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Filters April
19, 2003 ~ ASR-XChange, previously hosted by Scott
Hansen, shutdown for good in late 2002. In addition
to RealAudio demo's from ASR-X users, there was a
selection of 'How To' articles contributed by the
ASR-X list. I've reproduced those articles here at
ASRXCITE. Thanks to Scott for his past
efforts.
The
following replies were in regards to an inquiry on
the Filter structure of the ASR-X and possible
uses. Scott H. compiled the replies into a single
article. Briefly:
The
ASR-X has low pass, high pass, and bandpass
filters. A low bass cuts highs ('passes' lows) a
high pass cuts lows ('passes' highs) and a bandpass
lets in frequencies around the band you set it at.
('Q' determines how wide that band is). The
filters are set up to go one-into-the-other
('series'), so if you dial up a low pass/high pass
you may not here a thing because everything is
being cut out. There
are also 'poles', which refer to the steepness or
'strength' of the filter- a 1-pole filter cuts
6db/octave. What that means is that a 1 pole low
pass filter at 500hz cuts 6dB at 1kHz, and at 2Khz
it would be down 12 dB. a 2-pole filter is twice as
strong- 12dB/octave. 3pole= 18dB. And
if you're wondering about dB, every increase by 10
dB is 2x perceived loudness- (or 10X the watts if
you want to know which amp to buy!) Remember
that the X uses arbitrary midi-based numbers (where
there are only 128 values) so it's hard to set a
value for the filter based on it's actual
frequency- gotta use your ears. Try using an
multi-band EQ and listening to what frequencies
sound like- crank up 1k, 250hz, whatever. That'll
help with learning to use the bandpass especially,
which is important 'cause it's pretty cool.
On a
side note, the Q is supposed to determine how wide
the filter is but it sounds pretty resonant to me.
Anyone know for sure? I think it does
both. cape
Try
to have fun with this stuff and remember just
because all those parameters are there waiting to
be tweaked - doesn't mean you have to start with
each and every one. Look at how popular the TB-303
became and it had what - six parameters? Get
comfortable with the basics and the rest will
follow: Tuning
(Pitch Envelope), Filter Cutoff (very important),
Resonance (also important), Envelope Mod (often
interacts with the filter cutoff setting), Attack
& Decay (for the Amplitude Env). These
will get you immediate results. Then, when you
start playing with the LFO(s): LFO to Pitch results
in Vibrato, LFO to Amplitude results in Tremolo,
and LFO to the Filter results in whacked out mod
effects - fun, fun, fun! Cape's
write up on the filters is on the mark - you'll
hear the difference between the filters on the X -
they're not subtle! Regards
(and apologies to those for whom this old
hat), Jon
OK,
first sample something. Assign it to a
pad. It'll
say custom,name of sample etc. Once you have a
sample ready to be used, go to the filter section
by pressing edit in the sound section. You should
first come to the choice section. 2poleLP/2poleLP
etc. For a beginner with filters just mess with
these parameters settings. The
dual LP filters just make it "lowendy" while the HP
make it "highendy" That
at least is a starting point. Ivan.
Yeah,
y'know it took me awhile to figure out how great
the filters are too. Now I can't live without em.
Here's some quick info on what they can
do.... The
regular low pass (LP) ones are good for reducing
noise or getting only the bass sounds of a sample.
Basically they say to the X only let frequencies
below a certain point pass through. Listen a vinyl
sample over and over as you bring down the filter
cutoff. First you'll hear the crackle and hiss
start to go away. As you bring it down further you
go deeper into a the bass frequencies until its all
you hear. I like to do evil sounding fade-ins of a
track by slowly raising the filter cutoff from 0
rather than fading in the volume. All
that's kinda handy but the resonant filters are
where its really at. They basically do the same
thing but also make the sound resonate at the
assigned cutoff frequency (I think. someone else
can really explain *how* they work I just know how
they sound.) Sequence
a bass line for example and set the sound's filter
to resonant2LP/2LP. Set the filter's Link= FLT2
uses FLT1. This makes the filter's effects more
pronounced by linking two filters in a series. You
can set FLT2's settings independently but most
times with the resonant filters I find it's easier
to link them. Set the resonance up a bit (maybe to
15 as a start) Now while the sequence is going
start reducing the filter's cut off. You can start
to hear that acidy woosh going on. Move the
resonance up a you'll start to really hear a
difference. Generally the higher the resonance the
lower the cutoff point must be to hear anything
besides a high whine. The
resonant filters are really fun for filter sweeps -
rising and falling as the sequence goes. You can
set the filter's initial settings in the sound's
parameters. Then change 'em easily as the sequence
goes by adjusting the *track's* filter resonance
and cutoff mod amounts. You can record these sweeps
by setting the record mode to Track Mix. Play
around with the resonant filters sweeping the
cutoff amount using different sampled sounds and
you'll start to see their potential. Hope
this basic stuff helps. I'd love to hear other's
comments too cuz I'm pretty much a beginner too
when it comes to filters. -z
Tip
o the day: Use
the Panning effect to synchronize your brain waves!
Set
up Spinner->Rev and Input+Effect, and either
your favorite song or some soothing sounds.
Listening through your headphones, set the pan to
100% Wet, and LFO 10 Hz. Close your eyes. Keep your
hand on the adjust knob. After a minute, go down to
9 Hz. Another minute, down to 8 Hz. Move down
approx. 1 Hz per minute to 5.5 Hz. Breathe deep and
slow from your abdomen. Leave there for a few
minutes. You may feel dreamy or dizzy or peaceful.
Relax. Think about things you've never thought
before...Go down to 5.4 for a minute...5.3....let
your mind go....work you way down to 4.5 or 4.0 and
you will start to lose it...move gradually back up
to 8, then back down to 5 again slowly. Enjoy the
pretty streams of images. Try
listening to a nice, heavy trance beat & bass
line, with the noise/synths going through the
panning and meditation. Use
two pairs of headphones with your friend to trip
out together. It
works with some other effects, too. -Noah |
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