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Preset tutorials

How to create
a preset.

Step-by-step recipes that rebuild MaxVRS factory presets from scratch, using the same settings as the originals. Open a tutorial, follow the steps, and compare your result with the factory version.

Knob gestures

Drag
Sets a knob's base value, the value saved with the preset.
Arm a source
Click ASSIGN on a Motion source, or the small circle beside a macro or the MOD wheel. Compatible knobs highlight. Click again to disarm.
Right-drag
With a source armed, right-click a knob and drag up for a positive route or down for a negative one. The inner coloured ring shows the amount; the base value stays put. On a Mac you can also hold Control and drag.
Right-click
Right-click a knob without dragging to clear the armed source's route on it.
Routes
Opens the Influence List to check exact amounts, then invert, mute, or remove individual routes.

Keep your monitoring volume low while you build, especially when you experiment with resonance, feedback, and effects.

Presets

Lead · Trance

Detuned Trance

A wide, detuned dual-oscillator trance lead with a sharp filter contour, stereo echoes, and a spacious reverb tail.

11 steps · Factory preset: Lead › Detuned Trance
  1. 01
    Source

    Start with a saw stack

    Oscillator 1 is a Wave Factory. Turn Morph to 66.7% so the wave sits exactly on Saw, then enable Unison and build a seven-voice stack.

    Morph
    66.7% · Saw
    Level
    0.80
    Unison voices
    7
    Detune
    54.5 ct
    Spread
    70%
    Phase
    Varied · 100%
  2. 02
    Source

    Add a second, wider stack

    Click + in the group strip and choose Wave Factory, or select oscillator 1's header and press Cmd/Ctrl+D to duplicate it. Keep it on Saw, sit it lower in the mix, and detune it further than the first.

    Morph
    66.7% · Saw
    Level
    0.55
    Fine
    +12 ct
    Unison voices
    7
    Detune
    67.3 ct
    Spread
    70%

    Different Detune amounts and the small Fine offset stop the two stacks from lining up. That mismatch is what makes the lead sound thick and alive.

  3. 03
    Source

    Shape the amp envelope

    Open AMP ENV for an instant attack, a quick dip to the sustain level for punch, and nearly a second of release so notes overlap into the effects. Pull the group level down slightly to leave headroom for the two stacks.

    Attack
    0 s
    Decay
    0.123 s
    Sustain
    0.75
    Release
    0.913 s
    Group level
    −3 dB
  4. 04
    Source

    Add the group filter

    Click + in the group strip again and choose Filter. Set it to low-pass and keep the cutoff low; the envelope in the next steps opens it on every note.

    Type
    Low-pass
    Slope
    24 dB/oct
    Cutoff
    712 Hz
    Resonance
    0

    Scroll up over the filter graph to switch to 24 dB/oct.

  5. 05
    Motion

    Create the filter envelope

    In Motion, click + ADD MODULATOR and choose Add Envelope. Give MOD ENV 1 a fast, snappy shape that falls to a low sustain.

    Attack
    0 s
    Decay
    0.223 s
    Sustain
    0.13
    Release
    0.975 s
  6. 06
    Motion

    Route the envelope to Cutoff with right-drag

    Click ASSIGN on MOD ENV 1 to arm it. Right-click the filter Cutoff knob and drag upward until the route reaches +61.6%. A normal drag still sets the 712 Hz base; right-drag only changes how far the envelope moves it. Open ROUTES on MOD ENV 1 to check the exact amount.

    MOD ENV 1 → Cutoff
    +61.6%

    Cutoff routes are scaled in pitch. At +61.6% the filter opens almost five octaves at the start of each note, then settles just above its base while the note is held.

  7. 07
    Motion

    Add the pitch zap

    With MOD ENV 1 still armed, right-drag Fine on oscillator 1 and on oscillator 2 all the way up. Each note starts about a semitone sharp and drops back over the envelope's decay, giving the lead its bright zap. Click ASSIGN again when you are done.

    MOD ENV 1 → Osc 1 Fine
    +100%
    MOD ENV 1 → Osc 2 Fine
    +100%
  8. 08
    Lanes

    Add stereo echoes

    The group already outputs to Lane 1. Add a Stereo Delay to Lane 1, sync both sides to tempo, and give them different divisions so the echoes bounce between left and right.

    Sync
    On · both sides
    Left
    1/4
    Right
    1/8
    Feedback
    35% · 35%
    Mix
    30% · 30%
    Tone
    100%
    Link
    Off
  9. 09
    Lanes

    Finish with a large hall

    Add a Reverb after the Stereo Delay. Choose Hall, open it all the way, then expand Advanced for a smooth, moving tail.

    Type
    Hall
    Size
    100%
    Decay
    100%
    Damping
    0%
    Mix
    39%
    Pre-delay
    0
    Diffusion
    100%
    Modulation
    100%
    Low Cut
    38 Hz
    Width
    100%
  10. 10
    Perform

    Map macros and the MOD wheel

    In Perform, click the small circle beside each macro to arm it, then right-drag its destinations exactly as you did with MOD ENV 1. Arm the MOD wheel the same way. With every macro at zero, the sound stays exactly as you built it.

    Macro 1 · Brightness → Cutoff
    +22%
    Macro 2 · Detune → Osc 1 Detune
    +36%
    Macro 2 · Detune → Osc 2 Detune
    +28%
    Macro 3 · Width → Osc 1 & 2 Spread
    +50% each
    Macro 4 · Space → Reverb Mix
    +32%
    Macro 4 · Space → Stereo Delay Mix
    +36% · both sides
    MOD wheel → Cutoff
    +32%

    The factory preset leaves Macro 3 at 40% for a little extra width.

  11. 11
    Presets

    Save your preset

    Open the preset library and choose SAVE AS to keep your version in the User collection. To compare, load Factory › Lead › Detuned Trance and switch between the two.

More tutorials are on the way. Tell us which sound you would like to learn next.