Soundtoys FilterFreak - Manual (Page 22)

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Resonance
The R Re es so on na an nc ce e control works in conjunction with the Frequency knob and greatly
enhances the effect of the filter by “boosting” the harmonics that are located close
to the Frequency setting. So as you change the frequency of the filter those harmon-
ics right around the cutoff frequency are exaggerated, “picked out” and are more
pronounced. This gives the filter that squeaky, wheezy sound. Cranking the
Resonance all the way up will drive FilterFreak into oscillation (it will actually create
a signal), just like those real analog filters do. FilterFreak performs this function with
aplomb making the filter squeal, screech and wiggle…which sounds just great!
A A W Wo orrd d o off C CA AU UT TIIO ON N!! – Extreme settings of the Resonance controls can create VERY
high signal levels…enough to fry your tweeters and blow out your woofers if the
volume is way up. You may want to turn down the output level of FilterFreak when
using high values of resonance. We cannot be responsible for any damage done due
to being koo-koo enough to listen REALLY loud while cranking the Resonance!
So please…be cool and careful.
Shape
Ok, let’s talk shape. The “Shape” knob allows you to select the type of filter that will
be will be used and offer four distinct flavors: “LPF” or Lowpass, “BPF” or
Bandpass, “HPF or Highpass and finally “BRF” or Band Reject / Notch Filter. We kind
of hope that you already have some understanding about filters in general as
describing the differences can take lots of words and you probably won’t want to
read about it now anyway. When it comes right down to it, the best way to under-
stand how the different filter shapes sound is to dive right in and pump some audio
though FilterFreak, flip through each shape and twiddle the knobs. You will for sure
hear a difference and as they say, a sound is worth a thousand words! But just in
case, here’s a short description of each of the filter shapes available in FilterFreak.
LPF – Lowpass Filter
The L Lo ow w P Pa as ss s filter shape will remove or reduce any harmonics above the Frequency
setting. This type of filter shape is really the most common and is used in most
synths and effects. The Minimoog® had a Lowpass filter and the sound is unmistak-
able once you hear it.
BPF – Bandpass Filter
The B Ba an nd d P Pa as ss s filter shape is like a “cone” and will pass or “pick out” the harmonics
in the sound both above and below the frequency setting, passing a “band” of
frequencies. As you get further away from the center frequency the harmonics are
reduced depending on how “ wide” or “thin” the filter’s “band” is. The Resonance
knob controls how wide or narrow this band is; the lower the resonance the wider the
band, the higher the resonance the thinner the band.