Shift the Frequencies with Ohm Force Hematohm

In modern electronic music, especially genres like EDM, Psytrance, and Dubstep, you probably noticed how production parts are aimed toward various pitches and frequency modulations. This trick gives that unmistakable feeling of uplifting that you experience while listening to the track. If you are heavily into experimental stuff and have always found that none of the numerous plugins available out there offers the possibility of making these kinds of really bizarre effects and textures that have been haunting your mind, Hematohm is your Holy Grail.  

Hematohm by Ohm Force

In its essence, Hematohm by Ohm Force is a versatile plugin with several different effects. However, the main effect I want to discuss in this tutorial is a frequency shifter. This device raises or lowers the frequency of an input signal. It does this using a complex amplitude modulation-like technique. Unlike the pitch shifter, the frequency shifter does not preserve the harmonic relationships between the various tones and harmonics in the input signal. Because of this, sounds processed by a frequency shifter start communicating unnaturally with only a small amount of shift. This effect is excellent for buildups, which are heavily involved in Psy Trance genres, so in the following tutorial, I will apply it to the kick drum. Here is a short Psy Trance sequence I made in SoundBridge. Let's hear how it sounds.  

~Psy trance sequence without kick drum buildup  

Create a Buildup

The next thing to do would be to duplicate the kick drum channel and place it below the original one. Furthermore, I will make a kick drum buildup from the duplicated kick drum, and on its track, I will put a new instance of Hematohm. Let's hear how the kick drum builds up sounds without the effect.  

~Kick Drum build up without Hematohm  

Hematohm's Interface

Now let's see the Hematohm's interface:  

On the left side, we have the controls for the frequency shifter effect. Also, an LFO section can be used for rhythmic manipulation of the frequency shifter. Furthermore, there is an envelope follower and, in the end, a built-in delay effect. For this purpose, I will use the frequency shifter, controlled by its amount parameter and the delay, to add more sense to the sound building up. To do this, I will automate the frequency shifter amount and the delay feedback parameters by making the new lanes in the kick drum build up the channel. So, let's hear how that sounds.

~Kick Drum build up with Hematohm  

Add Some FX

In order to add some more sense of space, I will add a bit of reverb and automate the gain level towards the end of the buildup. Now, let's hear the difference.  

~Kick Drum build up with Hematohm + Reverb

In the end, let's listen to the buildup and the other effects mentioned above.

~Final Mix