Aaron Suiss Builds Self-Actualization From Diva’s INIT Patch

Presets are a normal part of modern production, and Aaron Suiss is pretty open about using them for some of the biggest layers in his latest release, “Self-Actualization,” which spent a week in the Hype Charts on Beatport. The bass and pad began with Plug Hugger presets inside u-he Diva. But the star of the show was the arpeggiator, which he created from INIT after the options he auditioned just didn’t bring the emotional depth and power the record needed.

Created with Enzo Vood and released on Magnetic Magazine Recordings, “Self-Actualization” already had its main groove when Suiss opened Diva to fill the missing role. He tried several arp presets, gave up on browsing, and began with sawtooth waves across Diva’s Triple VCO. Filter and envelope adjustments established the character, while small amounts of phaser and delay added modulation and stereo width.

Suiss openly says he does not see himself as a sound-design specialist, which makes the process he’s about to share even more relevant to producers who usually depend on presets. He began by identifying what the record was missing, then built the sound from the ground up for that specific need. 

In the discussion below, he explains how the patch was made and controlled in the mix, before giving producers five steps to build their own version.

Aaron Suiss Explains the Patch