with around 8 synths of chords and leads, and I show the difference between not having the effect, having it go up and having it go down.

Here's the same melody with all the synths going down. If you want it to cut through the mix, use this spike in the beginning of your leads. And finally, the best one yet is the note going up.

Serum LFO 1 in ENV mode with a fast ramp up at the start, for hardstyle lead layers that go up at the beginning of each note
The going up version: LFO 1 in ENV mode, a quick ramp up at the start of the note.
02

Combine all three in one layer

You can do whatever you want and make a combination of this. Some of the leads in your layer can go up, other ones can go down, and for the other ones you don't add any effect at all.

What I use in this video

Serum

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